The digital planet will resemble a pinhead

It is not related to computers anymore, it is a lifestyle. We have seen computers moving from huge to tiny rooms, then to desktops and later to purses and pockets. But the story does not end here... The digital planet will resemble a pinhead, said Nicolas Negroponte in his cult book Being Digital published ages ago – in 1996.

Negroponte has quite well predicted that new technologies would reduce the distance between the planet's inhabitants and radically change their communication. In this process elimination of borders in the virtual world, the media have a very significant role. At the same time, the digital technologies have until now offered only a hint of their potential as compared to traditional (analog) media.

Digitalization of television has been given a lot of press today. Radio is in a different position. The reasons for such state of affairs are numerous and mostly well-known. However, the radio – as well as other media – has undergone transformation due to the influence of new technologies, together with its audience. Digitalization has helped this media to overcome some of its previous limitations – one-dimensionality, ephemerality, temporal and spatial limits. Radio has gained the ability to offer pictures and achieve much better interaction with listeners worldwide.

Increasingly popular digital distribution of content, together with internet radio, has presented new and serious challenges to the traditional (analog) radio, especially regarding programming and planning of content and satisfaction of audience's expectations. New mechanisms of production and usage of radio content and changed habits of the audience have opened a range of new possibilities both for radio content creators and their listeners. Of course, media professionals should be informed about these changes and try to keep pace with them.

The influence of new technologies on fragmentation of audience, mergers of market participants as a consequence of financial consolidation, homogenization of radio's programme offers – are some of the characteristics of the radio market in the 21st century, the century in which a new, global radio is emerging. Taking into account new features of the media that is being created as a result of convergence of the analog radio and the internet, changed habits of the audience, and different modes of production and distribution, we can announce the emergence of a new media, believes Ana Martinoli, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. Martinoli's PhD thesis explores this phenomenon. This interesting and comprehensive scientific research, which could prove interesting to radio editors and journalists, places a special emphasis on habits, needs and expectations of the traditional radio's audience and the audience of the new media.

New possibilities for the audience to actively participate in creation of content, to manipulate it, and to create their own programmes – has already redefined the relationship between editors, producers and listeners, transforming the listeners into authors of programme. Engagement of users is perhaps the most significant change that had occurred in the digital age. Needs of the listeners and their creativity should be placed at the center of media production. Work hours prevent many people from listening to their favorite programmes and radio stations. Podcasting is a very simple solution for this problem. It is not expensive, does not require special knowledge and is extremely simple to use. In this way, listeners have a chance to listen to radio whenever they want, at any place in the world.

The global computer network has opened new media channels that keep changing extremely fast. Millions of people listen to radio every day via the internet, MP3 players or mobile phones. Selection and number of stations that are available on the web is almost endless. Competition is more fierce than ever. Carefully selected musical matrices, topical and unique content – as well as good hosts – will be main strengths of a high-quality radio programme. In the age of new media, it is obvious that a new race has emerged – a race for exploration of different forms and shapes of expression.

Media organizations and institutions, faced with digitalization, are absolutely required to understand how and why we use information technologies. At the same time, the new media age will become increasingly less dependent on constraints of time and space.

The digital planet will resemble a pinhead.

Tamara Vucenovic

About the authors

MC Newsletter, September 24, 2010