In 1436 Gutenberg was accused of inventing an object that would eventually turn our brains into porridge – the good old printing press. The same accusation a made of radio, television, video and the cinema.

It seems that whenever we innovate or invent our communication tools many people see it as a step too far and the end of civilization as we know it.

Today is no different as we trade in and trade up our communication tools and shift many of them online. One of the fundamental shifts is that we have democratized information and news and moved it into the hands of the individual.

It is now possible to source and proffer news in an endless list of niche subjects. It is possible to have a first hand view of the world’s major and minor moments, presented not by a corporate spokesperson, but rather an individual that happens to be walking by with their mobile phone.

I love these two shots of the new Pope’s announcement, the first is Pope Benedict XVI’s in April 2005 and the second is Pope Francis earlier this year.

Take a look at both and spot the difference. In Pope Benedict XVI’s there are very few mobile phones recording the ceremony, but in Pope Francis’s announcement the crowd is full of smart phones recording and sharing the news in real-time.

The Future of the Media is this week’s chat between David Dowsett of ABC radio Wide Bay and I as we ask are newspapers dead, is printed news a dinosaur, what constitutes news, who creates it, who communicates it and what do people expect and want from news and information sources.

Take a listen now and let me know how you see the future of media.