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Media Faces Web-driven Revolution
The media is facing a fundamental revolution due to the rapid development of information technology, especially the quick development of the Internet, said Yang Zhengquan, vice-director of the State Council Information Office.
"The Internet and Media Revolution" is the theme of the Third Asia-Pacific Symposium and Exhibition on the Press and Scientific and Social Progress (APSP 2001), which will be held from November 3-6 in Beijing, Yang told reporters at a press conference Wednesday.
Great changes have taken place over the past two years in the media and the press thanks to the rapid development of network technology, said Zhou Guangzhao, president of the China Association for Science and Technology.
"At present, there are over 400 million Internet users in the world and the number of e-mails being transmitted per day reached 1.4 billion by the end of 2000," said Zhou, who is also chairman of APSP 2001.
In China, the number of Internet users increased to 22.5 million by the end of last year from 620,000 in 1997, Yang said.
As soon as the "fourth media," otherwise known as the Internet, emerged, it was evident that it had many advantages over other types of media due to its ability to store huge amounts of information and reach large numbers of people, he said.
However, traditional and Web-based media have a lot in common, such as content, quality and efficiency, Yang added.
The symposium will focus on the characteristics and impact of the media revolution, future trends and how traditional media have been affected, Zhou said.
The first symposium of its kind was held in 1992 in Beijing.
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