The Impact of Networked Technology on Journalism - Report Example

The Impact of Networked Technology on Journalism The Impact of Networked Technology on Journalism Introduction Because of the current networked technology, journalism is changing in terms of production, distribution, and use. Because of technology, there are new tools, practices, and phenomena emerging in the field of journalism. This form of emergence results in both a flurry of new strategies of information production and redirection of the state of professional journalism within the current information system. Although there are fears that networked technology is a disruption to the quality of journalism and professional survival of journalists, theorists believe that contemporary advancements, may to a greater level, pave way for better journalism and independence among journalists (American Society of Newspaper Editors, 2011). This analysis focuses on the state of journalism and journalists within the current digital environment. It also seeks to respond to the questions of what and why there should be a rethink of journalism, even as networked technological changes to be a disruption. Rethinking Journalism Within networked environments where journalists currently work, new ideas come to surface on a daily basis. Some of the facts include increased audience feedback as integration sets in, listening to more voices, different points of view for the same stories, increased news coverage that are achieved and retrievable for longer periods, increased focus on men and women of power, and increased involvement of people with events in the world. The dynamic structure of incessant and differentiated witnessing and reporting has no implication of crisis in journalism (Grueskin, Seave & Graves, 2011). On the recalcitrant, it is an explosion of journalism. Statistics show that journalism as a profession is more alive than ever, and it undergoes increment in terms of both structure and subject matter at an amazing speed. With regard to rethinking why journalism is in a crisis, research reveals that “crisis” appears to be essentially a conventional business framework for print and broadcast journalism (Grueskin, Seave and Graves, 2011). Given the fact that the audience can make choices about the source of information from a wide range of sources, most people decide to go less for newspapers and network TV. As a result, they settle more for online news, satellites, cable, radio, and now smart-phones. People are no longer ready to pay for news, and at the same time advertisement follows readers, viewers, and users of the internet. In addition, the once-broad audience initially dominated by mainstream media remains more divided, calling for media companies to customize their information or program niche audiences. The movie focuses on the business concepts based on selling advert space in newspapers and on broadcast TV. Since there are changes in the media use, companies should become more creative to maintain profitability. Some media companies are failing since businesses largely have overlooked the changes. This is clear evidence that the networked technology is a disruption for journalism creating a justifiable crisis. Many journalists join in the wave that journalism is under crisis. To justify their assertion, journalists point out that there is an increase in competition among media companies as they strive to regain lost market shares. Currently, media owners squeeze news houses to do more with less that is available. The implication in this case is that working conditions for many journalists have worsened because of increased workload. Because of networked technology, multimedia reporting and publishing are the norm without comparative investments in training or new employees. Most companies that deal with news venture in continuous employee layoff. Eventually, few employees’ increase their output to maintain that continuous news production cycle and multiple platforms (Grueskin, Seave and Graves, 2011). Although there is significant increase in the number of people working within the journalism category, most of these people are not in the conventional newspaper or broadcast newsrooms. They opt to work as freelancers, in websites, advocacy firms, and as public affairs experts. Moreover, the increasing rate at which people have shifted to mobile phone usage to acquire news updates pushes journalism to different platforms and dramatically increases the competition from unpaid source of information collected. It is agreeable that networked technology presents serious challenges to professional journalism (American Society of Newspaper Editors, 2011). However, this analysis separates the profitability crisis of media organization from that of journalism. There is less concern about the survival of tradition business frameworks of journalism as compared to the continuous and enhanced operations of journalism for public benefit. Globally, journalism receives funding and sustenance through a range of financial frameworks, including government license fees and taxes. Other funding sources include charity, promotions, subscriptions, pay-per-view, public source contributions, and a mixture of the aforementioned channels. For instance, the UK’s BBC and Spain’s TVE, which are the major TV networks in the respective countries, conduct no advertisement and receive funding with taxpayer money (Gluck and Roca, 2008). On the other hand, Al Jazeera’s payment is from the royal family of Qatar, Miuccia Prada (a fashion designer) floats Italian communist newspaper. Other payment sources include many European media houses get funding from different sources of taxpayers’ money as well as advertising income. However, the internet offers new channels for advertisers, media organizations, hackers, document defrauders, pirates and for-profit firms alike. All this is subject to trials and creativity. Concerning the aspect of who should pay for quality journalism depends on particular situations and possibilities. Journalism as a Public Good Society should not recognize networked technology as a disruption if journalism remains perceived from a different point of view. Examining journalism as a public good, the main concern is that utility offered to the society by journalism. Journalism does not focus on profit as its main objective. Its primary objective is the production of information that is reliable and needs evaluation for the efficient function of a democratic society. Availability of good journalism attributed to networked technology and maintained by other channels of funding or generated using novel business frameworks, results into effects of conventional business models of journalism that society should avoid. At such a point, journalism ceases to be a crisis from the perspective of the society (Anderson, 2006). Considering the US alone, it is difficult to evaluate the general decrease in the quality of journalism because of networked technology. There is, however, evidence that the infiltration of traditional news companies and their journalists