A Dying Lost Art
Lying on its deathbed, mass communication can no longer function properly in this day and age.
Back in the 1920s, the most media anyone could find were newspapers and radio. People read newspapers to actually read them, rather than to look at them. People used the radio for entertainment, but also for the most up-to-date news.
When the 1950s rolled around, television was introduced to American family households. The television brought about a new kind of entertainment. No longer would people have to listen and imagine how things looks-they could actually view it now.
The 1990s introduced a new media: the Internet. People could now communicate with each other from across the globe. Since its inception, the Internet has become the #1 media in the world. Why buy a newspaper when the same news is online for free, and only a few simple clicks away? Why listen to the radio when stations now live-stream their own station? Why not just use your personal collection from iTunes? Why watch television when the same shows are available online?
Face it: mass communication is dying. Newspapers are almost gone, and scurrying around trying to figure out how to stay alive. Radio is close behind, and trying to offer more variety and fewer commercials to keep their numbers strong. Television seems to be doing okay, but it seems inevitable that a computer will replace it.
Aside from the Internet, public relations seems to be doing well. Companies can't rely on the Internet to help them with crises, nor can they rely on the Internet to turn a bad situation into a good one.
People still like to communicate with people, even if it's rehearsed or sounds twisted. Robots won't be around for a long while, folks.
Many years from now, it looks like there shall be two distinct types communication: the Internet, and public relations. If someone figures out how to suddenly incorporate public relations into the Internet, and perfecting it, then many people will suddenly be out of a job.
How to solve this dilemma? Adapt. There are currently many newspapers that now appear online. Campbellsville University's Campus Times newspaper currently has an archive of their previous issues online. The New York Times now has their own website. Even Campbellsville's Central Kentucky News Journal is starting to use the World Wide Web.
Radio stations need to get together and come up with a way to survive. Live streaming seems to be the key. They power-that-be in regards to newspaper need to form a policy, where radio station move online and offer commercial-free stations. The catch is that the stations must charge a small fee. Say, $5 a month. Times that by 100 people listening, and you have $500.
It seems as though television is already stepping into the digital world. Many popular television stations have begun offering their television shows, with only a minimum amount of commercials. The users watching cannot skip the commercials though. This might be the only solution to the Digital Video Recorder.
The point of this article is to explain that the mass media needs to look at itself, and realize that they won't be around forever. They must transition to a more secure location. That is the only way to survive. Mass communication can no longer lie on its deathbed and watch the world walk past it. They must figure out how to survive, and the first step is to get out of the bed.
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