The changing ‘Journalist’

August 2, 2006 on 7:52 am | In General Gaming, Reporting

In discussing the sensationalist news of E3's doom (which has since become a more level-headed topic), Tullux prompts a different discussion, mostly about the nature of journalism.

I disagree with their assertion that the Internet has merely expanded traditional journalism.

The internet is replacing lots of things that traditionally were information presenters. TV, radio, print, carrier pigeon, mail, etc. But it's not just this mesh of interconnected computers. It's that the mesh itself has expanded to include a lot of other devices.

And it's not about us. Rather, it's about those who are following, today's tweens and younger.

You can, quite literally, get the same information from the same popular sources on just about any device nowadays, notably cellphones, PDAs, handheld game platforms, and so on (I read news on my iPaq, PSP and cellphone depending on what I have, all from the same sources). There's nothing really restricting access to information for those who consider technology a foregone conclusion. We're way beyond the relevance of the term "technically savvy". Tech, particularly to kids, just is. And they're a bigger market share than we are. By alot.

This has resulted in a radical shift in how information is presented. At one point there seemed to be a real attempt to slow down the flow of info to the LCD, the newspaper, particularly because news was being coordinated through companies that were built on that foundation. But that fell away right quick because they couldn't fight the reality: people see something, they can report on it instantly.

"Journalism" has changed. Everyone's a voyeur, and now has a voice. They are just a few grammatical lessons away from writing with the same authority. Meanwhile, people's tolerance for grammar has changed too, which is expected because language itself is a living thing, constantly changing.

There'll always be a place for print, even if it's just for collectors in a few decades. But it won't be the main way people get info very soon. This is because the information itself is the business, not just the media upon which it's presented.