organizations especially newspapers, magazines and televisions have been
advised by media practitioners at the weekend to transform in line with new
technology or be forced out of the market by the new media otherwise known as
social media.
Local and international media practitioners at the close of the seminar,
”Social Media and 21st Century Journalism” organised by Seismonaut Africa in
Abuja, put the traditional media organisations on red alert of the obvious
threat from the social media.
Participants were drawn from the African Independent Television(AIT), Raypower
FM, Love FM, Wazobia FM; The Punch, Peoples Daily, Leadership, National Mirror,
Daily Trust, ThisDay newspapers as well as Aljazeera Television, Voice of
America and US Newsweek magazine.
In a statement, they advised the traditional media organisations to adopt new
measures or make use of the convergent opportunities available to them to stand
above the social media.
They also advised the business department of the organisations to develop or
align with the internet in advertising the organisations or attract advertisers
since the social media are ahead of them in that aspect, adding that they could
only stay in business with good contents.
According to them, stories read online are not totally free, but either paid
for directly or indirectly, adding that with the professional training, the
traditional media would always have an edge over citizen Journalism.
Speaking at the event, the publisher of Ovation Magazine and former presidential
aspirant, Dele Momodu said, social media has come to stay in Nigeria and would
be used to cause change in governance.
He therefore urged the government to be more responsive or else the social
media would be compelled to report it negatively.
Momodu said that Nigerians often grumble without leaving their comfort zones to
make the needed change and emphasised the use of local languages in social
media to mobilise people towards governance.
According to him, over 80 million Nigerians are floating without political
ideas, adding that it was futile to tell a hungry man not to collect money
during election.
He however advised voters to collect the money but vote with their conscience.
