Why New Media Failed to Subvert Traditional Media?新媒体为何没能颠覆传统媒体？

"I destroy you, it has nothing to do with you." As representatives of new media, BuzzFeed and VICE were also subverted by Internet platforms with completely different business models from theirs.

VICE Group, which has 8.5 million followers on Youtube, will file for bankruptcy and reorganization. For now, VICE's board is still looking for a solution out of the crisis, including finding new investors in the market, but with little hope.

VICE was once a smash hit. As a representative of new media, VICE has attracted widespread attention since its establishment because of its focus on young people and subcultures. Media giants including Murdoch and Disney hope to share in its appeal to young people by investing in VICE. a cup of soup. In 2017, VICE was valued at $5.7 billion.

Image source: Visual China

But in December 2022, VICE is seeking financing at a valuation of just $1.5 billion. Behind the sharp decline in valuation, on the one hand, VICE’s annual revenue has not met expectations. More importantly, VICE, which once focused on attracting young people as its core competitiveness, is losing young people—their attention has turned to social media represented by TikTok. media platform.

Coincidentally, Buzzfeed, also a popular new media, also shut down its news business on April 20. In 2017, Buzzfeed laid off about 100 employees because it failed to meet its annual revenue target. Since then, Buzzfeed's business situation has not improved, and several rounds of layoffs have been carried out successively. By the fourth quarter of 2022, Buzzfeed's advertising revenue will drop sharply by 27% year-on-year. Coupled with the impact of the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank, its business situation has deteriorated extremely.

As representatives of new media, the difficulties faced by BuzzFeed and VICE have many things in common, such as user loss and revenue decline. Their demise is not just a case, but also reflects the current difficulties facing the entire media industry.

destroy you has nothing to do with you

In the science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem", a point of view that sounds extremely domineering and arrogant but is extremely wise when you think about it is "I destroy you, it has nothing to do with you".

In the book, a singer civilization who accidentally passed by human civilization discovered human beings, and then wiped out the solar system just like crushing an ant to death. Because to them, human civilization is nothing.

This is the dimensionality reduction strike. For the target being hit, this is a blow without the ability to fight back. In the commercial field, such dimensionality reduction strikes have been staged in turn after the rise of the mobile Internet: it is not another better department store that defeats a department store, but e-commerce and live streaming; it is not another better search engine that defeats a search engine , but the algorithm recommends...

As representatives of new media, BuzzFeed and VICE were also subverted by Internet platforms with completely different business models from theirs.

Their original goal was to subvert traditional media such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, hoping to become a position that provides high-quality news content for free, instead of charging readers like traditional media. Among them, BuzzFeed publishes many influential political news, while VICE focuses more on subcultural content that is not valued by traditional media in order to attract young readers.

Both new media platforms hope to attract readers with high-quality content, and then use traffic to attract advertisers. The model of providing content for free has advantages over the subscription payment of traditional media.

At the beginning of BuzzFeed's establishment, the news on Facebook was linked to the official websites of various media. Clicking on the link would open the browser page alone, which was a huge source of traffic for BuzzFeed. In 2015, Facebook adjusted its product strategy, invited the media to open a media account on Facebook, and directly hosted the content on the Facebook platform.

Such adjustments make the content supply no longer controlled only by the media as a professional content production organization. Social media platforms are largely used as the supply of individual content production, and have absolute control over content distribution, which largely eliminates professional content. The scarcity of production organization content also diverts the attention of users.

Among them, the turning point of BuzzFeed's turn from prosperity to decline is that in 2017, Facebook and Google strengthened their control over the online advertising market, absorbing a large amount of advertising, which caused it to miss its annual revenue target. For more than a year, BuzzFeed's revenue has continued to decline. The financial report shows that BuzzFeed’s revenue in the first quarter of this year fell by 27%, and both advertising and content revenue fell by at least 30%.

VICE, which mainly serves young people, has been hit harder by TikTok. Not only are readers and advertisers voting with their feet, but when investors see this trend, they are also cautious about whether VICE can convert traffic into revenue. In trouble.

