“You must always be able to predict what’s next and then have the flexibility to evolve.” – Marc Benioff
Just the other day, I found my grandfather rummaging through a pile of newspapers. On asking him what he was looking for, he told me that he urgently needed to pull out an article from last week’s paper to present it as a reference to his students. I asked for the name of the article and quickly searched for it on my phone and printed a copy without moving a leg. My grandfather stood there dumbfounded. The simple process of searching something online and printing a copy from the digital newspaper seemed so novel to him. On the other hand, actually going through a physical copy of a newspaper seemed bizarre to me. Our exchange, however, stayed with me long after he’d left. I found it oddly fascinating that a printed newspaper, something used by me just a decade ago, had gradually turned obsolete and that media had evolved so much ever since. This obviously boded well for me since nothing makes for better inspiration than an innocent conversation with someone who’s unattached to the subject.
The term media is derived from Medium, which means carrier or mode. Media denotes an item specifically designed to reach a large audience or viewers.
As little as 10 years ago, when you talked about “media” there were really only three possible things being discussed: television, print (newspapers and magazines) and radio. Nowadays, we use that “media” definition in a much broader, looser context, and things that would have never been considered “media” in the past are at the forefront of how we consume information.
That’s not necessarily bad. It’s just different.
In the world of today, digital media has become almost as necessary as food and clothing. It is true that it is playing an outstanding role in strengthening the society. Think of a recent big, breaking news story — for example, the New York Port Authority attack or the recent outbreak of the Black Lives Matter Movement. How did you find out about it? Most likely, on your computer or your smartphone. Nowadays, we all stay at our own computers, bouncing from website to blog to social media for the latest details. Frankly, turning on CNN is the option of last resort to me.
The Role of Media in a Consumer’s Life
Social media gives the average American more control over brand reputations. Consumers can now impact businesses by publicly sharing opinions and directly interacting with brands through social media platforms.
I recently read an article that introduced me to the concept of eWOM (Electronic Word of Mouth). eWOM is a type of buzz marketing that relies on the online communication among peers to stir up a conversation about a particular brand or product. When you share a status with your newsfeed that you walked around the city in your new Steve Madden shoes without forming a blister that is eWOM. Or when you message your Facebook group chat to tell your story about grabbing the last pair of sunglasses during Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale that is also eWOM.
eWOM has developed into a vast digital landscape made up of 3 main components – online reviews, peer pressure, and influencer marketing – that have changed the way consumers think and talk about brands.
Throughout history, we have devised the means to ensure our voices are heard—from the telegraph to telecommunications satellites roaming the orbit. Print and commercial advertising was at one time the most effective marketing strategy for a product or brand. Now, consumers tend to distrust this industry, causing traditional advertising to lose much of its persuasive power. Over the last decade, however, social media has changed the way we communicate in a way that has been revolutionary. It has, literally, given those with just a voice the power to speak to the world and has provided consumers with a platform to break news, start dialogues and share views about content. Today, consumers turn to online reviews to receive honest communication, gathering real opinions from those who have shared their experience with a particular brand or product.
Social media provides all viewers with a platform to share responses and opinions, from the meaningful to the trivial. At the same time, social media platforms themselves are evolving. Today, media is not only powering change but also creating new categories and innovating. But like any other development, this one comes with its fair share of difficulties. The challenge in dealing with an industry that’s constantly changing is the fight to remain relevant. We have to adhere to the evolving technology, social media fads and at the same time use a medium that engages and reaches the target audience. So how must we deal with this? The trick lies in not being afraid of this change but focusing on building the new. Sure, we might lose something good along the way, but more importantly, we’ll gain something better.
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