is traditional media coming back in fashion?

since we all like to label anything and everything, i am part of "generation jones" or "generation x". born at the tail end of the 60s, when the beatles had just ended their maharishi binge, when the students’ revolution in paris exploded big time, and when "computer" was a word that only the eggheads knew. media then was the daily newspaper, radio, and the family / friend grapevine. and oh yes, the family photo album.

the last decade saw a breath-taking surge in the internet, leading to the development and propagation of a variety of new content dispersion methods (aka media). the development of tablets and smartphones made access to the internet easier and encouraged information consumption on the go, which fostered the 160-character infobyte. the internet also helped some very smart nerds design something called “social media” and “digital networks”. the means to spread, and access, information previously available only to a select few became completely democratic.

information and influence could now spread without barriers (it must be mentioned that digital media can influence far more subtly and insidiously than traditional media). anyone anywhere, could "post" anything, without 3rd party mediation or control. self-published content became the driver of information, rather than carefully curated and verified data. the onus of "reliability of information" shifted from unknown, erudite individuals (editors and publishers) to our neighbours, friends, colleagues and the tea-stall owner at the nearest railway station. the house-help retained her position as master information jockey, aided now with a mobile phone and cheap data to flash information, innuendo and gossip as the gospel across the universe (with apologies to george harrison). and most importantly, consumption of this media is free, leading to entry and exit at will.

this is in contrast to traditional media, which has restrictions on consumption (through paid subscription), has a physical form and shape (newspapers, magazines, allowing for leisurely and therefore more engaged consumption), is limited in reach (since only those who like the medium's ideology or focus will pay for it, and offers better and targeted advertising (since the brand can choose the medium which appeals to or mirrors its target audience). this allowed traditional media to tap advertisers and subscribers to earn enough to pay star “content creators” (journalists, anchors, and similar), have qualified media bureaux in important cities and generally keep the information flowing, and unbiased.

digital / online media forgot all this! the fact that it was open to all was surprisingly touted as the best means to reach a targeted audience, with minimal wastage and immediate engagement! it abjured the vary principles of targeting and offered itself as the best channel of communication in an increasingly wired world.

this is pure bollocks. digital media is like a woodstock gathering – open for anyone. a harley enthusiast can “browse” a website meant for chefs learning to make consommé. a fashion icon can be followed on social media by a scraggly, pimpled youth whose idea of fashion is burlap sacking. the only restriction is self-imposed, through which neither the harley enthusiast nor the pimpled youth will theoretically visit sites not meant for him. but that is expecting the average joe to have far more intelligence than is seen in reality. paywalled websites are a miniscule fraction of the internet universe, and most popular information is free and open to all. this allows individual biases, restrictions and power to play a far larger role in shaping a narrative than in traditional media.

acknowledging this, digital media companies in recent times have attempted to smoothen out biases through a process of automated ad targeting and buying. also called programmatic advertising (it is to be noted that digital media has birthed a lot more jargon in its short life than traditional media did in the couple of centuries of its existence). but programmatic advertising is ARTIFICIAL intelligence, not HUMAN intelligence. which removes the sensitivity to biases, restrictions, relatability and other factors which complete the entire engagement.

hence, the chances of an online ad being placed within a completely irrelevant context are vastly higher than in traditional media. this leads to higher chances of the brand’s reputation being affected negatively. recent controversies in this area have made big brands reduce or stop digital advertising and re-ignite their “passion” for traditional media. this in turn has made some prominent digital media companies reduce headcount due to a slowdown in revenue (mainly derived from ad campaigns). digital media is clearly going in for a much needed reboot!

so, to address the question of whether traditional media is coming back in fashion, my response is a resounding yes!