The evolution of new media
The modern world of rapid technological advancement and a society that believes in fast-paced living, have made online news and social media an integral part of human life. Printed newspaper have been facing notable challenges from the development and subsequent influence of new media, social media more specifically (Haji 2014). Since readers are habitually turning to internet for ‘authentic’ information and news, there have been noticeable changes in readership habits. The reason is obvious, this alternate source of information is both cheaper and can be availed fast. The global acceptance of online media among people can be accredited to its ‘instant’ feature, which makes like all the more convenient (Chan et al 2013). The purpose of this essay is to trace the growth of new media and analyze how it has changed the way news is produced and consumed. The discussion focuses on the impact of the internet, mobile phones and social networking media on the default news channels of Asian countries that still follows the traditional print system for publishing news. The paper refers to a case study of an Asian country to argue how new media has change the way people think about the rest of the world and the kind of impact it has on the traditional media houses in urban areas (Flew 2018).
One of the reasons why new media was able to substitute traditional media is because the former allowed people to act as both producers and transmitters. Social media feeds the desire of all individuals in the society and appears to provide a solution to all the needs of the society. The flexible features of new media makes it more preferable to people, the young and the aged alike. The paradigm of print media flourished before the era of instant internet access and use of smartphones, news aggregators which were out of the reaches of the common man. The dynamics of access to information changed drastically over the course of few years with the ever increasing number of smart phone users. Delivering news to the present tech-savvy generation is rather redundant as the process involves several, tedious steps and is extremely passive and ineffective if compared to interactive and instant new media. The decline of the print circulation was long due in the wake of a new society, dominated by new media. The plethora of available information and the convenience of personalizing the consumption of news as per individual interest, backed by news updates at any time of the day moved the audience towards the online platform. Additionally, social media has the provision for feedback which is known to enrich the experience of the users. The newspapers however deserves equal credit for carrying out the job of covering stories of local interest. Most of these stories are neglected by the national and political minded publications that are usually availed online.
The old media have traditionally kept people at the receiving end of all one-way communications, the growth of the new media has enabled these people to play an active role in the transmission as well as the production of news. Soon enough the gap between transmitters and producers will be bridged. Digital communication empower consumers, taking forward the experiments in global citizenship (Majchrzak 2013). Some countries popularized new media because of the need to have free flow of information throughout the country. Some experts are of the opinion that the challenges faced by tradition media, especially printing press has a lot to do with the turbulent storm of the economic crisis (globally) , dwindling readership and falling finances for funding print media and most significantly the ineffectuality of newspaper companies to monetize their efforts online. Newspapers in the east have lost their fair share of advertisement in the internet an the reasons are not too far to seek. Some countries in the east even compel readers to cancel their subscription to newspapers, owing to a depressed economy.
The internet as a global medium
Nothing is more welcomed in the 21st century than technology and smartphones are the so far the most loved gifts of technological advancement. Everyone is South Asia have taken a keen interest in smartphones, one of the reasons being that it combines best all forms of communication, video, text and sound; something traditional media could never provide with. Mass communication have reached new dynamics with these new platforms alone or when combined with other technological innovations. People are now able to reach each other beyond boundaries and sometimes even in real time. New media is further responsible for opening up the Asian mindset to the rest of the world and even influencing their lifestyle and the way they perceive of the world.
A case study conducted on the media industries of India revealed how the media landscape of the country has drastically changed with the advent of new television which soon marked the beginning of the Millennial Age. The study does a PESTLE analysis for determining the ways new media influence Indians and impacts the operations of traditional media. The government parties of India is attempting to persuade news coverage by manipulating online media (Haly et al 2013). As many of the reputed traditional media houses would remain neutral when it comes to political news, it becomes easier to control and manipulate the news covered online. The Indian economy was liberalized I the 1990s which marked the beginning of consumerism and propelled the entrance of new media in ordinary households. The Middle Class Indians were drawn towards the Page 3 entertainent and like the Western media industry, media houses in India became profit driven and replaced coverage on inequality and poverty with social dos and don’ts at parties. The rapid developments in technology emerging smartphone revolutions and the third wave of news and culture, forced the media houses to either conform to the growing trends or be left behind. The tendency of Indian consumers to migrate to news channels that are more technologically developed also play a major role in the transition (Straubhaar 2013) . Additionally, the new media is more affordable than its traditional counterparts. Most cities in India are still below the poverty line and it became for convenient for the middle class to afford the internet than to afford papers. Printing media is highly dependent on suppliers for operating and the media industry of India relies on a chain of suppliers for getting news published on paper. The youth and the elderly in Indian households find it more convenient and wise to receive their news with a click than going through the process of earning their daily newspaper. The findings in the study further suggest that Indian youth have greatly taken to the westernized style of living. New media is the best platform for globalization to operate effectually and the impacts on the common Indian are prevalent in the way they dress, the language they use and even their taste and preferences that bespeak heavy western influence (caluniv.ac.in, 2018) .
The impacts of new media on the Asian culture
Competitive rivalry is another reason why new media has always has the upper hand in the industry. The media space of India is very choosey due to the diversity and the difference in language and culture. The newspaper companies are always fighting for securing a stable position in the industry but the advantage of new media is that it does not require any media space for reaching out to the consumers. To add to the advantages of new media, it does not have to fear any threat of substitution unlike traditional media houses since it (new media) shares content on any random topic without particular categories or specializations. While new media liberates people from dogmatic thinking and offers higher accessibility to the happening of the world, its potential to manipulate truths cannot be altogether ignored. Indians, like most people in the Asian countries are strongly driven by the controlling grasps of online media, most dominating on social networking sites. The budding prospects of social media require newspapers to employ new business strategies for co-exiting with their new channel of media enterprises. The popularity of technology and the privileges it can afford is the chief reason why new media can flourish, dominating over the traditional ways of news coverage (Mccombs 2018).
Conclusion
The smart devices and the increasing participation in social media more people are inspired to become a citizen journalist. Moreover, the young generation is hungry and restless; they are most unlikely to wait for newspapers in a world of tablets and smart phones, for accessing world news. Another thing about local newspapers is that it does not cover international news. Millennials want to be stay informed about the world and the events across the globe. Additionally, people are longer interested to remain at the receiving end of all knowledge and information, they want to want to be active participants in the discourses of the world and if traditional media wants to survive the competitive market, it has to engage in new activities and provision for better services.
References
caluniv.ac.in. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.caluniv.ac.in/global-mdia-journal/COMMENT-2016-NOV/C1.pdf
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