People today are so used to mass media that we might be forgiven for thinking that it has always been thus.
However, if one stands back and looks at this phenomenon it becomes clear that mass media is an anomaly – a deviation from the rule. Subsequent generations of academics will probably carry out studies on the strange phenomenon that occurred in the second half of the 20th century.
Mass media didn’t exist before the 1950s and it has been on the decline ever since the Internet became a widespread medium.
Going back to the 1950s and before, we actually saw quite the opposite of mass media, with most towns publishing their own local newspapers. And, if we go back even further, town criers and local notices on public buildings, churches etc and so on were the source of the latest news. And in the 17th and 18th centuries pamphlets stirred up local debate.
What we are experiencing now is another form of that earlier, now lost, niche media activity. This new wave of communication is made possible through the Internet, and there is no doubt about its success. People around the world are taking to this new type of media like ducks to water – evidently local media developments are much closer to people’s hearts than what is happening on the broader scale.
Of course the existing mass media will milk the anomaly for as long as possible. They are in denial about the extent of the problem, but there is no way back. From now on we will see an increase in niche media developments and this will eat more and more into the sphere of the mass media.
The younger generation has already replaced old media with new media. It may take some time before the older generation departs and takes with it the last remnants of mass media – that is, if these media can continue to exist on ever-decreasing advertising revenues.
Although in denial about its extent, most senior executives of the mass media do acknowledge the problem, and they are making sure that they move into the new media as well. However, it will require a massive change in attitude and culture, and, looking at the various media barons around the world, this won’t be an easy thing for them to do.
In analysing the mass media market it is also important to mention that it is an invention of the advertising industry, not of the people themselves. Everything that takes place around the mass media is aimed at acquiring more advertisers (for instance, those all-important ratings). True, academics study the behavioral and social impact but this is of no importance to the mass media – their priorities lie with the advertisers, not the viewers.
This lack of engagement with the viewers has alienated the public from the mass media – there have always been complaints about the advertising – and devices like TiVO were specially designed to circumvent advertising. In any case, in reviews of these devices it was that element of the technology that always received the most attention.
Also the recent success of reality TV shows indicates a hunger from the public to become more involved. One only has to look at the massive amount of SMS voting that takes place (however, here also, we are seeing a decline, with people now using the Internet, blogs, IM, etc to discuss the shows).
Advertising is not going to go away, nor is it the culprit here. But mass media forced advertising into taking on a form that was irritating to customers, whereas the new media allow the advertisers to be far more engaging with those people for whom a particular advertisement makes sense.
People realise that they have a choice – either pay for entertainment or accept advertising – and surveys indicate that people are not averse to information and advertising that is relevant to them. The new media allow these people to indicate what they are interested in and advertisers then have an opportunity to communicate with these customers. Niche media will be a win-win for everybody.
Media companies will have to adjust their business models, as mass media will never come back. However, TV picture quality will remain the benchmark for video-based entertainment and with an ongoing increase in broadband we will see real progress here within the next five years. The main difference will be in content; this will be far more interactive and far more varied. It will be user-driven, and often user-created.