Print Media Versus Internet - Research Paper Example

College: Print media versus internet Introduction The emergence of technology has revolutionized the communication media as a result of the continued development of the internet. This research paper will describe the pace of transformation in the print media to the internet journalism. Most of the electronic newspapers are free, archival in nature, interactive and it gives the readers/user the information through many access points. It could be via title, date, or contributions. It gives the list of newspapers along with popular search engines in the context, with possible exit of print media from the physical market. Developments in technology has changed the process of production and editing of newspapers more than 10 years ago. As a result, the newspapers and magazines have virtually disappeared from the scene hence creating the concept of print with no paper. This process began with the onset of online (internet) journalism. People’s computer screens are replacing the newspaper and magazine prints. Currently, millions of people are moving towards internet in order to search for information, and to put their knowledge at work. They no longer wait for the newspaper vendor in the morning. Recently, people only require to log in to the internet to get most recent news, more information, and views including a chance to comment and make his/her views know to the rest of the world. Publishers are realizing the need for incorporating internet in the form of media, and as a medium for disseminating news instantaneously to the people seeking for information across the globe (Ginnekan 65). The human race is essentially characterized by its appetite to in invent, and the acts of invention have marked the upward surge for media revolution. As each generation cross the threshold of the media driven society, the term new media is relative to the time and the experience of their time. The journalists and readers born in the early 1980s had little experience of digital media, and the new media of their time is the obsolete or the traditional media of the current generation. The aim of this research paper to create a contemporary understanding of new technology and to give the readers the context of how new media(internet) and print media have transformed as a result of technological changes, and their effect to the society’s culture. Developmental stages of mass media (Print media vs. Internet) The answer on sustaining and accelerating media improvement over time solely, lies in the feedback cycle between how-knowledge and what-knowledge. After the year 1450, there was an increase in discovery-type information. For instance, the improved ship design resulted a huge achieve in propositional knowledge, in access to new materials and form of maps. But most of the gains in the economic sector due to the geographical exploration attributed to a dramatic change in trade rather than invention. The arrival of movable printing press was perhaps the most beneficial turning point in the history of knowledge diffusion. However, the revolution in the media mostly occurred as a result of man’s desire to get things working without knowing why they work, by trial and error, good mechanical intuition and chance discovery leading to an invention that influenced media improvement. It was not until the Johannes gutenberg’s invention of the movable printing press that printed newspapers and magazines. Earlier before that, books and newspapers were handwritten and one copy was exactly the same as the second copy. The printing press created a path for mass production of print media possible. The mass production of newspapers was cheaper and a new technology of that time that made it easier for the media to reach a wide audience. The technology of the printing presses resulted to an efficiency that facilitated to the rise of the daily newspaper. As the Europeans settled the land that gave birth to the current United States, the newspaper served as an essential medium. At the beginning, the newspaper facilitated the Europeans to stay connected with the events back at their home. But as time passed by, people developed their own culture, and the newspapers enhanced forge the sense of national identity. This was possible by treating the readers across the nation as part of a unified group with similar values and goals. The newspaper created an “imagined community.” As the United States continued to grow, newspaper served as the best medium for the constantly increasing Americans in the urban regions in the 19th century, because they could hardly get their news via word of mouth. The Americans were now living in an unfamiliar world, and similar publications together with newspaper helped the people negotiate about the rapidly changing world. The revolution meant that the people had more money and leisure time, and the media was on the stand by to figure out how to spend the two factors. However, in the 1830s the daily newspaper started facing new threats with the rise of penny press. These were broadsheets that were low priced. The broadsheets served as the cheaper and more sensitive news source. The penny press can be compared to the today’s hungry tabloids. The decades of the 20th century gave forth to the very first major non-print form of media. Radio and film explored in the popularity. Radios were much less expensive than the telephones, and this made it possible for numerous individuals to listen to news simultaneously regarding the same event. The radio technology was boon for advertisers because they could access to a large and capture more audience. This was a glorious opportunity for the advertisements due to the countless, enthusiastic, interested, and curious people at the comfort of their homes. The evolution of the radio technology further facilitated the forge of the American culture. This form of media downplayed regional differences and motivated a sense of unified American lifestyle. This lifestyle was defined and driven by the consumer purchase. The broadcasting technology, which included television and radio impacted a high level of imagination to different people, such that the print media found itself adapting to the media landscape. It is important to note that the people lost the durability touch of the print media as a result. Print media could be archived creating flexibility in terms of time. An individual could read a newspaper or a magazine at his or her convenience. In contrast, the broadcast media could only be aired at a fixed schedule. This created a sense of immediacy and impermanence. This need gave birth to the advert of digital video recorders. Internet “new media” is as a result of cultural change, and yet they have the same change. Consequently, it is complicated to neatly sort out the evolution of media into clear effects and causes. Probably, the rise of radio had a wide popularity because it petitioned to a society that was already in exploration of consumerist tendencies. As the historical journalist Peter Burke and Asa Briggs noted that every crucial invention brought in a change in historical perspective. For instance, the innovation of electricity altered the way people thought about time, and similarly caused a change in the media industry. It is from the development and improvement of broadcast media that the