Initiating the Post-Media Era: META MEDIAs

On the 70th anniversary of the United Daily News, I published an article in the publication of the company, talking about the concept of "post-media". Due to the complex knowledge of media communication, website operation, AI, NLP development, etc., there may be advanced peers and interested parties. The Internet is boundless, share and pray for enlightenment.

When I entered the Internet media in the early years, the first word I learned was "hyperlink", and "Hyper" was used to describe one of the characteristics of new media, or it was also true to life. Just like Lianhe Daily's expectation for the development of the news network, it is not just to repost the content of the newspaper to the computer screen, but the boss also wants something different. At that time, we did not have the term "Hyper Newspaper", but in the initial stage of the joint news network's opening, I deployed the news network, news letter platform, forum community, and then flipped the news knowledge base for a while, as far as "new media" is concerned. It can be said that the interaction and decentralization are diversified, and they can continue to operate today, which is completely different from the one-way batch dissemination of newspapers. To put it another way, it is not an exaggeration to say that the launch of the United News Network has set off a corner of the new media of "Hyper Newspaper".

In the past ten years, in addition to traditional radio, newspapers, and television, media information services have been circulated and shared on different vehicles such as personal computers, tablets, mobile phones, and various mobile wearable devices. The apparent similarities and differences of vehicles distinguish the success or failure of media operations.

So, I was thinking, is there still a new node for the media industry to take a step forward?

Thinking about it, maybe pretending to let go of the difference of tools and the infinite confluence, returning to the chaotic and simple Datong world of the news media "MEDIA", and rethinking what the news media is, there is a new way. As a result, digital media people escaped from the keyboard and plunged into the sea of ignorant and empty information, exploring the genes (or just memes) of the media that can be transformed again. Suddenly, a ray of light emerged from the ruins of typefaces I had been in, urging me: "Redefine "The Basic Unit of News, the Main Body of Digital Convergence - News Materials", it seems that there will be another one who is still waiting for us to pioneer. Digital new media world.

In the past few years, the Lianjing Digital Company I served has focused on the technology and application of artificial intelligence to Media data processing, trying to shape the concept and appearance of "SMART MEDIA". Specifically, Lianjing Digital, as the base for the technical and logistical support of the United News Department, is learning and gradually mastering "Using AI and artificial intelligence technology to promote the qualitative change of news materials, revitalize the regeneration of the news field, and vigorously try to develop another game of new media." . "SMART MEDIA" presents new technologies introduced by new media, and is also included in the group's project implementation. But is SMART the essence of new media? What if the rhetoric from Hyper Media was re-borrowed. Is Hyper specific or too old-fashioned? Can media and audiences grasp the meme of another wave of change in new media? I was quite nervous.

When I was working on a news network and learning html more than 20 years ago, I was always confused about the meaning of another word, "meta". In recent years, I have seen the new word "Metavers Metaverse" again and again, and one day I suddenly had an epiphany: Yes, that's it: "META". "META" is a unit and a field, a project noun and a post-verb, a representation and an essence. "META" can succinctly separate the difference between traditional media and digital new media. Let META and its synonyms beyond, higher, after, post, change, altered, or directly link to various meanings such as revolution and new media, and use "META MEDIA" to express the core essence of new media after Internet media and introducing artificial intelligence and vision, which should allow media people to more specifically perceive the new node of media transformation and rebirth: f (META x AI).

Even if the new media still regards "content as king", it will no longer be published by (journalist) manuscripts. It has been many years since the mass of information has plagued the world. New media must extract secondary but higher-level "intelligence" from the primary data features of the original news. At the same time, the machine must implant the news features into the media audience, so that the data can understand the audience, strengthen the familiarity between the two, and establish a more solid and close relationship. news chain. (Suddenly it feels like studying the viral gene sequence and chain of transmission)

META MEDIA is a metamorphosis from traditional media, both in and on it.

"META MEDIA" new media extracts news and produces metadata (metadata), the machine automatically calculates massive but identifiable news features to establish an application service model, and then publishes it to individual audiences with characteristics according to supply and demand. News content, presentation style, production technology, and distribution channels have been re-purified and reset, creating a new media matrix (Matrix) ecology that is different from traditional media in editing, publishing, distribution, advertising, public opinion monitoring and various services.

