Personal View: Future of Mass Media

Press vs. Web

The future will not bring the end of the traditional mass media. But what we are experiencing now is a total change in which the public gets and stays informed about the events happened in the world. Journalists have lost the power to control the information. The citizens assume a major role as editors and news creators Journalists have to change their role and nevertheless identify the core values for which they have to fight


By CLAUDIA GABRIELA MITROFAN
from Galati, ROMANIA


Many years ago 2,000 European journalists have packed their desks and materials in boxes and got out from their offices for the last time. The European newspaper have lost 7% of the work labor almost 4,000 people.

To begin with, in the future the media environment will change for sure. I am totally convinced that each and every person needs day by day the news and the media and the written press. In general everything will change radically so that only true journalists will be able to survive and will be appreciated by the rest of the world.

The number of online readers has increased by four times in the last four years. The actualized information every minute and the possibilities of mass media are true advantages in contrast with the written newspaper. There are many tabloids with great many online readers than sold newspapers. The publicity for the internet is very appreciated, at least for this year, a sum around 3,5 billion euros.

The future of the press will be the internet. When the first online newspaper was launched in Europe the other newspapers didn't take it seriously but the situation has radically change. The internet had developed a spectacular increase and the number of users is bigger. For example, the shopping on the internet and other services are now a reality. In these conditions the publicity on the Internet is more important.

The reader is attracted by online newspapers thanks to the multitude of possibilities in advantage of the written news paper: the original text, photos, archives, the possibility of users to take part actively, easy navigation, forums, bloggs. And another detail which is quite important: these online papers are free of charge. Quite interesting, isn't it?

All the international statistics show that at the present the media are read or watched by persons who have come of age (18 years). But from behind there are many generations that take their information almost exclusively from the internet. In addition the number of online consumers of mass media will change dramatically.

But who is going to write the online media? Well, I assume that the media will go on to be created by specialists. The writing will conform to the classic rules. But a greater importance in giving the information and disseminating it will be the public which are not journalist of profession!

The modern technique, mobile phones, digital cameras will make the hot events be caught by normal people or passer by Each armed citizen with these kinds of means of communication will be able to assist and transmit information of utmost importance.

When there are more media in competition, each has its audience which is decreasing in number, which determine minimal investitions in collecting the information. The pressure to have what others have makes the media organizations to fight for the same subjects, no longer paying attention to the public.

Will written and classic mass media disappear? For sure it will not! Like the virtual libraries couldn't led to the disappearance of the written books it is almost the same case as that. I am convinced that nobody can predict the way the media will transform in the foreseeable future. I reckon that the impact the citizens will have is on the cards. The future will be ruled by simple and normal people. They will produce the content and they will sell it not being aware of the actual reality.

Nevertheless, the number of blogs is increasing rapidly and they are based an a special content created on traditional media and comments on observed events.

As a conclusion the future will not bring the end of the traditional mass media. But what we are experiencing now is a total change in which the public gets and stays informed about the events happened in the world. Journalists have lost the power to control the information. The citizens assume a major role as editors and news creators Journalists have to change their role and nevertheless identify the core values for which they have to fight.


(Published: 09.12.2007.)

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