The
Everchanging-Unchanging Media
Technology has advanced
at an incredibly fast rate over the last few decades. This rapid evolution has
greatly affected the media in many ways. Nothing has changed the way we view
the media more than the internet has.
The lines between the
producers, distributers and consumers of the media have blurred. If someone
asked you: “What is the media?” some time ago, the answer would be something
along the lines of: “newspapers, radio, magazines.” today, we can’t be too
sure.
Peter Minnium, a
contributor at www.marketingland.com, believes that while what can be defined
as media today is rather unclear to the general audience, there are still some
fundamental values that the media experience retains.
He argues that despite
the rapid change in how media content is now produced, distributed and
consumed, there are still five fundamental layers that remain contant.
As Minnium describes
it, these are:
·
The art of storytelling
·
The best medium for the message
·
Connecting consumers and content
·
Democratisation of access
·
The producer is dead – long live the producers
Media allows us to
produce and distribute stories and information. Before, it was a rather passive
experience. The internet allows the creation and distribution of stories faster
and more efficiently, but it does not change the fundamentals of the story.
The tools and mediums
by which we tell these stories have also remained unchanged. Sound, images and
text still represent the main forms of how we convey stories.
In a sense, we could
also view the internet in the same light as the printing press. Both are
responsible for a massive increase in efficiency with regards to connecting
consumers and content. However, the internet has a potentially unlimited reach,
allowing stories to be transmitted like never before. Geographical and cultural
boundaries are now essentially being ignored with regards to media content.
Finally, with the
proliferation of the internet and personal computing, not only do more people
have access to media, they now have an easy way of producing their own stories.
Previously, there was a clear boundary between producers, distributors and
consumers. Now, anyone can be all of these at once.
Do check out Peter
Minnium’s full article below. He goes into much finer detail as to the changing
face of media.
The Five Facets
of Media
I recently overheard a
conversation amongst a group of interns tasked with mapping the new media
landscape: “Uber is clearly a medium, not a service!” argued one eager participant.
“It’s a platform that mediates interactions between users; if Facebook and
Google are media companies, then so is Uber!”
When I started in the
advertising industry, there was no such debate over what constituted media.
“TV, radio, print and outdoor” was the obvious answer. Digital technology
upended that simple paradigm by blurring the line between producers,
distributors and consumers of content.
Any company that
“mediates” user access to information could be a media company, but there must
be limits to this new definition. What then, qualifies as media today? To
answer this question, it helps to take a step back and examine the history of
media and its primary aspects.
Media
Then and Now
Media are all around
us. Sounds and images are some of the most basic; they act as vehicles for
thoughts and ideas. Typically, though, we think of media like TV, radio or
newspapers. Building on sounds, images and text, these media are also vehicles
for content.
Historically, the
consumption of media has been a largely passive experience. In the early days,
oral storytellers, artisans and musicians used stories to record and share
community values or important events, while audiences did little more than
listen and admire.
Despite myriad means of
production, access to content was restricted by the low income of the general
population and limited distribution networks. Storytellers traveled by foot or
horse, performing only a few times each day for audiences that could afford to
be away from their fields and workshops.
Digital technology and
the internet have dramatically reduced the distance between storytellers and
audiences, profoundly impacting the production, distribution and consumption of
media.
Despite this, the five
fundamental layers between producer and consumer remain the same.
1. The Art of Storytelling
All media encodes an
idea, essentially expressed as a story: an event (news), a sentiment (music or
poetry) or a call to action (manifesto). This is the first of five media layers
that stand between storytellers and their audience.
By encoding ideas in
story form, we make them more relatable, easier to communicate and far more
compelling. We need only look to Aesop’s cautionary fables to see how memorable
— and impactful — a story can be. Who doesn’t know and understand the story of
the tortoise and the hare?
Institutionalized
storytelling has a long history, stretching back to oral storytellers, town
criers and theater troupes. Performing for largely elite audiences, they used
stories to express the ethos of a community and explore current events and
social issues.
Today, the internet
allows for the creation and distribution of these same types of stories,
keeping the public informed and entertained. Despite vast advances in
technology, the fundamental components of these stories have remained largely
unchanged.
2. The Best medium for the Message
Once encoded in a
story, the idea can be formulated through a variety of means, including speech,
text, musical instruments and paint brushes. How a story is encoded is the
second media layer and determines how it is approached and understood.
