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THURSDAY, JUNE 6 - JUNE 12, 2019
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VOL. 23,, NO. 22
HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE IN THE DIGITAL AGE? Context of communications like emotions and nonverbal cues are often neglected Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
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housands of years ago, human beings communicated exclusively through spoken languages. Communities were small and nomadic. Gradually, people developed writing skills, creating a more permanent form of communication. As a result, folklore and oral tradition transitioned into literature. The invention of written language helped people keep a record of their culture and history even as their society became more complex. My goodness, how times have indeed changed. Even the ‘Old Grey Lady’ — the Iconic New York Times — reluctant to print in color finally did so in 1997. This was just the beginning of the digital transformation that took this industry by the boot straps. Although, the first newspaper to go online was actually the Columbus Dispatch in 1980. Ironic, isn’t it, that an employee of Eastman Kodak was the inventor of the first digital camera and then that same company that was reticent to join the digital revolution files for bankruptcy in 2012? I personally recall, with some trepidation, not having to develop and print negatives anymore thanks to the mind-blowing new technology that literally changed the way we communicate. All of a sudden I had instant images, not Polaroids, but a good likeness using a digital binary code. Film was essentially history and images were stored on a disc inside the camera and transferred to a
The telex machine was the primary form of communication for newspapers up until the late 1970s when fax machines took over that role. – Courtesy photo
computer for transmission to points unknown. The earliest digital camera cost over $20,000 and had very little memory or megapixel capacity as do the current incredible camera lineups from multiple manufacturers. It wasn’t so long ago that newspapers had to wire photos and many used the old Telex machine to transmit copy worldwide. In years not so long past, photographers
actually used carrier pigeons to get their film to the newspaper lab for developing and printing, in time to make the late editions. These telex machines, which now are only seen in museums, were the lifeblood of newsrooms’ words across the globe. The way that we present our journalism has changed over the years but the core of what we create has remained the same.
Until entering the digital age, our only reader feedback was through print sales and letters to the editor. Now we have access to so much more. As a subscription business in a world of free news, we must make our value clear in order to grow and retain our readers. However, as that growth has led to a larger digital base than print in some cases, that value is no longer as straightforward as stories in a newspaper,
according to some in the industry. It seems social media has taken a deep and perplexing plunge into our subconscious and in doing so has forever changed the way we communicate. We not only have to write for the average reader but we must also ensure that our online stories carry the maximum punch with a thing called SEO (search engine optimization) or appeal to our Instagram followers.
This evolution, which has bred a whole brave new world of specialists in the field, quite frankly bewilders this reporter, at times. Digital communication has also really hit Hallmark hard. Birthday cards and invitations to a get together are “so yesterday.” Read More at our website