Transition.

The decade of the 1990s was a period of rapid change in media fueled by advances in technology, the continued merging of companies, and the explosion of"trash" media. Developments in technology led to debates about censorship and protecting children from violent or pornographic images. It also provided quick and easy access to information through the increased availability of the World Wide Web in most homes and offices in the country. Yet, while technological options expanded, authentic diversity in media voices contracted as more and more media sources were merged into large corporations. From reality-based television programming to television and radio talk shows to network news, high-decibel confrontations, innuendo, and intimate sexual details dominated the media. Even, however, as the public cried out against lowering standards in the media, people tuned in to listen and bought sensational editions in record numbers.

Technology.

Advances in computer technology in...