Entitlement

It's a matter of opinion, should we pay for something that we believe we are entitled to for free? Some believe that this single word is what may be the death of journalism.

With Web 3.0, (http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-30.htm) the opportunities for localised information or "Hyperlocalisation" are simply endless. As will be explained in the above link, Web3.0 can plan an entire night out for you, simply based around where and when you are going.

This may well be all well and good, but what are the implications for News. As was discussed in the recent lecture, hyperlocalisation allows for news to be centered on your town, suburb or even to the extent of your street. In a new era of personal devices that one may tailor to their own specific needs, the idea of hyperlocalisation or "news my way" is quite appealing. However the point about money needs to be addressed.

Print media (broadsheet and tabloids) have been paid for by the classifieds for as long as they have existed. Subsequently online shopping sites have had a massive impact on this. Now online journals are taking similar steps. This is where this question of entitlement becomes so relevant. Recently, we have seen journals such as the Courier Mail release subscriptions to their site for users of the iPad and other personal, internet enabled devices. Admittedly these subscriptions open up a whole new range of stories and content. However the question must be asked, how long will it be before we will have to pay to visit their site? This inevitability also known as paywall will bring about a massive drop in viewership for what ever journal who decides to take the step.

Newspapers have always been cheap, prolific and serve the purpose of quick and accessible information. So now with the current state of online media, society has become a custom to this information being free. Hence if we were to put a price on this, viewership will drop...substantially.

Yes it is a matter of opinion, but it's my belief that the opinion will be very one sided.