TO CONVERGE OR NOT TO CONVERGE, THAT IS THE QUESTION

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August 27, 2017 by:Deric Kennedy

 Hey, welcome back to The SCEM VIEW, with Deric. As you know, this is my Strategic Communication & Emerging Media (SCEM) blog and we're glad to have you back with us. Quick recap, last week’s post was an introduction and as expected, I shared a little about myself and the blog. It was important that I communicated clear objectives and expectations for you guys and allowed you all to get acquainted with my page before jumping into things. Now that we are on to week two, I am enthusiastic about where we are headed, I’m feeling fantastic about the momentum we have going here and am ready to give you my SCEM VIEW for the week! I have an awesome show (post) lined up for you.

This week, COM 6600 is briefly discussing digital technologies and media convergence as it relates to mass communication.  It’s safe to assume that we are all familiar with digital technology, correct?  Computers, information appliances, digital cameras, digital televisions, USB memory, cellular phones, hard disks and so forth, are all common examples of digital technology. Digital technologies are electronic tools, systems, devices and resources that generate, store or process data. In addition to the aforementioned, these also include social media, online games and applications, multimedia and so forth. Media convergence, is all about converging media! As my grandmother would word it, ‘Who would’ve thunk it, right?’ Our basic understanding of media convergence is the merging of mass communication outlets – print, television, radio, the internet along with portable and interactive technologies through various digital media platforms. 

 So, let’s be honest, not many things remain as they have always been. Right? New information emerges daily! And according to multiple sources, every year data nearly doubles online. Reshaping is ever present. Inevitably, most things change and they evolve at some point or another. We see it in almost every facet of life. Especially in the field of mass communication- it is ever evolving and changing. Examples are everywhere! It seems like every day there is a new trend in social media, new advances in digital technology, improved methods and/or new information being generated and they cannot go unnoticed. Personally, I think it’s amazing but for many, it's daunting and overwhelming- but it's life and it moves and I believe we should embrace it, adopt a few things and adjust if need be. we all notice it and recognize the new waves (as I call them) but many simply prefer to keep things the old-fashioned way’, which brings me to today’s topic. Even with all the numbers and supporting data, many simply choose to keep hitting the ball with the same traditional bat they have used yet expect to keep up with competitors. I am aware this topic seems very similar to previous discussions we have had in this course; however, I recently read an article by FeedBurner on newspapers and how many seem to merely dabble in digital and I was inclined write about it and reflect a little further. Bottom line, many of today’s consumers like their news fast and current and digital media and technologies have led the pack in recent years with no signs of slowly down. Particularly, newspapers have really been experiencing the effects of digital media both on their circulations and advertising revenues for a while now. It is no secret that digital publishers are now outthinking, outgunning and out promoting our beloved newspapers. And though this didn’t come as a surprise to me, what did was learning The New York Times was having a hard time retooling its culture and business model successfully - too. It told me, if an academic, economic, cultural giant like The Times wasn’t thriving as it would like, here truly must be an easy overlooked solution.

In 2014, I interned for a local news station and while I did not work in the print industry directly, I was all too familiar with daily operations and who played what role. Long story short, the market wasn’t so good in our area and the stations overall progress was declining. So many new, fresh ideas come up in meetings but the seniors/directors would reject most of them made by the “younger” contributors without giving any of them much thought. It was clear they were not as open and willing to consider adopting new methods, especially the possibility of converging/connecting traditional methods with winning digital ones- which I believe would have been a great move.  There were inflexible people at the top of the “chain”, as we would say, in the newsroom and I remembered this as I continued reading the aforementioned article. Today, across the board, there exists many who will not budge in any direction but the familiar one but soon I believe they will have to seriously consider convergence and end their perceived tone-deafness, as it was described in an article mentioned previously. Our professor actually made a great point in relation to this. He shared how audience members are no longer platform loyal and are willing to take the news they want from any credible service. They will get it online, via an app or their choice of popular social media. Progression should be priority- simply put. They know audiences love to go the digital route and access their news and other things online so I would recommend packaging the new stories in such a way and distributed online in such a manner that it appeals to audiences and makes readers want to know more- thus saving and sustaining many newspapers. Offering digital subscriptions as well as printed papers. But I digress. I am hopeful that the future is bright and steady for the newspaper industry and those at the top make the switch and broaden their methods because one things for sure, people will always want to about the world around them and consume stories and information. If you want them to look for your stories, it would be wise to consider incorporating new and innovative ideas while staying in touch with what has been. There is so much information out here, so many advances in technology and media, many new methods - and crowds are not ignoring it. Face it, online sources are the way to reach people and now most people acquire their news, the continuation of information added to the vast online resources will continue so we may as well add to it and adopt some news “waves”. Holding onto old ways that were once winning but are now not as successful, won’t stop the flow. I believe it is best to join forces, stay effective and keep doing great work. But that’s all the time we have for today. Until next time! This has been The SCEM View , with Deric.