Greetings and Welcome!!

Welcome to Immersing Thoughts into Emerging Media! As a communication professional, I have had many opportunities to share my thoughts on the emerging media that has taken the world by storm.

After a five year hiatus from the educational world, I decided that my love for new media and public relations would be my driving point to start working towards my master’s degree. While this has been one of the hardest steps to take in my life, it has been an enjoyable experience.

As a Strategic Communication graduate student, I’m always answering questions regarding how important communications is within our everyday lives. At first I would always try to explain how important open communication can be in any relationship, but as time goes on, my knowledge of communication aspects have grown and matured. My answers no longer scratches the surface of communication; I now have more knowledge of this broad and endless topic. With the new emerging media not only are we faced with daily changes in the emerging media world, our lives are completely affected by social media in ways traditional media first affected us years ago.

While the world is engaging in social media and doing away with traditional media, some of us still remain laggards in our everyday lives. The interest that peaks on a continuous basis is why are we so consumed with the emerging new media? To the point that It becomes so consuming, that the fascination with recording everyday occurrences and once in a lifetime moments become viral moments not only for you but your followers and friends. The most astounding fact still remains that with this new technology we forget some of the most important basic necessities that were once important in our daily lives.  

In so many of my conversations I’ve been asked the question “Why is emerging media such a hot topic?” With this blog, I will break down and explain the fascination and hurdles we constantly face with new and emerging media.

On a weekly basis, I will continuously update ITEM (Immersing Thoughts into Emerging Media) with thoughts and opinions about the direction of emerging media and ways to approach how to communicate effectively using these different platforms. Although we live in a generation of instant gratification, there are some who do not understand the impact that communication and technology has on our everyday lives. Hopefully, my opinions and postings will help with understanding and grasping the great ideas behind emerging media.

Please be sure to share your opinions on the topics you find interesting! Also, if you are interested in reading future blogs or adding ITEM to your favorites, here is my blog address:

torialeasebrown.wordpress.com

Here is our topic for the week: Are traditional media dying?

Of course most of us understand that traditional media comes in the form of television, magazines, newspapers and radio. These outlets have served for many years as the gateway for information for the public, giving them updated information regarding any topic of their interest. However, since the emergence of new media, traditional media has almost become “A thing of the past”.

Think about it, when we look for news we go online to our local new stations and find updates on their perspective websites, giving us all details up until the very moment of breaking news. Mobile phones have completely taken over as the new computer, newspaper, radio and television. Using mobile devices gives the public constant access to the internet world and most importantly mobile applications to assist in finding information almost instantaneously. 

This decrease in interest of radio and newspapers are steady climbing, while the increase in interest in online browsing is becoming the new “it” factor. In a study conducted by Pew’s biennial study of news consumption habits, more Americans are now getting more news online than newspapers and radio. So could it be true that traditional media is dying?

Yes, traditional media is dying rather slowly…. Perhaps to slowly for some, especially for my fellow “asset-lighters.”

After graduating with my undergraduate degree from Slippery Rock University with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, I took on so many jobs within the communication field. The most intriguing and influential experience was my job with Radio One, Incorporated. While working there I saw how much the radio industry thrives off of advertisements and sponsorship’s. With the increase of interest in mobile phones, digital news is surpassing newspapers and radio, leaving more investors uninterested in buying radio and newspaper advertisements. 

An article given to us for our first week, Newsosaur discusses how the new digital natives are now more concerned with reading news on their devices rather than investing their time into reading a newspaper. In a recent study surrounding the Washington Post, researchers found that the problem wasn’t the actual newspaper itself rather that people are starting to view print newspapers as clutter and prefer their digital devices.

As a 26 year-old communication professional, I realize the digital advancement is becoming a sore spot for traditional media, but in some ways, I believe a lot of the print-newspapers can revitalize and save their business by moving more towards digital device. While some may be weary with the thought of trying something new, I think it is important for them to see the benefits of going digital. I foresee that most print media will go digital, but there are some Americans who still sees no need in reading from their digital devices. Instead of completely removing traditional media out of their lives, they still remain to subscribe to magazines and newspapers. Nothing wrong with that! Right?

As these nine weeks fly by, I will be sure to mainly touch base on my thoughts as a communication professional, hopefully opening more dialogue discussing the amazing emergence of new media and the decline of interest in traditional media. Furthermore, what are some ways to help traditional businesses who are weary when trying new media outlets, such as Facebook, online newspapers, blogs and twitter?

Please feel free to leave comments below sharing your thoughts 🙂