What do you think is the most important trend that is cutting across all media industries and having the biggest impact on both professionals and users/consumers?
*Note: For the final blog posting, you must still use three
readings to support your responses. They can be from any point in the semester
and they must be assigned readings for the class (no additional outside
article/source required). Limit: 11 responses
Ashley Shankar Part 1
ReplyDeleteThe most important trend that is cutting across all media industries is working from home. This is also having the biggest impact on professionals and users/ consumers. In the article, “Studio Profit Report: Netflix Reigns, Paramount and Sony Gain” it states, “The streamer accelerated its growth in 2020 thanks to stay-at-home orders in many parts of the world, adding a record 36.6 million users and ending the year with 203.6 million global subscribers. […] With Hollywood pushing into streaming, Netflix is keeping up its programming spending, unveiling a huge film slate of 71 titles and noting that, as of January, it had 500 film or TV projects in post-production or preparing to debut.” This is important because with corona and the trend of working/staying home more users/consumers are using streaming platforms for content to fill time. This has greatly impacted the cinema industry because people are preferring to pay the streaming price which is most times cheaper than cinema tickets to stay home. They are also impacting the film industry because if people are not going to theaters, then films need to find other places to reach viewers. This has impacted streaming positively because they are increasing subscriptions, viewership and revenue. This has impacted the way users/ consumers view content, pay for content and what content they consume based on their subscriptions.
The article, “The Digital Transformation in Publishing Has Left Plenty of Space for Print'', states, “For Gen Z, the first generation to fully grow up in a digital world, to develop a fondness for print was an unexpected plot twist. They are actually looking for downtime. Gen Z-ers and Millennials don’t want to be connected every minute of the day [...] They also love to read.” The trend of working from home has greatly impacted the magazine industry. This is because the magazine industry was struggling before people began working from home. Now that working from home causes people (including Gen Z) to be connected online all day, picking up a magazine provides a disconnect. This is useful for consumers/ users because they can relax and take a break after being virtually connected for hours through a magazine. This impacts the magazine industry because more people are reading magazines and possibly having more disposable income to subscribe to a magazine from a lockdown and working from home. Overall, the stay-at-home trend has positively impacted the magazine industry and its consumers.
Ashley Shankar Part 2
DeleteIn the article, "100 Most-Watched TV Shows of 2019-20: Winners and Losers", it states “Fox’s strategy [...] has been to rethink what it is to be a broadcast network in an age where it’s tough to be a broadcast network. And thanks to sports, and ‘The Masked Singer’ — which the network owns and produces — it’s been a solid season.” This is important because the television industry is struggling, especially with the increased use of streaming from workers from home/lockdown. This greatly impacts the TV industry because more people are switching to streaming platforms for content because there are large selections for cheaper prices. This puts the TV industry at risk of becoming irrelevant and pushes them to keep creating more content to keep viewers, such as “The Masked Singer”. This impacts consumers/users because if these channels can’t keep viewers, they could be forced to switch to other channels/ platforms for their content or they might be stuck with other fees or contacts to try to keep consumers from leaving.
Works cited
Caruso, Aron. “The Digital Transformation in Publishing Has Left Plenty of Space for Print - Folio:” Folio, Folio: 7 May 2020, www.foliomag.com/digital-transformation-publishing-left-plenty-space-print/.
Porter, Rick. “Broadcast TV's Ratings Winners and Losers of 2019-20.” The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2020, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/broadcast-tvs-ratings-winners-losers-2019-20- 1295395?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20 Entertainment_2020-05-21%2007:24:00_aweprin&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie
Szalai, Georg. “Studio Profit Report: Netflix Reigns, Paramount and Sony Gain.” The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Mar. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/studio-profit-report-netflix-reigns-paramount-and-sony-gain.
