Digital Technology A New Age - Essay Example

Digital Technology A New Age. By [insert Department: Introduction: The emergence of digital technology has brought with it many changes in the media world and especially in relation to journalism. Over the last two decades there have been many developments in digital technology with the shift from reliance of prints to the advancement of online media platforms. The rise of the internet and the exchange of information online are somewhat causing traditional media systems like print to become obsolete. There is now a lot of commercialization in the media industry and this among others has eroded the true essence of professionalism expected of journalists. It is now clear that more and more, journalists are now loosing tough with the public, who are able to get information as it happens on the internet. For this reason journalism in Australia has had to adapt to the changes in order to remain relevant. It is therefore important to understand whether digital technology has a positive or negative role to play in advancing journalism. In the past, journalists were held in high esteem to the point that they were considered to be the fourth estate. However, this is changing as there is now an increase in cynical reporting and use of entertainment over the use of sound news judgment, (Schudson, 2003). There is a growing concern that with the increase in convergence of digital technology, the basic skills and standards of journalism are constantly under threat. This because most newsrooms are packed with people who are multi skilled and due to rising economic pressure, many journalists are losing their jobs through cut backs. The same is also true because the reduced labor force is not tasked with ensuring that they complete the increased workloads hence creating pressure in the workplace. Digital technologies will not essentially see the end of journalism, but what will happen is the emergence of cultural and also technological convergence. Journalists are now collaborating with people from other industries in order to reach new and more younger audiences, which must be done while at the same time maintaining journalistic integrity. Media Logic Concept: Journalism normally takes place within institutions and outside of them and is carried out by professionals as well as amateurs, with the rise of digital news accessible by all. It is important to have a holistic approach when determining the effect digital technology has on journalism and media work in general. Dahlgren takes this approach and describes it as the concept of media logic. He states that, “the particular institutionally structured features of a medium, the ensemble of technical and organizational attributes which on what is represented in the medium and how it is done, (Dahlgren, 1996). This means that media logic looks at the various forms and processes by which work is done in a particular medium. The concept of media logic is a useful tool that assists journalists to overcome problems in the media while at the same guiding them on developing different ideas. Journalism can be equated to the development of culture as the stories and information given in the media, forms part of people’s memories, beliefs and traditions. Before the rise of digital technology, any ownership in the news industry was classified based on the medium that they specialized in. there were those who concentrated on print media, television and also radio broadcasts. With time they have now consolidated and become large media houses dealing with all these aspects. While developments in digital technology are important, they are also raising concerns among journalists. This because there are now chances of media sectors being taken over by other bigger establishments and inevitably leads to downsizing. There is some positive news though because the rise in big media houses creates more opportunities for journalists to try new fields in the media. The rise in job rotations increases staff productivity while at the same time encouraging positive working practices. Digital technology not only affects individual journalists but also encourages the accumulation of properties by different media houses, (Bagdikian, 2004). There are now many instances in Australia where few media houses own most of the media outlets in the country, a view similar to other parts of the world. Technological advancement and the continuous amalgamation of various media houses is part of the strategy by media owners to acquire new profit making mechanisms. The owners are then able to extend their control over all aspects of media production including news distribution. Unfortunately, this greatly undermines the collective bargaining agreements that journalists have with their unions leading to introduction of individual contracts. These contracts gave journalists the freedom to negotiate their terms and conditions of employment but at the same time it had negative impact. This was in relation to deteriorating working conditions where there is now less job security and lower wages. On the positive side, it has led to flexible working hours and the exchange of skills among staff moving from one department to the next. Technology and the Emerging Changes in Journalism: Australian newspapers have for the last two decades been adapting and including digital technology. Between the years 1995 -96, Australian online news started developing, while around 2005-06 wireless technologies and blogging emerged, (Garrison, 2001). At this point most of the metro papers would first of all file their stories online before publishing them on print and in this way they were able to develop online communities who became loyal to their content. Digital technology led to many journalists ending up being desk bound and had to continuously produce news deemed to be ‘space filling’. On the positive note, digital platforms led to better news coverage, access and diversity of the content offered. However, there is constant worry that there will be an eventual loss of the artistic journalism integrity and standards. The Australian Media Alliance’s Future of Journalism Project, (2008-2010), set out to gauge whether there were any potential news and reporting opportunities that emerged since the introduction of digital technology. They also took the opportunity to analyze and seek to discover the threats that are faced by journalists especially in print media in terms of job security and skills. The research by the project found that digital technology had an effect on journalism. This in the sense that, they found that most media houses within Australia and abroad were cutting back on the resources allocated to newsrooms. At the same time they found that most of them were struggling to adapt to the digital changes in terms of finances, structure and the new culture that had been introduced. This they found led to low staff morale as they were no longer sure of their job security. They recommended that there was a need to find new ways of investigative journalism that included story telling that would engage the reader. They also suggested developing new means of identifying what the audiences like to hear from the news media. Digital technology in some way has reinvented journalism and has focused its attention on conversation, interactivity and enabling the public at large. Stevens observed that, “the core of their job was to find out new things and communicate that clearly to their audience, (Stevens, 2002). While this is the case, they have to ensure that they maintain journalistic integrity and credibility in the content that they offer. This will only be possible if the journalists use digital technology to collaborate with their audiences and