The changed paradigm

The essentials

New media have changed the pattern of mass communication. With a phone and an Internet connection, any individual can become a publisher, reaching people across the world. Communication has moved from one-to-many to many-to-many. The roles of sender and receiver are mixed; audience members are also producers, sometimes called "prosumers" (producers plus consumers).

Key points

• Individuals as publishers: blogs, social media posts, videos and podcasts can be published cheaply and instantly.
• Many sources: news no longer comes only from big media houses; citizens, experts, organisations and governments publish directly.
• Rapid global opinion: ideas and reactions spread across countries within minutes, and trends can form very quickly.
• Gatekeeping weakens: much content reaches the public without editorial checks, which increases both freedom and the risk of misinformation.
• Interactivity and instant feedback: likes, comments and shares.
• Low cost: no printing press or transmitter is needed.
• Fragmented audiences: people choose their own content instead of watching the same programmes.
• Marshall McLuhan's idea of the "global village" describes how electronic media make the world feel like one connected community.

Exam tips

Contrast each feature with the traditional model: few senders versus many; one-way versus interactive; high cost versus low cost; strong gatekeeping versus weak gatekeeping.

Common mistakes

More sources do not automatically mean better information. With less gatekeeping, users must verify content themselves.