Jim Gaudino envisioned a ‘gathering’ of anyone interested in discussing the future of the mass media.

That’s why Gaudino, dean of the College of Communication and Information at Kent State University, called together media scholars, journalists

such as Lauren Rich Fine of Merrill Lynch, as well as scholars from around the Midwest to participate in what Gaudino deemed, “a discussion of issues that remain unresolved.”

To many, Gaudino’s definition of such a discussion might seem vague. But as presenters like Stan Wearden, director of Communication Studies at Kent State, King Hill, marketing strategist for DigiKnow, point out, the future of media depends on so many variables it’s difficult talk about it in a vacuum.

Discussion triggers more questions

Some of these variables discussed during the day-long conference included young people’s preference of television or Web news to newspapers, the development of new technologies and the increasingly egocentric view of media users.

And, just as these discussions tend to answer questions, they also raise more, as audience members pointed out during the conference’s conclusion. Many are asking whether the dependence of new technology is isolating people.

Others questioned whether the tendency to consume more than one medium at a time (i.e. watching

Conference coverage

was done by the Collaborative Online Producing class from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. You may read articles on speakers, watch video reports, or view interviews with experts. Just click on a paragraph below.

• MULTIMEDIA . Watch a Photo Gallery of the conference, Interviews with major speakers and Broadcast Reports on student panels.

• The average person spends more time with the media than they do sleeping. Bob Papper, telecommunications professor at Ball State, talks about the Middletown Media Studies project found and today's media-saturated culture.

• Young people depend on the Internet, not newspapers, to obtain their news, and it’s not a new phenomenon. Media analyst Lauren Rich Fine says with the free and readily-available web, newspapers are facing even more challenges to turn profits.

• Communication models are evolving in the rapidly changing new media environment. And college students are especially difficult for researchers to keep up with. KSU professors Gary Hanson and Stan Wearden explain.

• New technology is allowing PR professionals to tap a gold mine of information about bloggers. BuzzLogic's Bob Schettino says imagine knowing who’s leading the discussion about your products and who’s being influenced by that discussion.

• The U.S. isn’t the only nation riding the wave of new media. The effects of high-speed communication are being studied as far away as South Korea. And U.S. marketers are already planning how to be successful in this user-focused environment.

television and reading the newspaper) might contribute to addiction, apathy, or even learning disabilities.

And while these questions may be temporarily unresolved, Gaudino indicated that a media-rich learning environment like Kent State might be home to future discussions.

--Story by Audrey Wagstaff

--Photos by Gavin Jackson and Michael Chritton

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