From the invention of the computer, to the development of the Internet, the rise of technology has had a profound impact on media culture, revolutionising the world we live in today. Whilst industries have benefited from such unprecedented innovation, this paper will examine the impact the digital age is having on the Media Industry. In the past, people were subject only to the views and beliefs of major broadcasting companies. However with the rise of the Internet, and more importantly social media, there is now a forum for individuals to voice their opinions without being held to account. One very important issue this paper will look at is the personalisation of digital media and the issues associated with it. Another issue raised is the future of work in the Media Industry and the impact that technological innovation is having on legacy media outlets.
A significant development in media culture is that as media forums evolve in an online world, the theory of Agenda-Setting has become redundant. The Agenda-Setting theory posits that the media agenda and public agenda are analogous, meaning that what the media considered important, the public deemed to be relevant. (Berger and Freeman,p3) The more airtime that a certain issue received, the more importance the public gave the topic. However, with the rise of technology and new media, the Agenda-Setting theory is no longer as relevant. Fewer people now watch traditional forms of media to obtain their news, instead switching to online magazines and social networking sites. Lacking in boundaries, the Internet circulates an exorbitant amount of information around the globe, resulting in a diverse range of information being considered relevant. This trend has seen the Agenda-Setting theory become less pertinent as people are no longer sharing the same information. The result is that the public agenda is no longer determined by the media agenda, providing challenges to news outlets to maintain their relevance in an age where news is readily available on multiple platforms, at the click of a button.
