As a 13-year-old boy who would often race home to catch my favourite TV shows, it’s hard to imagine that there would be a time when I would go for months without sitting in front of a TV. Alongside my obsession with TV sitcoms was my love for listening to the late Dan Foster on the radio. There was often something surreal and peculiar about TV, radio and print. It was more than just being able to get information or entertainment. It was an experience. It’s why the smell of books added to the aura of actually reading a book, gives me a thrill.
While we may not have realized it at the time, traditional media in its various forms and mediums became a brand in its own right. Hence, TV manufacturers sold more than just a screen, the radio shows transcended the A.M and F.M stereos to become a core staple of the Nigerian home, and the print medium was the holy grail of knowledge.
Obviously, traditional media exceeds these obvious touchpoints but it’s interesting to see how things have evolved over the years. The elephant in the room is of course digital media. Digital media is an interesting by-product of the dot-com boom. The rise of these mediums of communication was long foreshadowed and the rapid evolution of wireless technology meant it was a matter of when and not if.
Interestingly the biggest question plaguing digital media today is not the “if” or “when”, but actually the “what” and “what if”. Social media has changed the game, and has helped cultivate new media consumption habits, such as content being more audiovisual than ever. Yet there is a growing sense that digital media isn’t replacing traditional media, it is instead becoming it.
I have long believed that while there is a “digital revolution”, there is no “digital media revolution”. Digital media has simply abstracted from the use of wireless technology to do the same things in new ways. And while that is commendable, it isn’t game-changing.
For example, with podcasts, anyone can get their voices out, but the mechanism of doing so feels very reminiscent of the radio. While E-books mean you don’t have to store large amounts of hardcopy books in your home, it still doesn’t bring too many new features to the art of reading a book. These are just a few examples of how digital technology is making our lives easier, but the “media” isn’t exactly being experienced in any way that is unique, fresh or revolutionary.
The biggest strength of digital media is in its ability to have simultaneous multimodal conversations. This is the reason why conversations about some of the prevalent issues plaguing mankind have been rife in the last few years. These include conversations about race, gender equality and religion. But with recent events of infringement of free-speech against certain parties (albeit with justifiable reasons), it does make me wonder if the one thing that digital media has truly changed may soon become a relic from a distant past.
Either way, digital media will remain relevant and will continue to make our lives easier but if all I get from an e-book is the ability to read the book on a screen, I would rather head to a local library just so I can smell a book again. As long as digital media continues with its abstract form of digital technology while refusing to add anything new to the medium, it will continue to be a cool but ultimately inconsequential version of traditional media.