Nicole Bruder Part 1:
ReplyDeleteI think what is so special about the media industry is the fact that society has the ability to manipulate it in ways in order to create the things that they want to see happen. People in a society get to create these so called “trends” that ultimately, a whole culture partakes in. I think due to the ongoing pandemic, audiences are looking for raw and real content that brings them closer to the people they look up to. This new free time allows celebrities to venture out and do something that they would not normally do. Something that a lot of celebrities have been doing is releasing documentaries or docuseries that give an inside scoop into what their life really is. I think that this “trend” will continue to flourish through the years in the industry. I think that audiences are bored of seeing all of the glitz and glam. They want to see that these celebrities that seem so perfect on a screen, are just a normal as we are. An example of this is Demi Lovato’s recent docuseries release, Dancing with the Devil, which “details the singer’s near-fatal overdose in 2018, and the turbulent events that led to it”(Canal). Not only will this docuseries increase Lovato’s subscriber amount on YouTube, but it will also increase the likelihood that YouTube will better position itself as “a well-rounded video streaming player”(Canal). Overall, YouTube has over 2 billion logged-in users and “visitors consuming over a billion hours of video daily” and “makes over 41% of ad supported streaming among U.S. households”(Canal). These numbers mean that YouTube has the ability to afford bigger budgets to create content that other streaming platforms are not willing to make. With all of this information on YouTube and the trend of creating documentaries, I think that it is a force to be reckoned with. Other platforms should definitely start becoming scared because I think that YouTube has a lot up their sleeve.
Nicole Bruder Part 2:
DeleteWith the pandemic hitting the industry hard, I think the result of it all will be the continued work from home and adding more aspects to home life. Similar to how artists need to reinvent themselves, many people and products will need to reinvent themselves as well. Due to streaming, a lot of new and nostalgic content can be viewed from the comfort of your home. It all just depends on which services you want to spend your money on. In her article with The Hollywood Reporter, Lesley Goldberg discusses the new Sex and the City spinoff show, “And Just Like That,” will be airing on HBO Max. This is similar to how Disney+ released the Stars Wars spinoff series solely on the streaming platform. I think something like this will be prominent in the future releases from these huge media companies. Goldberg also stated, “new titles that appeal to those same audiences are paramount as media conglomerates like Disney, HBO Max parent company WarnerMedia and others compete with Netflix for subscriber dollars and viewers eyeballs.” I think that the more they create original series solely for streaming platforms and continue to add new content, they will not have any problem with competing with Netflix. With an increase in streaming, that leads to a decrease in people attending the movie theater. I think that the movie theaters will lose a substantial amount of business and end up closing down. Pamela McClintock reported that “…the global mobile/home entertainment market generated revenue of $68.8 billion in 2020, 23 percent jump over 2019 (that excludes cable subscriptions).” With this increase in revenue, I do not see studios wanting to make deals with the theaters any time soon. I think that audiences will enjoy watching movies at a low cost from the comfort of their home. When you go to the movie theater, you are spending money on food/candy and the price of the ticket per person. When you stream the movie, you may just have to spend a one-time fee to watch that particular movie and that’s it. People will see this as saving money.
Overall, I think that the pandemic has definitely changed the way the media industry will work moving forward. I think people are liking the relaxed vibes of being at home. I think that it also has changed the way we see people and interact with them. I think that people don’t want all of the editing and fakeness anymore. I think that the trend of making content that is raw and real will continue to flourish. People can view this content at home along with their TV shows and movies.
Works Cited
Canal, Alexandra. “How Demi Lovato's Bombshell Documentary Boosts YouTube's 'Virtuous Cycle'.” Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo!, 23 Mar. 2021, finance.yahoo.com/news/how-demi-lovatos-bombshell-docuseries-is-aiding-you-tubes-network-effect-190937744.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9xdWlubmlwaWFjLmJsYWNrYm9hcmQuY29tLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABPausfquaSzbAdsINDhu7ZX2aVY1xmywec-_-SxN0eTLEEuJLLljj-TwumgQmioaMuxjNJwDOAvZW66mjfAGMWsC6kgUuj3pRJhRRyEtBmc0Ovo4SfMMmZ28O7yDJi08RmziMvjQ8EJ9vPGys2N7QOS6rghb25NInbXhFZHsjc4.
Goldberg, Lesley. “Why 'Sex and the City' Is Coming Back (and on HBO Max).” The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/why-sex-and-the-city-is-coming-back-and-on-hbo-max.
McClintock, Pamela. “U.S. Box Office Fell 80 Percent in 2020 as Streaming Boomed.” The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/official-tally-u-s-box-office-fell-80-percent-in-2020-as-streaming-booms.
