Independent Media Outlets Emerge In The Tech Space: Where Do We Go From Here?
Legacy tech media is undergoing a massive transition, and in some ways, is fighting to survive in an era of rapid change. In the face of this, some outlets, like TechiePlus, are forging their own path forward.
Legacy Media Fades
In an excellent New York Times write-up, published February 2024, journalist David Streitfeld explores the slow death of legacy media and what exactly that decline means for the average consumer of news and information. In the piece, he mourns the loss of longstanding media titans along with the decline of many of the new startups attempting to take their place. However, even in the case of this changing media ecosystem, new opportunities are emerging in a more decentralized, less constrained landscape.
New Voices
As an example of this emerging trend, let's examine the rise and growth of tech media outlet TechiePlus as an example of what these new entities tend to look like in a world where most people get their news from social media.
TechiePlus was founded as part of a growing movement toward independent journalism in the tech space, a movement which has only grown in strength over the years as corporate interests have placed increasing pressures on larger outlets. In the wake of this, many have come to rely on independent tech coverage for a truly unbiased view of industry developments.
This movement has given rise to YouTube channels such as Marques Brownlee and, more recently, Second Wind, both of which offer independently funded reviews of the latest devices and gaming industry trends, respectively. The success of this non-corporate business model has led many others to follow, including TechiePlus.
The Mission
TechiePlus explains that their platform seeks to offer guidance and answer commonly asked questions about popular apps and tech platforms, offering a curated alternative to the unreliable, often AI-generated guidance available on the open web. That last point is critical; while content partially written by AI is now the standard, in an industry like tech where specific details matter so much, a robust human team is necessary to produce accurate, valuable content.
The team also mentioned that their independent status has allowed them to retain a small stable of writing talent while also fostering a culture of humor and exploration. Most notably, however, the independence allows them to remain free of the harmful crunch culture that has overtaken much of the corporate tech media space in recent years. The problem is especially egregious at the so-called "content mills" that are now common in games media, especially, underscoring the value of independent outlets even further.
An Eye Toward The Future
As this sector of the industry continues to grow, multiple challenges will need to be conquered to effectively move forward. As Tech Policy Press reports, the largest roadblocks now include the adoption of AI technology, the need to secure independent funding, and a gradually dwindling labor pool. However, they and many others remain optimistic that indie platforms will be able to survive and thrive despite it all going forward.
