As established publications begin to rethink their future, the media shows a gradual shift from print to the digital space, writes Raghav Bahl, founder of Quintillion Media. While being sure of the industry’s survival despite the general atmosphere of apprehensions and doubts, he points out that it is required to acclimatise itself to the virtual realm.
Though currently there might be an “awkward digital adolescence”, monetized social media content is only going to strengthen publications in the near future.
However, Bahl also points out that the digital age will bring with itself its own set of challenges and modifications. New formats of reporting like video stories, photo essays and FAQs are being adopted by various online platforms to draw consumers to them.
Similarly, there has also been a significant increase in phenomenon like clickbait - little traps for the online consumer to lure them into visiting a specific site with the promise of interesting content. This, however, in no way implies a fall in overall quality standards.
Along with the intensely crowded clickbait and popular quickie-content market, we will continue to see serious, quality journalism.Raghav Bahl
The digital revolution is constituted of several such factors and elements, which are constantly increasing and being modified depending on consumer needs. While the variety of options available means that the ideal consumer is distracted and drawn away from one’s content, it also means that they are also drawn closer to it.
Despite the popularity of the short-form, in his TechCrunch article, Bahl calls the millenials “voracious readers”, implying that long-form is just as relevant to this transition to the digital space in the media. Conversely, Bahl suggests:
This is good news for journalists and publishers, as advertisers will once again value long-form content, and will likely pay more for content that drives more leads. Branded and native ad content can be seamlessly interwoven with quality journalistic content — through words, sound and moving pictures — and delivered on a nonlinear mobile platform.
The article concludes by unequivocally stating that it’s time for publications to accept the digital revolution as the future of media.
For the complete article in TechCrunch, click here.
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