médias

Mídias refers to the plural form of mídia in Portuguese and denotes the channels, platforms and technologies used to disseminate information, culture and entertainment to audiences. In a broad sense, the term encompasses traditional mass media—television, radio, newspapers, magazines and cinema—and new or digital media, such as websites, streaming services, blogs, podcasts, apps and social networks.

In media studies, mídia describes the infrastructure and practices through which messages are produced, distributed and consumed. The term can be used as a collective for types of communication channels (as mídias) or as a singular concept (a mídia) to indicate a particular medium.

Functions include informing, persuading, entertaining and facilitating public discourse. Roles involve agenda-setting, framing and gatekeeping, as audiences select and interpret content across devices. With the rise of the internet, digital and social mídias enable user-generated content and interaction, creating participatory culture but also presenting challenges such as misinformation, privacy concerns and algorithmic bias.

Usage notes: In Portuguese, mídia can refer to media as an industry, as a set of channels, or to a given medium in communication contexts. The plural mídias is common when speaking of multiple platforms or types of media; alternatively, meios de comunicação is often preferred in formal writing.