The audiences of individual journalists represent one of the biggest chunks of unrealized value on the internet…and that’s about to change.
Heading into 2022, journalists now have a whole host of new tools from companies like Twitter, Substack, and Brave that allow for independent monetization of owned audiences and original content.
The decision to take advantage of these tools will be easy for many. Journalists will no longer be forced to perform the restrictive exercise of converting all thoughts and ideas into long-form linear narratives, as if they’re still creating content for the printing press or evening news broadcast. Instead, they’ll be able to report the news through more interactive spaces like tweets, live audio rooms, personalized newsletters, communities, and other mechanisms that take full advantage of code and connectivity. This shift will untether journalists and their audiences from the rigid 20th-century paper-digm we live in today.
If this new future is secured, individual news creators could collaborate in ways not previously viable. A Media 3.0 company or collaborative could be created instantly using something as simple as a hashtag. Some collaborations would be ephemeral and tied to a specific news event, while others could endure and mimic sections of a newspaper. Revenue could be shared equitably amongst participants.
This shift won’t all happen at once. And while it’s unlikely to unseat legacy media companies, it could create a distinct set of new opportunities, fueling a more vibrant news ecosystem.
Matt Karolian is general manager of Boston.com and platform partnerships at Boston Globe Media.
The audiences of individual journalists represent one of the biggest chunks of unrealized value on the internet…and that’s about to change.
Heading into 2022, journalists now have a whole host of new tools from companies like Twitter, Substack, and Brave that allow for independent monetization of owned audiences and original content.
The decision to take advantage of these tools will be easy for many. Journalists will no longer be forced to perform the restrictive exercise of converting all thoughts and ideas into long-form linear narratives, as if they’re still creating content for the printing press or evening news broadcast. Instead, they’ll be able to report the news through more interactive spaces like tweets, live audio rooms, personalized newsletters, communities, and other mechanisms that take full advantage of code and connectivity. This shift will untether journalists and their audiences from the rigid 20th-century paper-digm we live in today.
If this new future is secured, individual news creators could collaborate in ways not previously viable. A Media 3.0 company or collaborative could be created instantly using something as simple as a hashtag. Some collaborations would be ephemeral and tied to a specific news event, while others could endure and mimic sections of a newspaper. Revenue could be shared equitably amongst participants.
This shift won’t all happen at once. And while it’s unlikely to unseat legacy media companies, it could create a distinct set of new opportunities, fueling a more vibrant news ecosystem.
Matt Karolian is general manager of Boston.com and platform partnerships at Boston Globe Media.
Eric Nuzum
Julia Munslow
Kristen Jeffers
Juleyka Lantigua
Larry Ryckman
Tony Baranowski
Kathleen Searles Rebekah Trumble
Joni Deutsch
Cherian George
j. Siguru Wahutu
Kristen Muller
An Xiao Mina
David Cohn
Parker Molloy
Victor Pickard
Candace Amos
Joanne McNeil
John Davidow
Amy Schmitz Weiss
Cindy Royal
Joy Mayer
James Green
Mandy Jenkins
Joshua P. Darr
Daniel Eilemberg
Gonzalo del Peon
Brian Moritz
Jennifer Coogan
A.J. Bauer
Robert Hernandez
Rachel Glickhouse
Gabe Schneider
Millie Tran
Stefanie Murray
Simon Allison
Jim Friedlich
Raney Aronson-Rath
Natalia Viana
Matthew Pressman
Mary Walter-Brown
Michael W. Wagner
Izabella Kaminska
Julia Angwin
Don Day
Francesco Zaffarano
Ståle Grut
S. Mitra Kalita
Matt Karolian
Joe Amditis
Paul Cheung
Nikki Usher
Amara Aguilar
Sarah Marshall
Doris Truong
Alice Antheaume
Mike Rispoli
Shalabh Upadhyay
Jody Brannon
Sam Guzik
Matt DeRienzo
Melody Kramer
Jennifer Brandel
Jesse Holcomb
Kendra Pierre-Louis
Jessica Clark
Wilson Liévano
Sarah Stonbely
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Moreno Cruz Osório
Simon Galperin
Burt Herman
Zizi Papacharissi
Christoph Mergerson
Janelle Salanga
Megan McCarthy
Richard Tofel
David Skok
Laxmi Parthasarathy
Chase Davis
Andrew Freedman
Anita Varma
Jesenia De Moya Correa
Jonas Kaiser
Ariel Zirulnick
Anika Anand
Shannon McGregor Carolyn Schmitt
Chicas Poderosas
Tom Trewinnard
Anthony Nadler
Mario García
Stephen Fowler
Tamar Charney
Kerri Hoffman
Christina Shih
Gordon Crovitz
Cristina Tardáguila
Meena Thiruvengadam
Catalina Albeanu
Errin Haines
Whitney Phillips