Before the introduction of digital and communication technologies, the field of journalism was based on high market power over distribution platforms, mass audience, and mass advertisers, and the public’s access to news and entertainment was restricted through time and space. However, due to technological, social and industrial advances and the digitization of media, these constrains have loosened, and new biases in the social structure have been created. As a result, society is no longer as heavily dependent on traditional media (newspapers, TV and radio) as before since people can easily access news with a click of a few buttons (or with a few touches on their smartphones/tablets). Journalists and news organisations should be aware of the fact that these innovations lead to a stronger competition for news users’ attention, and an important way to win that battle is by differentiating yourself through a competitive advantage.
As a consequence, news organizations cannot but direct their gaze towards new trends and technologies. Recently, journalists have turned to powerful 360° videos in journalistic storytelling. Leading news organizations from The Wall Street Journal to Euronews, The New York Times, The Associated Press and The Guardian are experimenting with these techniques. They showcase user-generated content around breaking news on social media, more specifically on Facebook and YouTube — which in turn have come on board with this movement and launched YouTube 360 and Facebook 360. The fact that both of these social media are supporting 360° videos is a shot in the arm for the promising industry of virtual reality filmmakers. Also, it is a call for journalists — whose reliance on social media has already increased over the years — to benefit from these opportunities and create new strategies.
Furthermore, news accessed from smartphones have jumped significantly over the past two years. Hence, the smartphone has become the defining device for digital news.
