Topsy-turvy world of Communications

Gritted Window
Originally uploaded by nlnnet. Available at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kelleys/68441104/.

Have a look at this photo. What do you notice? (Note: most do not because they do not really look, but only glance.)

Of course if you do look the answer is clear, and this is an illustration of my point.

If we look closely and carefully we will see that the media world is also upside down, and a major change is soon coming.

There are many reasons for this, and they are coming together almost all at the same time. Taken together it is reason to take it all seriously, and to pay attention to what it means, especially if your work is involved in communications and media.

Reason One: Digital. This is actually old news, but it is now becoming ever closer to the day when digital media takes over analog media, and then to a point when analog media is hard to support.

Reason Two: Broadband. More and more people are getting their online data over a broadband connection. In N. America more now have broadband than dial-up connections. This means that producers of content in whatever format will start to target their creation to the majority and this will mean more multimedia, more data intensitivity.

Reason Three: Social Networking. Sometimes this is also called web 2.0. Another way to say it is that the internet is becoming more interactive.

Reason Four: On Demand. I want what I want when I want it. This is now becoming more and more the norm. Checkout the concept of podcasting to see how this works out at the moment, and we are only at the beginning. This will mean in my opinion the beginning of the end of the networks. If everyone can distribute their own media what reason is there for a network that broadcasts at fixed times. If I can get what I want when I want it, I can also listen or watch it when I want it. This will change media today just like TV changed radio, or radio changed vaudeville.

Reason Five: Mobility. Other media is also going this way. Just look at the popularity of the IPod (now also with video). Why can I only view things at a fixed spot? Well, I do not need to. In the near future this will become so much better that more media will be viewed personally than now, and even more social contact will be taking place across affinity groups and not based upon geography or sadly inside of families.

There is more to say, but this is a blog and not a thesis on media. Let me know what you think about this topic if you care to by posting a comment or linking to this blog.