in this way improve their reporting and in essence save the journalism profession. Digital technology has led to the emergence of various themes that define the changes that have occurred in journalism. First digital technology led to the redefinition of the way journalism was carried out in the newsrooms. This because media owners were able to create a connection between the various revenue generating schemes and the structures that have been developed in the newsrooms. There were also challenged in management and the increase in innovation created importance in the practice of journalism. The influence of digital technology on journalism was conducted through face to face interviews with journalists and other editorial staff in cities around Australia. Effects of Digital Technology: Krotoski paints a vivid picture of life as a journalist before the emergence of digital technology. People who trained in the days before the internet were used to writing their stories on computers, printing it and later on dictating it over the phone, (Krotoski, 2011). Journalism in the days before the World Wide Web provided more freedom and flexibility as they did not have to worry about what was available on the internet. They were able to give news to the people as they saw it and in this way use their creativity in developing stories. With the development of the internet, people no longer rely on journalists for information as it is available on the internet in real time. In addition the internet has created digital platforms where people can get information from various sources on the issue that they require. In the past before the advent of the internet, reporters and photographers working in the media required editors and publishers in order to complete their jobs. They all worked as one team and together they would come up with content that was sufficient to the needs of their readers and viewers. In contrast to this, the journalists today only require a digital platform through which they are able to relay their content. Technology has reduced the costs incurred in reporting and publishing information. The journalists are now able to become individual business units where they control what they write, record, photograph and relay on the internet. They also have the freedom in addition to writing to edit and publish their work using the available digital tools on the internet. Journalists are now able to acquire many more skills that come in handy in their day to day activities in the field. Most of the journalists today do not necessarily have social science degrees as there are now other disciplines available that work within the journalism industry. New tools are being introduced in the media platforms as there are now journalists experienced computer science and database management skills. With this they are able to read and analyze information available on the internet and give them to the public in the form of data that is easily understood and interpreted by their audiences. The rise in digital technology has created a new way of working where journalists are now embracing new ways of carrying out their tasks and in the process acquire new skills. Most of the journalists are optimistic that they will be able to reach a greater audience than they would have in the past. The internet has changed the way in which journalists organize the information that they decimate to the public. There is a change from the traditional books and newspapers to soft copy news that is easily available at the click of a button. There are defined differences because newspapers in hard copy once printed are read as they are, on the other hand digital news are constantly updated as the story develops and this creates a form of media that evolves and creates a conversation between the journalists and the readers. Viner observes that, “when Gutenberg invented the printing press and created a channel for moving text, he just created an interruption of the flow of human communication”, (Viner, 2013). In the same way the internet has created a system where news is no longer fixed but there is fluidity in the way that information is conveyed and also flexibility to ensure that it is always up to date. While this is the case, the rise in digital technology also brings with it some negative aspects like job losses in the mainstream media. There are some journalists who feel that the emergence of digital technology is not promoting creative thinking. There is a somewhat negative aspect in the fact that information given by journalists in the media is not necessarily true. In the past, journalists were trusted to give reliable and true versions of the information printed in newspapers and books. Today due to the fact that everyone can post something on the internet, we are in an age that news is no longer as reliable. It is as though we have gone back to the medieval times when people relied on gossip and rumors as opposed to the truth. The world today seems as though it is moving towards the days when there was no print and it was only human conversation that passed information from one person to the next. Digital technology has also seen the emergence of social media platforms that were not available in the past. Technology is changing very rapidly and there is an evident transformation from the traditional forms of media to new and advanced platforms. People seek out information on the social media platforms because they want to choose what they want to read, watch and even listen to. It is as though there is a new democratic platform that allows content users to change and choose what they consume and from whom they get it from. Newspaper journalists now have to find ways of uploading their content on the internet for it to be accessible by the public. It is no longer advisable for journalists to rely solely on print media in decimating information to their audiences. This because in most cases, it is outdated by the time it gets to the readers while what is found on the internet has already been updated with the latest content. Conclusion: The emergence of digital technology in journalism has brought about some form of transparency in the information given. While in some cases the information may be untrue and based on rumors, this is not always the case. The internet is creating an avenue for journalists to be credible and to promote responsible journalism. Although there is some apprehension in some quarters based on job insecurity, the internet is a positive avenue for journalists. Here they do not have to rely on others but can open up a platform and post their news as they receive them to their audiences. References: Bagdikian, B. 2004. The New Media Monopoly. Boston: Beacon Press. Dahlgren, P. 1996. Media Logic in Cyberspace: Repositioning Journalism and its Publics. Javnost/The Public 3(3): 59-72. Garrison, B. 2001. Diffusion of Online Information Technologies in Newspaper Newsrooms. Journalism 2(2): 221-239. “Journalism at the Speed of Bytes: Australian Newspapers in the 21st Century”. 2014. Available At: http://www.thefutureofjournalism.org.au/issue-5/. Krotoski, A. Sunday, 20th February, 2011. What Effect has the Internet had on Journalism. The Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/feb/20/what-effect-internet-on-journalism. Schudson, M. 2003. Sociology of News. New York: W.W. Norton. Stevens, J. 2002. Backpack Journalism is here to Stay. Online Journalism Review. Available at: http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017771575.php. Viner, K. Wednesday 9th October, 2013. The Rise of the Reader: Journalism in the Age of the Open Web. The Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/09/the-rise-of-the-reader-katharine-viner-an-smith-lecture. Read More