Rapid advances in new media technology have allowed presumed inactive mass-media consumers to be active contributors on digital media networks. The broad implications of this unprecedented new opportunity on mass media’s credibility have continued to reverberate amongst researchers, journalists, and online media users. Mass-media’s ability to influence the mass-media has been called into question not only by recent events but also by industry experts who consider the phenomenon to be a distinct and worrying trend. Given these circumstances, this guide is designed to provide an explanation for why digital news media has the potential to affect and shape how the public relates to certain industries, while providing examples of how digital-based marketing can enable businesses to take advantage of this impact by communicating information about their company to a larger audience.
Digital News Media – Potential Effect on Mass Media Many media-savvy business professionals and commentators believe that digital news media has the potential to change the way in which mainstream news media disseminates information and reports on topics. Digital-based media outlets such as social networks, blogs, podcasting, and online video make it possible for companies and businesses to reach an ever-larger audience. In a similar vein, by allowing the general public to access digital versions of their favorite stories and information, traditional media channels are forced to adopt a ‘what they say’ model, alienating the target audience and potentially losing loyalists.
Two of the most influential factors shaping credibility perceptions in the US are the trust that people have in major national brands and the extent of their confidence in the US government and its institutions. Concerns about the direction in which the country’s economic model is headed and lingering doubts over the legitimacy of major corporations have all contributed to the general belief that the US public has a low opinion of the US government, economy, and political system in general. When these concerns are coupled with a low or negative trust in major national brands (which are frequently perceived as having low spending and high dependence upon imported goods), a credibility crisis is likely to be caused by a perceived lack of trust in the media. One can therefore expect that digital-based forms of news distribution will have a profound effect on this crucial credibility perception in the US.
Digital News Media, unlike mainstream media platforms, has a number of distinct advantages over the old forms of distribution, which include, but are not limited to, radio, television, film and print. Digital News Media is characterized by flexibility: the viewer can watch, listen and download the content at any time and from any location, whereas viewing, listening and downloading require special equipment and access to the internet. Digital News Media also offers a diversity that the other media based platforms do not provide: both parties (consumers and producers) can engage in a robust dialogue that affects the very minds and opinions of viewers. Furthermore, since digital-based content can be easily syndicated and shared across social networks (such as Facebook and Twitter), the reach of conversations on any given topic become wider, extending beyond the immediate circle of friends and into the broader expanse of the social networks. Digital News Media also provides the opportunity to counter the widespread negative impression of digital content production, particularly regarding the subject of controversial events, with the consistent presence of legitimate media sources that offer a counterbalance to the negative and often inaccurate reporting.
A number of participants described the need for participants to have a platform that was not associated with a specific company or individual. Participants described how Digital News Media represented an alternative source of information and commentary that could be trusted and considered as reliable, since it represented the views of a diverse range of stakeholders. The diversity of voices and perspectives represented in digital content increased the possibility of getting feedback from different stakeholder groups that are not represented in the traditional mainstream media, thereby increasing the chance to develop more complex and in depth responses. In some cases, participants said that they found that their participation in such community activity helped them to understand how their organisation or company was viewed by other stakeholders in a different and more critical way. This increased understanding could potentially help improve business relationships.
Another key finding from participants was that digital news organizations were increasingly relying on social media to monitor and track their exposure pattern. They set out with the intention of doing this as early as the planning stages, but did not begin to implement full measures until after the emergence of a positive digital media exposure pattern. The main reason for this is that companies wanted to ensure that they had not missed any opportunities, but that they had also not wasted their marketing or PR budgets on activities that would not yield tangible results. A majority of participants reported that it was not until they had spent considerable time creating content that their understanding of the exposure pattern became clear.
It is important for digital journalists to keep in mind that even when they choose to focus on a specific industry or sub-segment, they should still be prepared to cover other important topics, such as those that are ignored in the mainstream media. For instance, it is unlikely that most people will be interested in stories about government bureaucracy or the latest bank statement when they are searching for financial news. However, a well-researched and carefully written article about how the US economy is likely to weather the storm ahead and emerge stronger than expected, especially if it contains a link to your company website, can have a much greater impact on your business than a profile piece on an obscure finance regulator. This goes for stories on health, fashion and business. The more your audience knows about you, the more inclined they will be to trust your advice and recommendations. And in turn, they will spend money with you – which is ultimately the point of all marketing communication.
Although participants were generally satisfied with their experience, some indicated that it could take some time before they fully understood how their messages were being interpreted by others. This highlights the need for companies to ensure that they create clear and consistent communication from the outset. This means planning and developing messages in advance, and ensuring that they are interpreted in the way that the target audience is likely to understand them. Overall, the findings from the participants suggest that there is still much work to be done to improve information preferences about both mainstream and digital media.
