Week Two- Introduction To Digital Media
The more and more I explore the world of media, I'm noticing a constant trend with the products and services provided. In the media world, out with the old and in with new is not just a cliché statement, its almost the way of life for media. The continuous improvements are awesome on the consumer end but I’m positive its a stressors for innovators. Every other quarter there's a new way to do things digitally and a new device to help you. These changes are pushing technology and internet into unchartered territory and creating a lane and space that has never been tapped into before. The pace of the growth is one of my concerns. It leads me to question if we the consumers are the reason behind the rise and fall of many trailblazing mediums. Are we putting expiration dates on the way we operate with technology or are innovators pushing us away from their original products with upgrades and series improvements? Are we being directed on what to buy and use or are we driving companies to produce according to our needs? All these questions and more fill my mind when analyzing the changes over time with technology and media.
Unnecessary or Expired?
Change is inevitable in some cases. Many times change is provoked by its environment and happens naturally and sometimes change is needed to thrive. Regardless of the reason, change can take place over time or overnight. The evolution of some products highlights its original copy in tasks and capabilities. Watching a movie on your tablet is just like having a portable television. Similar to reading a NY Times article on your phone is just like carrying the paper in your back pocket. The overall goal can still be achieved with these advancements and changes but now I wonder why do we need smaller and portable televisions and newspapers? Are newspapers not good enough? Are televisions not showing properly? Did these products lose the power to perform tasks and become unnecessary? Or did consumers throw away certain platforms? We have a lot of control when it comes to the progression of the internet and technology. Yes, companies miss the mark sometimes but they basically produce what we as consumers are willing to spend time and money on. We create the Web, by designing computer protocols and software; this process is completely under our control. We choose what properties we want it to have and not have. It is by no means finished (and it’s certainly not dead). If we want to track what government is doing, see what companies are doing, understand the true state of the planet, find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, not to mention easily share our photos with our friends, we the public, the scientific community and the press must make sure the Web’s principles remain intact—not just to preserve what we have gained but to benefit from the great advances that are still to come (Berners-Lee, 2010). With all this control are we the cause behind traditional media being overlooked by emerging platforms?
R-generation, “R" for replacement
Over the years, technology has opened the doors for new ways of living and has granted innovators the opportunity to share their ideas with the world. Now I believe it is vital for companies to start considering how long they believe a service or product will have consumer’s attention. Are we using devices until it’s anticipated end date or upgrading to new devices before the other device reaches its max? Have we become a generation of replacement? Are we fully enjoying products for all they have to offer or are we disregarding perfectly good platforms? All these questions are driving me up wall and they keep coming. Why was the news television station necessary when newspapers were used to inform the public? Why do we have the internet on our phone and pc's at home? Money, preference and access are the leading answers that come to mind when thinking about the changes in media.
Conclusion
Digital media continues to bloom and grow and so does the needs of its consumers. Changes currently appear to not be slowing down anytime soon making it safe to say that we haven’t seen anything yet. How much input we have in this change can be controlled by what we purchase and what we access. Nothing can emerge and/or replace anything if it isn’t embraced by the public. Yes, companies make moves to make more money but consumers control the flow with our money. As traditional media meets emerging media and digital media continues to improve, we are no where near the end of advancements in technology.
Sources:
1. Berners-Lee, T. (2010). Long Live The Web. Retrieved from http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Long_Live_the_Web.pdf
2. Spence, E. (2017, January 18). New iPhone Sales Set For Disappointing Decline. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2017/01/18/apple-iphone-7-sales-cut/#f60c74d5642d
3. Shearer, E., & Gottfried, J. (2017, September 07). News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017. Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/07/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2017/
Unnecessary or Expired?
Change is inevitable in some cases. Many times change is provoked by its environment and happens naturally and sometimes change is needed to thrive. Regardless of the reason, change can take place over time or overnight. The evolution of some products highlights its original copy in tasks and capabilities. Watching a movie on your tablet is just like having a portable television. Similar to reading a NY Times article on your phone is just like carrying the paper in your back pocket. The overall goal can still be achieved with these advancements and changes but now I wonder why do we need smaller and portable televisions and newspapers? Are newspapers not good enough? Are televisions not showing properly? Did these products lose the power to perform tasks and become unnecessary? Or did consumers throw away certain platforms? We have a lot of control when it comes to the progression of the internet and technology. Yes, companies miss the mark sometimes but they basically produce what we as consumers are willing to spend time and money on. We create the Web, by designing computer protocols and software; this process is completely under our control. We choose what properties we want it to have and not have. It is by no means finished (and it’s certainly not dead). If we want to track what government is doing, see what companies are doing, understand the true state of the planet, find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, not to mention easily share our photos with our friends, we the public, the scientific community and the press must make sure the Web’s principles remain intact—not just to preserve what we have gained but to benefit from the great advances that are still to come (Berners-Lee, 2010). With all this control are we the cause behind traditional media being overlooked by emerging platforms?
