News sites and social media are facing challenges. Vice has cut staff and closed its main program, Vice News Tonight. BuzzFeed News is shutting down, and Vox has laid off almost 10% of its employees. Gawker went out of business again in February. These difficulties are due to a decline in digital advertising and the shifting landscape of social media.
Tough Times for Digital Media
The struggling digital advertising market is causing worries among online media staff about possible layoffs and closures. Ben Smith, a former BuzzFeed News editor and author of “Traffic,” believes the current situation is due to people moving away from social media and a tough economy. However, he believes there’s still a demand for news.
“The current moment is the product of a huge shift away from social media, and a tough economy.” – Ben Smith
Smith is now leading Semafor, an online news site that launched last year. The industry is also facing challenges from social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which are no longer as attractive as news sites.
News Sites and Social Media: A Complicated Relationship
In the past, news sites saw social media platforms as a way to reach a wider audience. However, these platforms soon focused on ads and stopped promoting news stories. Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter have all become less friendly to news publishers.
News sites have become closely connected with social media, making it hard to separate the two. They often create stories that are easy to promote on social media, which can lead to more extreme and polarizing content. Twitter, for example, has become more polarized and unreliable since Elon Musk took over.
“It rewards people for feeding into predictable narratives and telling people what they want to hear.” – Ben Smith
What Happens if Twitter Fails?
BuzzFeed News’ closure was partly blamed on social media platforms being poor partners. If Twitter fails, some believe it might actually benefit journalism. Ben Smith thinks it could be a good thing because Twitter often rewards people for telling readers what they want to hear and punishes them for going against the grain.
The End of Web 2.0 and What’s Next
Some people think the struggles of digital media and the decline in social media quality might signal the end of Web 2.0, which refers to the modern internet dominated by large platforms like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. These platforms are filled with user-generated content and help people navigate the web.
“We don’t need to operate at the scale of mass media, or the scale of Silicon Valley and venture capital.” – Jeff Jarvis
As users leave social media platforms and news outlets lose trust in them, the future of digital news is uncertain. However, some trends are emerging, like specialized newsletters, podcasts, paid subscriptions, and niche communities on platforms like Reddit and Discord.
Apps like Artifact, started by Instagram’s co-founders, are also gaining popularity for delivering quality news without clickbait. Jeff Jarvis, a media critic and journalism professor, believes that smaller communities will continue to grow, taking power away from big Web 2.0 companies.
The future of digital media is unclear, but change is definitely coming.
Key Takeaways
- News sites struggle with declining digital advertising and a shifting social media landscape.
- Social media platforms no longer as appealing for news sites, creating challenges.
- Twitter’s decline may benefit journalism by reducing polarization and sensationalism.
- The end of Web 2.0 could lead to new trends, like specialized newsletters and niche communities.
- The future of digital media is uncertain, with smaller communities and platforms possibly gaining power.
