The Yellow Pages now come in many formats (as seen above). Technological convergence brought together computers, telecommunications and media, transforming media along the way, resulting in a media convergence (Gordon, 2003). Digitization of media into computer-readable forms, together with the proliferation of wireless internet access allowing convenient connectivity to the internet, has changed the world of media forever.
Publishing on the web has many advantages over publishing in print – including the ability to be searched, indexed, linked-to, and copied, all without sacrificing any trees. Its outreach to people worldwide far outweighs the usual output of a book, a journal or publication. Electronic communications such as blogs, websites, e-books and social media networks assert dominance. There is increased interactivity as the multimedia allows topics to be discussed, investigated or even challenged almost instantaneously defying geological boundaries.
Birkerts (1994) laments the depreciation of literature and historical context. "The order of print is linear, and is bound to logic by the imperatives of syntax”, as reading is fundamentally an act of translation, electronic reading works differently for “information and contents do not simply move from one private space to another, but they travel along a network. Engagement is intrinsically public, taking place within a circuit of larger connectedness in the vast resources of the network.” (Birkerts, 1994). While electronic communication can be passive, its contents can be changed or deleted with the stroke of a key. With multimedia, visual impression and image take precedence over logic and concept, at the expense of detail and linear sequencing.
Gordon (2003) points out that this change in media infrastructure brings key challenges in managing content creation, distribution and consumption, in particular pertaining to ownership, ethics, tactics, structure, information gathering and presentation/storytelling.
Though many publication houses are losing ground against new medias with free online content, many traditional newspapers, journals and magazines have gone online and have experienced significant growth in readership. (Source: Nielsen Online, NAA: Newspaper Companies Drew Record Traffic in Q1 2010).
The big question remains: Would consumers pay for online content?
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References
Birkerts, S 1994, The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age, Faber and Faber Inc, Winchester, MA.
Gordon, R 2003, Digital Journalism: Emerging Media and the Changing Horizons of Journalism, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc, Lanham MD.
Covey, N 2010, Changing Models: A Global Perspective on Paying for Content, The Nielsen Company, viewed 12 October 2010, http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/changing-models-a-global-perspective-on-paying-for-content-online/
