THE IMPLICATIONS OF INTERNET ON THE MEDIA AND THE PRACTICE OF MASS COMMUNICATION OYERO OLUSOLA S ABSTRACT Internet has emerged as a communication medium and its impact on society, commerce and the government is already phenomenal. As the nerve centre of the new media technologies, it has revolutionized the whole business of mass communication. This paper therefore examines the media convergence that the Internet has created and its revolution of the nature of mass communication. It also explores the various dimensions by which the digital revolution has affected all aspects ofmediaprofession, fromproduction, distribution, storage and use of media content, to the practice ofmedia profession. INTRODUCTION known directory through \he file The Internet is most transfer protocol to be used anywhere appropriately thought of as a network one finds himself for herself. of networks. Its growth in Africa, in recent time, has been incredibly fast The same applies to remote login which and it is rapidly changing the media permits access to any data file provided 1 industry and the practices of mass one knows the directory. The communication. possibilities offered by the Internet have great implications on the practice The various facilities on the net- email, of mass communication, impacting on Usenet, World Wide Web, FTP and the way all media are produced, remote login, have brought much distributed, displayed and stored. dynamism and interactivity to the practice of mass communication. The CONVERGENCE CREATED BY THE electronic mail allows a person to send, INTERNET receive and store messages. The Usenet The traditional lines between allows one to join a group through media are disappearing. The Internet which exchange of information is made has eroded the distinctions among media, thus merging them up into one. possible across the globe. The World It is interesting to note that the internet Wide Web provides unlimited access to does not supplant existing media; information, including text, audio and rather all media influence each other, picture, satisfactory enough for and each medium has its place. Thus, whatever purpose one desires. In the theme of media convergence addition, one can transfer a file from a resonates in any discussion of the An interdisciplinary Journal of Conmumication Studies 170 OYERO, OLUSOLA S. internet and the changes it brings to communication. In other words, one the media profession. source speaks at one time to many people who constitute a homogeneous Convergence is altering almost all mass audience. Messages sent from aspects of the book industry and its these media are designed to appeal to relationship with its readers. Internet and reach mass audience. Everyone now offers an additional way for who is tuned to a particular radio writers' ideas to be published, station will hear the same commercial distributed and sold (Baran 2004). E­ and moviegoers see the same version of books and e- publishing are now on the film. Generally, the mass media rise, providing opportunities for new communicate with the public as a mass authors to get published instantly, audience rather than an individual thus overcoming the challenge of delay human being. This model is of course with traditional publishers. different from the interpersonal model, which is "one-to-one" model of Online newspapers and webzines communication. (online magazines) are also emerging in Africa. Nigerian newspapers such as The marriage of computing systems The Guardian, Punch, This day, The and the Internet has given rise to a Sun, Vanguard, etc are now available hybrid model of communication. A on the Net. Others are purely online "many-to-one" model is a cross based and are offering various services between mass broadcasting and to their readers. interpersonal communication. With mainframe computers, local and wide Furthermore, convergence has brought area networks, and other databases, the delivery of radio directly to large amounts of information are individual listeners over the Internet. entered by many different sources and Traditional, over-the-air stations also are stored until retrieved by individuals have their web-based stations with who select only the information they differences in their programmes. An want or need (Kaye &Medoff, 2001). example in Nigeria is Radio Lagos 93.7 found on www.radiolagosfm.com. Others are web-based only and they Thus, mass media grow from one-way permit the simultaneous downloading communication to incorporate and accessing of their audio files. Also, interactive communication. Since the convergence of television and the Internet allows individuals to select Internet, just underway, holds the information based on personal potential to reinvest both media, preferences, in this way, the Internet is particularly because of the promise of not only a mass medium but a new fuller interactivity. · interactive medium also. Thus, new media technology has THE CHANGE IN MASS changed the flow of communication COMMUNICATION MODEL from a linear to a three dimensional The traditional mass media form of information: mass (one-to­ follows a "one-to-many" model of