internet was born. This is due to the social culture among the people. They needed a form of media that could provide live coverage, text, sound, picture, video and interactive characteristics all in one package. Later in the wireless communication had the distance collapsed, and the internet revolutionized the storage and retrieving of information. Comparison of between Print media and internet media As much as many people think that print media is in trouble, the media has its obvious strengths that ensure that its brand recognized. For instance, the New York Times, Newsweek and the Time, are some of the established brands that have royal readers. Most people prefer to read a newspaper rather than read the same content online. Most tech-savvy people chose to read the real newspaper or magazine instead of reading them via internet. Tangible magazine and newspaper have friendliness that is prehensile and tactile (Kelly and Cook 51-56). However, the internet media can be found in all places and at any time. The accessibility factor of the internet is considerable as the most advantageous gain over the newspaper. Sometimes individuals are unaware of the fact that they are learning about current affairs or rather news by going through their iPod or smartphone, blogs, or citizen journalists. These internet media vehicles portray important news and current events in subtle ways. This influences people to know more about the dissimilar events happening throughout the world, as well as, how they affect them. Both the newspaper and the internet include shortcomings. The two instruments of communication include bias from their publishers or writers. This makes the information circulated to be flawed in a particular way or the other. As much as this issue is in existence, the fact is that a large quantity of people do not care and refuse to be part of the world they are in today, and choose to pay no attention to the media that is desperate to inform the people. In comparison between newspaper and internet media technology, newspaper is less interesting and popular than the internet. However, it is important to note that the rapid growth in using smart phones and personal computers which give access to the internet has changed the many people act in social situations. A research conducted by Ofcom found that people have less time to work and to socialize, as a resulted internet form of communication (Ginnekan 45-49). The commercial nature of print and internet media The print media enables communication to be conveyed from a distinct source and get delivered to a multitude of people. The print media has a one-to-many orientation. For example the newspapers are produced by a single news organization and then sold out to many readers. Through this factor, it becomes easy for the government and the media organization to control the kind of information that is reaching out to the multitude. Additionally, the print media is not interactive. The readers of daily newspaper or magazine hardly write back to the writer or the publisher to let them know how they like the edition. With the print media, the producers of most content are commercial organizations, governments or the non-profit government, hence limiting the kind of information that they want to deliver to audience (Sharma 35-37). Before the creation of internet media, print media was envisioned as a mode to bring news to homes, and not as a mode of personal communication. However, due to social forces which determine technological changes, the print media has transformed to digital media. Most newspapers are available in the internet. The upgrade is as a result to reach out to many people and to increase the level of profits that they gain. Cultural norms, legal regulations and economic pressures are shaping the print media to a more technological media. The corporate that publish the print media experience competition from the digital media. This way they develop survival tactics by shifting to the most popular form of communication (Castells 32-35). With the oncoming new media, the society which has always received news from a one-way mass communication is now increasingly becoming the producers and the transmitter of information. From the current online media to the future BBC, the distinction between news consumers and news producers will become increasingly difficult to draw. With the global citizenship growing, the empowerment that is offered by the networked, distributed digital communication may be shared more widely. The mass media outlets are not able to keep up with the demands for interactive content that is produced by the same audiences. Ordinary people are now have the power to report on political occurrences, and at the same time maintain a high standard of information and enhance community values. So as to clearly understand the complementariness and distinctions between the new media and the print media, it is imperative to comprehend the technical difference between the two. Print media are highly centralized, requiring a lot of investments and resources making them prone to government influence through various forms of control and mechanism. On the other hand, the internet is used for both points to mass communications, point to point, and mass to point distribution. This type of media is highly decentralized, and requires little investment. It also gives a greater public participation, and interactivity making it more difficult to control. With this scenario in place, it is not surprising for the internet media to have popularity and acceptance in the society. The society becomes free, and gets the opportunity to make their very own news, as well as to acquire the other side of the story from the control free internet. The converged nature of print media to internet media The old form of media has the advantage of infrastructure; however the digital media has the control on speed and multimedia presentation. Print media purely think in terms of text, and this kind of passing information is not working in the modern society. Therefore, whether the print media decides to use video, or slides show images, they all help in engaging the readers and to provide them with a complete visual-audio experience. The aesthetics and packaging of the content are important and internet journalists think in this context in order to plan and publish their event. Nowadays, print media now does not only want to have more influence to their audience in different ways especially through their reading materials. The most obvious strength of internet media over print media is that its contents are always updated from time to time, making the information current. However, the print media do not enjoy this kind of privilege. Additionally, the internet media is an open source of communication, such that bloggers and many other have access to and broadcast breaking news way before the print media can. These factors have made print media to defensively and reluctantly put their daily publications to the internet. They usually do this via a free version that in most cases require the reader to have a one-time registration. The publishers are doing this in order to maintain advertising earned revenue. Additionally the print media had to convert to internet media because most of the younger generation is turning to the internet for