Paradigm change in media

What’s up with media these days? The biggest media events today seem to be happening on social media, and they don’t necessarily involve an established media company.

Attention is shifting from traditional to social channels, and meanwhile circulations of newspapers and magazines are plummeting. Commercial brands are slowly concurring the playing field that was recently monopolized by media companies. It seems that we are witnessing the dawn of a new era in media.

 

 

Thou shalt share

There are a few certainties in this paradigm change in media. And they read like the Ten Commandments. No, it’s not: thou shalt not steal, but more in the order of: thou shalt share. One thing is certain: thing people want to share the most, will reach the farthest. And another reads: the person or brand that is granted the most attention will have the biggest audience.

New rules for mass communication

This calls for a paradigm change in the way we perceive communication. Traditional mass communication is on the fall, and interpersonal communication, enabled through technology, is on the rise. We have now entered the crossing points between these two. Therefore the rules of mass communication need to be rewritten and adapted to the changing need of today’s face down generation.

 

Big consequences for media

At the same time we see a different movement. Commercial Persuasion, such as advertising, marketing, PR and sales seems to be losing effect. Audiences can skip ads on digital tv and they have developed banner blindness. This coincides with the big rise of the public opinion, again empowered by technology such as social media. The power of the crowds is growing, and this has big consequences for media.

In trust we trust

What binds all these changes together? It is the way we perceive trust as media users. Nielsons global Trust survey shows us that we foremost trust our friends and family when asking for advice. We are more likely to trust random strangers online, than official messages from companies or advice given through marketing.

Tap into these insights

What can you do as a media company or a brand to tap into these insights and make the most out of this challenging times? Our advice is to forget persuasion and manipulation as tools to push your message forward. Try communicating on a human scale, taking into account the human values, such as best intentions and simple good manners. Think of providing an added value to your communication, making your messages ones that will entertain, inspire, evoke or encourage action. And this action can be as simple as gaining a like or a share.