The Great Thing of Power
The height of beauty, knowledge and power – nothing says more about social media and the digital realm more than J. R. R. Tolkien’s description of the elves.
In the movie adaptations of “The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring”, Galadriel – queen of one of the elven realms – delivers a profound monologue about vital, lost history.
“The world is changed,” she says. “I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.”
If we were to translate this into talking about news platforms, most people my age and older think that this quote would be addressing the supposed death of print media. Leigh Anne Treistman, who also teaches journalism, is still an ardent supporter of newspapers but can’t find one that will even deliver to her home anymore.
Sunday is a heavier news day because I might read on my phone but go pick up a copy of a paper New York Times if I can find one. And if it’s a huge news event I see on phone, like who won the election, I read the headline but then run out early to grab the papers I want to keep.
Leigh Anne Treistman
Now she, and five others I spoke with, primarily get their news from news apps on their phone or from news-oriented social media like Twitter and Reddit.
“News is part of my daily routine – early morning prior to work is a heavy news time for me,” she said. “I follow several news reports and journalists too, so I check those accounts. During the day – all day between class change and lunch. I use news to teach from, so articles are a big part of reading for work.”
Sure, print media is taking a nosedive. Even those that usurped the newspaper as the kingmaker (TV and radio) are in the middle of a battle against its fiercest foe yet: the internet. More people than ever are glued to their pocket computers absorbing and exuding information at rates so powerful, smartphone addiction is a real problem.
Rebecca Green said she stays on her phone almost all day into late at night and basically all but ignores news unless a notification grabs her attention.
“Usually I get headline notifications from a few sources,” she said. “If I’m interested I read it, if not I delete it.”
But this is not the end of journalism. To repeat Galadriel, the world is changing.
ONE THING TO RULE THEM ALL
News will never die but change form as people will always need to know what is happening around them. The new digital world combines all former media platforms into one that travels with readers.
Newspapers are the best example of an industry, among others, that turned its back on the internet as a fad rather than jumping en masse into a new way to present the information. The moral of the story today is that modern journalists must stay flexible and mobile.
The rise of the smartphone in the mid-2000s compressed a roomful of devices into anyone’s pocket. Much like Kodak’s camera that made everyone a photographer, everyone can now be a journalist of their own lives.
ONE THING TO FIND THEM
Social media, in my view, became a natural extension of that human nature. The technological advancements now let them connect with others first in text, then images, then audio and video. Most young people now get their news from the internet and social media.
People are not only consuming this information, but are active researchers and creators. Gone are the days of the publication gatekeeper of information (a new one has entered the mix) and content generation. Hanging onto the old ways of doing the news is just nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. The discussion should turn from “how do we get people to tune in/pick up the paper?” to “how can we give people high-quality news in a form attractive to them?”
ONE THING TO BRING THEM ALL, AND IN THE DARKNESS, BIND THEM
This is the mobile-first journalism approach in a nutshell. Journalists must know how to write, take photos, record audio and video, then edit and upload. They must have people generate content for them to leverage citizen witnesses. The mobile, or backpack, journalist also must know how to research from their phones as well.
All of this must be done with the platform and audience in mind. Creating a story to be posted on Instagram Stories or TikTok is wildly different than a traditional Instagram post or Facebook link. The audience could be geographic, demographic or interest-based. Having a fundamental misunderstanding of either the platform or the audience results in a round-peg-square-hole situation.
The kids call it “cringy”.
In other words, the news organization is using a platform in a way disconnected from the audience or connects with the wrong audience on the wrong platform. It’s easy to see this type of pandering, which will only result in the media outlet becoming the butt of the joke rather than actually informing people.
Moving forward, the digital landscape will change yet again – just ask chatrooms, blogs, Google+, Vine, MySpace, and other social media or internet-based platforms that have gone the way of the dodo.
This is how students must learn to use the technology they are native to, combined with ethical storytelling skills, to become the new face of journalism.
Harnessing the power of the digital environment and new ways people communicate is how journalism goes from the cliche dying industry to the most powerful industry with more ways of delivering content than ever before.
Green's J-School 