"The early web required that many newspaper journalists learn content management systems and repurpose their work for online spaces while maintaining their print duties. Social media platforms layered on demands to engage audiences where they gathered, to participate in every conversation as fast as possible, and make the news literally dance to new trends. Mobile technology untethered journalism from the desktop, creating an expectation of always-on availability and real-time responsiveness."
"In 2026, the wheel may finally start to fall apart - and, if so, generative AI will be responsible. The hamster wheel metaphor first gained traction as a diagnosis of what had gone wrong with journalism in the digital era. Dean Starkman, writing in 2010, crystallized the problem: "The Hamster Wheel isn't speed; it's motion for motion's sake. The Hamster Wheel is volume without thought. It is news panic, a lack of discipline, an inability to say no.""
Contemporary journalism operates like a hamster wheel: relentless activity with little lasting progress. Digital transitions — the early web, social media, and mobile — increased workload and speed, adding content-management, constant audience engagement, and always-on responsiveness. The 24-hour cycle intensified through push notifications and real-time feeds. Despite technological changes, humans remained the indispensable engine behind news production, sustaining volume and pace. Generative AI threatens that human-centered assumption by reshaping content creation and workflow; this technology could begin to dismantle the existing production model around 2026, altering roles, discipline, and the balance between speed and thoughtful reporting.
Read at Nieman Lab
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