The Future Of Journalism Is Here

Recently someone I follow on Twitter retweeted a link to a fascinating article on the online magazine, Complex, that really encapsulates the possibilities for journalism in an Internet era.

Before you read ahead I recommend you read the article I’m talking about: a feature piece on K-Pop artist G-Dragon. You’ll need to read it – actually, experience it is a better phrase here – to understand my gushing/rambling below. Check it out here.

It’s a combination of the classic form of feature writing – that is, text – with enthralling interactive multimedia. In this new online journalism format, the classic scrolling function goes beyond simply feeding us more text. Instead, the mouse becomes an interactive tool that we can control however we please, allowing us not only to go through text but also to pull up images, videos, GIFs, songs, all at our own desired time. It’s completely interactive and gives the reader a sense of power and an enhanced agency – it’s up to us how long we want to look at an image, how many times we want to watch a GIF in repeat, or in this specific article, how many times we want to change G-Dragon’s outfit. Comparing this article to the traditional print-and-paper magazine page, it’s truly breathtaking at how far technology has progressed. This is undoubtedly a case of design fiction becoming reality – the future appearing right before our eyes.

Seriously – if you haven’t already, click here and read the article. I didn’t even know who G-Dragon is and I still found it quite breathtaking.