We shouldn’t be looking at media through pinhole

In the last couple of months, I have followed open sources discussing the quality of the media and journalism in our own backyard as well as around the world. Strategies on how best to take advantage of information and communication technologies for individuals or group’s benefits are not new; the novelty is the complexity of the wide-ranging strategies of governance, surveillance and disinformation tactics to tackle communication per se. Too much talk and shallow discussions on the role of the media as well as the quality of journalism when the fully known and absorbed social, political and economic structures are going through deep changes — including through unchartered waters — arguing on superficial levels of media is not a progressive approach. It just blinds us from understanding the big picture of what is coming ahead. We shouldn’t be looking at the media through a pinhole. Education, demography and wealth are just some of the variants that can help us to understand the kind of journalism we are up to. If we do not look into the fringes of society, segments will be talking about very different concerns. The gap opens space for disinformation and the manipulation of information — particularly the half-truth. Attentive people, organisation or institution might well benefit from a disgruntled communication style. So, what is there for us? I would suggest listening actively and not reflexively to society. The one-way style of communication is disappearing. We already see the multilateral conversations going on through social media where each person is a broadcaster, a communication cell on its own. A better-educated workforce with better-informed management, as well as an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of communication styles, can prepare us for new frontiers within the media sphere. We need to be on the alert for Web 3.0. According to Future Today Institute report on journalism and media technology for 2019, with Web 3.0, gathering, mining and understanding unstructured data will be much easier with advanced techniques such as data mining, natural language processing, and text analytics. More, machines will collaborate directly with one another through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Eventually, machines will be able to teach one another. Technology and science are already changing the way we communicate. Now, let’s just scratch a little below the surface. Our personal data — which we freely make available on the Internet, combined with data from everyday items and usage in the physical world such as going to a restaurant, shopping at a certain supermarket, visiting a friend, going to the theatre — will drive news organisations as well as commercial establishments to pinpoint their content for consumers. We see this already in practice on a smaller scale. However, not much longer from now, news organisations will offer journalism as a service, rather than traditional news product — social platforms will also monetise on our information. While unproductive discussions on how media has performed or should perform take place on social media, a more advanced and comprehensive prospect for the future of journalism and the media is emerging. In the meantime, we are debating media through past theories and old practices. Optimism is the fuel for achievements. A number of bright media talents, professionals and students are coordinating efforts to deliver quality material and diversified media information with a view to enriching the fringe communities’ experiences. These young men and women deserve space, opportunities, credibility, and integration into the workforce. It is time to listen actively to what the youth is talking about, to the topics that are discussed within small groups, and to people’s reactions that are not within the existing social rules. We can’t curtail development, but we can critically think about the changes and challenges that are shaping future media studies and systems.