Fiona Doull
ReplyDeletePart 1 -
In the future, I believe the media industry will look rather different than how we currently see it. The biggest most important trend that I see having the largest impact on both professionals and users/consumers is the trend of celebrities branching out and creating their own brand for themselves rather than just focusing on the original career that made them famous. Throughout the past decade or so, it has become more apparent that celebrities have been working upon building their name, their brand as a whole rather than focusing on maybe only a singing career or an acting career, they are expanding and creating a brand surrounding their name. There many celebrities who are venturing out in this regard and have proved to be very successful. It changes the way we see a celebrity, rather than Justin Bieber being your only favorite singer, he has now also made in the world of fashion due to the creation of his fashion line Drew House, which quickly sells out with each drop. Justin Bieber also takes a unique approach to his marketing strategies using Instagram as the only platform, announcing when each drop will occur. Justin Bieber is just one example of celebrities who are crossing lines into different industries. Another celebrity we see crossing over to multiple industries is Rihanna. Although Rihanna became popular through her music career, she is also known for her lingerie, Savage X Fenty, Fenty Beauty, and her fashion label, Fenty. Even though Fenty, the ready-to-wear fashion label has closed, Rihanna’s empire “continues to flourish” (Elan). Fenty Beauty has dominated the beauty industry and has made new standards for inclusivity and diversity within makeup. Rihanna recently applied for the trademark “Fenty Hair”, which is also expected to pursue the same values of other parts of her brand (Elan). Rihanna is constantly breaking barriers and transforming her definition of celebrity. This trend has become a sort of phenomenon for celebrities in which they not only feel they have to dominate one industry but multiple. This makes sense in that these big-name celebrities have huge and loyal followings, however, it takes away that a celebrity may be a singer, they are a personality with a brand attached to them.
Rihanna is not the only celebrity we see venturing into the beauty community. Other celebrities include actress Jessica Alba with The Honest Company and actress/singer Selena Gomez with Rare Beauty. We have also seen media personalities Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian creating their own companies as well, Kylie with Kylie Cosmetics and Kim with multiple brands including SKIMS, KKW Beauty, and KKW Fragrance. Both Kylie and Kim have traditionally built their followings on social media but in recent years have done the same things regarding their branding. Thanks to Kylie Cosmetics, Kylie Jenner has landed the number one spot on Forbes's list of highest-paid celebrities (Greenberg). Utilizing social media to build her brand has only expanded her as a celebrity now in multiple ways, not only as a television and media personality but as the founder of her beauty empire.
Part 2
Delete- One other example of this I wanted to touch on that I find very interesting and quite controversial is Gwenyth Paltrow’s Goop. Goop is known as a health and lifestyle brand valued at $250 million in 2018 (Selig, Veatch). Goop often receives negative publicity and has even been sued for making unsubstantiated claims. The brand hosted a summit in 2019 and ever since the “science” behind Goop has been questioned. Many offer that the brand is successful due to the “placebo effect” that “indicates that Paltrow’s personal brand has something to do” with its success (Selig, Veatch). It appears that simply because Gwenyth Paltrow’s name is tied to this company it is popular, not because she is selling good and effective products. I found this article to be very interesting and this whole idea, if my prediction is right I believe that brands made by celebrities will reach success possibly because it is a good brand or maybe just because it is attached to a celebrity.
In conclusion, it seems that celebrities everywhere are coming up with ways to reach different industries and not just focus on one. With the constant influx of media attention these celebrities are getting in addition to the outlet of their social media it makes sense that this is occurring. I only see this trend of celebrities branching out to multiple industries growing in the future and possibly the concept of celebrity transforming.
Work Cited:
Elan, Priya. "Rihanna to Launch Fenty Brand Black Haircare Product Line." The Guardian 13 March 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/13/rihanna-to-launch-fenty-brand-black-haircare-product-line
Greenberg, Zach O'Malley and Rob LaFranco. "The World’s Highest Paid Celebrities 2020." Forbes Sept. 2020, https://www.forbes.com/celebrities/
Veatch, Maggie, and Roni Selig. “Does Goop Need Science When It Has Gwyneth Paltrow?” CNN, Cable News Network, 6 Apr. 2019, www.cnn.com/2019/04/06/health/goop-paltrow-eprise.
Katie Dansereau
ReplyDeleteThe most important trend that is currently cutting across all media trends is the fluidity in the ways in which we view or create content. Industries such as the film industry, the sports industry, and even the influencer space are all trying to diversity the ways to get consumers involved in whatever content they are releasing. The pandemic has played a major role in this trend, as professionals had to readjust to a new, online-centric normal.