Compared with social media such as Facebook and TikTok, BuzzFeed and VICE do not have any competitive advantage in terms of traffic or content supply, and it is normal to be in trouble.

Does the market still need mass media?

While new media such as BuzzFeed and VICE are in business difficulties, traditional media represented by The New York Times and The Washington Post have not been subverted as previously predicted by the industry, but are living very nourishingly.

According to news from foreign media, The New York Times achieved its goal of 10 million paid subscribers three years ahead of schedule in 2022, and plans to reach 15 million by the end of 2027.

The contrast between new media such as BuzzFeed and VICE and traditional media such as The New York Times and Washington Post is directly related to the differentiation of content consumption.

On the one hand, news and exclusive information are still needed by a large number of readers, especially elite groups who have access to social and social resources. The depth, breadth and quality of news reports of The New York Times are still competitive. Meredith, CEO of The New York Times, also stated in a video conference that the company's primary strategy is to continue to maintain its leading position in the news field. This means that the "New York Times" focuses its services on the elite group, providing them with valuable information, and they are willing to pay for the value.

In contrast, BuzzFeed and VICE do not have enough ability to provide content that the elite group is willing to pay for. Their original free model attracts more mass readers, and the value of information and content to these readers lies more in recreation and entertainment. , rather than a decision. When social media platforms provide more content that can be used for recreation and entertainment, as well as better user experience, it becomes natural for users to choose to vote with their feet.

In the context of the polarization of the content consumption market, those media that originally provided pastime and entertainment content for mass readers will face even greater difficulties. How to find their own unique content competitiveness and business model in the new competitive environment is a question that these media need to think about, otherwise they will become the next BuzzFeed and VICE. Traditional media and new media are two different forms of media, each with its own characteristics and scope of application. Which media form is more suitable depends on the specific needs and target audience of your friends.

Traditional media usually refers to traditional forms of mass media such as radio, television, and newspapers, which have a wide audience and strong brand influence. The advantages of traditional media are fast information transmission, wide content coverage, and high credibility, but there are also some limitations, such as limited audience distribution, inability to interact in real time, and high information acquisition costs.

New media refers to digital media forms such as the Internet, mobile phones, and tablet computers. They have the advantages of convenience, interactivity, and personalization, but they also have some disadvantages, such as low cost of information acquisition, outdated content, and inability to fully cover the audience. .

If you need to get your message across quickly and widely, and you need a highly credible source of information, then traditional media may be a better choice. If you need to deliver information more flexibly and conveniently, and if you need a more interactive and personalized experience, then new media may be a better choice.

The following lists the advantages and disadvantages of traditional media and new media, hoping to help everyone.

traditional media

advantage:

The information transmission speed is fast, the content coverage is wide, and the credibility is high.

The audience is widely distributed and cannot interact instantly.

Information acquisition costs are low.

Richer in content and form.

shortcoming:

The audience is limited.

Unable to interact in real time.

The cost of obtaining information is high.

new media

advantage:

The speed of information transmission is fast and the audience is wide.

Real-time interaction, high user engagement.

Information acquisition costs are low.

Richer in content and form.

shortcoming:

Information authenticity is difficult to guarantee.

Copyright issues are difficult to resolve.

The amount of information is too large, and it is difficult for users to choose.

No matter which media format you choose, you need to carefully evaluate their pros and cons and choose the one that works best for you based on your needs and target audience.

Now companies need all-media marketing and all-media operation talents such as short video operation, live broadcast e-commerce delivery, etc. At this time, if you master more mainstream channels and know more ways to create popular content, the impact on the crowd and data The more thorough the analysis, the greater your chances of choosing a job/job-hopping offer.

But the advantage of mastering all media is that in addition to new media, the job direction you can choose can also be user growth, advertising, event planning, and brand public relations. The choice is far greater than the traditional "new media operation".

With a wide range of choices, there will be more paths for job transfer or promotion in the future, and the richer and more comprehensive project experience and experience. If you choose promotion or start a business in the later stage of your career, you will have more capital than others.

