For as long as the internet has been mainstream, there have been questions about what impact modern journalism would have on traditional media. Many people had predicted a quick death for models like print and broadcast journalism, but many have stood the test of time. They have ridden on the financial muscle of the establishments as well as evolution to adapt to modern times.
Decline of Financial Impact
However, the influence of money in the media industry has been on the decline for the last decade. Without adaptation, even the biggest corporations will come tumbling down. This is because the internet has provided great platforms for media personalities to practice away from mainstream media. Today, there are YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and other online platform personalities who are brands by themselves.
YouTube has especially had a large role to play in growing the freelance market. The video platform allows content creators to share anything from political opinion to comedy, news, how-to tutorials, and pretty much anything one can think of. The availability of YouTube free music has allowed creators to create useful and enjoyable content without infringing on others’ rights.
Covid-19 Disruption
Enter the global Coronavirus pandemic and the new model gains even more popularity. With most sectors of the world economy grinding to a crawl, there wasn’t much to be done in the mainstream media. Areas like sports stopped altogether, reducing sports desks to inactive stands. Some media houses had to lay off more than a few of their best talent.
This shock led to a lot of media personalities- and other people too- turning to YouTube as a platform to connect with their followers. As early as April 2020, the platform was recording a surge in both the number of new channels and subscriptions to existing channels.
One of YouTube’s strongest attributes is that it is a content-on-demand platform. Viewers can access whatever content whenever they want, unlike on TV where they have to tune in at specific times. The latest trend is only likely to keep growing, with more and more people turning to the free platform to access content.