Mass Communication Modifications

It’s undeniable that mass communication and journalism, in general, are changing at a pace that’s hard to believe. As we discussed in class, this change is good, bad, and everywhere in between for the process of educating and keeping the public informed. Much of this change is a direct result of technology giving new outlets and forcing the hands of news providers to do more and in different ways to get news to people, while also arming them with new techniques in how to do so.

In the current day, people can get news faster than ever before thanks to increased time spent on the computer as well as phone news applications. This bolstered interaction between news sources and audiences allows for the public to get news earlier and also filter what kind of things they want to know with more ease. Instead of having to read through papers to get certain sections with limited coverage, there’s now something for everyone on all topics that can be instantly found. However, this increase in competition, as well as lack of filter on the internet, has led to several conflicts as well. There are countless stories of companies having to lay to off employees due to this new market. The increase in sources and competing markets have made it much harder for the old giants to stay in front. While it’s been said before, it’s direly important that all sources, no matter who or what they cover, are ready to change as fast as the internet and potential audiences do or they’ll quickly feel the impact.

While media communication’s face has changed a lot over the recent years, it has also given lots of good new tools to those who use it. In class, we went over many added elements that have furthered the ability for readers to digest and understand info given by communication outlets. These included data visualization, targeted ads, integrated advertisements in stories, and more. All these tools once again have made the experience of any given user have a more personal feel, which is something I anticipate will only continue to head in that direction as more tools become available to draw in and retain audience’s attention.

Mass communication is a tricky situation that will continue to change and morph for the foreseeable future as the experience for users gets better and better, but the people supplying that content may have to jump through more hoops.