How Do Older Media Serve As A Template For A Wireless Culture

My case study describes the relationship between older media and wireless media platforms by analyzing how they are alike and how they are different. To delve deeper into how older media has served as a template for a Wireless Culture, I compared Radio and Spotify to each other making it clear how similar the two platforms actually are and what Spotify has learned and continues to learn from traditional radio and also how Spotify challenges radio.

Through my research for this case study, I’ve learned why more users prefer to use Spotify over traditional radio – the main reason being users wanting more control over their consumption of music. The graph presented in my power point from Digitalmusicnews.com represented user satisfaction for AM/FM radio. This graph had many reasons why users are dissatisfied with their traditional terrestrial radio. The characteristics of AM/FM radio that had the lowest satisfaction rating were characteristics that have been implemented into Spotify’s streaming program.

After this case study I am more aware of how older media influences new media and how similar they actually are. It was enlightening to see how many traits traditional radio brought to Spotify such as narrowcasted playlists, information on artists, and news and how many elements Spotify has implemented in order to be different from radio and more socially interactive such as partnering with social media accounts. When posing my discussion question, “Do you prefer the experience you receive while listening to traditional radio in real time or the opportunities you receive with streaming music?” my classmates shared why they prefer streaming over traditional radio and made good points on why it is becoming so popular with our generation. Some of my classmates also brought up the reasons they still listen to traditional radio and how it is very nostalgic of their childhood.

In conclusion, Spotify takes the idea and elements of traditional radio and transforms it into a more personalized experience in which users have more control. Older media has definitely paved a way for newer platforms to become more portable, accessible, and socially interactive. A quote from our first class powerpoint that I believe now more than ever is that new media is always connected to old media and that old media has definitely served as a template for a Wireless Culture. 

›Sources for Blog

Graph reference:

›“Radio Is Dead In 10 Years. This Study Proves It.” Digital Music News, 4 Sept. 2017, www.digitalmusicnews.com/2017/08/31/radio-dead-musonomics-study/.


›Morris, Wade, and Devon Powers. “Control, Curation and Musical Experience in Streaming Music Services.” Creative Industries Journal 8.2 (0): 106–122. Web.