John Naughton describes the dynamics of the media ‘ecosystem’ in his book From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg.
“New media don’t wipe out old media. But their arrival does change the ecosystem… My hunch is that over the next decade, the Internet will move to become the dominant ‘species’ in our ecosystem.”
We asked our interdisciplinary and international class of Master’s students to comment on the media landscape and the debates about press freedom and the rise of digital technology and have edited their comments into a crowdsourced article.
Media ecosystem
Joanna Taylor introduces our discussion:
“As social media and smartphones make information more readily available is this creating a more transparent environment? Will this lead to a positive global impact and opportunities for people to have their say? Or does this also lead to less credibility and less control over content now that anyone can publish content on the Internet.”
Valerie Menelec comments:
“One of the main characteristic of our ecosystem is that all its different parts have to work together. Taking an ecosystem approach means that we consider all these elements at every stage in our decisions so we contribute to our environment being healthy and resilient for the future.
“Acknowledging the significant influence of technology on the media ecosystem means better understanding its opportunities and limitation as well as its contribution. Only by using an ecosystem approach will PR and marketing innovate and contribute to making this media ecosystem sustainable.”
James Ascroft adds:
“It is evident that media landscapes and ecosystems can be influenced by many different factors, whether it be by a prevailing political agenda or driven by technology and a thirst for always being at the cutting edge of technology and the need to be constantly updated and the ability to comment and contribute.”
Decline of print?
The decline in print and rise of digital media seems inevitable, but is it global?
Chang Zhuo Yuan writes:
“In developing countries such as Malaysia, usage of social media is increasing very slowly. The audience is limited to the young and it’s hard to convince the older generation to use social media. Therefore, the target audiences are limited and investors need to be educated to the benefits of social media.”
Marit Meelis gives this perspective from The Netherlands:
“Even though many newspapers have experienced a decline in sales in recent years, many people are convinced that newspapers will not disappear. In The Netherlands, when you take a train to work, pretty much everyone is still reading newspapers. People are still looking for ‘trustworthy’ news published by official news agencies, whether online or on paper.
“The concept of ‘everyone is a publisher nowadays’, might be very attractive for PR and marketing, but not for ordinary citizens who want to inform themselves about what’s going on in the world.”
Kirth Ramoutar writes from a Canadian perspective:
“Print media may be in decline, but it would not appear so from the viewpoint of a Torontonian. Throughout the city, you can easily find a copy of the “Toronto Star” or the “Globe and Mail” on a table at the café, on the train, subway, trams, buses, just about anywhere. These two newspapers are among the top 10 in Canada, and have held their dominant positions for several years.
“While overall interest in print media may be decreasing, it needs to be recognized that there is still a strong and devoted public who rely on such newspapers as an integral part of their daily schedules.”
Ramoutar links to a post arguing that ‘a democratic society needs an aggressive and free press able to pursue truth where it finds it.’
Free press, free society
The tension between a free media and privacy may seem universal, but is this a Western preoccupation?
Elisabeth Strassburger comments:
“In most developed countries, the press is supposed to be free. But it is arguable if that is really true. Germany, for example, is ranked only 17th for a free press worldwide. Germany used to be ranked much higher. One reason for this is the pressure of extremist groups on critical journalists and the slow information flow from governmental departments, that makes it difficult to give accurate information to the public.
Nevertheless, Germany still has a relatively free press compared to other countries. In Turkey, which is ranked only 154th, there are many journalists in jail. Unfortunately journalists are convicted under anti-terror laws as soon as their articles are a bit more critical than the government likes. Also blogs have been closed, for the same reason.”
Aditya Bansal writes about India:
“In India, the introduction of television and the web has not reduced the impact of newspapers or even radio. They still are a major part of the media ecosystem. As people are becoming more literate and everyone is not able to access web in all parts of India, this explains why India is one of the few countries where the newspaper industry has been booming.
“The idea of a free society through a free press is still new for Indians and the concept is unfamiliar in conservative India where the Internet is more prevalent in the cities than in rural areas.”
Mohammad Alharbi adds:
“According to Reporters Without Borders, Saudi Arabia was ranked 161 out of 173 countries for freedom of the press. The government controls most kinds of media and it has been like that for years. However, during the past few years with the improvement of technology, more people are using the Internet to express themselves and their views. The media is becoming harder to control and the government is actually having to work harder than before.”
Emma Mugi comments:
“In Kenya, it is only in the last 10 to 12 years that the mass media has been free to report or say anything about the president and his top officials. Previously all information had to be read and censored by the presidential press service.
“Media houses have developed stronger backbones and have with time given the people information without fear of recourse.”
The limits of free speech
Minnah F. Haniffa writes from a Norwegian perspective:
“Consider the debate about free speech that followed the Muhammad cartoon controversy. We are shaped and developed in the face of others, through conversation, actions, through the positive and negative reactions we get ourselves. It could be a smile, a counter-argument in a debate, it may be a harsh word or rejection of a job application.
“Our experiences form the basis for our reactions, attitudes and perceptions. Therefore, freedom of expression is so vital. In our culture it is a fundamental value. For me freedom is something we can be for – but it may not be a right that trumps all other rights and values. Also freedom of expression must be used with wisdom and thoughtfulness. Only in this way can we ensure fairness and care for the individual in a democratic society.”
“Who has the power in the debates regarding topics such as discrimination, religion and racism? Should everyone be heard and have the possibility in creating new fears?”
Archit Siwach warns that the media is too easily manipulated by the PR industry:
“Recent events have made it clear that the media has been used as a tool to create temporary audiences. Private PR firms know how to attract media attention and thus they create campaigns which may look unsuccessful but are designed for publicity and profit.
“Social media is a powerful tool and the common man’s hand has proved its importance in the case of “killing of Osama bin Laden” in Pakistan. But it is not a reliable tool. Fake stories can become real by being shared online.”
Hanh Ngo Dinh adds:
“In Vietnam the government owns and controls most of news publications. There is a very high level of censorship and surveillance by the government. Information relating to political problems, corruption, human rights issues, conflict between countries are all listed as forbidden topics that should not appear on news media.
“Because of the press censorship by the government, the number of people using social media (especially Facebook and blogs) is increasing. Journalists use their independent blogs to reveal the truth or provide more information related to some forbidden topics, which they are unable publish in the national news.
“Newspapers could be replaced by social media and the Internet in the near future but they will never disappear because nothing can be as trustworthy as a newspaper.”
Stephen Sarfo adds:
“Western democratic countries like the UK allow a ‘free press’ and try not to restrict the media to a large extent. But there are still efforts by the government to regulate the media.
“I think that this is necessary because without some restrictions, the mass media and individuals can abuse the freedom they have. In some cases the press have breached the private lives of individuals by going through all kinds of (unethical) means in order to get the latest news. A perfect example of this is the News of the World phone hacking scandal.”
The challenge of defining public relations in the digital media landscape in which everyone is media and almost anyone could be an influencer is pressing. This would be a good topic for a future crowdsourced article.
