Three insatiably evolving technologies have combined over the years to give us what is today known as the online and social media.
First, we have the development of electronic computers, which has changed the world since its inception in 1950s. A remarkable dimension to the electronic technology behind the computer is the fusion of information and communication technologies into one device (which is now known as Information and Communication Technology). Thus, today’s electronic computers not only process data, they also do what our defunct NITEL telephone did for us.
The second technology is the Internet, which allows computers to “communicate” by sharing data, files, and even voice. The increasing penetration of internet bandwidth is redefining the use of computer devices. Before the emergence of internet, people learnt to use computers for different productivity purposes like word processing, spreadsheet, computer engineering etc. But today, many crave access to computers to “go online” to access information stored on other computer devices located in different parts of the world. In fact, any computer that does not have internet access today would be considered useless.
The third technology is closely related to the second and it is the continuously evolving World Wide Web technology (commonly referred to as the www). The www is that component of the Internet that allows us to upload (or download) information onto (or from) WebPages, which are organised into websites. When the www became publicly available in 1991, it allowed for only the display of text and pictures. But today, it has evolved dynamically to allow for multimedia information and even real-time communication.
These three technologies have synergistically empowered computer users to share information, files, audio, and video in real time. We see these empowerments in the form of email clients, chat platforms, networking and social media platforms etc. Therefore, computer devices have naturally become the 21st century platform for communication, connecting people in such a way that had not been done in ages, as though in flesh and blood.
These rampaging technologies have consigned many jobs to the museum and many hitherto sophisticated machines have become extinct, taking with them their manufacturers. They have also created new ventures and jobs for those wise enough to roll with the tide. Now, if traditional ways of working, communicating and doing almost everything else in all of human endeavours are not spread by these rampaging technologies, it is normal for journalism to feel their impact also.
In dealing with these technologies, the rule of thumb is: roll with the tide or be left behind. A recent example of this rule was that of Nokia, which for many years refused to deploy its devices on the globally acceptable and better performing Android. Its sales plummeted drastically while some phone makers, considered as never-do-well, rose to the occasion and benefited accordingly. Now, Nokia has announced its own Android phones.
These technologies are unapologetic in the way they “take over” and change our lives and therefore, journalism, if it must continue to play its crucial role as the custodian of the values of an open and democratic society, cannot but embrace them.
This is a harsh reality: If one can sit in the comfort of one’s home and have access to information as far as the end of the world, why bother then to eagerly await it for days in bits and pieces when the whole world is simply a click away?
Revolutionary impact of online media
No doubt, online media has revolutionised journalism, not just in Nigeria, but the world over. Its immediacy, freshness and the mileage it offers have given it a greater advantage over traditional media, both print and broadcast.
First the inverted pyramid model of reporting news if now almost flat and in its place is “Breaking News.” This may not be so obvious to us until we consider the flow of information in media houses in countries with highest internet penetration.
When news break, a media house, after passing it through its editorial process and policies, posts it on its website and it instantly becomes available to anyone, anywhere in the world.
A while later – say one or two hours – the breaking news becomes a developing story. Some details are beginning to unfold. People are reacting. Interviews, pictures, and other details are being added periodically. By the end of the day, all sides and angles to the news have been explored and a balanced analysis could then be done in print edition. So you would found out that the online media dictates what goes in the print edition for most media houses in advanced countries.
Evidently, the revolutionary strength of online media, aided by increasing internet penetration and cheaper devices, is its ability to speedily present readers with a combination of texts, audio, pictures, and videos in one single presentation, without constraint for space (as we have in print media) or airtime (as we have in broadcast media). It engages all the senses of a reader better than print or broadcast media. It is scientifically proven that you forget 70 per cent of what you hear within a few hours. Online media is the only platform that allows people to read, hear, and watch snippets of information. The advantage of this is that readers get better informed and at a faster pace.
Sadly, Nigerian media houses still have not embraced the online media model and this is the major reason they are now facing serious challenges from less formal information outlets like online news sites and bloggers.
Take for instance the recent sack of the CBN Governor, the whole world had heard about it through the online media immediately it happened but when Nigerian print media reported it the next day, you see headlines like “Jonathan sacks Sanusi,” as if it was just happening. Now, why should I read that article or even buy that paper? Nigerian media houses, especially the print media, must now begin to allow their online platform to handle the breaking news and developing story while reserving the print edition for in-depth analysis, feature articles, and other metro stories that are not considered time bound.
Their slow pace in embracing this global model has seen the sharp rise in the importance of bloggers, who quickly fill the void created by the reactive traditional media houses. Consequently, LindaIkeji is now very important to Nigerians, even more than many media houses. In fact, blogs and social media posts are now even reported as news in print and broadcast media. Someone will make a post and it goes viral online. Traditional media houses will then report it as news and you wonder who they are writing such news for?
Another revolutionary impact of Online Media is its ability to democratise information dissemination. In a print media, you can only have a number of columnists. This exclusivity is presumably reserved for the best of writers available but this does not mean there are no better opinions out there. Online media has become a survival of the fittest for columnists and allows only for the best ideas/writers to survive.
We can also talk about the economic side. Media outfits on their part discovered that besides being cheaper, online platforms had a global reach beyond their readership, and in this business, a wider reach means an increase in marketing patronage and mileage. Gradually, the traditional media i.e. print, television and radio stations seized the opportunity to expand their horizon and their marketing base. The print media in Nigeria was the hardest hit. Many would now prefer to read blogs and every other online forum to glean news than buy the hard copies of newspapers. Unlike in yesteryears when newspapers would sell thousands of copies, some newspapers can now hardly sell 500 copies nationwide.
