The author examines the similarities between the present change in media and former media structures like the pre-industrial era or the Roman time. He or she explains, that the end of mass media is near because we are going back to a more informal and socially emphasized media structure. Back in the days of the Roman Empire, people distributed news among each other through certain social networks or simply by chatting. After inventions like the steam press, the distribution of news among a large number of citizens became easier, but the social aspect of exchanging gossip and ideas among people declined. So basically the author says that today’s social media is comparable to those ancient systems. The Internet literally displays the forum of the Roman time, where people could exchange news in a social way. But besides that, the most significant change today occurs in journalism: Conventional people like you and me can now distribute information easily to a large group of people.The author quoted people like Craig Newmark, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Jay Rosen and Arianna Huffington.
It´s really
interesting how this article outlines, that social media is nothing new. Many
people proscribe new technologies only because they are new, but if we keep the
social exchange aspect in mind, it can turn out to be a real advantage for us.
We can always be sure to have enough information from several sources, so we
can discuss them within a social network, either online or in real terms.
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