How has news changed in the last 20 years?
Technology is something that has expanded rapidly within the last two decades, and as such it has had a major impact on the way that news has developed and evolved since the days of Gutenberg and the printing press. The technological advances has shown a rapid decline in print media but a huge spike in the use of e-media and the way audiences interacts and socialises with the news through the use of social media and technologies.
Audiences
In the modern age, the internet is something that is found around every corner. The majority of countries now a days are interconnected through the usage of online services and as such are always in touch with the latest updates. Unlike the usage of print media and even television broadcasts, the internet guarantees instantaneous news and updates to any person with a phone or device connected to the internet. This rapid change in access of news has meant that people are a lot more connected and a lot less ignorant in the sense that they have a lot more knowledge which as a result could show an increase in intelligence and education. However, it can be argued that the rise in the internet has shown an increase in unreliable sources and as such the truth can now be a lot more harder to find.
Furthermore it can be argued that due to the increase in social media platforms, many people don't even need news outlets or journalists anymore, as every person is now armed with a camera and the platform to report and talk about their opinions freely. This ultimately means that everyone can easily be a journalist and report an incident or a news story by themselves and gain a following. However, it can be argued that this has resulted in a dramatic decrease in investigative journalism where the journalists had a duty to seek out the truth for the people and stand up to oppression, i.e. totalitarian governments or the WaterGate scandal in 1972. If there is a decrease in this, then who will stand up for the people and hold the powerful to account when they are corrupted?
Furthermore it can be argued that due to the increase in social media platforms, many people don't even need news outlets or journalists anymore, as every person is now armed with a camera and the platform to report and talk about their opinions freely. This ultimately means that everyone can easily be a journalist and report an incident or a news story by themselves and gain a following. However, it can be argued that this has resulted in a dramatic decrease in investigative journalism where the journalists had a duty to seek out the truth for the people and stand up to oppression, i.e. totalitarian governments or the WaterGate scandal in 1972. If there is a decrease in this, then who will stand up for the people and hold the powerful to account when they are corrupted?
Institutions
It's clear to anyone that from the perspective of institutions, there is a huge decline in the print media and also other media platforms such as some small TV channels which have been affected greatly by social media platforms. This is hugely due to the fact that the advertisement revenues have moved online and ultimately the disinterest in platforms such as print has led to many journalists losing their jobs.
However, it can be easily argued that a lot of these institutions have seen this decline and used it as their own strategy for increasing profits. For example, the Independent switched from print media to an online website dedicated to news. This is something that a lot of other news outlets have adopted by taking on social media such as Twitter or even Snapchat to present their news stories online and even go as far as to ask people on Twitter for eye witness to an incident. Many people had argued that with the decline in print media, tabloid journalism would be dead but on the contrary it is still alive and better than ever in the form of Buzzfeed articles or clickbait articles regarding gossip about celebrities on social media.
However, it can be easily argued that a lot of these institutions have seen this decline and used it as their own strategy for increasing profits. For example, the Independent switched from print media to an online website dedicated to news. This is something that a lot of other news outlets have adopted by taking on social media such as Twitter or even Snapchat to present their news stories online and even go as far as to ask people on Twitter for eye witness to an incident. Many people had argued that with the decline in print media, tabloid journalism would be dead but on the contrary it is still alive and better than ever in the form of Buzzfeed articles or clickbait articles regarding gossip about celebrities on social media.
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