Niche Markets Increase Readership

Brock also effectively argues that despite the decline in newspaper sales, journalism will remain viable if it can adapt to increasing fragmentation. In the second half of the 20^th century, people “made appointments with news media: a nightly habit of watching the main television news” (Brock 87). Whenever a family or individual did this, there was a sense that thousands of others were watching the same broadcast. However, the Internet has eroded these patterns of consumption by enabling news to be available whenever and wherever. DVR and cell phones have allowed for on-the-go consumption of news as people don’t necessarily have the time to dedicate to nightly news watching. Instead, mass communication is increasingly tailored to specific segments and demographics. These virtual communities are usually brought together by a mutual interest (van Dijk 167). If a user is looking to find out more about a specific TV program, line of clothing or international event, there is a separate outlet for each interest. Journalists, Brock confirms, can no longer tailor their writing and reporting to appeal to a mass audience. Fragmenting readers means readers will only utilize and return to outlets that pertain to their personal interests. For journalism to thrive in this digital age, journalists may choose to focus on a specific niche to effectively appeal to a certain virtual community. In this way, readership among those interested will increase rather than attempting to appeal to every online reader. As journalists learn to adapt to these developing consumption patterns, readership and engagement within niche markets will increase.

Works Cited:

van Dijk, Jan A.G.M. "Social Structure." The Network Society. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications Ltd., 2006. 156-189. Print.