The New Media Has Reinforced the Traditional Media
In the contemporary society, it is evident that the traditional media is facing competition from the new media. This has been occasioned by the advancement in technology, which has facilitated faster and more efficient ways of communicating (Manovich, 2003). The traditional media has often been referred to as the old media, which is composed of cable televisions, magazines, newspapers, radio, and other compositions of the print publications. The earliest form of the traditional media is the new spares that have existed for centuries, which started as newsletters publications and later evolving to become official publications. The first newspaper publication can find its origin an early as 1666 in London. During this time, the newspaper was the primary way of passing information. However, there is new media that has been brought by the rising of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which have allowed people to disseminate their ideas and thoughts with much ease (Sant, 2013). There has been the sprouting of websites such as the youtube and online streaming of television programs such as the iPlayer or 4 on demand, which created an environment where people have the discretion of choosing what they want to view at any particular time. With the internet, there is free access to content, free positing; broadcasting has been decentralized, serendipitous interactions, and the effective communication of information that is being posted (Sampson, Maddison & Ellis, 2018). The websites on social media have played a critical role in alteration of the way information was shared in the past b by allowing people to indulge in the highest levels of creativity in creating content (Ice Bucket Challenge). Furthermore, the new media has allowed consumers to enjoy customized content that is able to enhance the individualized experience, thus breaking the limitation of the one to many elements of the traditional mass media (Dewdney & Ride, 2006). Therefore, this essay will focus on how the new media has reinforced the conventional media.
At this period of the COVID 19. Traditional media has played a pivotal role in the passing of information concerning the development of the disease. The conventional media has been preferred than the new media because of the inherent advantages. One of the reasons is that the transmission through the traditional media is more targeted than the new media. Furthermore, some conventional media covers the global audience even though most of them cover local areas, which means that their coverage if limited (Liu & Kim, 2011). On the flip side, the new media has mainly been effective in passing information because people do not have to be confined in a room to get the information, they can get the information even when travelling (Fuchs, 2019)). Additionally, the information can be accessed anywhere by a more significant number of people. People who are on busy schedules are able to get live updates of what is shaping globally by using the new media to get information (Fuchs, 2014). Therefore, the new media is reinforcing the traditional media in passing information concerning COVID 19.
Traditional media has been used in the past as the primary means of communication. However, this method has been supplemented by the new media where information is conveyed through the traditional and the new media. The new media has been used to fill the gaps that had been left by the traditional media. In some cases, the new media has been used to mirror the traditional communication plan (Apuke, 2016). Even though the digital transmission of information has changed the way information is shared by enabling interaction with the customers, the traditional media is still an integral part of the people since they are able to watch what they want any time (Sampson, Maddison & Ellis, 2018). both the traditional the new media have the capability of reaching consumers a business with ease, and so they have been used as a complementary source (Apuke, 2016). Companies are combining the new and the traditional media so that they can have more benefits that are associated with the brand because they are able to enjoy the strengths of each other while at the time compensate for the weakness of each other (Sheth, 2015).
Even though most of the people use the internet as the quickest way to get information, they still spend a significant amount of time interacting with other traditional media. On the way to work, people listen to radios and at home people are watching the news and the doctors’ offices, there are new spar that people read. Therefore, the new media is complementing the traditional media.
The new media has been used to supplement the traditional media, where it is possible to find instances where people are multitasking (Dewan & Ramaprasad, 2014). There are instances when people are watching television while at the same time, the area on their tablets looking for more information online. Even when the corresponding information is being broadcasted via the traditional media, people still want to find out what is happening on social media (Fuchs, 2019).
The novena coronavirus has presented a good case of how the new media and traditional media supplement each other in the transmission of information regarding the pandemic. This has been vital to measures that are being taken by countries such as social isolation, self-quarantine, among others (Liu & Kim, 2011). it has been observed that with the outbreak of the coronavirus, there has been a surge in the consumption of news worldwide. The information regarding the outbreak coronavirus has been shared almost equally between the new traditional media. Most of the people are watching the news on television and online. Where the televisions are likely to broadcast news limited to a specific geographic region, the internet is able to provide a broader scope in terms of coverage. A person can be able to get all the information that they need regarding a particular city or country that has been affected by the pandemic. This is because the young generation is likely to seek information regarding the epidemic online while the older generation is expected to get the information form the traditional media (Barcelos & Rossi, 2014). Surprisingly, in the US, about 68 per cent of the consumers are getting the information online when the remaining 32 per cent is getting the information from the traditional sources. The level of trust in the provision of accurate information determines the source of information that will be consumed by the public. For example, in some countries, they trust the information that is provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) more than the information they receive from the government and vice versa.