With the pandemic, the film industry had to quickly pivot the way films were being released to the public. According to “2020's Big Plot Twist: How 'Wonder Woman 1984' Came to Upend Hollywood's Future”, there was a major shift in the film industry when Warner Bros decided to release Wonder Woman 1984 simultaneously on HBOMax and in theaters (Keegan, Jarvey, McClintock). Although this could be seen as a “Band-aid” problem for movie theaters being shut down, I think the hybrid trend of releasing films in theaters and onto streaming simultaneously may be utilized post-pandemic. As noted in the article, the film industry has been "confronted with a reality it’s been choosing to wish away” in terms of the development of streaming (Keegan, Jarvey, McClintock). Consumers have gotten used to watching films in the comfort of their own homes, so I believe we may see a more nonlinear approach as to how films are released in the future.
The same type of transition is developing in the sports industry as well. With more and more sports content being released on streaming, consumers have the choice to determine if they want to view through the traditional bundle, or through streaming services. The article “With $100B NFL Deal, TV Networks Keep One Foot In the Bundle and Another in Streaming” discussed recent deals that were made between the NFL and several legacy entertainment companies such as Disney, NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, and Fox. The deal looks to balance streaming and linear TV, as the evp and COO of NFL Media Hans Schroeder said that the main goal of this development was to “add distribution in a way that’s complementary and that is reaching fans through new screens and new opportunities” (Weprin). The sports industry is looking to diversify the ways sports fans can consume content by continuing their relationship with both linear TV and streaming, leading to a more customizable user experience.
Katie Dansereau
DeletePART 2
Influencers have also expanded the types of content they produce in order to appeal to audiences during the pandemic. According to “Top 8 Influencer Marketing Trends Coming in 2021” there are several new trends emerging in influencer marketing, some of which align with how life has changed since the pandemic. One new development is the “no-edit edit” aesthetic, where influencers are attempting to be more authentic as a means to build stronger connections (Carbone). Influencers’ once highly-curated profiles have now embraced new features such as “strong call-to-actions, community engagement, and engaging captions”, which have become major parts of influencers’ feeds (Carbone). Video content will continue to grow in its importance as well, as people find it less curated and more creative in the influencer space (Carbone). With society’s drastic changes in 2020, influencers had to readjust the way they connect to their audiences, as they wanted to be more authentic in a time with much political and social unrest.
The main trend across these industries is the diversification of the way audiences view content within each industry. Films and sports content are slowly becoming more entwined with streaming services, whereas influencers are ditching their perfect image for something more realistic. Professionals within the industries are leaning into these developments, as consumers like the new way they are able to receive that content.
Carbone, Lexie. “Top 8 Influencer Marketing Trends Coming in 2021.” Later Blog, 10 Dec. 2020, later.com/blog/influencer-marketing-trends/.
Jarvey, Natalie, et al. “2020's Big Plot Twist: How 'Wonder Woman 1984' Came to Upend Hollywood's Future.” The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Dec. 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/2020s-big-plot-twist-how-wonder-woman-1984-came-to-upend-hollywoods-future.
Weprin, Alex. “With $100B NFL Deal, TV Networks Keep One Foot In the Bundle and Another in Streaming.” The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2021, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nfl-tv-streaming-analysis.
Kasey Kerrick
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important trends that is cutting across all media industries and leaving a big impact is the use of influencers and celebrities to advertise a certain brand. Professionals view this tactic as a way to obtain more profit while users and consumers find the brand to be more trustworthy when the face of it is something they admire. These partnerships are beneficial to both parties as well because of the influence they get from each other’s brand. A tactic in particular that YouTube has been using is partnering with celebrities to output documentaries. The Yahoo Finance article stated that, “… the platform can help celebrities more aggressively promote some of the other things they have in mind for the future such as attracting more subscribers to their own specific channels” (Canal, Alexandra). The partnership allows YouTube to gain profit from advertisements while simultaneously boosting the celebrities influence. The article talked about Demi Lovato’s docuseries, “Dancing with the Devil” and went into depth about how they gained ad revenue while Lovato’s channel gained subscribers. We also see the use of partnerships with brands partnering with celebrities to do commercials. When we talked about super bowl ads, some of the highest ranked of the year included partnerships with celebrities. These included the partnerships of Drake with Statefarm, and Cheeto’s with Mila Kunis, Ashton Kitcher, and Shaggy which won for funniest ad with a score of 8.4 out of 10. (Liffreing, Ilyse). The commercials triggered conversation due to the humor it portrayed and the familiar celebrities used, which in turn helped Cheeto’s brand. Some of the highest paid celebrities also have major brand deals. We can see an example of this with David Beckham. In 2003, he signed a $160 million deal with Adidas. He also endorses brands like Sumsung, Burger King, etc. Even though he is now retired from sports, his name still holds a huge brand underneath it which is valuable to Adidas. This partnerships benefits both parties (Liscomb, Megan). Other celebrities that take advantage of endorsemets are Taylor Swift who signed a deal to serve as brand ambassador for Coca-Cola and Selena Gomez who signed a $10 million deal with Coach (Liscomb, Megan). Even though it could be risky to partner with a certain celebrity due to their reputation and character, it is one of the best ways to generate maximum revenue. Especially due to the pandemic, celebrities and athletes needed to make some sort of revenue so endorsing a brand would give them easy access to do so and would be beneficial to everyone involved. I do think partnerships are a good strategy and since it has been beneficial so far, it will continue to be a successful trend across all platforms.