news. Many young people are computer literate, and getting the news should be an easy and smooth transition for them. Most of the young generations travel around the world, mostly for business purposes especially that most organizations are multinationals, and since they have their smartphones it is easier and convenient to connect to the internet to read their favorite column in the e-newspaper. It is no easier to read a local newspaper when one is many miles away (Kelly and Cook 61). Media and democracy Since the inception of internet communication, a change in balance of distribution power and the widespread of information created a sharing liberty between the people. Additionally, the dramatic decline in the cost of information making and communication made it more accessible to many people, the poor included. This can also be termed as a form of liberty. It is important to note that liberty the fore-mentioned “liberties” have had great impact on the political progress, both enabling the politicians and the government to spread their message directly to the people and to encourage them to vote in a certain way. On the other hand, the people also share graphic images, and accounts of events to other people in various parts of the world. This raises global awareness of political actions by the regimes which they are against. For instance, this scenario was evident in the Syria conflicts (Loader and Mercea 53-55). Secondly, the internet media is ubiquitous, and the access to the information in highly differentiated. As much as computer and mobile phones have spread across the world, there are still places and people who cannot access them. As the other group of people use the ever-faster online, accessing and creating the social media, the people who cannot access the internet become more distanced to the progress in politics that such technology support. This kind of difference can occur between individuals in the rural areas and those in the city. Since the internet controls a great command on the flow of information, it will therefore increase its reliance on the public opinion in decision making of the legislative arm of the government. It is observed that many websites cover public affairs and public information more extensively than any thorough print media such as newspaper can. The internet carries information in greater depth than the print media. In case one was to compare the number of stories that are covered by New York Times; the most inclusive newspaper on a typical day, and compare the content with the public affairs that reported online, it is clear that the internet users have far greater range of information (Hallam, 56-61). Within the framework of supporting democratic transitions, the role of the media development should be based on moving from a media that is directed and overtly controlled by the politicians. Additionally, the private sectors, should not strive to control the editorial independence and that which serves the interests of the people. In order for the media to have a meaningful role in democracy, the main goal should be to create a range of diverse voices and mediums that are credible, and that which create and enhance a sector that support such outlet. A credible outlet should be one that enables citizens to access to the information that they require, in order to make informed decisions and take part in the society. The type of the media that support democracy is one that which is financially viable, and has plural and diverse voices. This can only be achieved by the internet media (Loader and Mercea 58). Mass media, Cultural expression, and story telling The technology of media and society offers an all-inclusive account of the history of communication. Winston; the head of communication and media at Westminster University argues that development of modern media is as a result of a constant play-off between social suppression and necessity: the un-documented law by which new technologies are brought in the society. The relationship between media and technology advancement is becoming diverse and complex in modern world. The development of new media sources has resulted to a highly competitive communication environment, that has forgotten its initial role, but rather on its sustainability in the market. For instance, print media have adjusted to change by creating websites that support its communication platform, with the websites being important to the readers at the expense of control and regulation of the information (Unwin 36-38). In the great efforts to attract as many people, the media industry has lost its path in the process. The print media in earlier times, before the introduction of internet had a great command on the credibility of information that they would publish. It is not the case anymore. The print media are in competition with counter print media, where one newspaper is in competition with the other. This has resulted to the writers adding unnecessary and sometimes false information in order to attract and to retain its clients. With the electronic newspapers, the people are able to comment and this could have lead to mixed reactions to the public. The media has become yet another form of business, where they only care about the number of readers and the revenue earned. It is no different in internet media. Conclusion Technological development has caused a lot of revolution in the media industry. The wave of change has swept through the print media such that the publishers and the readers prefer to read their daily newspaper or magazine over their tablets and computer screens. This massive change has resulted to cultural change among the people; the credibility of information is lost, among many factors that have been discussed. Particularly, the society is able to take part in political issues since most of the people can access the internet, and get the information. As a result, there is democracy and freedom of interaction between the publishers and the society. This is a massive move, especially in the rigid print industry where the people could only read their column without leaving behind a comment on the issue. However, the internet has some of the effects to the protection of information, credibility and minimal government control in the media industry. This is a good thing for the people because they get to be interactive with the publishing body. This leaves the population on greater command to the flow of information. Work Cited Castells, Manuel. The rise of the network society:Economy, society and culture. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000. Print. Ginnekan, Jaap van. Understanding global news: a critical introduction. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1998.Print. Kelly, Sanja and Cook, Sarah. Freedom on the net 2011: a global assessment of internet media. London: Freedom house, 2011. Print. Loader, Brian and Mercea, Dan. Social media and democracy: innovation in participatory politics. London: Routledge, 2012. Print. Sharma, Ravi. "Online Journalism takes off." Mass Media (1998): 35-45. Unwin, Tim. Information and communication technologies for development. Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2009. Print. Hallam, Jed. The Social Media Manifesto: A Guide to Using Social Technology to Build a Successful Business. London: palgrave macmillan. Read More