The Duality Of News: Information VS. Opinion
In the current polarizing news cycle, talking about how and why the news is changing is critical. From finance to cultural influence to politics, news coverage is abundant. This abundant content derived from news coverage is a critical pathway for the growth of society. However, in today's climate, its difficult to discern the difference between information and opinion. Classical news, or journalism, weighed heavily on information, while opinion was a byproduct. Today, that role is reversed. The end result of either equation creates truth, but if truth is the consequence of opinion, then facts are inherently subjective, rather than objective.
Subjective Truth Enforced By Censorship
The subjectivity of information that surrounds core news outlets is kept orderly by censorship. Not censorship in the sense of completely banning ideologies or thoughts or topics of interest, but by diminishing them through the overbearing voice of those that demonize thoughts that conflict with a news outlets primary interests. For a news service that practices this first world censorship it is imperative that it be allusive, as to not disturb the reality that they have formed around their viewership. This is common place for news organizations that are entrenched within political isles. It is important to note that this is not the divisiveness of a particular news organization with a political belief, but the problem with any news services that have committed themselves to a political agenda, rather than service to information.
Alternative News Grows With Decentalization
The internet, along with social networking, has provided an alternative source to established news outlets. Because of internet accessibility, alternative news is able to circulate in the same sphere of influence and disrupt the reality that was institutionalized by conventional content coverage.
With the discovery of blockchain technology and a global shift into the potential for decentralization, alternative news is set to grow beyond many of the core news outlets that exists today. Decentralized internet not only increases accessibility to alternative news coverage, but it creates revenue streams that allow new media to effectively compete against old media powers.
The Nature Of Internet And News
The internet has its own nature. One of the principle rules in this digital nature is cause and effect. When the internet itself receives an upgrade, the effect is a rise in new thoughts, services, products, innovations. That cause and effect principle has been active since the inception of the internet. And while the internet has made some aspects of pre-connected society obsolete, it has also heightened the importance of select pre-connected institutions, such as news and media.
The internet has always had a fascinating symbiosis with news and multimedia because every wave of internet technology has only intensified the importance of information content within society. Thus the centralized data networks we have today have near omnipotence when it comes to the economy.
Our society has experienced two major internet waves that also correlate to news consumption…
1: The personal computer.
2: Mobile Social Media Networks.
There may be steady growth in technology between the first PC and the i Phone, but these moments in time have multiplied the digestion of on-demand news.
The Benefits Of Interactivity In Alternative Digital News
News has evolved from its predecessors prior to the 1980's. Before chat rooms, digital group meets and direct internet responses to media, news was a one way communication mechanism. Readers and viewers had no access to immediate discussion on topics and if they wanted to have a discussion it was among a local community. Many local communities may have similar views, compared to a connected world of people with varying ideas.
With internet, society has been able to challenge the institutions that provide this one way communication system through the means of alternative news. The alternative news today is broadcasts on networks like Facebook, YouTube or a digital medium that allows the uploads of video and other responsive forms. This ability not only opened the worlds first 2-way news system, but it can be attributed to the hyper accelerated technical knowledge and education that is being received currently.
The Unforeseen Casualties Of Interactive Digital News
The rise of digital alternative news sources represents a threat to institutional media powers. In preventing a potential downfall and elimination from competing sources, hegemonic news organizations implement strategic thought wars. A thought war, meaning the creation of opposition and dressing the competition in a negative light, creates a dichotomy between viewership and communities. Creating opposition from thought strengthens political organizations which is why we're seeing many news entities fixated on political position. Morphing an already powerful information source into a political weapon is objectively dangerous for democratic systems of government.
The creation of alternative news and increased internet accessibility acts as a double edged sword. It may represent a checks and balances system for institutional networks, but the threat of competition has strengthened thought wars between news sources in the quest for more viewership.
Another issue with some forms of alternative news comes from how they respond to larger news networks. The intensity of opinion between organizations in competition for viewership and ad revenue can mute the intended capabilities of alternative news. Facts, journalism, and other qualities of alternative news can be replaced by a defensive position or an adoption of the same tactics as centralized media powers.
Blockchain Creates A Third News Option
Blockchain, Bitcoin and the emerging decentralized technologies will be marked as a quintessential innovation of the early 21st century. It follows the the digital nature of cause and effect, where an upgraded internet technology creates modes of new thoughts, services, products. Today's economy is feeling the results of blockchain within financial sectors, but tomorrows economy will be decentralized at nearly every industry level.
The future of news and multimedia will not only integrate aspects of decentralization, but it may create entirely new functions for disseminating information, outside of centralized news or alternative smaller news.
This third type of news, decentralized broadcasting, enables interactivity and economic feasibility beyond current revenue models. Alternative news as it currently stands is a 2-way communication system, however, with decentralized broadcasting, interactivity becomes a type of shared news source. In a shared news source, valid members of a blockchain community can act as freelance journalist for a news entity and receive compensation, while the creators of a news site reap revenues from the collective value of the shared news source. Such revenues may come from the rise in value of a cryptocurrency that is associated with a news publication.
Freelance journalism does exist today, however, decentralized broadcasting incorporates blockchain technology, which can create a filter between truth and opinion.
About Jonah Blake:
Jonah Blake is the Founder and Managing Member of NewCurr and he is the original creator of the Proof of Information protocol and Tiered Ranking model for blockchain designs. He brings extensive experience and hands-on development from his work in patent development and mainstream product design. Before NewCurr, Jonah founded and patented DebtMet, the worlds first social finance network built to tackle student debt. Prior to his work in the startup space, he was a content director for Blake Broadcasting, where he garnered media partnerships, delivered and distributed client desired video and created strategy in upper-level management.
