Sunday, August 18, 2013

"Popcorn" Media for a "Popcorn" Society

When thinking of popcorn, the first thing that comes to my mind is quickness. All it takes is a little heat and the kernels explode, giving up their wonderful fluffy yet crunchy insides. Popcorn—a quick, easy, low-calorie snack to enjoy while lounging, studying, or watching television. When thinking of the state of today's media, no longer are people enjoying the old-fashioned newspaper, radio, and television platforms. Now, we have tablets, smartphones, and laptops that can provide us access to the same information that we would normally receive through “traditional" media platforms.

Our society today is addicted to technology. We have to have the next best thing with the most cutting-edge technology or we may feel like we are behind the curve. As technology has improved in so many areas, such as portability and speed, consumers move to the next big craze hoping that it will improve their lives in some way and add more time to their days. One example is the ability for consumers to perform banking transactions through mobile phone apps. People are able to take their cable television shows wherever they go because now cable providers offer digital access to the same products they use at home. Take for instance DirecTV, a satellite provider that I use. Not only do they offer a multitude of television channels, but they also have a digital app that subscribers can use to log into their accounts and watch their favorite shows. People want the comforts of home on-the-go, and digital media caters to this “popcorn” mentality our society has developed and adopted over the last couple of generations, especially with the emergence in technology.

Why have we become addicted to technology so badly? One answer could be that it allows us to do things in the easiest way possible. Technology allows us to be lazy when it comes to several activities. There was a time when students had to actually go to the library and use the card catalogue to find sources for a research paper. Now, all we have to do is type in what we want into Google, Bing, Ask, Yahoo!, etc. and get instant results. Before, if we needed to get in touch with someone, we actually had to dial his or her number. Now, the beauty of smartphone technology allows us to scroll to the name of the person we want to call and simply touch their name to place the call. Social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter also allow us to keep in touch with family and friends by allowing us to get instant updates on their lives. Technology has presented several promising benefits, and our society has taken full advantage of them, but at what cost?

The traditional media industry has suffered greatly because of current and emerging technologies. One of the biggest traditional media platforms that have taken a hit is the newspaper industry. Many people believe that newspapers are antiquated and that “most U.S. print newspapers will be gone in five years” (Center for the Digital Future, 2011). The newspaper industry has not been the same as since the 1990s. I remember there was a time where the Montgomery Advertiser, the local newspaper here in Montgomery, AL, used to print two editions each day along with the Sunday edition. During this time, newspapers were 25¢ to 35¢ a copy on weekdays and 50¢ on Sundays. As time passed, the night edition ceased to exist and the morning editions price increased to 75¢. The Sunday price increased to $1.50. These changes forced Montgomerians to watch the evening news for current information or wait until the next day's paper. In addition, subscription sales declined to a point where the newspaper set up vendors outside of popular stores like Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart offered free trials of the newspaper. These changes revealed the struggles this particular newspaper and many others across the country faced with rising costs and loss of subscribers. Why did this newspaper and several others have to face cuts such as these in production, along with cuts in staff?

One main reason is that online news entities, such as The Huffington Post and Yahoo! News, and online websites for print newspapers, such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, offer news on the dime while print versions will always be behind on getting news to the masses. When there is breaking news, readers pull out their smartphones or tablets and are instantly connected to what is happening around the world. Why do we use the quicker version of the news as our first source of information? The answers are availability and accessibility. These digital platforms are quick and easy to use, and they require no real effort, thus not hindering other activities. People are able to check in to what is going on in the world, gain a feeling of knowing enough about the current issues, and continue their daily lives. In addition, the news sources are able to follow the “‘mobile first’ philosophy” by publishing breaking stories as they occur online before publishing them in print (Padgett, 2012).

