The field of communication – whether public relations, marketing or journalism – is constantly changing and morphing with the steady flow of emerging technologies. As experts in the field, we must be mindful of the trends and learn to adapt.

This includes becoming savvy with new social media platforms, hip blogs and industry trends, so that we know what is the latest information and where it will be published.

One way to identify changes in the field of communication is to consider how journalism is changing and what that means for communication and PR professionals. Mashable.com recently posted a video from its fifth “NextUp NYC” educational series, which explored the emerging skills of tomorrow’s journalists.  A group of panelists touched on the continuing evolution of technology and its effects on the journalism industry, as well as how journalists can better train themselves and improve their skills.

As Technology Reporter Jenna Wortham for The New York Times explains, “The way we read and consume news and everything is totally changing. I mean we get everything from our social networks, our kind of first layer filter and then we rely on institutions and organizations like The New York Times and Mashable to help us filter and tell us what is relevant. There is just so much constantly coming at us.”

The take away from the video is that there is a lot of information available in the world today. The Web is saturated and can be overwhelming. The challenge is trying to figure out how to digest this information as a journalist. For PR and communication professionals, it is essential to understand how much information journalists sift through on a daily basis, and keep that in mind when developing communication plans. We must embrace the different channels of communications and utilize those that are relied on most heavily by journalists, in essence making it as easy as possible for them to find and digest that information.

In addition, the way we consume content is evolving. From tablets such as the iPad to smartphones to laptops, we are more connected than ever before. People are consuming content on the go, with apps that make it easy to access information, which has pushed journalism toward its current direction.  Journalists must remain aware and adaptable to these changes. This means that, as PR professionals, we must cast a wider net.  Not only do we need to be aware of the many avenues of communication available and utilized by journalists and consumers, but we should be savvy in employing alternative platforms gaining notoriety, such as tumblr and Audioboo. By gaining a better understanding of how the information will be dispersed, we can target journalists in the most appropriate manner.

It is clear that the future of journalism, and communication in general, is digital, and as those in the field adapt more changes will certainly follow in this constantly evolving industry.

Here is the NextUp NYC video, courtesy of Mashable:

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