Music is a great way to
express a feeling, and lyrics can be a powerful platform for dissecting current
social concerns, but a song is the wrong form for news or complex philosophical
ideas. We instinctively turn toward different codes to share a thought or
experience.
News, entertainment and
emotional communication were all objects of early storytelling. The
distinctions between forms yielded media diversity even in the earliest
societies, with artisans, scribes, musicians and playwrights all telling the
stories best suited to their form.
Though digital tools
have multiplied the “instruments” available to storytellers, primary forms like
sound (phone calls, music), images (photos, movies) and text (blogs, social
media) still represent most of the storytelling forms in the internet age.
3. Connecting Consumers and Content
After being encoded,
stories are distributed in a manner appropriate to the medium, be it a radio, a
theatrical production or a magazine. This is the third layer of media and, like
the means of encoding, the means of distribution is often fairly obvious —
though no less impactful.
The difference between
hearing music live at a club and playing a recording has a fundamental role in
shaping consumers’ experience. Though individual preference for one means of
distribution over another is subjective, their role in effective storytelling
is not.
The invention of the
printing press precipitated the rapid democratization of textual and visual
media, with news, stories and images becoming accessible to an increasingly
literate lay public. Accordingly, the entertainment value of media quickly
became evident.
Internet connectivity
allows media to be distributed like never before, sending dozens of newspapers
into consumers’ pockets and streaming movies directly into the home. This
allows for unprecedented connectivity between producers and consumers in both
directions.
4. The Democratization of Access
Each form of
distribution permits interaction with content on a different scale: between two
individuals, an individual and a group or different groups. Most media fall
into one of the first two categories, if we understand “individuals” to include
large media groups.
The emergence of radio,
film and television diversified the means of encoding and delivering content,
but access to media remained constricted. Audience size grew rapidly, but
production became even more centralized as massive media conglomerates emerged.
Movie theaters, concert
halls and newsstands all allow individuals or groups to consume content, but
the source remains singular. Audiences watch a movie produced by a studio, or
music performed by a band. Selection continued to be limited and consumption-focused.
Unlike a physical
venue, the internet doesn’t need to specialize; media of all forms are
distributed through a single channel. Consumers now can choose between content
produced by companies large and small, and communication transcends geographic
and cultural differences.
5. The Producer is Dead — Long Live the Producers
Though it is obvious
that media facilitates communication, we rarely think about who is doing the
talking. Most media are directed toward a passive audience. Letters to the editor
— or a round of applause — allow for some audience participation, but they are
limited modes of feedback.
Many media distribution
networks similarly restrict production. Radio, television and magazines give
consumers access to content produced largely by established entities.
Individuals are limited in their ability to produce and distribute content on
these networks.
Despite vast
technological strides, media remained largely unidirectional until recent
years. Ham radios and camcorders allowed individuals to produce some content,
but their ability to reach audiences was constricted until the internet made
mass distribution cost effective.
Personal computing
democratized not only the access but also the production of content. These
advances allow individually produced text, images, music and shows to be shared
with all other users, fundamentally changing how we think of media.
Adapting
to the New Media Era
The internet is the
ultimate means of connecting storytellers and audiences. Storytelling in its
many forms has always been central to education and entertainment, but
exponential changes in distribution infrastructure radically altered the scope
and depth of popular access to content.
Powering, and then
responding to, the popular production and distribution of media, the internet
has engendered content platforms that act as media for third-party content.
Accordingly, the media industry is shifting its focus from production to
include aggregated distribution.
Telcos and media
platforms like Spotify and Amazon sell access to content, more so than the
content itself, while social media like Facebook and Twitter allow users to
share ideas and services in a virtual forum or marketplace.
In the digital age, the
boundaries between producers, distributors and consumers are breaking down.
Media’s five facets nonetheless continue to be a useful way of understanding
the media industry and the ways different media companies and consumers
interact.
As an agent of popular
storytelling, the media industry is fundamentally shaped by changes in the
means and scope of our ability to produce, distribute and consume content
independently.
Its role in bringing
people and ideas together, however, remains unchanged.
Jordan has a background in East-Asian history and social science, combined with a deep-seated interest in military history, international relations, public relations and human resources. Jordan is keen to learn new skills and widen his sphere of influence.
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