Can we forget search engines? Online news, unlike the traditional media, can be sourced any time because it is stored in digital formats. It doesn’t get lost. As long as it is online, it can be dug out through the use of search engines that make it easier to quickly locate any item on the Internet. This is a big threat to traditional libraries and librarians still being maintained by traditional media houses.
With these revolutionary impacts, we now have many of the middle and working class and elites who normally are readers of newspapers, moving to the online media. Take for instance, a busy business executive who is between travels may not have enough time to keep up with news through the traditional media, but he can certainly do so online either through his phone, iPad, and laptop which he also uses to do business. The technology has advanced so much now that one can set news alerts on one’s devices.
This pops up like a headline anytime there is breaking news or a new development regarding a developing story. Of course, we know the youths are naturally online. What this means is that a successful online media has more readership than traditional media houses and may in fact be more profitable. In this regard, Sahara Reporters has demonstrated a lot of savvy and I can confidently say that Gazelle News is toeing this line. This is another grim reality.
Challenges of online media in Nigeria’s democracy
Because Nigerian media houses did not quickly embrace the online media model, they lost the emerging readership on that platform to any Jack and Jill. Many online media in Nigeria today lack the editorial process and policy needed for in a democratic society.
In the mad rush for a share in internet traffic, which in turn determines revenues of an online media, many have become tools in the hand of anti-democratic propagandists and the mind of unsuspecting public has been poisoned more than purged. The urge to beat competitors to “breaking news” leaves no room for thorough research; hence there is the danger to feed the public inaccurate news. This has caused so many outfits serious embarrassments.
With the openness for any kind of information allowed online comes junk and readers now have the arduous task of being the evaluator. This is a task that the masses are not equipped to do and it therefore not surprising how propaganda thrives easily in Nigeria.
On the other hand, there is a big threat from what I call the “establishment” in a developing democracy like Nigeria, which like the traditional media, would rather online media is seriously censured. A bill seeking to censor social media, currently with the National Assembly, partly said in section 13 sub-section 3 that “Anyone, who intentionally propagates false information that could threaten the security of the country or that is capable of inciting the general public against the government through electronic message shall be guilty of an offence and upon conviction shall be sentenced to seven years imprisonment or N5m (fine).”
The question is: who determines what is false information? Is it not going to be the same government which would rather social and online media are completely stifled with life snuffed out of it? We therefore need to begin to think about this challenge with respect to censorship and freedom of speech.
Another challenge thrown up by online media model is the demand for new kind of writers. Journalists must change their writing style from that imposed by 5Ws and 1H to a fluid and attractive style.
In spite of all these challenges, the online media continues to dazzle the public as it continues to grow and to keep government on its toes, thus giving life to the Nigerian democracy. Just like the traditional media, it keeps the people abreast of happenings around them at the speed of light. This has created a greater sense of awakening for Nigerians who hitherto were not aware of issues that even have direct impact on their lives and careers and so could not offer any input.
For instance, many Nigerians are becoming more literate about government’s budget and implementation through a dedicated online media called Budgit. We also have @OilRevenueNG, which operates on Twitter and strictly disseminates information about the oil and gas industry, Nigeria’s darkest sector. What this tells us is that we need specialised and dedicated online media outlets.
This development continues to keep politicians and public office holders in check as they know that most members of the public are now conversant with goings-on. For me, this is the most important role of online media in a developing democracy such as ours where many public office holders would rather the public remain in darkness so that they can continue to revel in impunity.
By doling out news as it breaks, even the illiterate who cannot access the Internet will probably have one or two people around him who can and can then pass on the information. Haven’t you wondered how the unlettered pepper-seller in the market gets to know the information or gossip that is trending online? This shows the potency of online media, and this is more reason why journalists must not allow corrupt elements to either hijack or dictate the pace at which the online media operates, otherwise it would have lost its greatest and most important purpose and by extension its pride of place in helping to nurture Nigeria’s democracy and to stamp out corruption by ceaselessly continuing to reveal and shame the unrepentant shamefully shameless corrupt cabal that seems more than ever determined to wreck this nation.
Whether we like it or not, the online media has secured and stamped its place in journalism and it will only get better as we progress. From 0.1% internet penetration in the late 90s to 2000, it increased to 16.1% in less than a decade.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as of June 2010, internet users in Nigeria were 43, 982, 200. This figure represents 28.9% of the population and it shows that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of Internet penetrations in Africa. By 2012 when the latest data by ITU was released, internet users in Nigeria had already skyrocketed 55, 930, 391, that is 32.9% of the population, with Nigeria ranking number 8 in the world and the first in Africa in terms of penetration.
The Nigerian government can seize this opportunity to explore fibre optic communications. My state, Ekiti, the Land of Honour, is already on this path as it is currently laying fibre-optic cables spanning 8 kilometres around the business district in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
No matter the growth recorded by online media or the advancement in technology, there are still many who prefer print than to read from a screen. There are also the unlettered that would opt for radio over online media. Though internet-compliant devices are becoming cheaper by the day, the alarming level of poverty in Nigeria has made it difficult for some to afford these devices and in cases where they are available, erratic power supply and the high cost of surfing make it impossible to power these devices. But the fact these are surmountable difficulties is a proof that online media has not only come to stay, it is the future.
But make no mistake that future is already here, so we must not act as though we are waiting for some distant future, thereby leaving all we should have done to move faster and get better undone. All online media practitioners should avail themselves of the best forms of technology as it daily develops to enable them survive and succeed in the competitive world of online media.
I appreciate this great opportunity to speak here today. Thank you for listening.
Senator Babafemi Ojudu of Ekiti Central Senatorial District, delivered this lecture at the First Anniversary Lecture/Gala Night of thegazellenews.com
