Monday, December 08, 2003
One of the articles that we were supposed to read for last Thursday's class (which I just read now) says that the reason for the cutbacks in online newsrooms is the proverbial popping of the online bubble. In the beginning, everyone wanted to be on the internet, whether it was right for their company or not. People are now beginning to think about whether it is or is not right for them. As a result, advertising is dipping, and this is affecting major online news organizations.
However, I don't think that I'm ready to give up on the internet yet. It is such a new medium! My Dad only got the internet a little less than ten years ago. Remember those dial-up modems that you attached to your 486 computer? I do! People who grew up in the 1950s probably have similar memories of their first television set. Television, too, was seen as the "wunderkind" medium in the beginning, and may have experienced setbacks and bumps along the way. But you kind of need to see the big picture - television morphed and evolved until it became the sophistocated medium it is today. Just think about how far the internet has come since we were 13 or 14 years old!
I have no doubt that the internet will eventually become a super-sophistocated medium with room for lots of great journalism.
However, I don't think that I'm ready to give up on the internet yet. It is such a new medium! My Dad only got the internet a little less than ten years ago. Remember those dial-up modems that you attached to your 486 computer? I do! People who grew up in the 1950s probably have similar memories of their first television set. Television, too, was seen as the "wunderkind" medium in the beginning, and may have experienced setbacks and bumps along the way. But you kind of need to see the big picture - television morphed and evolved until it became the sophistocated medium it is today. Just think about how far the internet has come since we were 13 or 14 years old!
I have no doubt that the internet will eventually become a super-sophistocated medium with room for lots of great journalism.
