In 2022, emerging technologies will change how users find and consume the news. The confluence of new search algorithms based on natural language models and consumer adoption of wearable devices will challenge the stability of the reader revenue models we’ve worked so hard to build over the past few years.
Whether the coming inflection point represents an existential threat or an opportunity for growth depends on how we, as an industry, respond.
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve celebrated the wins news organizations have realized in maturing their subscription and membership strategies. That success was driven by a surge in demand for reliable information in an exceedingly uncertain time and increasingly sophisticated tactics for deploying paywalls and marketing messaging.
But while we’ve focused on optimizing subscription flows, the technological and economic landscape has shifted. Over the summer, researchers at Google published a paper laying out a vision for a new type of search engine. Instead of delivering users a list of links in response to their query, a natural language model would directly summarize information from multiple sources on the Internet.
That aligns with a broader shift in how users are searching for information. More than 40% of internet users around the world say that they use voice search — whether deployed in AI assistants or as a feature in browser-based search engines. That suggests that consumers are getting more comfortable interacting with their devices by speaking commands (and hearing the results).
As we contend with how natural language search interfaces will upend what we know about audience strategy, we also need to prepare for a world where users increasingly consume news on wearable devices.
The evidence tells us that these trends will continue in 2022. Users will spend more time with devices without screens. They will get information directly from AI assistants that can summarize information without sending the user to a news website. The question for us is: What are we going to do about it?
How will we fund our newsrooms if users’ browsing habits change and they don’t hit paywalls as they do today? What’s the value of news if users engage with devices that give them an always-on stream of information? How will the value of our newsgathering change if users spend more time on immersive digital platforms that record their interactions automatically?
In 2022, newsrooms can take the time to think about where there is opportunity to grow in the midst of this uncertainty. Now is the moment to think about what kinds of skills we’ll need in the newsroom and on the business side to stay competitive. There is time to build partnerships, to develop new products, and to reconsider how our journalism creates value.
Yes, news is essential. Yes, our products deliver immense value to the communities they operate in. But news is just one of many services consumers subscribe to. Being essential to democracy is great, but we need to provide a product that people will invest in. Unless we build a future for our organizations, there’s no guarantee we’ll survive.
Sam Guzik leads product strategy for WNYC.
In 2022, emerging technologies will change how users find and consume the news. The confluence of new search algorithms based on natural language models and consumer adoption of wearable devices will challenge the stability of the reader revenue models we’ve worked so hard to build over the past few years.
Whether the coming inflection point represents an existential threat or an opportunity for growth depends on how we, as an industry, respond.
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve celebrated the wins news organizations have realized in maturing their subscription and membership strategies. That success was driven by a surge in demand for reliable information in an exceedingly uncertain time and increasingly sophisticated tactics for deploying paywalls and marketing messaging.
But while we’ve focused on optimizing subscription flows, the technological and economic landscape has shifted. Over the summer, researchers at Google published a paper laying out a vision for a new type of search engine. Instead of delivering users a list of links in response to their query, a natural language model would directly summarize information from multiple sources on the Internet.
That aligns with a broader shift in how users are searching for information. More than 40% of internet users around the world say that they use voice search — whether deployed in AI assistants or as a feature in browser-based search engines. That suggests that consumers are getting more comfortable interacting with their devices by speaking commands (and hearing the results).
As we contend with how natural language search interfaces will upend what we know about audience strategy, we also need to prepare for a world where users increasingly consume news on wearable devices.
The evidence tells us that these trends will continue in 2022. Users will spend more time with devices without screens. They will get information directly from AI assistants that can summarize information without sending the user to a news website. The question for us is: What are we going to do about it?
How will we fund our newsrooms if users’ browsing habits change and they don’t hit paywalls as they do today? What’s the value of news if users engage with devices that give them an always-on stream of information? How will the value of our newsgathering change if users spend more time on immersive digital platforms that record their interactions automatically?
In 2022, newsrooms can take the time to think about where there is opportunity to grow in the midst of this uncertainty. Now is the moment to think about what kinds of skills we’ll need in the newsroom and on the business side to stay competitive. There is time to build partnerships, to develop new products, and to reconsider how our journalism creates value.
Yes, news is essential. Yes, our products deliver immense value to the communities they operate in. But news is just one of many services consumers subscribe to. Being essential to democracy is great, but we need to provide a product that people will invest in. Unless we build a future for our organizations, there’s no guarantee we’ll survive.
Sam Guzik leads product strategy for WNYC.
Cristina Tardáguila
Jennifer Coogan
Anita Varma
Kathleen Searles Rebekah Trumble
Julia Munslow
Chicas Poderosas
Whitney Phillips
Zizi Papacharissi
Mike Rispoli
Brian Moritz
Jim Friedlich
Joanne McNeil
Cindy Royal
Amy Schmitz Weiss
Shannon McGregor Carolyn Schmitt
Tony Baranowski
Mario García
David Cohn
Jesse Holcomb
Errin Haines
Paul Cheung
Nikki Usher
Gabe Schneider
Alice Antheaume
Anthony Nadler
Melody Kramer
Matthew Pressman
j. Siguru Wahutu
Jennifer Brandel
Mary Walter-Brown
Kendra Pierre-Louis
Julia Angwin
Matt DeRienzo
Simon Allison
Stephen Fowler
Janelle Salanga
Wilson Liévano
Natalia Viana
Moreno Cruz Osório
Amara Aguilar
Joy Mayer
Don Day
Richard Tofel
S. Mitra Kalita
Larry Ryckman
Doris Truong
Cherian George
Parker Molloy
Gonzalo del Peon
Joni Deutsch
Kristen Jeffers
Laxmi Parthasarathy
David Skok
Megan McCarthy
Stefanie Murray
Joshua P. Darr
Eric Nuzum
Francesco Zaffarano
Simon Galperin
Candace Amos
Anika Anand
Rachel Glickhouse
James Green
Raney Aronson-Rath
Shalabh Upadhyay
Matt Karolian
A.J. Bauer
Ståle Grut
Millie Tran
Jessica Clark
Daniel Eilemberg
Andrew Freedman
Jody Brannon
Izabella Kaminska
John Davidow
Catalina Albeanu
Burt Herman
Christoph Mergerson
Sarah Marshall
Joe Amditis
Juleyka Lantigua
Michael W. Wagner
An Xiao Mina
Mandy Jenkins
Robert Hernandez
Victor Pickard
Tom Trewinnard
Christina Shih
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Chase Davis
Meena Thiruvengadam
Sam Guzik
Kristen Muller
Jonas Kaiser
Jesenia De Moya Correa
Sarah Stonbely
Ariel Zirulnick
Kerri Hoffman
Gordon Crovitz
Tamar Charney