Will User-Generated Content (YouTube) Replace Professionally-Generated Content (Mainstream Media)?

Gan, Ee Va (2019) Will User-Generated Content (YouTube) Replace Professionally-Generated Content (Mainstream Media)? Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.

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Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to investigate if User-Generated Content (UGC) will replace mainstream media, the Professionally-Generated Content (PGC), in both entertainment and news information. This topic came about from the drop of TV viewership especially from audiences of age between 18 – 24. Half of the TV viewing time has moved from TV to other platforms. With the shift in viewing pattern, especially from the younger audiences where online platform became a big part of their lives, it is easy to wonder if online content will one day take over as the main media. This research focuses its study on Generation Z because they are the one who will slowly replace the previous generation. Knowing the media usage behaviour of gen. Z, this research is able to conclude if UGC is replacing, taking over or coexisting with PGC. The objectives of this research are to study the factors that contributed to the success of UGC, to wait degree UGC is affecting the mainstream media and finally have netizen journalism affected professional journalism in any way or form. Both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus group, observation) research is used to achieved the research objectives. From the data collected, it is seen that gen. Z drastically preferred YouTube as the main source of entertainment. The reasons being that it is convenient, viewers are in control of their viewing preference, the unlimited options of content and the presence of both UGC and PGC. Twothird of respondents watches more UGC and the remaining prefers PGC on YouTube. However, in the journalism perspectives, more prefers professionally-generated news. That being said, they do not avoid netizen journalist completely but netizen journalist act as a teaser, notification, obtaining more pictures or video that are censored from mainstream media and etc. Data collected has also shown that many mainstream channels are making their content available on YouTube. As a conclusion, both UGC and PGC has their own part that the audiences are relying on. UGC is doing better in entertainment content while PGC is important in news information. However, the trend saw in this research it’s that for both UGC and PGC, majority still prefers to view it from online medium.