Canal, Alexandra. "How Demi Lovato's Bombshell Documentary Boosts YouTube's 'Virtuous Cycle.'" The Hollywood Reporter 23 March 2021,
Liffreing, Ilyse. "How Super Bowl Commercials Scored on Digital and Social Media." AdAge 9 Feb. 2021,
Liscomb, Megan. "30 Highest-Paying Celebrity Endorsements." Finance 101 10 Nov. 2020, https://www.finance101.com/celebrity-endorsements/
Christopher Giorgio
ReplyDeleteThe most popular trend for all media platforms is streaming. Prior to the COVID-19 virus streaming was already on the rise and since the pandemic it has been the most popular to watch TV, movies, listen to music or consume really any form of media at home. The U.S. Box office actually fell 80 percent due to the shutdown while streaming soared. Many TV/Movie streaming services were created either right before or during the start of the pandemic, Disney+ was released in the fall of 2019 and HBO max was released in May of 2020. Disney+ came out with some Star Wars and Marvel originals in 2020 into 2021 and they were amazing in my opinion. To start “The Mandolorian”, is a Star Wars show and Disney+ original, that was nominated for best drama series, by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,
after only 1 season. The show also was nominated for 15 Emmy awards that year and took home 7. The Marvel TV shows like, “WandaVison” and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” were recently released and are receiving great reviews so far. Disney+ also announced that more titles are on the way, which is really exciting to see. HBO Max’s new series “The Flight Attendant” got 2 nominations form the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. As both of these streaming services have plans to produce more content I can only see them growing bigger and bigger from here. Music on the other hand was already on the new wave of streaming with services like Apple Music and Spotify which have been popular for some years now. The pandemic really helped them as streaming made up 83 percent of the record industry’s revenue in 2020. A quote from an Engadget article states, “According to the Recording Industry Association of America’s annual year-end report, overall recorded music revenue increased by 9.2 percent to $12.2 billion in 2020”. This is a major increase and the article also states the two streaming services, Spotify and Apple music, combined for $7 billion of the total $12.2 billion made. This stat just helps to show how dominant these two platforms were during the year and also showing where the future is headed for the industry. The artists also had some incredible numbers this past year, “The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which held out strong after being the second most-streamed song of the summer with almost 1.6 billion streams this year” and also, “Bad Bunny claims the top spot with more than 8.3 billion streams this year from fans around the globe.”. For artists this is an insane amount of streams to receive and seems to be the direction to head into for artists in the industry. Podcasts were another part of the streaming takeover and had over 1.9 million new titles come out within the past year. More famously Joe Rogan moved his podcast from strictly YouTube to streaming it on Spotify. There is no doubt that Streaming took over this past year and is probably going to keep increasing in streams and revenue no matter the form of media. Overall companies are adapting to this and so are creators and are producing amazing content. The future looks bright for streaming and I cannot wait to see what these platforms bring moving into the summer of 2021.
Works Cited
Gemmill, Allie. "Disney+ Says 10 New Star Wars Series and 10 New Marvel Shows Are Coming Soon," Collider 10 Dec. 2020,
Otterson, Joe. "Golden Globe Nominations: Disney Plus, HBO Max Break in as Streaming Wars Heat Up." Variety 3 Feb. 2021,
Bonifacic, I. "Streaming Music Made Up 83 Percent of the Record Industry's Revenue In 2020," Engadget 26 Feb. 2021,
"The Trends That Shaped Streaming in 2020." Spotify Newsroom 1 Dec. 2021,
McClintock, Pamela. "U.S. Box Office Fell 80 Percent in 2020 as Streaming Boomed." The Hollywood Reporter 18 March 2021,
Stephen Halvatzis
ReplyDeletePart 1
The world of media has been consistently changing each year, bringing new advancements and trends to our daily lives. I think that the most important trend that is having a vast impact on the entire media industry is streaming. Streaming was already making waves throughout the country before the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the pandemic started however, streaming numbers increased drastically and has set the market for the future of streaming.
