Old and New Media, Coursework Example

Question: Do traditional media have an advantage over emerging media? If so, what are they? If not, why not? From Professor Kelsee

Traditional media doesn’t have an advantage over emerging media because unlike traditional media that usually enabled one-way communication from companies to audience/customers only, the new media has enabled two-way communication. In addition, new media has made it possible to reach targeted audience in ways that is not possible through traditional media. Not only it is possible to more efficiently target chosen audience but new media also enables companies to collect valuable data. Moreover, marketing is not only more efficient but also cheaper on new media. In addition, customers also have greater power due to new media because of the power of information sharing and the availability of platform where anyone can make his/her voice heard. New media has also leveled the playing field between large and small companies which has benefitted the customers. Customers are also better-informed because new media makes it cheaper and quicker to get any information.

Question: Do traditional media have an advantage over emerging media? If so, what are they? If not, why not?

I agree with Professor Cohn that the traditional media does enjoy greater credibility and trust among audience as compared to new media. This is because traditional media still follows strict professional guidelines when it comes to providing news and information while new media has made it possible for just anyone to post information or views. In addition, traditional media usually abstain from gossips and unverified information while the participants in the new media do not always have the incentive to verify the reliability of the information. Thus, it is often difficult to differentiate between opinions and facts on the new media.

It is correct that the new media does enjoy the benefit of greater speed over traditional media. It is not difficult to understand that even the biggest players in traditional media can only have so many people and resources, thus, they cannot possibly cover every single place on earth. In contrast, almost everyone with internet accessibility is a participant in the new media which means almost every place on earth may have someone who participates in new media. But it is also true that speed is not always preferable because it becomes difficult to separate between gossip and facts when different participants may be giving different accounts of the same event.

I agree with the remark that there are always two sides to each coin and we cannot understand facts unless we look at all aspects of an issue. I also believe that there are some issues which fall into grey area rather than being black and white because reality is always more complex than what meets the eye. We do not always have clear cut answers, thus, we should be willing to take into account exceptional aspects of an issue. For example, western media often claims that Muslim world hates the freedom in the west though the reality may be more complex than this.

Question: The Internet has provided many forms of social media and new forms are continuously emerging. Which forms of social media do you use on a regular basis and why? Are there any social media that you previously used but no longer use? If so, why? If not, why not?

I use social networks such as Facebook and Twitter on regular basis and there are various reasons. First of all, almost everyone I know is on social media so peer behavior also shapes my media consumption habits. In addition, social networks have made it easier to keep tabs on friends and stay up-to-date on their lives in a convenient manner. Social networks are also addictive because friends keep posting interesting articles and posts which make me keep coming back. Thus, social networks are popular because they have found a way to keep users engaged and entertained. I use to blog before but not anymore. First of all, it was mostly one-way interaction with the audience, thus, not very engaging. Second, it consumed lot of time and there were little rewards. I hardly made any money and the audience was very limited which made it a poor use of time.

Question: Identify a single type of media (Internet, social media, newspaper, magazine, radio, or television) and describe the changes that have occurred to that type of media over the last 5 to 10 years. What implications so you see for the next 5 years? Explain.

As far as newspapers are concerned, they have evolved significantly over the last 5 to 10 years. News was rarely free before internet, at least in print form, but internet has made news a free commodity. As a result, newspapers have embraced internet partially or wholly and some publications such as Newsweek have even discontinued their print edition recently. If the trend continues, newspapers in print form will become quite a rare sight in the near future and most newspapers will move completely to the internet platform and will develop new business models though it will be a challenge for most except those with high brand loyalty such as Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. It is also possible that new major revenue stream will not be subscription fees but ads. Similarly, the competition in the newspaper industry may become more intense due to lower capital requirements for founding an online news company.

Question: Identify a single type of media (Internet, social media, newspaper, magazine, radio, or television) and describe the changes that have occurred to that type of media over the last 5 to 10 years. What implications so you see for the next 5 years? Explain.

I disagree with the classmate that newspapers will go the way of dinosaurs. I think they will simply evolve and adopt new business models. Even though internet has made it easier to access free news, a significant proportion among us still go to reputed websites such as New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post etc. to get our news because we trust them for reliable and accurate information. Internet tablet devices are already becoming a commodity and mobile internet-enabled devices are a norm now, thus, the future of news industry is not in print media but on the internet.