Also known as the computer of the computer, the media has used a lot of effort to apply it to the form and pattern, but the "calculation" content is very low. If the role of META is put on the stage in the new media field, "calculation" and then "calculation", massive data can be "consciously" distributed to a massive audience with "personality", and the most customized package of messages, scattered Dissemination benefits must be maximized.

The academic community and related information industry have been developing machine learning to process natural language and brand sound volume monitoring for many years, and have made several achievements. However, the introduction of AI and NLP into the production chain of the media and the expansion of the commercial field does not seem to have seen a specific industrial example. The communication gap between technologists and media people is wide and deep.

Using machine calculation, from the minimum word frequency and volume to application categories, feature words, real names, emotions, etc., and then retrieve the data source, author, time, length, and number of data in the existing fields of the database Use it to calculate; then collect data on audience behavior such as clicks, comments, likes and dislikes, and sharing, and use it to calculate. Finally, these three types of news metadata (Metadata) are calculated according to the needs of media operations. Model, deal with current news, guide data in the rolling media sea, perform production, publishing, collection, distribution, inquiry and advertising, etc., to improve efficiency, digital news services can cross the threshold of charging, and there are several more non- The payment window of traditional media.

However, the communication gap between technologists and media people is wide and deep. Picking tea and singing folk songs across the mountain, often listening to 呒 or crooked buildings.

Before the advent of the technology that machines can learn to understand natural language, each piece of news that was put on the shelves and put into storage was just a packaged black box, and the computer actually "can't understand" the news. Without a calculation program that uses data characteristics as a variable, the value of high-speed and massive computer computing will not come in handy. Machines do not have a credible model for media operations, digital media are still unable to complete automatic publishing, intelligent collection, and careful matching, and mass media are still unable to accurately distribute rolling news to unspecified audiences. Audiences who have been indiscriminately swept away by the media industry for a long time have their sense of information paralyzed. News is invaluable (value) and thus becomes the norm in the media market. The misery of the media is difficult to turn around in the new century.

The Internet has flourished for more than 20 years, and the manifestations and vehicle channels of new media have changed a lot. However, the production end of the media industry cannot be automated, and the distribution of the last mile is difficult to be personalized and precise. The operating costs of the media cannot come down, and the revenue is falling rapidly. "New media" is trapped in a sea of 100 times that of traditional media. A large number of rolling publications are necessary evils, but it is difficult to find audiences who are in urgent need to deliver goods on shore, and they will not receive them. money.

Therefore, the media and technicians should match in the field of AI x NLP as soon as possible, and put a bet on the registration form of "META MEDIAs", and each will gain something.

In 2020, the 20-year wonderful first half of "New Media" has ended. In 2022, "New Media" is waiting for the whistle to kick off in the second half. At present, the network media industry is wide open, but individual traditional media companies are struggling. Local media, where content is king, must compete with technology-oriented multinational technology groups to regain the market. I said that they must "resource resources to the enemy" and poach the advantages of technology groups, "News Artificial Intelligence", into media companies. Only then can we win. Taiwan (the market) is small, and global tech giants don't bother to create customized services for the Taiwan market. As long as local media companies can master sufficient news AI capabilities to connect news services and local audiences more closely, I am not worried that high-tech multinational technology groups can colonize and exploit the value of local media. At least, the news that Taiwan's local media can "monopolize" can be effectively customized and calculated to accurately meet the news needs of the audience. The news business is still promising. "Effectively customize and calculate information to accurately meet the news needs of the audience", which not only increases revenue, but also reduces costs, and at the same time promotes advertising, subscription, authorization, monitoring, to C and to B.....Multiple media companies mold. The fulcrum of leverage for victory is "artificial intelligence's ability to process news." Creating a "post-media era -- META MEDIAs" is very heavy for a single media company or a single information company. However, if Taiwan only needs a "post-media - META MEDIAs" platform, the mass media will be put on the shelves, the audience will pay in a single window, and the profit split of the industry (including the self-media) is credible. At the technical level, there are already tools and even solutions. Program. Only one step at a time: the big media businessmen are willing to take the lead.

The big game of "Post-Media" can be opened, and the end of the middle game is still to be played, and Cannian is eager to achieve success.

-- Lai Jianting / 20210916 --