Page 8 - PR Communication Age APRIL 2016
P. 8
What the
explosion in
social media
portends for
journalism
T he news business has long that will influence the news scape over is consumed. Today's younger and
been in a state of flux. It's the next 35 years. middle-aged audiences are acting dif-
easy to look back and see ferently than their predecessors. They
that 35 years ago, there was Every bit of what it means to be a jour- are not nearly as avid in their news
no Times Now, no NDTV and certainly nalist is being redefined by the tech- interest and they spend less time than
no World Wide Web. The paradigm nologies that shape today's society. older people watching, reading or lis-
shifts that have beleaguered media Stories are delivered through a media tening to news. And while they may
companies over the last decade have model that is still in its infancy. Straight not become heavier news consumers
been well documented. Still, they were reporting is being augmented by multi- as they age, they are still engaging
difficult to predict, making it a chal- screen adaptations and delivery. Social with news, albeit in shorter bursts.
lenge to identify the developments media channels are shifting the focus Social media tools like Twitter have
of the news conversation. New busi- become their front page.
About the author ness models continue to emerge that
change how reporting can be funded While legacy news organizations may
Prof Dr Uma Bhushan and how news distribution is mon- have seen disruptive technology as an
Associate Professor - Business etized. anathema to their businesses, many
journalists thought leaders now see the
Com m uni cati on , Meanwhile, emerging generations are upside to how technology can enhance
K J Somaiya Institute of Managem ent causing seismic shifts in the way news news reporting - using technology to
Studies & Research,
Vidyavihar, Mumbai
“Publicity is the life of this culture – in so far as without publicity capitalism could not survive – and at the same
time publicity is its dream."
8 PR COMMUNICAT ION AGE April 2016
