Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Why Common Sense Alternative Media Is Unstoppable

By Jody Leach


Traditional media has been owned by a few individuals or corporations that controlled access to information in all ways. They determined how much was accessible to the public and when this information is disseminated. The rise of common sense alternative media has changed the platform. It has resulted in a more influential and less capital intensive way of disseminating information.

Specialization- the media outlets have specialized in particular areas and are therefore able to capture a particular and genuinely interested audience. This is contrary to the conventional trend where one media house airs content from all fields. Specialization offers the advantage of depth which increases viewer loyalty.

Specialization has seen the emergence of channels offering exclusive reality shows, soap operas, drama series, games and music, among other thematic content. Such exclusivity offers a guarantee that your favorite content will be available whenever you need to watch it. This has come to replace the cocktail programming that is characteristic of mainstream broadcasting tradition.

Cost of production- conventional production equipment were expensive especially for start-up individuals. This trend mean that only financially endowed institutions and individuals could afford such opportunities. It is now easy to produce quality sound and image clips from an ordinary mobile phone. There are incredible applications for editing images, graphics and sounds to produce excellent work.

Internet- starters are taking advantage of the internet to display their work. It offers platforms to blog and post videos or graphic images for review before launching a career. Some sites like youtube allow live streaming of the nature of a television station. The internet has a global reach without having to invest in satellite equipment.

Social media- the advent of social media has provided an instant environment for appreciation and criticism. Starters can post their work on twitter, facebook or instagram and request response before commercialization. There are no charges for such testing. It gives you confidence that what you are doing or planning is viable.

Localized content- more people are getting attracted to broadcast in local language and about their local community. This is changing the levels of influence by mainstream outlets. It has resulted in sidelined international corporations as people move towards localized broadcast. This has greatly eaten into their market share.

Alternative broadcast is instant in relying information. You do not have to wait for a certain hour to get news from allover the world. Within minutes of an event across the world, it is picked by different platforms and delivered immediately. This means followers can access details regardless of geographical location or time.

The loss of market share by mainstream outlets is inevitable. The changing environment has resulted from an extremely selective audience. It comes with the advantage of variety with stiff competition arising out of the desire to deliver details. Mainstream broadcasters must change tact or be devoured into oblivion. The current wind is blowing towards a cheaper and open broadcast platform.




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