As the internet becomes more prominent globally, the media is soon realising that it has to change to keep pace with it. This is especially so for news content. While it has solely been the privilege of the media to provide news content to the world in the past, the internet has supplanted the media in recent years in this aspect. Just think of news by bloggers and updates on news forums. While the media has been the bridge that has given us access to news at the other end of the world, the internet has taken over the role with global bloggers and forum users. Moving the news online has been the media’s latest move. Just look at our local Razor TV, where there’s a live programme and videos-on-demand (VOD) are available for online viewing. 

Mediacorp has decided to go beyond print when it comes to its magazines with both web-based and television initiatives. You can read about it here. At the same time, four titles will cease publication, namely Lime, Vanilla, Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) and Kids Company (although some of the titles may come back as online editions). With the media moving magazine titles online, it will be good at this point in time to ponder about the following questions:

• Will the internet be the primary platform for the media in the years to come? If so, in what ways are you able to contribute to this growing sector?
• What are the differences between print media and online media?
• What can you foresee about the face of the media in 10-15 years’ time?
• Will the provision of bloggers’ information be able to compare with those provided by the media in the near future (where currently, some bloggers’ credibility is still questioned)?
• In recent years, the media seems to be shifting its business from print to online (with some titles on both platforms). What are the advantages and disadvantages in this?
• In the abovementioned article, it’s mentioned that Mediacorp has came up with a software EasyReader which synchronises and downloads content from any internet connection. It is believed to be the first in Asia. How do you think that this software will change the ways that people make use of the media?

The media is evolving and it will be useful if you continue to keep a tab on its development, considering that all of you are media students.

In the meantime, have an enjoyable learning experience in school.