Over the pandemic, I watched so many shows that I would have never watched if COVID never hit. Streaming became such an important aspect of life during COVID. To get away from stories about the virus, many of us would discuss shows we decided to start binging. It also gave me an aspect to the culture of the early 2000's that I would have never discovered. I decided to watch shows like Entourage and The Sopranos with all my free time through HBO Max and they did not disappoint. Even my parents who know nothing about technology decided to binge the same shows through streaming platforms like Netflix that they had never used before.
I think that two streaming platforms are far and away the leaders of the streaming wars are HBO Max and Netflix. Part of the reason I think HBO Max is growing the streaming industry is because of their past success. They already rack in a lot of money from their monthly subscription to their on demand channel. They have taken their talents to streaming, and have a great catalogue of old shows and new shows/movies. New shows like The Flight Attendant and movies like Wonder Woman 1984 being exclusively released on their platforms have lead to new subscribers to their exclusive platform. (Otterson). In addition,. HBO's channel subscribers significantly declined, marking a change and shift into focus on streaming.
Another streaming provider that is on the rise is Disney +. Their exclusive releases of Marvel based shows and movies have encouraged an increase in subscriptions. Disney was doing fine with their channel demographic numbers before they introduced their platform. Now, they are offering a bundle of their streaming service for $15 a month that offers Disney+, Hulu and ESPN +. Their package is so popular because Disney+ exclusive content is always a hit. The release of The Mandalorian make them a direct competitor with Netflix as the top streaming services. (Nielsen)
Part 2
DeleteStephen Halvatzis
I believe that streaming will grow to new levels in the coming years and it will separate itself from just television. As a college student, it is hard to pay for multiple providers to watch the content I like. Sometimes we resort to streaming sporting events on illegal sites. The problem with streaming is that although it is cheaper than cable, it still may be too rich for college students. I think that with the growth of streaming, it can become cheaper in the future due to the high volume of customers. In addition, I think we will start to see more cable channels join the streaming wars. Networks like Showtime have joined and are seeing high streaming ratings with their exclusive hit series Your Honor. I think that more networks will be joining the streaming wars soon and it'll overtake TV providers once and for all as the dominant way to watch content.
Gemmill, Allie, and Allie Gemmill (1466 Articles Published) . “Disney+ Says 10 New Star Wars Series and 10 New Marvel Shows Are Coming Soon.” Collider, 10 Dec. 2020, collider.com/disney-plus-new-star-wars-shows-marvel-shows/.
Otterson, Joe. “Golden Globe Nominations: Disney Plus, HBO Max Break in as Streaming Wars Heat Up.” Variety, Variety, 4 Feb. 2021, variety.com/2021/tv/news/golden-globe-nominations-mandalorian-flight-attendant-disney-plus-hbo-max-1234899314/.
“Tops of 2020: Nielsen Streaming Unwrapped.” Nielsen, 1 Dec. 2021, www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2021/tops-of-2020-nielsen-streaming-unwrapped/.
Matt Gallo
ReplyDeleteAs far as the media industry goes, it has changed tremendously over the past year. I think the biggest effect media has been having the ability to affect society’s mental health. The world has become consumed to the internet on all facets whether that be work, entertainment, or social. The long-term effects that the growth of media and the internet could be astronomical and will be interesting growing up in the middle of its explosion. I recently watched the Tiger Woods documentary, and my biggest takeaway was how strong of a grip the media had on him. He was well on his way to becoming the undisputed greatest golfer of all time, until he made some mistakes in his personal life and the media destroyed his brand and more important his family. The media has such a massive effect on the media professionals, consumers, and the subject of these reports. That is just one example of the many we have seen over the past years and the way people react to them; mental health will play a large role into the media.
When looking at a report written by Variety.com they tracked the media activity among multiple platforms since the pandemic started. Some of the numbers for these categories increased greatly such as 31% of people used social media a little bit more than before while 28% said they use social media much more than before. Another important statistic from this survey was that 31% of people watched content from streaming services a little bit more and 41% watched much more than before. The media industries and companies have boomed since the pandemic and has affected people’s everyday habits. Some more increases the survey shows that experienced increases were playing video games, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and reading articles and blogs. People have been glued to screens since last March, and it does not look like it is changing in the future. The way people operate everyday activities will be completely changed after this and I do feel that it will affect mental health for generations to come.
