There is no doubt that tech is shaping how we live and work in so many different ways. Of course, since we are really only at the beginning of the tech revolution, there is every chance that these changes are going to continue coming thick and fast in the months and years ahead of us. However, there is no doubt that one area that has changed significantly is the world of the media and journalism. To begin with, the traditional funding models of paying for news have changed in a big way as social media has served to make a lot of info available for no cost at all. Not only this, but there has also been a proliferation in the amount of content that is out there – meaning that people have to be a lot more discerning in terms of what they are consuming and how trustworthy it actually happens to be.
The changes that are happening at the moment are still in the balance, but there is no doubt that more and more of them are going to occur. For now, it is simply worth sitting back and taking stock of how much has changed and the types of transformations that may still be waiting in the wings. So, let’s make a start at doing this right here and now.
Higher Level of Accessibility to Journalism Courses
This may be one of the positive changes that is worth discussing straight away, but the world of the internet has opened up access to learning about the world of journalism. There are plenty more online courses out there that would not have been so readily available otherwise. Not only this, but there is plenty of specialized learning, such as getting a masters in sports journalism, if you are looking for the ways in which you can move towards a course that leads in a specific direction. While journalism is still typically a face-to-face job, there is no doubt that the online elements have creeped into it in a big way – which means that your studying opportunities have also transformed at the same time. Of course, it is arguable that the internet has also reduced opportunities for journalists to make money, which is something that the field is still grappling with. Essentially, this means that while courses have opened up, there is a higher level of competition for the few places that are readily available.
Social Media Becomes a Portal to News
There is also a great sense that social media has become a portal to the news for many people. Many people are following their favorite news websites, which are posting regular updates to their social media accounts. Ultimately, this means that news is coming at them from a place that it simply would not have done before. However, this is also where a great deal of controversy exists as well. After all, there are so many questions out there about how reliable the news that consumers are getting their hands on happens to be. There has certainly been a big rise in the amount of ‘fake news’ out there, which is a negative thing that the world all over is trying to grapple with. However, these changes are not looking like going away anytime soon, so it is certainly something that governments around the world and social media companies are trying to tackle in a cohesive manner. Ultimately, a lot has changed since the advent of algorithms that have led to a situation in which more and more people are seeing different news feeds and experiencing the world in an entirely different way.
Different Morning Routines
In the days before the internet, it may well have been the case that people would have had to go down to the shop to buy a newspaper for their daily news. The advent of rolling 24-hour news channels certainly changed all of this in a big way. However, the morning routine of the 21st century revolves around checking your smartphone to see the latest news and social media updates overnight. More and more people are reaching for their phone directly to see what is going on. Of course, this is not something that is only limited to the morning. As many of these websites are set up to send out alerts throughout the course of the day, people are being nudged and cajoled into reading the latest news updates. There is no doubt that this type of routine can extend into the pre-bedtime as well. Many people are scrolling through their phones until they fall asleep. For news organizations and journalism, there is a lot of pressure in terms of producing the type of regular content that ensures that eyes reach their platforms. Ultimately, this is bound to impact the type and the volume of content that is being put out there. In terms of the type of content, there is a greater sense that it needs to be of the type that is going to encourage people to click on it in the first place. In terms of the volume, it means that more needs to be put out there.
News Through Chat Apps
While this is something that has not been discussed with the same level of attention, over recent years, there has certainly been a shift in terms of the amount of news that is being received through the major chat apps. For many people, this has meant the sharing of stories by their friends and other people in WhatsApp groups and so on. However, there have also been big changes in terms of news organizations that have been noticing and aiming to ensure that they do not miss out on them. So, it is more than likely that the future is going to see more and more people get their news in this way. Of course, this is still something that is in its infancy, so we do not really know where it is going to head. However, what we do know is that the news organizations are being led by tech, which means that the changes and adaptations need to come thick and fast in order to keep pace. Therefore, if you are thinking of getting involved in the world of journalism, this may well be one of the types of areas that you would like to explore.
Robots are Becoming a Reporter
If you are a budding reporter and thinking of getting involved in the world of journalism, there is no doubt that this is a potential change that can end up filling you with more than a little trepidation. However, as robots and AI becomes more adept and advanced, there is a growing sense that they can handle the basics of writing news stories. Of course, this does not mean that traditional journalism is going to die a horrible death. Instead, it could well be evolving, and it may well be the case that there are going to be more in terms of opinion pieces out there – with the computers being able to handle the basics in terms of what it takes to put together a regular news story. At the moment, people have more of an ability to spot what is being written by a machine and what is being put out there by human beings. Of course, this may well be the type of distinction that is not going to be as easy to make in the months and years that are ahead of us.
Virtual Reality is the New Frontier
This blog post has already discussed in a little more detail in some of the more obvious and apparent changes that are coming in the form of chat apps being used for journalism purposes. Of course, there is also the growing sense that areas such as 360-degree images are going to become more and more advanced. At the same time, it may well be the case that virtual reality is going to come quicker and quicker in terms of its ability to tell a story and give people the kind of immersive experience that they are simply not able to get from other forms of content. There is no doubt that we have only really scratched the surface in terms of virtual reality, but it can be easily seen as a new frontier in terms of journalism as people are looking for new ways in which they can consume their news, as well as a whole host of other visual and gaming opportunities that are in front of us.
These are just a few of the ways in which the world of journalism is being shaped and altered by tech. Of course, many of these changes have only occurred over a short period, which means that we do not really know what else could be occurring in the months and years ahead of us. However, we do know that we have a snapshot of what is going on now. First of all, there is the sense that there are many more journalism courses that are readily available online. However, as a counterbalance to this, there is a sense of inevitability in that the job roles are changing, as well as the number of opportunities that are readily available. Not only this, but the next major change is based on the fact that social media is shaping so much of our news output, which means that all of the traditional news portals have embraced these changes. At the same time, there is also more of what would be described as fake news out there – there are plenty of sources which simply cannot be afforded the same level of trust as more well-known media sources. What they are putting out there into the world simply does not have the same level of reliability or credibility.
There was also a discussion about how the morning routines have changed for many people, which can also be expanded into how news is consumed in general. Many people are checking the news throughout the course of the day, and there is no doubt that the alerts that they are receiving is feeding into all of this in a big way. Plus, there are also new forms of news being explored all of the time, which can be seen by the chat apps that the big companies are looking to utilize in order to get their content out into the world. As well as this, we have also taken a closer look at the growing of AI and how this is playing a part in shaping the future of journalism. There is no doubt that this is going to continue creeping in as more and more news organizations work out ways in which they are able to keep their costs low while continuing to pump out the type of content that people are interested in reading. Of course, in terms of a new frontier of journalism that we are just at the beginning of, there is no doubt that virtual reality needs to be taken seriously for the impacts that it may well be having on the world around us in the very near future if the amount of money that is being pumped in is anything to go by.
Therefore, if you are planning on getting involved in the field of journalism for yourself, there is no doubt that taking all of these changes into account is certainly a step that is worth taking and one that can also give you so much information about how you need to proceed and the specific areas that need to be focused on, as well as the ones that can be sidelined somewhat. This is even more true if you are thinking of taking the ultimate step and trying to set up a media organization of your own. More than ever, you can get some valuable research on your consumers, and you can also learn a great deal about them.
