MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES
The impact of technology in the field of communication has been
significant. Media consumption is
constantly evolving due to advances in media technology. Because of the
constant innovations in technology, the way media is transmitted and consumed
is changing in conjunction with technology. Media technology is changing the
audiences’ preferences. Even TV and the press media are adapting to newer
technology to reach the masses. This blog will describe four of the many media
technologies and describe the corresponding audience for each media.
THE
INTERNET
The internet has been a source
of information and entertainment since its inception. With the rise in technology, the media
preference of the audiences is rapidly changing. The majority of the audience
is enjoying the convenience that the internet has brought to their lives. The
internet integrates sound and sight dynamics which audiences find superior to radio and print which are only limited to either sight or sound media. Online media
are opening up two-way communication. They also encourage the formation of
groups around a common interest.
Here is an interesting comparison on internet usage in just a decade.
Here is an interesting comparison on internet usage in just a decade.
Audience of the Internet
The audience of the internet is diverse. Internet users range from the
student to the professor, from the rich to the poor and from the young to the
old. According to Pewinternet.org in 2010, 79% percent of the American adult population
uses internet. In the same year, 62% of the users use the internet daily. The major
audiences for the intent are the youth (18-24 year olds), the X generations
(those born in 1965 – 1980) and the Y generation (those born in 1980 -1994).
These demographic groups have grown up with technology. ). Recently though, the
trend is showing that the older generation is adopting the usage of this
technology. According to Neilson/NetRating,
the senior audience is the fastest growing segment showing a 25% increase in
2003 (Cameron, 2009).
ETHNIC PRESS
Ethnic or racial press is a growing niche market due to the growing
diversity of the American population. People from different countries have
continued to migrate to the United States. The ethnic population has been
growing five times faster than the general population (Cameron, 2008).
The audience of Ethnic Press
The audiences for the ethnic or racial press are the ethnic people who
belong to that demographic group such as Hispanics, African Americans, Native
Americans and Asian Americans. Ethnic press catering to each segment of this
population has been using different technologies to reach the different
demographic groups within that ethnicity or race. For instance, 162 Hispanic
publications and 245 African American publications are listed on the Gate
Directory of Publications and Broadcast media (Cameron, 2008). The selection of the media is dependent on the
preference of ethnic group. For
instance, surveys show that an average Hispanic uses the radio 26-30 hours to
obtain news and entertainment (Cameron, 2008). For this reason, there were 678
Hispanic radio stations in 2005. Another
media technology that has been utilized by the different Ethnic and racial groups
is television. Currently there are two Hispanic networks that are watched by
millions of people. Another example of an ethnic media is BET that is targeting
the 18-34 age groups. Even cable and
satellite providers are offering different ethnic packages to basic and
standard services to cater to this niche market.
RSS
FEEDS
RSS is the third media technology. RSS is an acronym that stands for Really Simple Syndication. This is a
web-based process of searching and gathering together news and information.
This information is then transmitted to the users’ computer or cell phone
(Marsh, 2009). RSS is used to aggregate information from many internet sources
into one. Instead of sifting through relevant and non-relevant information on
the internet, users can get all information in one place. RSS is currently being used by major news
organizations, companies and businesses as well as bloggers to disseminate
information. According to the Pew internet and American Life Project, 33% of
all American internet users get RSS feeds (perinternet.org).
Benefits of RSS Feeds
The benefits of using the RSS are many. RSS gives the end- user to be
selective on the subjects they wish to subscribe to. Secondly, the end-user can
keep up to date on fresh web content of his/her choice. Another benefit is for
those who use the RSS feed to disseminate information by giving them more exposure
on the internet.
The audience of RSS Feeds
The audience for this technology would be savvy internet users. This
would include bloggers, students who do a lot of individual as well as group
researches, public relations and communication specialists.
PODCASTING
The last media technology that is being used is podcasting. The term
podcasting is used to describe both the process and content of what is being
transmitted. Radio, TV and film content are delivered electronically to users who can play the audio or video files at
any time they would like to (Marsh, 2009). The media or video files can be
downloaded to the user’s desktop or mobile devices such as smart phones, IPods
and MP3/4 players. Podcasting uses the RSS technology to alert subscribers of
the availability of new information.
Podcasting can be used by different sectors of society. It can be used
in the classroom to record and stream class lectures as well as discussions. This
would be especially helpful in distance (online) learning. Podcasts can reach
more people than the radio can because it can be used across the globe as it is
not confined to regulations and limitations. Anyone can podcast with few basic
tools such as computer, video camera or microphone.
Podcasting has many benefits. Podcasting, like RSS feeds above, gives
the user more control. Similar to RSS feeds, the user can select the content
that can be automatically downloaded to his/her device. Unlike email, which
gives the control to the sender of the content, podcasting empowers the
recipient to be selective of what information he/she sees. Another benefit of
podcasting lies in making the information portable. Users can view or listen to
the content at their convenience.
The audience of Podcasting
The audiences for this media technology are similar to the ones using
RSS feeds (i.e. the internet-savvy users). Most of the users of this media
technology are the demographic groups known as generation X (29-42 year olds)
and generation Y (18-28 year olds). Gen
X and Gen Y use the internet more than any other age groups and they are the
early adopters of new technology (Cameron, 2008).
SUMMARY
In conclusion, the four media technologies mentioned above (the
internet, Ethnic Press, RSS feeds and Podcasting) are playing a key role in
modern society. All of these media technologies serve different audiences and
various purposes. At the rate media technology is changing, one wonders what
the next decade brings.
References:
Cameron, G. (2008). Public Relations Today:
Managing Competition and Conflict. Pearson Learning Solutions.
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