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.
Shalabh Upadhyay
Stefanie Murray
Raney Aronson-Rath
Joanne McNeil
Burt Herman
Anita Varma
Juleyka Lantigua
David Skok
Nikki Usher
Alice Antheaume
Stephen Fowler
Errin Haines
Kristen Muller
Wilson Liévano
Victor Pickard
Jessica Clark
Candace Amos
Kendra Pierre-Louis
Chicas Poderosas
James Green
S. Mitra Kalita
Ariel Zirulnick
Jennifer Brandel
Tom Trewinnard
Mike Rispoli
Ståle Grut
Mario García
Amy Schmitz Weiss
Anthony Nadler
Larry Ryckman
Kerri Hoffman
Cristina Tardáguila
Daniel Eilemberg
John Davidow
Whitney Phillips
Melody Kramer
Matt DeRienzo
Moreno Cruz Osório
Jody Brannon
Julia Angwin
Izabella Kaminska
Doris Truong
Sarah Marshall
Gonzalo del Peon
Paul Cheung
Meena Thiruvengadam
Chase Davis
Francesco Zaffarano
Matthew Pressman
Christina Shih
Simon Allison
Shannon McGregor Carolyn Schmitt
David Cohn
Jesse Holcomb
Andrew Freedman
Mary Walter-Brown
Joshua P. Darr
j. Siguru Wahutu
Gabe Schneider
Gordon Crovitz
Richard Tofel
Rasmus Kleis Nielsen
Robert Hernandez
Sarah Stonbely
Eric Nuzum
Natalia Viana
Zizi Papacharissi
Julia Munslow
Amara Aguilar
Kathleen Searles Rebekah Trumble
Brian Moritz
Joe Amditis
A.J. Bauer
Jim Friedlich
Michael W. Wagner
Mandy Jenkins
Tamar Charney
Millie Tran
Laxmi Parthasarathy
Cindy Royal
Janelle Salanga
Jonas Kaiser
Joni Deutsch
Don Day
Rachel Glickhouse
Sam Guzik
Christoph Mergerson
Joy Mayer
Megan McCarthy
Matt Karolian
Kristen Jeffers
An Xiao Mina
Simon Galperin
Tony Baranowski
Catalina Albeanu
Jesenia De Moya Correa
Cherian George
Anika Anand
Jennifer Coogan
Parker Molloy