Print media fades as Social Media Surges, claims Arab Media Forum Survey
Since the advent of the new media (online media) experts have been debating its effects on print media.
Initially, it was perceived that the online media would make its own way without affecting any other industry, but a gradual decline in the importance of print media was observed as the online media gained popularity.
Printed versions of books were replaced by tech-friendly online versions and the same was the case with newspapers.
In order to stay up-to-date, many newspapers ensured their online presence and at present nearly all the media organisations have online existence as well.
Although it is an encouraging sign to see people utilising technology more friendly, it has, to some extent, negatively affected the print media industry as people now prefer reading online versions of the newspapers rather than buying their printed copies.
Furthermore, with the growth of social media, information sharing has now become easier with the users needing only one click to access all the information they need.
A survey carried out recently by the Arab Media Forum conducted by the Dubai Press Club (DPC) also highlighted decline in the print media trends while noting a surge in the social media.
The results of the survey were derived from 734 responses that were collected from a sample size of 3,800 respondents.
According to the results, around 60 percent of the respondents rely on social media to get more than 30 percent of their news.
When asked about staying up-to-date about the current political situation of the region, 54 percent respondents declared social media and other online sources as their primary source of acquiring information while 43 percent rely on TV.
Ironically, only three percent of the respondents prefer print media to gather the relevant information, clearly indicating that the new media has taken over the print media.
That being noted, 75 percent of the respondents still believe that the print industry is not fading away. However, 25 percent of them think that it has a bleak future.
Other than this, the survey also focused on different media trends and what people want to see and read.
As per the results, around 53 percent of the respondents agree that it will be better if media focuses more on social issues like health, education and family. Very few (only six percent) believe that media should focus on issues like politics, sports and media transparency.
When it comes to press freedom and journalism standards, the Arab Media is not very well known globally, but around 55 percent of the respondents opined that the quality of journalism has improved in the region over the period of last two years while 24 percent are of the view that there is still a lot of room for improvement.
