The impacts of the digital age on the media

No one will deny the increasing presence of the internet but, in relation to the media, it seems to have become more apparent over the last few weeks.  

Earlier this month, BBC Three (a channel which is shortly only to be available online) screened a documentary about vloggers, providing viewers with an insight into the world of the increasing popularity of YouTubers. Whilst these YouTube stars may be completely unknown to many (their target audience tends to be those in their teens and early 20s), a growing number of them have millions of subscribers to their YouTube channels, suggesting that more and more people are tuning in online to catch their next video update. 

Add to this the announcement on Friday that The Independent was to become a solely digital publication, following declining paper sales (an announcement resulting in general sadness on Twitter) and it seems apparent that the media landscape is changing.

As the digital age progresses, the considerations for media organisations of legal issues such as freedom of expression, privacy and data protection are likely to be just as important as before but it will be interesting to see in what ways those considerations may differ as the demands of consumers change.