For many years, I used to prepare my local radio show using information I found in newspapers, television shows I watched and stories I learned from my friends. This was many years before the home computer and the world wide web. For many years, the traditional media employed similar methods to locate and source content for their respective operations.
In case you have not noticed, we are not in Kansas anymore!
You do not have to wait for content to be delivered to you via radio, television or newspaper. We have rapidly become reliant on the high speed access to content at our fingertips.
You want pizza delivery, order online from their website.
You want to find a review from last nights concert that was not in the newspaper, check to see what your friends are saying on Facebook.
You want to find if your friend arrived home safely, send them a text message.
Social Media is the 'mothership' for local content. Social media has empowered each and every user with the ability to communicate and broadcast a message without time or editorial restrictions like traditional media. I agree there is a lot of content being published on social media that I constitute as rubbish, but one persons trash is another persons gold. And just like traditional media, we have the ability to flip the page or change the channel if we find something we are not interested in.
Am I suggesting that the new on-line Social media will replace all current forms of media and make radio, television and newspaper extinct? No.
The new on-line media is creating interesting new challenges for traditional media but they, too, are faced with a unique opportunity for rebirth and continued life.
Imagine; your 'daily newspaper' delivered fresh to your desktop or smart phone but instead of just one paper, you are able to view many real time updates from news organizations you have preselected. This is a reality.
Imagine; your favorite radio station not only plays what you want but creates on-line engagement by responding and reacting to topics being published by their fans (like you) on Facebook or Twitter. This is a reality.
Imagine; you can contribute a story to the television news by recording a video on your smart phone from a local community event and emailing it to the television station. This is a reality.
Traditional media outlets are looking for new ways to find engagement with their audience. Might I suggest taking a serious look at the impact of social media. There appears to be a lot of engaged people around the world...all broadcasting and rebroadcasting local content each and every day.
Social Media = two words
Social - to create two-way communication
Media - the ability to broadcast to the masses
-Darren
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