many), interpersonal (one-to-one) and lntemational Joumal ofCommzmication No.6 May, 2007 171 OYERO, OLUSOLA S. computing (many-to-one). But more On the Web, radio and television significant is the emergence of the sites deliver audio, video ad text and fourth mode of communication. Just as online newspapers can be read, seen or you have information being entered listened to, blurring the distinctions from many different sources, many among the media (Dizard 1997:4). individuals too are selecting this Radio and TV content is limited to the information as required or needed by amount of available airtime, and print them. So we have the "many-to-many'' by the number of pages. These model of communication. The model restrictions disappear on the web. No below shows the web based space constraints or til!le limits. Cyber­ communication pattern. delivered news and entertainment are not confined to seconds of time or column inches of space but are free­ flowing, with lengths determined by the writers or. web-page designers . The Web, however, is limited by bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be sent all at once through a communication path, such as a telephone line. It det ermines the amount of data that can electronically flow through the Net, but it affects the THE INTERNET-BASED MODEL OF speed of information flow than the COMMUNICATION amount of content allowed. Bandwidth limitations are becoming less of a INFLUENCE ON TRADITIONAL MASS concern, especially with the growing MEDIA trend of fiber optics. In the traditional competitive arena, each medium has strong points The decentralized nature of and offers advantages over the others. information dissemination on the Web Radio is convenient and portable. means that traditional methods of Television is visual and captivating, source checking, editing and and print is absorbing and can be read establishing accuracy and credibility any time, any place. But the web d m be may not be used. This brings up the listened to while attending to other question oL source credibility. activities, graphic and video displays Generally, when using traditional ! make it attention grabbing and media, people are aware of the compelling, and information is information source. Audience rely on a chieved for future retrieval and can these sources and believe them to be thus be ·read anytime. trustworthy, accurate and objective. INFLUENCE ON MEDIA CONTENT But how reliable and accurate is Web An interdisciplinary Journal ojCommunicmion Studies 7""fn i"\TTr:o n,... ,..,.., .., ,. ,... __ . _ 172 OYERO, OLUSOLA S. information especially when posted by Interactivity also comes along with an unknown source? So, there is a synchronity. However, not all source credibility problem with some synchronous media are interactive information available on the net. media e .g. radio and television broadcasts are synchronous but are INFLUENCE ON AUDIENCE not considered interactive. Phone-In Radio and Television are single-source programmes on radio and television media that reach large audiences talk shows are more of feedback simultaneously, while others, like mechanism than true interactivity. telephones are intended to reach only one receiver at a time. The Internet has INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION the capability of reaching people all over the world simultaneously e.g. DISPLAY AND DISTRIBUTION thousands of web users access the Display refers to the technological same site at the same time. means-videofaudio, text, used to present information to INFLUENCE ON MESSAGE audience/receivers. Distribution refers DELIVERY TIME to the method used to carry Media can be differentiated information to end users -over-the-air­ according to whether information is broadcasting, coaxial cable I fibre optic transmitted and received in an cable or electrical power lines. asynchronous or synchronous manner. For asynchronous media, Television audio and visual images are there is a time delay between message broadcast over the air, carried by transmission and reception e.g. coaxial or fibre optic cable or delivered Newspapers, books, magazines, via the airwaves. Newspapers and videotapes, CDs and films are magazines are text-based printed asynchronous media. For synchronous media, there is no perceptible delay media distributed by physically between the time messages are sent transporting them. and the time they are received. Media like radio, television, telephones, are The Web display audio, visual and synchronous. textual information distribut~d frpm one computer to another via a compJex Internet combines both asynchronous network of telephone lines anq cables. and synchronous resources. E-mail, The web thus displays and distributes Usenet, Newsgroups are asynchronous information using a combination of because messages are stored until technological means and electronic accessed by receivers. Internet chat methods. rooms, and virtual conferences where users type in messages simultaneously and directly to other users and Internet telephone are synchronous media. lntemational Journal of Communication No.6 May, 2007 173 OYERO, OLUSOLA S.