The “popcorn” mentality pervades the younger generation, the Millennials, the generation born after 1980 that was “brought up using digital technology and mass media” (millennial generation, n.d.). (For more info about the Millennial generation, read “Survey: Americans turn to established media for breaking news, mobile,” http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/02/24/millennials-confident-connected-open-to-change/.) Jeff Sonderman, author of “Survey: Americans turn to established media for breaking news, mobile,” which was published on October 4, 2011, stated that “the percentage of print newspaper readers is smaller than the percentage of people who own smartphones but greater than the percentage who get news on smartphones” (Sonderman, 2011). In the same article, Knowledge Networks, the company that conducted the survey Sonderman cited, found that although younger users turn to technology for their main source of news, “[the majority] of smartphone news readers and tablet news readers turn to traditional news sources” such as CNN, MSNBC, and Reuters (Sonderman, 2011). The survey’s findings lead me to ask this question: have we become conditioned to believe that technology is better overall? This is a good question, and many people may say yes.

With the current mentality and thirst that our society has for technology, how can traditional media platforms such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television keep up with the ever-changing trends in media? One solution would be for these platforms to “get into bed” with their digital competition. According to Andrew Beaujon in his article, “State of the News Media 2012 shows audience growth for all platforms but newspapers,” which was published on March 19, 2012, wrote that “older news organizations have no choice but to partner with their “frenemies,” which offer access to the biggest audiences” (Beaujon, 2012). Many traditional newspapers, such as the Montgomery Advertiser and The New York Times, have already taken the necessary steps to incorporate digital websites and apps that use “paywalls” to their business structures. These “paywalls” allow users to read a certain amount of articles before having to pay for full access to the website’s contents (Rieder, 2013). Television news stations such as CBS and CNN have added free apps to their structures as well. Magazines such as Essence, Redbook, and Shape offer free digital copies to their customers who subscribe to the print versions of the magazines. Will collaborating with digital platforms and technology help traditional media platforms keep up with the “popcorn” society we have become? Right now, the answer is unclear, but with the joint venture of print and digital media, it’s a start in the right direction.

References


Center for the Digital Future. (2011, December 14). “Is America at a digital turning point?” University of Southern California Annenberg School. Retrieved from http://annenberg.usc.edu/News%20and%20Events/News/111214CDF.aspx

millennial generation. (n.d.). Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon. Retrieved on August 18, 2013 from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/millennial generation
Padgett, Steven. (2012, December 24). “Journalism and Communication’s future? It’s exciting!” Troy University Hall School of Journalism and Communication. Retrieved from http://jschool.troy.edu/~padgett/?p=181
Rieder, Rem. (2013, April 10). “Extra, extra: Newspapers aren't dead yet.” USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/rieder/2013/04/10/rem-rieder-column/2068299/

Sonderman, Jeff. (2012, October 4). “Survey: Americans turn to established media for breaking news, mobile.” The Poynter Institute. Retrieved from http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/190586/new-data-show-shifting-patterns-as-people-seek-news-across-platforms/

1 comment:

  1. Interesting post here Satoyar. I love the way you used the popcorn metaphor, it's so true! As a fellow journalist and passionate writer myself, I am on both sides of this issue. I am rooted and began with the means of traditional media. Picking up the newspaper, phone or face to face interviews for stories, and having that tangible source of something you can see and trust. I am all for making things more convenient, however nowadays technology enables users to make less effort. The work for the most part is being completed without us having to do much. Not to say we are to blame, but personally it bothers me when people in their "field of interest" become reliant and dependent on technology. I let technology enhance my work not do it for me.
    The way that life is moving today I do not see people slowing down as opposed to us being “on the go” as we are today. People balance so many responsibilities and obligations nowadays. You have a rise in nontraditional college students who have full time jobs and families. It is understandable that someone does not have the opportunity as television would suggest to sit down in the morning and read a paper while enjoying coffee and a bagel. I welcome using your smart phone or tablet at work to utilize the news. As you stated, it is on demand availability and accessibility. And with this on the go lifestyle that people of all ages are living, it is the medium that works for us. However, the cost is not only impacting the traditional media but the people utilizing it as well. We are a generation of people who do not want the tangible paper and that will continue to seek the new way to stay informed easier. This is popular because there are only certain stories people care about. Scored from last night’s game, local news, and obituaries may be the only section people care to read. What benefit do these people have in the rest of the paper?

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