What’s “News”?
How the evolution of technology reshaped media. (Taken from chapter 2 of “Telling the Story”)
We live in an age of innovation and recreation. The twenty-first century is a fast-pace world that continues to advance forwards, never pausing to look back. As new latest and greatest replaces the old, some may see this as the end of the news industry.
This, however, is not the case. As digital starts to replace print, the media world is given new mediums to work with. The resources enables journalist, broadcaster and reporters to reach a larger audience at a rapid pace.
The emergence of internet news, smartphones and tablets has increased the online news interest in news. In fact, in 1996, when the internet was first introduced, the online news consumption was at 2 percent. By 2010, this had increased to 41 percent.
What exactly did these new devices bring to the table?
1. The civilian Journalist- For the longest time, the news industry was one-sided. Reporting the news was the job of the reporter or journalist. The reader had little say in what was published.
However, the internet has provided the reader a chance to interact with the news. Reporting news is no longer exclusively a job for the professional journalist. Now, anyone can contribute. Any aspiring writer can own a blog. Many new websites have pages where citizen are allowed to submit news stories.
2. Quick and Easy access- Internet news and mobile apps have the ability to bring the news to the reader’s pockets. It is instantaneous, reporting events as they happen. Readers have to the choice to check the news on their own time, rather than waiting for the weekly newspaper to come out.
3. A Wider Audience range- Because news is easier to access, more people are drawn to it. People like to stay updated, but most people do not have the time to search for the news. Though apps or the internet, it is easier to search for specific information than it is to rummage through a newspaper.
Convergence
Journalist refer to the changes in journalism Convergence. As we begin to move away from the traditional newspaper and more towards the digital world, we begin to see many the possibilities that lie ahead. Ever wonder what it’s going to be like in 10 years?
My Thoughts
I consider myself lucky. When I was born, the internet was still young. Newspapers and news channels were the primary sources of current events. In fact, we still had a landline!
However, as I grew up, I got to watch technology shape the world around me. Newspapers were still popular, but not as common. Though, the landline did not last long in my lifetime.
It is scary to think about how fast things changed in the 19 years I have been alive. There is a challenge that all journalist are going to face in my generation. It is our job to keep up with the ever changing world.
At the same time, it is exciting. Just think, 19 years is not a long time. It’s fun to try and imagine the world when I’m 30.
