The State of the Media

Media is changing, that much we can be certain of. The website http://stateofthemedia.org/2010/ shows an annual report of all trends media. There is a lot of information, and it takes a lot of time to digest, but the changes that are occurring seem to be the result of two factors: technology and economy.

Duh, right? Fewer newspapers and magazines are being purchased as the news media turns to websites and apps. Who wants to wait until the next morning to read the whole story in the paper when it will be posted online in near real-time? And who wants to sit in front of the TV when video clips are available on your iPhone? It's convenient, but it has resulted in a loss of jobs. Time and Newsweek employ 47% fewer employees than in 1983. Rather than professional journalists, technology allows it to often be disseminated by amateurs, including bystanders with video phones and bloggers. When former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi was killed a few weeks ago, news sites around the world used videos shot on the cell phones of his captors to document his last minutes - videos that cast doubt upon the official reports of his death.

The economy has also affected media consumption and spending. Much of this has coincided with technology, such as the decline of newspaper subscriptions. Why buy a paper when the information is free online? Likewise, advertising campaigns by companies have been cut, and declining sales and ad revenue have forced all forms of media to consider their bottom line, consolidate, and in some cases, to fold.

This report contains a wealth of information, but it remains to be seen how this generation's desire for on-demand and inexpensive (if not free!) media drives future trends.