R-generation, “R" for replacement
Over the years, technology has opened the doors for new ways of living and has granted innovators the opportunity to share their ideas with the world. Now I believe it is vital for companies to start considering how long they believe a service or product will have consumer’s attention. Are we using devices until it’s anticipated end date or upgrading to new devices before the other device reaches its max? Have we become a generation of replacement? Are we fully enjoying products for all they have to offer or are we disregarding perfectly good platforms? All these questions are driving me up wall and they keep coming. Why was the news television station necessary when newspapers were used to inform the public? Why do we have the internet on our phone and pc's at home? Money, preference and access are the leading answers that come to mind when thinking about the changes in media.
- Monetary gain is a leading factor for companies to continue to push new products and services to the market. Sales of Apple's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus smartphones during 2017 were expected to be lower. The research firm lowered its revenue expectation on the smartphone family by three percent blaming the decline on the presumptively titled iPhone 8 (Spence, 2017). This information may sound bad but it shows how Apple predicted a better outcome in the future even with low exceptions for their current product. This would make sense why some device series never end and it appears to have a better version every year.
- Personal preference has a lot to do with the high turnover for media platforms. After a while, people become very clear on how they want things and how they want to do them. With so many options to choose from, people are usually true to themselves and follow companies and products that fulfill their needs. So for the person on the go, I can understand the need for the newest portable mobile device that stays connected to the world.
- Lastly, access has changed the dynamic of media drastically. These changes makes it clear on why some analog platforms converted to digital outlets to meet people where they are. This explains the increased visibiliablity of traditional media platforms on social media. As of August 2017, two-thirds (67%) of Americans report that they get at least some of their news on social media – with two-in-ten doing so often (Shearer & Gottfried, 2017). Companies must consider where people dwell to stay relevant.
Conclusion
Digital media continues to bloom and grow and so does the needs of its consumers. Changes currently appear to not be slowing down anytime soon making it safe to say that we haven’t seen anything yet. How much input we have in this change can be controlled by what we purchase and what we access. Nothing can emerge and/or replace anything if it isn’t embraced by the public. Yes, companies make moves to make more money but consumers control the flow with our money. As traditional media meets emerging media and digital media continues to improve, we are no where near the end of advancements in technology.
Sources:
1. Berners-Lee, T. (2010). Long Live The Web. Retrieved from http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Long_Live_the_Web.pdf
2. Spence, E. (2017, January 18). New iPhone Sales Set For Disappointing Decline. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2017/01/18/apple-iphone-7-sales-cut/#f60c74d5642d
3. Shearer, E., & Gottfried, J. (2017, September 07). News Use Across Social Media Platforms 2017. Retrieved from http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/07/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2017/
Hi Kenya,
ReplyDeleteYour introduction to your blog was a great way to summarize the introduction to digital. You pose some insightful questions about where we are, how we got here, where we are going, and whether some things were necessary in the first place? While some of your questions may have no definitive answers, we all have our opinions.
Are consumers the reason behind the rise and fall of many trailblazing mediums? I certainly believe so. If consumers didn't adopt the web, the internet, and the digital era, we would still be handwriting letters (in cursive) and mailing checks and Christmas cards. There would be no talk of television and newspapers dying.
You asked if we are putting expiration dates on technology, or if innovators are pushing us away from their original products with upgrades. Yes, and yes. We are trading in our old, reliable clunkers, for the innovator's brand new models.
Finally, you asked if we are being told what to buy, or whether innovators are producing what we need? I believe both are true. In some cases, we are being told what to buy, thanks to effective innovation, and marketing on all platforms, traditional and social (the new word-of-mouth). When the iPhone X came out, it was all I saw on Twitter, Instagram, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Buzzfeed. Innovators like Google are using balloons to create internet access for the millions still without, and Fabian Hemmert has created shape-shifting phones. Innovators see what we are doing now, and develop advancements for the future, which could be later today or tomorrow.
I was like you when it came to traditional media. A year ago, I would have said newspapers are dying. I now believe they are in transition. They may not survive the adjustment to digital, but their death will not be as immediate as many predicted.
You brought up another great question about whether this generation enjoys what products have to offer, or are disregarding perfectly good platforms? I think digital natives disregard newspapers and other "perfectly good platforms, because they replaced them before they could enjoy them.
I really enjoyed your conclusion, in which you state, nothing can emerge or replace anything if the public does not embrace it. Communication theorist Everett Rogers, and many others would approve.