Choices

I am a millennial who works full time helping to prepare high school students for college and career success.  When our worlds come together interesting things happen.  We have totally different tastes and cultures, but we all get a kick out of learning from each other.  Some of them do not know how to write in cursive, some haven’t learned great English skills, and some of them never pick up a newspaper or magazine, but I try my best to expose them to such things. They get a kick out of my vinyl record collection of music from the ‘70s and ‘80s. I get a kick out of how they take so easily to technology and how they cannot live without technology being within hand’s reach. My students introduce me to exciting ideas such as the latest in digital trends.  Our worlds complement each other when it comes to technology.  The young students help me to learn about the latest in technology.  Just last week a student taught me things about navigating Facebook that I never knew, which is sad because I have been on Facebook for over eight years. They also help me save money by helping me with technology problems free of charge.   It is fascinating looking at both of our technological cultures and this helps me to address this week’s topic of where traditional media is headed. I think that there will always be a market for traditional media outlets, but audiences crave online news sources increasingly.  Over time, traditional and online resources will continue to be successful news sources because audiences have come to appreciate both, and industry leaders are coming up with ways to satisfy these preferences on both sides of the aisle.

If you look at technological trends today you might think that traditional media is becoming obsolete.  Sure, newspapers and magazine sales are down.  But these industries are being innovative and coming up with ways to keep traditional sources afloat.  Social media is quickly becoming one of the most popular forums where consumers get their news.  I never thought I would rely on social media to catch up on the latest headlines, especially on a small handheld device.  I have always been a television fanatic and always looked forward to at least two hours of news watching daily. Even my traditions of traditional news outlets have changed. In a world filled with technology and people who have so much on their to-do lists, of course social media is a great place to get your news.  What could be better than catching up with your social media friends and family while also getting the latest in news and entertainment at the same time?

Around ten years ago, I remember telling my younger students that I had no need for Facebook or Twitter.  Years later I remember telling them that I was only on social media to contact friends and family I had lost contact with over time.  Years after that I remember saying that I mainly used social media to wish friends and family a happy birthday.  Nowadays I honestly must admit that social media has replaced a lot of the time that I used to spend in front of a television.  Now while I am catching up with family and friends, I am also learning about the latest in the world of news.

Several articles that I read this week point to the obvious fact that technology is helping to increase consumers’ dependence on online sources for news.  Other articles this week state that there are tremendous efforts with traditional media industries to come up with new tactics in order to save these outlets from further decline and they seem to be working.  The fact that consumers continue to rely on traditional outlets for news and the fact that more is being invested into these sources is a sign that they are not going away.  This is good news because on some days when my eyes just cannot deal with another minute of glaring at a computer or cell phone screen it is nice to just casually sit and watch my old friend the television or get my hands on a real newspaper or magazine.

One thing that is clear to me about the state of news sources today is that there is room for both traditional news sources and new technology based online sources.  I don’t think one is better than the other and I hope that neither ever goes away.  What is of most importance though is that both continue to stay on top of industry trends and consumer preferences.  Our readings this week showed us what some traditional newspapers and magazine companies are doing to compete with online sources, and they seem to be working.  These trends fall in line with other things I see in society today.  As I mentioned earlier, my students are fascinated with my vinyl record collection.  A few years ago I wondered what would happen to my collection if they stopped making record players. The advent of digital music was making vinyl obsolete. Then a couple of years ago, I began seeing more and more record players being sold.  Then this year I read several articles about how, of all things, vinyl is making a comeback.  Now I know how much space these albums take up, just like printed newspapers and magazines.  Yet there is a market for the vinyl and this is why it is making a return to popularity.  Just like my vinyl, I am pleased that traditional media is not going away anytime soon. Is it nostalgia or is it just that some people like getting their hands on tangible items?  Whatever the motivation, I am just as thankful for a good old paper newspaper and/or magazine as I am pleased with my vinyl records being in my hands.  And then again, I often appreciate having online resources on my cell phone or tablet. Why should we have to choose? After all, isn’t variety the spice of life?