Will Traditional Media Become Less Relevant?

Jessi Haggerty-Denison

Will Traditional Media Become Less Relevant?

In the booming age of social media, there are so many ways that we can access news, both local and global news.  Anything going on in the world is literally at our finger tips since we can receive information with in seconds of an event through texting, pics and videos sent through phones.  This has certainly been proven this year, as many of the uprisings, such as in Egypt, were said to have started from a group of young people texting.  I believe that our traditional ways of receiving news is becoming less and less relevant.  Having to wait for the 10:00 news or the next day’s newspaper to arrive to find out what is going on seems almost antiquated.  Who wants to wait hours or even days to find out about what’s going on when everything you need to know is readily available, often times within seconds of an event?

I do believe the older generation still watches the evening news and looks forward to their morning paper to be read as they enjoy their cup of coffee.  I imagine the importance of this is more as a ritual than anything else.  The older generation also doesn’t use their phones, ipads and/or computers as much as the younger generation.  So to the older generation, which I’m referring to 60 or 70 years and older, I think traditional media is their main source.  But to rest of the population, traditional media takes a back seat and is quickly becoming less and less relevant. By looking at the article "Technology Still a Big Disconnect for Older Americans," discusses the amount of usage of how much older people used advance technology. For an example, 33% have internet access. Which is crazy to me because my generation started with the internet, I wouldn't know where I'd be without it.

Traditional media seems to still concern themselves with protocol and leaving the individual’s personal beliefs are out of the picture. As a news network or newspaper, the organization is concerned more with ratings than they are with news.  They want to appeal to the mass market so are forced to deliver the news as factual information leaving out their personal beliefs and opinions.  It can become quite bland in my opinion.  In the era of social media, people want to hear other’s opinions.  They expect it.  There’s a sense of freedom being able to completely express how you feel politically or about anything else with out having to constantly edit yourself for fear you’ll lose your job.  People also like reading the news from someone that shares the same beliefs and passions.  It provides fuel for them and it’s much more interesting when news can be delivered passionately with a person’s own emotions and beliefs being expressed than someone who is trying to maintain strict protocol.  And the great thing is that if you don’t like what they’re saying on a blog post for example, then there are plenty of other blogs you can find that will be saying what you do want to hear.

Bloggers can also reveal much more information than traditional media. News stations and newspapers have to be much more careful in checking their references and I imagine there is a lot of news they don’t report on because their sources may not be solid enough.  They are limited because people expect their news to be strictly factual and will legally hold them accountable.  Where as bloggers, in my opinion have free reign and the readers will often verify the sources themselves, knowing that the blogger’s news report goes along with what he/she believes and is passionate about and may be “slanted”.

I’m glad that traditional media is becoming less and less relevant.  I found watching the news and/or reading the newspaper to be boring.  It always left me with the question, “what aren’t they saying?” , because there seemed to be a lot unsaid.  I find reading about news and current events through the means of social media to be much more exciting and worthwhile.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the-best-life/2012/02/27/technology-still-a-big-disconnect-for-older-americans