Netflix reached a milestone over the pandemic by reaching over 200 million suscribers to their platform. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Natalie Jarvey stated, “Though most of its new subscribers came during the first half of 2020, it added 8.51 million subscribers during the fourth quarter, more than the 6 million that Wall Street investors were expecting,” (Hollywood Reporter).
The more power these streaming services get, the more they will be able to control what people consume. All streaming services have added so many movies, shows, and documentaries that society has loved to watch. Along with streaming services, Tik Tok is another huge piece of the media that erupted over the pandemic. Andrew Unterberger, who wrote the article “How TikTok Became Gen Z’s MTV”, talks about how the music industry has been affected by TikTok. Former author who wrote about MTV was quoted saying, “I think TikTok is a much more clear example of [ that gatekeeper-bypassing influence]. TikTok is, in some ways, its own little biosphere” (Billboard.com). The interesting thing about TikTok is its For You page, which tracks your preferences and gives you videos they think their particular consumer would enjoy. It has become quite addictive for some, and I have personally seen the amount of time people spend on that platform.
DeleteOverall, the media has completely evolved from what it used to be. Consumers would have to go get a newspaper to stay up to date, and now it is at everyone’s fingertips. I strongly believe with the pandemic, the media and entertainment has changed so many habits and has made people stuck in the virtual world. Although social media’s massive popularity is relatively new, it will have a lasting affecting on social, and their overall mental health.
Bridge, Gavin. “Riding the Third Wave: COVID-19's Impact on Media & Entertainment.” Variety, Variety, 30 Mar. 2021, variety.com/vip-special-reports/riding-the-third-wave-covid-19s-impact-on-media-entertainment-1234839968/.
Jarvey, N. (2021b, January 20). Netflix Tops 200 Million Subscribers Amid Pandemic. The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-tops-200-million-subscribers-amid-pandemic
Unterberger, Andrew. “How Tik Tok Became Gen Z's MTV .” Billboard, 19 Dec. 2020.
Hayley Cuttitta
ReplyDeleteAfter COVID-19 came about, we ended up in a world of even more digitalization than we could even have imagined before because of how much we realized we can rely on technology. I think that the most important trend that is cutting across all media industries and having the biggest impact on both professionals and users/consumers is the digitalization of the media industry as a whole. We have seen the way the pandemic has impacted so many different aspects of the media industry from magazines becoming digital, movie theaters not being open to the public, so movies are released on streaming services, and the way films and shows are produced in general now. As stated by Darren Franich in the article 2020 Was a Hell of a Year, “Let’s not sugarcoat this. Movie theaters are bankrupt. Live performance is on life support. Bookstores struggle on good days, and there are no good days. Television was unstoppable for months, but even Wile E. Coyote has to look down eventually, and autumn saw cancellations, the Quibi crash, and productions paused by positive tests. It was a great year for videogame sales, however, and at the risk of sounding unbearably parental, the last thing our lonely species needed was a medical reason to retreat into digital infinity which helps better visualize the damage the pandemic has done and the change that has followed because of it (Franich). Gen-Z and millennials are the age groups that have had more access to media and technology and are considered “digital natives”. They help to play a really big part in the transition of content being heavily digitalized. There are still blurry lines here though. Not everyone wants things to be digitalized or not in person at all. A myth about millennials and Gen Z is that they only communicate online. According to the article titled 5 Myths about Generation Z: Managing and Training the Digital Natives it was said that “While Gen Z are digital natives who enjoy using technology to communicate, it’s not their preferred method of communication, at least in the workplace. According to Ryan Jenkins, an expert on millennials and Gen Z, 84% of members of Gen Z prefer face-to-face communication with their managers, and 78% prefer this form of communication with their work peers. Only half of Gen Zers prefer texting co-workers, according to a recent LinkedIn Learning survey” and we see an issue here because not everybody, even the heavily digitally inclined generation is ready to be completely digital (Oesch). To further touch upon this topic, it is also stated in that “Gen Z spends an hour a week reading magazines, according to a 2018 survey of 2,500 college students. It’s a welcome break from the sensory overload of the digital experience” continuing the idea that even the younger generations need a break from technology and do not want everything to be digital (Caruso). I think that the trend of digitalization in the media industry is both good and bad. It is something that gives easier access, but it also takes away from the in-person communication and different ways of connecting with others that is not through technology.
