The new advancements in the distribution of mass media have become more and more prevalent to today's world. A few experts believe that the ever growing digitalization of news and its sources will be the end of mass media as we know it. Information distribution, such as news, will always be important to society. The importance of knowing what is going on in your life is important whether it is local, national, or international. The change to a digital source has made one thing apparent-- the news source of the future will most definitely be found on a computer screen or other digital devices.
The Internet's versatility, and overall help to find and read news has and always will help it be one of the better ways of obtaining information. Not only does the Internet give you seemingly endless news at your fingertips, but it also allows you to get it instantaneously. That is something most news stations and reporters cannot do. The Internet can help you decide what is, and what is not relevant to your personal interests. You can filter out what you do not what to read with popular sites such as digg.com. Sites like this allow users to remove news that they would rather not view and vote on others that they find to be useful or entertaining. The use of SEO (search engine optimization) is very important to the success of the Internet. Television, newspapers, and other sources of non-digital news cannot do these things.
Blogs will continue to play a role in news media. They allow online users to get an opinion that most "professional" sources do not give. Peer to peer opinion has shown itself to be a very valuable source by people. Blogs offer a more personal approach to specific news, and help people relate better to what they are reading. Reading a blog may not be as credible as listening to a reporter tell their story, but it does allow someone to get the information, process it, and do this while knowing that it did not come from a biased perspective as does an advertisement.
Advertisement will continue to play a very large role in the news media. News has become dependent on the funds from marketers and advertising agencies and will continue to work this way in the future. Advertisements will be displayed on the web and other digital sources as it is today. The way it is approached may differ. People in PR (public relations) will continue to look for better ways of reaching specific audiences. Manipulating the information and the way it is presented will play a role in who gets specific news and how they will get it.
All of the digital advancements in new media will continue to change in the future. However, these changes do not necessarily promote the end of mass media. The instant access to news from multiple sources, from other countries, filtered, and more relevant to someone's personal interests, not only allows media more available but if anything supports the continued existence of mass media.
-Zane White