Technology Changes Leading to a Media Revolution

Ken Kurson has led various technological advancements across a variety of platforms over the last decade. These have included journalistic and media properties. But the industry is changing dramatically. With those changes, editors, executives, marketing and communications teams, bear a tremendous amount of responsibility to ensure their news properties’ stay with the times. 

In some cases that can require creativity, innovation and an approach that at times is cutting-edge. Change doesn’t necessarily have to be challenging – if approached in a strategic manner that is understandable and rational it  can prove to even be productive and a positive development in a business or technology product’s development and lifetime. 

This is something that Ken Kurson has voiced on numerous occasions. The importance of changing with the times keeps a business or product or even service consistent with consumers’ desires depending on a whole slew of different variables. When change is coming you better adapt and you better adjust to the changing circumstances. Technology itself is such a rapid aspect of our lives; and it  will continue to accelerate in an aggressive fashion over time. 

There is no sign of that level of acceleration and aggressiveness slowing down anytime soon. Take a look at the digital media landscape and how quickly news is able to be disseminated and generated by citizen journalists or anyone today with a handheld camera, or even a cell phone.

You look at some of the biggest news stories of the last few years and they are not traced back to the reportage of veteran journalists with the resources of an entire media department and division at their helm. Instead, they are taken by regular folks who see something and decide to share it  because it  is justifiably newsworthy. 

With everyone having smartphones that have cameras installed on them; and the ability to access social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and so many more, the ability to share content and create content is ubiquitous. This has positive and negative side-effects. But the reality is that it  also ensures that the power and authority to break news stories is not merely concentrated among an elite few, but instead extends beyond that circle of people to include an entire public that has the ability to create, generate and cover media stories.

This development serves the public interest in an important manner, and a distinct fashion. It  ensures that there are activists and advocates on behalf of important humanitarian causes who now have a voice and the ability to amplify their messages and stories in a responsible but vocal manner. This ability and capacity affords the public the ability to be educated about events and news stories that they might not otherwise be aware of. Frankly, there are so many news stories that none of us would be aware of, and that likely would never even surface and rise to the level of being “news” but for this development. 

Ken Kurson created Book and Film Globe with this concept in mind – wanting to widen the gap that existed between journalists and ordinary citizens and members of society. There is a great value to citizen journalism and it  should be commended, promoted and respected. Instead of being frowned down upon by some elitist members of the ivory coast tower, it  should be viewed with endearment, appreciation and respect. Some citizen journalists have been responsible for incredibly important stories that they broke that have served the public interest in a remarkable fashion. 

These developments and changes will continue coming to this industry that is rife for change and exorbitant and substantial change, at that. The technological advancements that we are all experiencing and witnessing are clearly a function of the times that we are living in. Changes that are coming to technology have a direct effect on the media industry and visa versa. This is a reality that is clear, and it  is usually constructive – so long as one views it  in the long term, instead of in a reckless fashion, in the short term. All things considered, news properties will have to make changes. But looking back a few years from now, these changes will be ones that editors and press barons will have been proud to have made.