Furthermore, people tend to trust the information that they read online than the information that they get from friends through word of mouth. This despite the fact that that information may have been obtained from the traditional media. People who do get updates about the pandemic in the conventional media are able to access the information via the social media has become pivotal in informing people. Almost everything that has been communicated regarding the COVID 19 pandemic can be received via the new media even before the traditional media passes the information. The broader circulation of the new media has been a blessing in supporting the passing of information about the pandemic. The traditional media are limited in their reach because of the high cost involved and the need for support services such as power. Through the internet, even people who do not have to televise or radios are able to get the information in real-time, and this makes them stay connected. Furthermore, during the period of isolation, the new media become fundamental in passing information to the people in isolation. Therefore, the two media have been supplementing each other in guaranteeing that message concerning the pandemic has been communicated effectively. Thus, in this regard, no one is superior to another since they cover each other’s weaknesses.
Most business enterprises are not only concerned about they can use the new media to get the information to the customers, but they are also concerned with how they can be integrating both the new and the traditional media. It has been observed that companies that use a hybrid of the two in communication are able to get better results than those that rely on either (Sheth, 2015). Marketers are now using the traditional media and new media in the marketing campaign, in social relations and advertising (Fuchs, 2019). The new media has come to boost the traditional media in passing information. One of the reasons why the new media support the traditional media is its ability to reach a wide audience than the traditional media (Tse & Zhang, 2013). The traditional media has an advantage in that it has a great deal of credibility from the people. The information that is passed via the conventional media is often verified, and therefore it can be relied on. However, the new media faces a challenge of credibility to people passing information that is not accurate. However, the traditional media may not be able to create the buzz that is created by the new media in passing crucial information (Fuchs, 2014). this makes the traditional and the new media to meet automatically without having to make arraignments for them to meet.
In the era of the COVID 19, people are likely to trust information that is passed via the traditional media because of the aspect of credibility. The information is verified, and therefore it people can trust it as being factual. However, there has been the use of social media to pass information due to its broad reach (Tse & Zhang, 2013). Governments and various government departments are using social media to pass information about COVID 19. In fact, most of the traditional media are also enhancing their scope by passing information through the social media. For example, most of the traditional media companies are able to pass information through Facebook, Twitter, and websites (Sheth, 2015). One of the challenges of the new media is the passing of fake news regarding COVID 19. Therefore the use of the traditional media helps to verify what is being passed on social media.
The credibility of the traditional media receives a crucial boost from the use of digital media in the passing of information (Dewdney & Ride, 2006). When companies are advertising products, people are likely to trust the information about a product they receive from their friends. This, therefore, makes social media became a crucial platform for companies to promote the product. On the contrary, regarding the information concerning the COVID 19, people are likely to trust when they get from the traditional media than what is passed on social media. This is because, people propagate information that is not accurate concerning the COVID 19. In most cases, individuals publish information on social media with scientific backup to support the information that they pass. Therefore, the new media will need the traditional media for the information to be clarified.
The new media has been able to reinforce the traditional media in that it has been instrumental in coating value. Since the conventional media is affected by the considerable cost that is associated, the new media has helped to lower the cost of transmitting the information because it is relatively less expensive as compared to the traditional media (Fuchs, 2014). Through the new media, it is possible to pay for the information transmitted, and also the cost per person who gets the information is reduced on social media. For example, most televisions stations record most of their briefing and sent them to their target customers through the social media platform. Additionally, most of the newspapers are focusing on using the internet to reach a wider audience. For example, many newspapers are circulating their information online through applications. By doing so, they are able to leverage the benefits of both the traditional and the new media.
The new media has been used to reinforce the traditional media by enabling greater interaction between the people (Sampson, Maddison & Ellis, 2018). for example, though the social media, it possible for people to ask questions regarding the COVID 19 information via social media than via the traditional media. Therefore, when people get the information via traditional media such as televisions, they can be able to clarify the information through the use of social media. This direct communication in the new media has been vital in ensuring that the information concerning COVID 19 has passed in the right way. For example, people can engage with the ministry of health or with doctors via social media in order to get accurate information about the disease. Therefore, the social media reinforces the traditional media in the passing of crucial information.
The traditional media is not data-driven, and therefore the new media comes in handy as it highly depends on data (Understanding power). For example, through the digital media, the traditional media outlets such as television can use social media to determine how people viewed the information that they posted (Dewdney & Ride, 2006). This helps to evaluate the effectiveness of communication that is passed.
