Adapting to the Digital Tide: New Media Proliferation and the Future Sustainability of Traditional Media in Nigeria

Abstract

The fast growing proliferation of new media is reshaping and repositioning global information systems, redefining communication patterns, journalism practices, and the sustainability of traditional mass media outfits. Despite the advantages of this new tide, new media  post challenges, including digital literacy gaps, media convergence, data privacy concerns, and content manipulations of all forms. This study examines the rapid growth of new media, the behavioural changes it has introduced, and its immediate and long-term implications for main stream media, especially in developing country such as Nigeria. The study is basically a literature review, using literature to make deductions about how proliferation of new media challenges traditional mass media sustainability in Nigeria. Findings shows that new media proliferation has largely changed content generation, processes, sharing, and consumption design. The study identifies access, interactivity, speed, affordability, portability and participation as drivers of digital media growth that now posed a very great challenge to sustainability of traditional media. However, challenges such as misinformation, disinformation, content pollution, ethical decline, and loss of editorial control were also discovered. The study concludes that while traditional media may not likely disappear, its influence, revenue generation, and audience share will continue to diminish unless creative and inclusive models are adopted. The paper recommends media reforms, media convergence strategies, modernization and digitization of newsrooms, and establishment of multi-platform delivery system to ensure traditional media in the 21^st century survives the tide of new media.