Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian communication theorist, had suggested that the medium itself should be the primary focus rather than the content since the latter is defined by the character of the former. McLuhan was of the view that every medium has a distinct character, which the content creators largely ignore, but it’s the character that defines the content. He took the example of television, which was a new medium then, compared it with books, and said that while the print medium alienated human beings, television retribalized families and communities by drawing them together into a drawing room.
The internet has a big influence on media and communication. Also, new advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are changing how media content is made, shared, and used. McLuhan was right to say that the medium itself is a message.
Journalism and technology have been working closely together since the early days. The invention of movable printing technology by Johannes Gutenberg played a crucial role in driving the Renaissance in Europe. This technological advancement not only c ontributed to the enlightenment of the world but also enabled the mass production of knowledge. Lately, digital technology has revolutionised the landscape of journalism, altering not only how news is disseminated but also transforming the very nature of journalistic employment. The advent of online platforms, social media, and digital publishing has democratised information, enabling anyone to be a content creator. While this has empowered citizen journalism, it has also led to a proliferation of content, challenging traditional journalistic models.
One significant impact has been the rise of automated algorithms and artificial intelligence in newsrooms. These technologies can generate news articles, sift through data, and even curate content. While this automation enhances efficiency, it has also contributed to a wave of job displacement for journalists. Traditional news outlets, grappling with financial constraints, have resorted to cost-cutting measures, leaving many journalists unemployed. Even in Nepal, media houses have begun to generate illustrations, graphs, and charts from AI apps, which has made creative work in those sectors less demanded in newsrooms and media production.
Furthermore, the shift to digital platforms has altered revenue streams in journalism. Advertisers increasingly favour online platforms over traditional media, causing a decline in advertising revenues for newspapers and television. As a result, established media organisations have had to downsize their staff, leaving seasoned journalists without employment opportunities. This was more evident in Nepal in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, when media houses of all sizes made downsizing the staff, including journalists and creative workers, their major strategy to combat the economic challenges posed by the diminishing sales and revenue. A marketing manager of one of the largest newspapers in Nepal recently said that selling newspaper space for advertisement has become highly challenging, so they have to offer the advertisers other benefits such as free or discounted promotion through social media or FM radio. Most broadsheets now come with just eight pages, with occasional 12-page publications. Pull-outs and supplementary publications have become the things of the past.
It has weakened the community engagement of the print media as they have ceased to publish supplements on children, art, literature, and business. The decision to fold the children's supplement, in particular, will have severe repercussions on creating audiences in the long run.
Impact on journalism
This transition to technology has implications for journalists as well. They must adapt their skills to encompass multimedia storytelling, data analysis, and engagement with online audiences. Their writings and creations should meet not only the demands of the editors but also the channels and audiences. The audience's choice of short, crispy, and entertaining content like that on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or reels on Facebook or Instagram has forced multimedia content creators and journalists to design their creations in the same line. The philosophy of 'news as it happens' has become a mantra for both journalists and audiences. For the real-time update of information, journalists should be practicing MOJO (mobile journalism) or reporting from where they are. This race also has implications for the basic principles of media. It should work at a greater speed while maintaining accuracy, but often it is hard to maintain accuracy when you work at a faster speed.
However, while digital technology has presented challenges, it has also opened avenues for innovative journalism, demanding a reevaluation of traditional roles and fostering a dynamic, tech-savvy journalistic landscape. Application of AI, especially generative tools and chatbots, has supported content creation, editing, and refining. Recently, the concept of co-creation with AI has also been gaining popularity.
What should media do?
The fundamental requirement for survival and being competitive in the digital age is digital literacy. Journalists should undergo continuous training in digital literacy to stay updated on evolving social media technologies, algorithms, and trends. They should have good mobile journalism skills to facilitate quick, on-the-go reporting and live coverage, optimising the immediacy of social media.
Media houses should utilise data analytics tools to understand audience behaviour, preferences, and engagement patterns on social media platforms, enabling targeted content creation. Since the future is set to witness a wider use of virtual and augmented reality, journalists should explore immersive storytelling through virtual and augmented reality technologies, providing audiences with a more engaging and interactive news experience. But this could be quite challenging for Nepali media houses as they are yet to be adapted to even chatbots and AI-driven assistants, which are crucial for automated content curation, audience interaction, and personalised news delivery based on user preferences. Meanwhile, blockchain technology could help enhance transparency and accuracy in reporting and combat misinformation.
Meanwhile, print media need to devise and adopt more innovations to keep them afloat in the market and safe from the threat of new media. Increasing online presence and offering premium content in print media, audio storytelling, and personalised information delivery could be some solutions in this regard. They need to learn from global media giants like The New York Times and The Economist, which have solidified their print media market through the application of newsletters providing summaries of everyday news, podcasting, and social media presence, including YouTube. But it needs more investment, capable human resources, and resilient planning. It also demands robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard journalistic integrity, protect sources, and mitigate the risks associated with the digital dissemination of news on social media platforms.
Surviving in the digital age
It has already been late for Nepali media, including the print's online siblings, to implement digital paywalls and subscription models to generate revenue from online content. This can be begun by offering premium access to exclusive articles, features, and multimedia, as Setopati has recently implemented. To provide a seamless reading or viewing experience, the media should work on a user-friendly mobile application, push notifications for breaking news, and provide personalised content recommendations.
Since no one can deny the importance of advertising for the operation and sustainability of media, better strategies should be devised to reach the targeted audiences. For this, targeted digital advertising strategies should be used while diversifying the revenue streams to make up for the decline in traditional advertising revenue. But Nepali media seems to be less sensitive to the adoption of this strategy, which is evident in their confusion about transitioning to the new media options.
To reduce the cost of producing quality content, the application of AI technology, including generative and regenerative tools, should be used. These tools are primarily useful in content generation, data analysis, automated fact-checking, and personalised content recommendation. AI can analyse large data sets, identify trends, and provide context for news stories. However, these tools are not sophisticated enough to handle the things in Nepali; however, preparations should be made since it will not take long to have them. Meanwhile, the use of translation, editing, and content-generating tools, including for photos, illustrations, and videos, is gradually increasing in Nepali media.
Likewise, for the media houses, investment in the platforms for Content Management Systems (CMS) is also necessary to streamline content creation, editing, and publishing work. Application of analytical tools is also necessary to understand readers' behaviour, preferences, and engagement patterns so that content can be created to cater to their needs and interests.
Another must-do thing for media is social media integration, which allows them to reach and engage with wider audiences, share news updates, and drive traffic back to the newspapers or their digital platforms. However, all these activities demand not only better planning but also a sufficient allocation of budget for training and capacity-building programmes. The media should be ready to invest in the development of human resources and the installation of better technologies.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily's Anniversary Issue on 16 December 2023.
No comments:
Post a Comment