The reinforcement of the traditional media by social media has a profound effect not only in advertising but also in campaigns and passing crucial information like that of COVID 19. People use traditional media for advertising something as a way of stirring activities on digital media. For example, after countries started to isolate people and self-quarantine them, there were a lot of activities on social media as people shared information about the disease. Thereof was a result of such information being shared on the mainstream media. Through such advertisements, there is a chain of reaction that takes place on social media where the information is shared widely to all the people, which benefits the person who advertised. The social media has been successful in shaping the opinion of the people inlier the traditional media. Therefore, the conventional media pass the information but use the social media to shape the views of the people who receive such information. Social media allows people to discuss and dialogue concerning a particular issue such as COVID 19, and this is vital in shaping the opinions. People take positions when they have internalized the issues, and they grasped the material facts that are involved in the case. Therefore, the new media has been used to reinforce the traditional media in passing critical information regarding COVID 19.
Some messages are best transmitted through traditional media, and they may not be received well in the new media. For example, issues of national concern such as issues affecting the nation should be communicated via the traditional media. Even though it will be later be transmitted through the new media, the traditional is vital since it can reach even the group that does not heavily rely on social media. For example, most of the older people in the united states prefer to get information via the traditional media. This means that the group cannot be ignored while passing the information. Therefore, the social media comes in handy as it is appealing to the younger generation in passing information. Very few young people will watch COVID 19 updates while they can be able to do so online as they interact with friends or as they engage in other activities (Barcelos & Rossi, 2014)). The traditional media pass information at a certain interval, and they may not cover what a person what o view. This makes the internet a crucial platform because the traditional media can have uploaded their connect there so that people can access them at their own convenience (Apuke, 2016). For example, in this period of COVID 19, the traditional media can upload the COVID 19 updates online so that the people who did receive them can access them. Social media does not go viral with messages that enhance national unity or national building, and therefore such messages should be communicated via the traditional media.
Conclusion
The internet has ushered in a new era of digital communication. However, this new technology where people are sharing information via social media has not replaced the traditional media but has reinforced the traditional media. This reinforced has been particularly vital due to the outbreak of COVID 19, where both the social media and the traditional media have played a critical role in passing the information. The traditional media carries with it a great sense of credibility because the information that is verified, unlike in social media. How social media has comprehensive coverage, and the information is likely to go viral on social media, unlike in the traditional media. However, the two media appeal to different segments of the market where the traditional media is more attractive to the older generation. In contrast, the digital media is more appealing to the young generation. Even with the onset of social media, people spend a significant amount of time on the traditional media. In most cases, people use traditional media as a way of verifying the information that has been shared on social media. This is because social media has been used to share false information regarding the spread of COVID 19. Governments have worked tirelessly to control the information that is spread via the social media because it can be misleading. Most of the information that is shared on social media has not been verified or published form sources that have authority. As a result, it is not possible to determine their accuracy. However, the traditional media has incorporated social media in the distribution channels in order to reach a broader market. Therefore, the new media has reinforced the conventional media.
References
Apuke, O. D. (2016). Social and traditional mainstream media of communication: synergy and variance perspective. Journal of New Media and Mass Communication, 53(4), 83-86.
Barcelos, R. H., & Rossi, C. A. V. (2014). Paradoxes and strategies of social media consumption among adolescents. Young consumers.
Dewan, S., & Ramaprasad, J. (2014). Social media, traditional media, and music sales. Mis Quarterly, 38(1), 101-122.
Dewdney, A., & Ride, P. (2006). The Digital Media Handbook. Routledge.
Fuchs, C. (2014). “Social Media and Communication Power.” In Social Media: A Critical Introduction (pp. 69–94). London: SAGE.
Fuchs, C. (2019). A Critical Introduction What Is Social Media? In Social Media: A Critical Introduction (pp. 31–51). London: SAGE. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446270066.n2
Fuchs, C. (2019). Social Media: A Critical Introduction Social Media as Participatory Culture. In Social media: A critical introduction (pp. 1–28). London: SAGE Publications Ltd. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446270066.n2
Lecture notes: Ice Bucket Challenge
Lecture notes: Understanding power
Liu, B. F., & Kim, S. (2011). How organizations framed the 2009 H1N1 pandemic via social and traditional media: Implications for US health communicators. Public Relations Review, 37(3), 233-244.
Manovich, L. (2003). New media from Borges to HTML. The new media reader, 1, 13-25.
Sampson, T., Maddison, S., & Ellis, D. (Eds.). (2018). Affect and social media: Emotion, mediation, anxiety, and contagion. Rowman & Littlefield.
Sant, T. (2013). Art, Performance, and Social Media. In The Social Media Handbook (pp. 53-66). Routledge.
Sheth, J. N. (2015). Hoe social media will impact marketing media. In conceptual issues in social media (pp. 1–12).
Tse, T. S., & Zhang, E. Y. (2013). Analysis of blogs and microblogs: A case study of Chinese bloggers sharing their Hong Kong travel experiences. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 18(4), 314-329.