 “我消灭你，与你无关”，作为新媒体的代表，BuzzFeed和VICE也是被和他们业务模式完全不同的互联网平台颠覆。

在Youtube拥有850万粉丝的VICE集团将申请破产重组。目前，VICE董事会还在寻找解决方案摆脱危机，包括在市场上寻找新的投资者，但希望比较渺茫。

VICE曾经红极一时。作为新媒体的代表，VICE因专注于年轻人和亚文化，自成立便获得了广泛关注，包括默多克、迪士尼在内的媒体巨头都希望通过投资VICE而从其对年轻人吸引力中分一杯羹。2017年，VICE的估值达到 57 亿美元。

图片来源：视觉中国

但在2022年12月，VICE寻求融资的估值仅为15亿美元。估值大幅缩水的背后，一方面是VICE年收入未达预期，更重要的是，曾经以吸引年轻人为核心竞争力的VICE正在失去年轻人——他们的注意力转向了以TikTok为代表的社交媒体平台。

无独有偶，同样作为新媒体并红极一时的Buzzfeed也于4月20日关停新闻业务。2017年，Buzzfeed因未达到年度营收目标，裁员约100人，此后Buzzfeed的经营情况并未好转，并陆续进行了几轮裁员。到2022年第四季度，Buzzfeed的广告收入同比大幅下降27%，再迭加硅谷银行破产的影响，其经营情况已极度恶化。

作为新媒体的代表，BuzzFeed和VICE面临的困境有不少共同之处，比如用户流失、营收下滑等。他们的消亡不仅仅是个例，更加反应了当下整个媒体行业面临的难题。

消灭你与你无关

科幻小说《三体》中一个听起来极为霸道嚣张但细思却极为智慧的观点是“我消灭你，与你无关”。

在书中，一个无意中路过了人类文明的歌者文明，发现了人类，于是就像捏死一直蚂蚁一样，顺手灭掉了太阳系。因为对于他们来说，人类文明什么都不是。

这便是降维打击。对被打击对象来说，这是没有还手能力的一种打击。在商业领域，这样的降维打击在移动互联网兴起之后轮番上演：打败百货公司的不是另一家更好的百货公司，而是电商和直播带货；打败搜索引擎的不是另一个更好搜索引擎，而是算法推荐……

作为新媒体的代表，BuzzFeed和VICE也是被和他们业务模式完全不同的互联网平台颠覆。

他们原本的目标是颠覆《纽约时报》《华盛顿邮报》等传统媒体，希望成为免费提供高质量新闻内容的阵地，而不是像传统媒体那样面向读者收费。其中，BuzzFeed发布过多篇有影响力的政治新闻，而VICE则更加专注于未被传统媒体重视的亚文化内容，以吸引年轻读者。

两家新媒体平台都希望以高质量内容吸引读者，再用流量吸引广告主进行投放。免费提供内容的模式相比于传统媒体的订阅付费拥有优势。

BuzzFeed成立之初，Facebook上的新闻都是链接到各家媒体官网上的，点击链接会单独在浏览器页面中打开，这对BuzzFeed来说是一个巨大的流量来源。2015年，Facebook调整产品策略，邀请媒体在Facebook开通媒体账号，直接把内容托管到Facebook平台上。

这样的调整让内容供给不再仅被作为专业化内容生产机构的媒体所掌控，社交媒体平台大大作为个体内容生产的供给，并且对内容分发拥有绝对的掌控能力，很大程度上消解了专业内容生产机构内容的稀缺性，也分流了用户的注意力。

其中，BuzzFeed由盛转衰的转折点便是2017年Facebook和谷歌加强了对网络广告市场的控制，吸走了大量广告投放，这导致其没有完成年度营收目标。最近一年多，BuzzFeed的营收仍然在下滑。财报显示，BuzzFeed在今年第一季度的收入下降27%，广告和内容收入都下降至少30%。

主要面向年轻人服务的VICE受到TikTok的冲击更大。不仅是读者和广告主用脚投票，当投资者看到这样的趋势之后，也对VICE能否把流量转化为收入保持谨慎态度，最终的结果就是VICE营收下滑，估值大幅缩水，公司经营陷入困境。

