Question

List and explain three ways in which the internet has transformed news delivery.

Answer 1

We are living in an age of expedite technological change where information driven by digitalization has broken down all the forms of barriers in seeking information and revolutionized methods of news production, delivery and consumption.Technological media revolution has increased the power of the digital world through the use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter to freely circulate information to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Developments in media technology, particularly the invention of the internet, have provided freedom in communication by democratizing information and liberating new knowledge through the open access of the world wide web.Within journalistic discourse, we are witnessing media convergence and digitalization that has led to enhanced connectivity through increased two-way communication, in addition to easier and faster access to information through new digital media developments.

Three ways in which the internet has transformed news delivery

Curation of news through open data, data journalism and algorithmic equations

The concept of data journalism is defined as a journalistic practice that involve a computational role within news production and providing huge amounts of data to choose from, ranging from governmental bodies to private corporations, which can then be selected and structured by journalists in their reporting.Data journalism unlocks a gateway for journalists to produce indepth news content with essential and relevant statistics. The use of data journalism places importance on huge amounts of data, in the hope that the audience will be lured into its news content, making the news both relevant and interesting.

Mobile platform and multi-platform practice

Invention and enrichment of smart phones in the digitalized era has modified the methods of news delivery and consumption. people above 16 years old use mobile devices to access the internet, making the mobile phone the most popular device in any country, comparative to desktop computers, Televisions and others. Smart phones have become one of the most important inventions on the digital landscape, because they function as handheld computers that provide connectivity for mobile recorded mobile footage or tweets from nonprofessional sources are utilized to fill up breaking news reports of events from places defined by geographical, linguistic, cultural or governmental boundaries. The popularity of mobile media means audiences demand more graphic news, with recent literature showing an increase in mobile journalism, this also exemplifies the benefits of multi-platform distribution of news by allowing audience participation through the social media platforms of news organizations. Distribution of similar news content across numerous platforms is not only costeffective, but expands opportunities for wider dissemination and public dialogue.

Social media and emerging digital news players

Technological developments are creating a society in which social media is embedded. 65 percent of adults in the UK with social media accounts log into them more than once a day. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are counteneously gaining new account holders. In its 2016 report, Reuters revealed the popularity of social media as a main source of news, with Facebook being the most important source for discovering, consuming and sharing information,whilst users for microblogging sites like Twitter, photo-sharing app Instagram, and blogging network Tumblr.The use of social media and news applications via smart phones result in another challenging quest for news organizations: speed. News producers have always been continuously challenged to provide breaking news as soon as it happens and through the existence of social media that acts as a platform for the dissemination of news, the challenge for speedy news delivery becomes a more crucial factor than ever before.As more social media platforms adapt to instant messaging, live streaming and various new forms of video news delivery, the dynamics of news media enhances.In addition to social media, technological developments have created the birth of mushrooming digital news players such as Huffington Post, Vice, Flipboard, Vox, and Buzzfeed, which supply alternative news to mainstream, traditional media organizations.

User-generated content (UGC) and journalistic virtue

Digital media technology provides a two-way communication between news producers and news consumers through the present journalistic norm of user-generated content (UGC). The application of UGC through submission of videos, tweets, online forums, blogs, podcasts and many others, mainly with the aid of social media as a disseminating platform, widens channels of communication between news producers and news consumers. The emergence of news consumers acting also as influential news providers has given rise to the establishment of journalistic terms such as 'interactive journalism', 'citizen journalism' and 'participatory journalism’. The voice of the public has become, in this new age, significantly amplified through UGC.