In this issue

By: Dr. Dale Cressman
Associate Chair, Undergraduate Studies

New York University professor Jay Rosen compares the mass media profession to that of a tribe that, when it discovered it had exhausted the land, packed up and moved on in search of more fertile fields. However, upon arriving, the professional tribe found the new land was already occupied—by the People Formerly Known as the Audience— and they were already busily creating their own content and distributing it on blogs, Twitter, and YouTube. Rosen’s metaphor aptly illustrates the changing communications landscape in which many of the distinctions between professionals and amateurs or, for that matter, between print and broadcast journalism or advertising and public relations, are disappearing.

It is a confusing and uncertain time for communications. The economic model in which advertising has subsidized mass media since 1833—a remarkably mature business model by any measure—is unravelling. As Craig’s List robs newspapers of classified advertising revenues, online and mobile content erodes mass audiences, and DVRs relieve us of the obligation of sitting through 30 second television commercials, we’re uncertain what the future holds. Scholar Mark Dueze, among the most pessimistic of academic prognosticators, suggested in 2007 that journalism, as we now know it, “is coming to an end.” Similarly, author Clay Shirky in 2008 raised the possibility that contemporary professional communicators are becoming as outdated as were the scribes immediately after the invention of the printing press. According to Shirky, we are in the midst of a similar revolution in which “old stuff gets broken faster than the new stuff is put in its place.”

The question, of course, is “What’s the new stuff?” In his latest book, Cognitive Surplus, Shirky argues that much of the free time Americans once spent passively watching television is now being used to contribute to and participate in social media. Just a few years ago, Facebook was a playground primarily for college students. Now, with more than 500 million users worldwide, Facebook is a ubiquitous social media utility, its Facebook Connect is the common log-in tool for an increasing number of web sites and its application programming interface (API) enables interaction with countless other applications and web pages. For some age groups, Facebook’s chatting and messaging features join telephonic texting in supplanting email as a preferred means of communications. And Facebook is far from the only game in town. Seemingly every week brings a new mobile app or potentially game-changing API.

It’s unsettling, but it’s also exciting. Opportunities abound for entrepreneurial, hard-working students who are energized by being on the ground floor of new and developing media platforms. The old stuff is being broken, but the new stuff has potential for diverse and civil dialogue and enriching public participation. Meanwhile, as our students are learning about viral marketing, curating, aggregating, and search engine optimization, there’s still a demand in traditional media for excellent communicators. Yes, an increasing number of people consume media on mobile platforms—smart phones, tablets, and notebook computers—but many others are sitting in front of 52-inch television screens or listening to radios in their cars. That means there’s still a need for strong and thoughtful writers, compelling storytellers, and bright communications analysts. It’s a tall order—for faculty and students—but today’s curriculum must embrace both innovation and tradition. The faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Communications are working to strike that balance. All ideas are welcome.