和Facebook、TikTok等社交媒体相比，BuzzFeed和VICE无论在流量还是内容供给数量上都没有任何竞争优势，陷入困境也实属正常。

市场还需要大众媒体吗？

在BuzzFeed和VICE等新媒体陷入经营困境的同时，以《纽约时报》《华盛顿邮报》为代表的传统媒体并没有像此前业界预言的那样被颠覆掉，反倒活得很滋润。

外媒的消息显示，《纽约时报》在2022年提前3年实现了1000万付费订户的目标，并计划到2027年底达到1500万。

BuzzFeed和VICE等新媒体与《纽约时报》《华盛顿邮报》等传统媒体经营状况的反差，和内容消费的分化有直接关系。

一方面，新闻和独家信息依然被大量读者需要，尤其是掌握社会社会资源的精英群体。《纽约时报》新闻报道的深度、广度和质量上依然拥有竞争力，《纽约时报》CEO梅雷迪思在一次视频会议中也表示公司首要策略仍旧是继续在新闻领域中保持领先地位。这意味着，《纽约时报》把服务的重心放在精英群体上，为其提供有价值的信息，他们也愿意为价值付费。

相比之下，BuzzFeed和VICE并没有足够的能力提供精英群体愿意付费的内容，他们原来的免费模式更多吸引的更多是大众读者，信息和内容对这些读者的价值更多在于消遣和娱乐，而不是决策。当社交媒体平台提供了更多可用于消遣和娱乐的内容供给，以及更好的用户体验，用户选择用脚投票也就变成再自然不过的事。

在内容消费市场两极分化的的背景下，那些原本面向大众读者提供消遣和娱乐内容的媒体将面临更大的困境。如何在新的竞争环境下找到自己独特的内容竞争力和商业模式，是这些媒体需要思考的问题，否则他们将沦为下一个BuzzFeed和VICE。传统媒体和新媒体是两种不同的媒介形式，它们各自有着自己的特点和适用范围。选择哪种媒体形式更适合取决于各位小伙伴们的具体需求和目标受众。

传统媒体通常指的是广播、电视、报纸等传统的大众媒体形式，它们有着广泛的受众群体和强大的品牌影响力。传统媒体的优点是信息传递速度快、内容覆盖面广、可信度高，但也存在着一些局限性，如受众分布范围有限、无法即时互动、信息获取成本高等。

新媒体则是指互联网、手机、平板电脑等数字化媒体形式，它们具有便利性、互动性、个性化等优点，但也存在着一些缺点，如信息获取成本低、内容过时、无法全面覆盖受众等。

如果你需要快速、广泛地传递信息，并且需要高可信度的信息来源，那么传统媒体可能是更好的选择。如果你需要更灵活、方便地传递信息，并且需要更多的互动和个性化体验，那么新媒体可能是更好的选择。

下面给大家列出了传统媒体和新媒体各自的优缺点，希望能帮助到大家。

传统媒体

优点：

• 信息传递速度快，内容覆盖面广，可信度高。
• 受众分布范围广，无法即时互动。
• 信息获取成本较低。
• 内容和形式更为丰富。

缺点：

• 受众群体有限。
• 无法实时互动。
• 信息获取成本高。

新媒体

优点：

• 信息传递速度快，受众广泛。
• 实时互动，用户参与度高。
• 信息获取成本低。
• 内容和形式更为丰富。

缺点：

• 信息真实性难以保证。
• 版权问题难以解决。
• 信息量过大，用户选择难度大。

无论你选择哪种媒体形式，都需要谨慎地评估它们的优缺点，并根据您的需求和目标受众来选择最适合您的媒体形式。

现在企业都需要短视频运营、直播电商带货等全媒体营销、全媒体运营人才，这个时候，如果你掌握的主流渠道越多，知道的爆款内容打造形式越多，对人群和数据的分析越透彻，那你求职/跳槽的offer选择机会自然是越大。

但掌握全媒体的好处就是，你可选择的岗位方向，除了新媒体，还可以是用户增长、投放、活动策划、品牌公关，选择面要远大于传统意义上的“新媒体运营”。

选择面广了，后面转岗或者晋升的路径也就更多，项目经历和经验也就越丰富全面，职业生涯后期选择晋升还是创业，也会比别人更有资本。