The media industry, worth over $18 billion dollars a year, is constantly changing and evolving to fit consumer needs, with major corporations battling for marketshare. The media industry is extremely influential to the general public, as people are consuming content more than ever.
When I say “media” I like to break it down into the following three categories, as they are all interconnected.
- Content – This includes the feature films, the television shows, the videos, the photos, the audio, and the text that is shared.
- Platforms – This includes everywhere that content is shared: Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Reddit, newspapers, magazines, blogs, movie theaters, and anywhere else you consume your content.
- Information – This includes the actual narrative structure, story, and ideas the content creators are trying to convey. This might be up to date local news, it could be a superhero film, it could be a finance podcast.
For content to have any type of influence and reach, all three of the above categories must be strategically put into place. For instance, a one-minute video shared on FOX News with information that gets it’s target demographic interested is a good piece of content. When I say “good” I mean it gets the job done of getting attention. Another example is a Marvel Superhero movie that makes $1billion dollars in box office revenue. It’s a feature film, airing in theaters across the world, that gets it’s customer base interested enough to spend money to see the film.
50 to 60 years ago, there were only a few media platforms for each person to consume. There was a few local newspapers, a few radio stations to listen to, and a few TV channels that controlled what content was created and shared. This was done in a way that attracts a broad number of people to subscribe to the newspaper or tune into a television show.
Now things have changed – there are literally thousands of platforms each fighting with more and more vigorousness to gain your attention. Each of these platforms working to gain market share in it’s niche area. It’s not just instagram that’s a platform, it’s the hundreds of thousands of influencers that each have their own brand and their own pages hustling to get eyeballs and likes on their page. Because of this we get sensationalized headlines, and attention grabbing tag-lines to get you to click. People spread false information on purpose, knowing it will get attention.
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So what is this going to look like in the future? And what does this have to do with sustainability.
As more and more platforms emerge, and people getting more and more desperate to get attention and eyeballs on their content, it is imperative that someone steps up to create truthful, helpful content to share with the public.
In general, people want to help and make a difference. Environmental sustainability is one of the most important issues of our current generation and future, and right now Going Green is working tirelessly to put out content that educates people, and is based on facts.
Everyone consumes their content differently. Some people read articles on LinkedIn, other people look at memes on Instagram, other people get their news from television. Going Green is a cross-platform media powerhouse that is dedicated to helping everyone in the sustainability space making a difference. What is important is that sustainability is not limited to one industry. Sustainability must happen in every major industry in order for the world to become more energy efficient. This includes the real estate industry, the finance industry, the media industry, the car industry, and everything in-between. Every industry must adapt sustainable goals in order to compete against companies and entrepreneurs in their industry that are doing the same the same thing.
We are constantly working towards a more sustainable world. We must create technologies that allow us to be more sustainable, and make obsolete technologies that don’t. Most importantly – we must educate ourselves, and others about the importance of becoming a more energy efficient world. This will be done through the power of media. Whether you and your friends read blogs, watch television, listen to podcasts, or stream content online, Going Green is going to be at the forefront of leading the way.
Dylan Welch is the CEO and Host of Going Green, a podcast, website, and social media brand that highlights renewable energy, cleantech, and sustainable news.