Peter Marks, former ABC technician and current ABC Alumni Board member, continues his research into the issues and challenges facing the ABC.

Those of us who grew up in a home where we were informed about the world daily from a delivered morning newspaper, AM on the radio, PM in the car after school and the 7pm news on TV, might be dismayed to hear alternative facts being taken seriously by our younger friends.

“Who Told You That Was True? How Four Generations Consume Information Differently — and Why It Matters” is a fascinating analysis by Australian blogger and media observer Tony Stevenson. 

In the article, Mr Stevenson examines the fragmentation in the way four generations got their information. Boomers - scarce print, Gen X - cable TV and talk radio, Millennials - first internet, now Gen Z - algorithmic social media feeds.

It’s no surprise we have difficulty communicating between these dramatically differently informed cohorts.

Reaching the fragmented Australian audience is a challenge to our national broadcaster. New technologies continue to be added as I outlined in my article in 2020 “ABC and the digital dilemma”. AM, FM, DAB, TV, streaming video, podcasts, the list continues to grow and the costs for the ABC mount.

Tony has a series of specific recommendations but concludes, in part, “The generation gap in media consumption is not a temporary inconvenience that will resolve itself when young people get older and start reading newspapers. It reflects a structural transformation in how information moves through society, and it will persist and deepen as AI-generated content, algorithmic personalisation, and platform concentration continue to evolve”.

I commend this analysis to ABC Friends, which has its own challenges in inter-generational communications.

Read the article

"Curated by Tony Stevenson using agents"