How Media Make Money 2: Online Media
During the previous lesson, we explored the traditional publishing world and set up a bunch of newspapers. This is a good exercise to get a feel for the different considerations and costs of a media company, but in a way, it is already “old news”.
In this lesson, students will do one group exercise and one individual exercise after a short introduction about how the internet changed the media landscape.
The third and final lesson will take a closer look at paywalls.
Lesson goals
- Learning about the transition from traditional media to digital media.
- Understanding the attention economy.
Activities
Theory (10 minutes) - teacher-centered
Present the theory to the students.
Aim: Students learn about the attention economy.
Exercise (20 minutes) - smaller groups of 4-5
Groups fill in the exercise table about the transition from traditional news media to online media.
Aim: Students think critically about the different impacts of this transition on the way media work.
Discussion (15 minutes) - Class
Discuss the filled in exercise tables with the class.
Aim: Students present their work and critically assess their peers' work.
Discussion questions (optional) - Class
Discuss some discussion questions with the students.
Aim: Students reflect on the topic.
Theory (10 minutes)
The media transition
The internet has drastically changed the media landscape. No more people waiting in line at the kiosk to buy a newspaper, nor can you expect everyone to tune in for the eight o’clock news. The internet has changed the way people consume the news, and when and where they engage with it. What is the value of a printed newspaper if you can check any topic at any time on your phone?
Similarly, the internet has greatly impacted the way news is produced and distributed. Think of the use of social media, the growing popularity of video content, and the topics covered by media. Headline news about social media platforms would have been hard to imagine twenty years ago.
The transition from traditional newspapers to digital platforms has countless consequences. While a news outlet can potentially reach a greater audience—everybody with an internet connection—the competition for people’s attention online can be tough. News websites, clothing brands, wellness industries, the latest movie: they all want to be seen. And when an article, video, or podcast is available for free online, how are media that produced them making money?
The attention economy
This new structure, in which our attention is in high demand, is also called the attention economy.
- Attention economy
an economical model in which companies compete for our attention as a scarce and valuable resource (every person has a limited amount of it)
An example. To listen to music using Spotify Premium, you pay a monthly fee. But you can also opt to use Spotify for free and listen to ads. Instead of the monthly fee, you’re paying with your attention.
Exercise (20 minutes)
Groups of 4-5 students fill in the “effect” column of the table to explore the transition between traditional news media models and digital models.
Discussion questions (optional)
- Whose responsibility is to inform people about what is going on in the world?
- Who should pay for this responsibility to get people informed?
- Why should online news be free or paid?
- Why is the attention economy good or bad?
- What is the difference between news and journalism?
- Why is social media is a force for good or bad when it comes to informing people about the world?