cause, in some cases, a deterioration of journalistic quality. This is because there are fewer reporters on reducing beats, reduced new angles of presentation, decreased facts to check, and less compelling storytelling. In case such a trend persists, the ultimate result would be a crisis in journalism (Arsenault and Castells, 2008). However, even though there was a decline in the quality of journalism, the impact could remain partially offset through new forms of journalism resulting from technological advancement. Although the complaints among conventional journalists are rational, it is pitiful that such journalists overrule the aspects that come along with new technology and opportunities therein. They turn down generous opportunities for patriotic citizens. They fail to take the lead in new types of cooperation that produce better information for all people. To shift away from this defensive perspective and encourage journalists to try out new forms of cooperation and technological equipment, there is documentation and categorization of a number of new technologically supported practices in the field of journalism. Assessment of such practices incorporates three main functions of journalism in mind. First, it is imperative to observe relevant facts and ask significant questions directed to the correct people. Secondly, it is crucial to understand observations and responses in context. Lastly, it is vital to explain findings to other people. This could be a lot easier in the universal networked technology: it is indispensable to summarize the process into data collection, interpretation and storytelling. Based on the above argument, journalism is not all about news presentation but providing stories that make sense about the news or whatever that happens in the world (Anderson, 2006). It is also about understanding news within its context so that the audience can explain the same to other people as well as making it available to so that others can benefit from the news. Because of technology, journalists in the 21st century give fact-oriented stories concerning the real world using text, audio, and visuals. These are stories that people can associate with, share this one another and appropriate. Journalism differs in type and perspective, and it incorporates radio and TV reports, literary journalism, documentary movies, picture journalism, and data visualization. Through networked technology, good journalism serves to strengthen communities, although largely these are communities of concern more than just domestic communities. Networked Journalism Network journalism concerns diffused capacity to record data, share it, and disseminate it. In the current society where information relies on the internet, the perception of isolated journalists working independently, regardless of them toiling at their desks in newsrooms or reporting from the incident scene, is obsolete (Arsenault and Castells, 2008). It is imperative that every journalist becomes part of a group that works to collect, organize, and disseminate information. There is a new professional perspective that has emerged networked journalists, working under the field of networked journalism. This group does not render the professional useless since it is still paramount not only in going out to collect information on the site, but also in interpreting the same information. Technology does not eliminate authorship of the report and evaluation, but depends on networked perspective depends on the sources, reactions, and feedbacks. It is imperative to access some information online. The real result of journalistic engagement currently usually comprised networks of many professionals and citizens working in collaboration to validate and finally sieve the meaning of the story that will remain released to the public. Aspects of making sense in news stories are not normally distributed, but even though they depend on networked information collection and fact checking. This should not overemphasize on wiki-journalism. In the process, there is normally one analytical voice, which is that of the author of the information, the storyteller. The effect of networked technology on journalism is the creation of a multiplicity of authors news (American Society of Newspaper Editors, 2011). Because of networked technology, visual journalism is taking the center stage in the field of journalism (Beckett and Mansell, 2008). Videos take the perfect place of text-inclined news. This is becoming the main source of information for most people. Technology enables text, video and audio to remains integrated in the process of news release. Visual knowledge is crucial for journalists as well as better understanding and use of images as carriers of information. Digital association of visual news is vital in both involving viewers and complementing reception of visual information with personal reflexivity from the audience. Networked television is seemingly the next move in full integration of TV, internet and mobile phones. Because of technology, journalism has become increasingly visual and textual. This implies that journalism integrates video sources in online stories and extends television news into second screen and associative documentary that offers similar textual sources. Amid this increasing use of technology in journalism, there are different variants of the same story about natural facts of networked journalism. Journalists hold different accounts and camera angles of any moment for news that is spontaneously available on sites like YouTube and Flickr. Research indicates that many people use multiple sources of news on different sites. However, the presumed neutrality and objective nature of the journalist is highly difficult to maintain. From the point of view of readers and viewers, it is possible to draw a comparison of diverse stories and images of the same incident and establish the differences. The assumption by news consumers is that all the information comes from somewhere and serves a particular interest (Anderson, 2006). They view formats, providing multiple points as authentic and accepted among the audience worldwide. Conclusion New developments promped by network technology affects journalism from diverse perspectives. Advancements in communication and networks enables the public to access a wide range of information from different sources. Based on ssuccinct analysis of network ttechnology’d influence on journalism, there is an increase in competition among media companies. Notably media companies compete attract an extensive coverage of the public and large market shares. Currently, media owners embrace reforms in news houses to do more with less that is available. Recording, sharing and disseminating information by news houses have transformed because of changes initiated by networked technology. That represents the advancements in networked journalism. References American Society of Newspaper Editors. (2011). Newsroom employment up slightly, minority numbers plunge for third year. 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