Hyper-Local Media

The world of journalism is shifting its communication platform from print to digital and the importance of hyper-local information is more adamant than ever, according to Mark Thomas in his localized media keynote.

News media has undergone a drastic change for the past several years. The importance of civic media has never been more important with regards to providing information to the local communities said Thomas.

The great hindrance of most print medias is that they're unable to fully integrate technology into their system. It's important that smaller community-based news outlets collaborate with mainstream news outlets to fully optimize and produce products that are tailored to a specific community, according to Thomas. The use of social media platforms is now a necessity when it comes to engaging communities. Optimizing technology to create civic media will optimize engagement in society.