We’ve heard this refrain before. The media is dead. As traditional mass media institutions like television, radio and print battle to fend off competition from digital upstarts, it’s tempting to believe we’re witnessing the demise of an industry that once dominated how we consume information and culture.

But this view misses the mark. We’re not watching the media die; we’re watching it evolve from mass media to what I call narrow media.

This evolution has democratised access to content creation, allowing a constant flow of new voices to enter the global conversation. But while the landscape may look radically different – and overwhelming – the power of media (mass or narrow) remains undeniable.

The evolution from mass to narrow

Historically, mass media was defined by its reach. Television beamed into millions of living rooms, radio broadcast news, music and talk shows over the airwaves, and newspapers delivered the morning’s headlines to doorsteps across the globe. These platforms were gatekeepers, shaping the collective conversation through carefully curated content.

The rise of the internet shattered that model. YouTube enabled anyone with a camera and an idea to create their own ‘channel’. Podcasts gave niche topics the space and time they couldn’t get on any radio frequency. And blogs empowered journalists, thought leaders and creators to build their own publishing businesses – newsroom not required.

What ties these platforms together is their focus on niche topics, alternative perspectives and highly engaged audiences. While mass media aims for the broadest possible audience, narrow media thrives on specificity.

A YouTube channel might cater to fans of vintage sneakers, while a podcast could dive into the nuances of deep space exploration. Substack newsletters cover a range of hyper-specific topics – from renewable energy to the legal industry. It’s no longer just how many people you reach that matters, but how deeply you reach them.

This shift isn’t just about technology, as this Pew Research study shows. It’s about meeting audiences where they are with what they like – on-demand, highly personalised and deeply engaging. Narrow media allows consumers to choose the content that resonates most with them – and even to interact with content producers – creating audiences that are more communal than mass media audiences ever were.

The power of mass media endures

Yet despite the rise of narrow media, underestimating mass media would be a mistake. Mass media platforms still hold unmatched power in shaping public opinion, driving news cycles and amplifying stories at scale (often through their own narrow channels on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok).

Consider the resources that mass media outlets have at their disposal – teams of experienced journalists, extensive networks of sources, advanced digital tools and the budget to produce marquee events that command attention.

These are investments that narrow media often can’t match. A headline in The New York Times or a segment on CNN can spark conversations on other platforms – from legal journals to financial podcasts – at a level that even the most successful Substackers or TikTokers rarely achieve.

While narrow media thrives on personality and authenticity, mass media offers something just as valuable: breadth. Established outlets have the capacity to amplify, investigate, scrutinise, corroborate and add context at a scale that smaller creators generally cannot.

Smart communicators and marketers understand this dual reality. While narrow media excels at creating deep, targeted connections with specified audiences, mass media provides the reach and authority to elevate stories into the mainstream. Successful strategies don’t choose one over the other – they leverage both.

The era of attention, not awareness

Like it or not, attention has become the most valuable currency, extracted from us on an unprecedented scale. Our attention now resembles a hectic traffic intersection, with countless vehicles and pedestrians trying to attract our gaze.

To win attention, today’s communicators need not abandon scale. But they must refine their strategies to prioritise substance. It’s no longer enough to simply raise awareness; communicators must constantly track what’s news today and sharpen their messages to cut through the noise.

That can seem overwhelming, and that’s why having a strategy is so important for success. As I see it, a sound strategy should include:

• Tracking the news cycle: Understanding what’s trending and knowing who to reach out to allows communicators to promote their messages at the right time and place them with the right outlet.
• Integrating the PESO model (paid, earned, shared, owned): A holistic approach to sharing content ensures that messages can have a more lasting impact and reach key audiences through multiple channels.
• Making content easy to share: Internal and external stakeholders should be able to quickly distribute content and messages across their networks, maximising reach and engagement. This requires an active, not passive, approach to encouraging others to share.
• Leveraging the power of SEO: Optimising content for search engines is crucial for visibility, ensuring that messages have a long shelf life and that target audiences see your spokespeople and ideas as valuable.
• Promoting team agility: Today’s communications teams – and their external resources – must be agile enough to help one another respond quickly to emerging trends while maintaining a strategic vision for sustained storytelling.

If mass media was about awareness, the narrow era demands something more nuanced: influence. Communicators need both to help firms succeed and win attention in the crowded intersection of information.

The road ahead

The media has changed, but writing its obituary would be shortsighted. What we’re seeing is the rise of an era that calls for a new mindset. As communications professionals, our role now comes with greater opportunities – and greater demands.

Success is no longer about getting the broadest reach. It’s about embracing a model built on attention rather than awareness. This means investing in relationships – not just with mass media outlets, but also with the creators, podcasters and writers shaping the narrow media landscape.

The media is alive, evolving and more diverse than ever – a dynamic, digital landscape requiring constant focus. Our challenge – and our opportunity – is to navigate this new terrain with creativity, agility and consistency.

Allan Schoenberg is the chief communications officer at Vinson & Elkins.