Week 2 – a second dose of UQ, a second attempt at making
awkward conversation with strangers, a second chance to mock people buying
half-strength skinny cappuccinos (it’s freaking warm skim milk).
In my JOUR1111 lecture this week, we got stuck into web
iterations and the effect and challenges of online progression on the news. Mass
communication or “old media”, like newspapers, radio and TV, was no match for
the bodacious “brochure-ware” of the advertising friendly, company-focused Web
1.0. The Information Web won that round, but when we moved on to the New Media
of Web 2.0, my boxing metaphor only continued. Known as the “social web”, platforms
like Facebook, Skype and Twitter allow the focus to be shifted to social groups.
“Prod-users”, a term coined in 2005 by QUT’s Alex Bruns, were the new
content-creaters and reigning champions.
Just when we all thought it couldn’t get any more brutal or
complex, out came the notion of Web 3.0 – the “semantic web”. Meta
tagging and geotagging packed a punch, resulting in a severe case of hyperlocalisation
and specific content delivery for the modern web user.
(Hint: meta tags work heaps better when zoomed in on at a slight tilt.)
Observing journalists were now concerned about the death of
journalism itself, as people felt entitled
to news. My lecturer made the call that paywalls are hitting the newspapers,
much to the reluctance of new consumers.
I left that lecture feeling a bit battered myself, wondering
if there was any point continuing to study a dying trade, and wondering why I
can’t just write a normal recount like everyone else.
In my quest for further investigation into paywalls, I found an article by Russell Adams of The Wall Street Journal highlighting the struggle. See 'Newspapers Put Faith in Paywalls' for more.
In my quest for further investigation into paywalls, I found an article by Russell Adams of The Wall Street Journal highlighting the struggle. See 'Newspapers Put Faith in Paywalls' for more.