Internet Impact on Media

The Internet has had a tremendous impact on the traditional news media, especially in bringing about convergence (a blending of media forms). Virtually all news media have a web presence. Some of the key factors influencing online news media are personalization and interactivity, the reduced importance of geography, and the rise of the 24-hour news cycle, which puts pressure on all media outlets to cover breaking news.

Personalization allows users to select content that meets their interests and shifts the balance of power away from editors and reporters. Web users also have the opportunity to customize delivery of content of interest in the form of news feeds and e-mail newsletters and alerts. Interactive features such as discussion boards allow audiences an opportunity to be part of the conversation and sometimes even shape the content of news sites. In a sense, the Internet has made news media more democratic. But there is also concern that it isolates users by limiting their exposure to topics and points of view divergent from their own.

A major influence of the Internet has been to remove geographical limits on the reach of media outlets. No longer are news media restricted to one city or region; the Internet allows them to reach audiences nationwide and internationally—the online version of a local newspaper may find audiences all over the world. For example, when Hurricane Katrina hit the American Gulf Coast in 2005, online viewers could get up-to-the-minute information directly from the website of New Orleans's Times Picayune, which continued to publish online editions even when the hurricane made print editions impossible. This extended reach can also influence changes to news media content; editorial decisions may strive to make the content more appealing to secondary audiences, such as emigrants or members of diasporic communities.