I’m consistently amazed at the ways in which we consume media.  For me, it’s a mixture of online and on-demand.  I very rarely catch something on TV as it’s happening live.  But then again, who does.  Almost everything online happens in real-time.  On television, even when something is live, it’s often way behind.  Take the Bachelorette, or other similar shows as an example.  Sure, we think we’re witnessing something live, but in reality, there’s a bunch of people online already chatting about the outcome. 

That’s not to say that media can exist solely in an online environment.  Nowadays blogs serve as the initial point of contact, while traditional news sources often confirm a fact.  I read movie blogs to get a feel for a movie, but I turn to the pros for validation from afar.  Then again, one could argue that even for expert reviews and opinions, I don’t turn towards a traditional news source.  While Roger Ebert works for the Chicago Sun Times, no one ever said you had to be a subscriber to access his review archive online. 

For me, traditional media doesn’t always work.  I don’t want products to be sold on me; I want to be sold on them.  If you put a Brooks Brothers ad in front of me, oftentimes, I’ll flip right through it.  On the other hand, if the editor at GQ hails it as a hot summer item, you better believe I’m taking two looks.  For other people, it’s less of a science; they simply want exposure to a brand.  A print ad in a magazine, a Web banner on favorite site, or a billboard on the highway is enough to build that brand.  I suppose an integrated effort on behalf of the brand is becoming more and more crucial so that every member of the audience is impacted.

At the end of the day, I don’t know whether the way we consume media is shifting or the way media wants to be consumed has changed.  You might be reading this from an iPhone today, an iPad tomorrow, or an RSS feed months after that.  Or, you may be a traditional type, someone who won’t ever read this at all. 

Whatever the fact, as long as people are reading and watching, the art of writing will forever live on.