Caruso, Aron. “The Digital Transformation in Publishing Has Left Plenty of Space for Print - Folio:” Folio, Folio: 7 May 2020, www.foliomag.com/digital-transformation-publishing-left-plenty-space-print/.
Franich, Darren. “2020 Was a Hell of a Year.” EW.com, ew.com/tv/2020-best-worst-essay/.
Oesch, Taryn, et al. “5 Myths About Generation Z: Managing and Training the Digital Natives.” Training Industry, 20 Aug. 2019, trainingindustry.com/articles/workforce-development/5-myths-about-generation-z-managing-and-training-the-digital-natives/.
Roberto Casillas
ReplyDeletePart 1
I think the biggest, most important trend that’s cutting across all media is the importance that social media has to create, preserve, and improve the image of a company, brand, or even an individual. I think that nowadays the younger generations that are coming up and that are becoming the target audience for a lot of the big media companies share one specific trait: They love to spend an absurd amount of time navigating through different social media platforms.
Both celebrities and big companies are utilizing social media as a tool to generate engagement and reach a larger audience. We live in an age where people are addicted to quick content (pictures, short videos, short sentences) and social media is the perfect avenue for people that are looking for this. Long gone are the days where the majority of the population is going to sit down to read a 1,500-word article. Some companies are beginning to realize the immense importance social media has to advertise their product and by doing so, reaching a larger audience of different demographics. Gen Z is the new generation of consumers that most industries are trying to target, and they are the ones that spend the most amount of time in social media.
Sports is an industry that’s suffering trying to reach new audiences. Aside from Esports, other leagues are not having the same amount of viewership with younger generations as they do with adults, which is why teams and sports media conglomerates have tried to utilize social media as a strategy to reach younger demos. “While most professional, collegiate and amateur sports properties have sought to reach Gen Z via social media, leaders in the industry said individual athletes play an outsize role in generating interest in teams and leagues among younger fans” (Alex Silverman). This shows two things, a), that companies realize the importance of social media as a way to try and make sure that their product remains relevant with younger generations, and b), the importance of individuals, especially celebrities to also have a strong social media presence. Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the planet, and if we remain in sports, even though the viewership might be down with younger audiences, Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed person on Instagram, with a staggering 266.3 million followers (Cody Schultz). That astronomical number gives us a perspective about just how massive the reach of social media is nowadays. Ariana Grande, The Rock, Kylie Jenner and Selena Gomez round up the top five, not surprising that they all are 5 of the most recognizable, A-list celebrities on the planet right now.
Roberto Casillas
ReplyDeletePart 2
Social media wis here to stay because never in the history of humanity has there ever been anything remotely like it, furthermore, let’s not act like social media is something that’s been around for a while, no, it’s been around for around 20 years, but only in the past decade did it really explode. We’ve seen how people utilize social media to go from unknowns to A-listers. From Justin Beiber being the first YouTube star, to TikTok now. TikTok has become the perfect outlet for Gen Z, and I think it’s only going to become bigger and bigger. Its influence on the world is massive, “For as many new songs as TikTok helped make popular in 2020, the clearest illustration of its influence this year might have been the chart resurgence of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”” (Unterberger). Trends on social media can make a 1977 song go back to the Billboard top 10, that’s insane. I think social media is going to continue to grow and with it its influence. Companies in media are beginning to realize that and are strategizing ways to use it to their favor. The social media era has just begun and already its influence can be seen cutting across all media industries. I definitely only see this trend becoming more and more powerful, especially in the near future.
Works Cited
Schultz, Cody. “Kylie Jenner and the Most Followed Celebrity Accounts on Instagram 2021.”
Fansided, Mar. 2020, kardashiandish.com/2021/03/01/most-followers-instagram-2021/.
Silverman, Alex. “The Sports Industry's Gen Z Problem: Fewer Fans, Lower Viewership.”
Morning Consult, 29 Sept. 2020, morningconsult.com/2020/09/28/gen-z-poll-sports-fandom/.
Unterberger, Andrew. “Can TikTok Rival MTV's Heyday For Gen-Z?” Billboard, 18 Dec. 2020,
www.billboard.com/index.php/articles/business/9501048/tiktok-mtv-music-industry-influence-comparison.