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What Happens Next?

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       After learning about the various technological advancements of the past few decades, it becomes a little complicated to even imagine how such technology could improve! We are currently living in a world where we take such technological improvements for granted.  Even though we've covered a few of these advancements in previous blogs, there are many more significant developments to mention: 1. Wearable Technology: Wearables used to be limited to a simple watch that told time.  These have now been upgraded, as devices like the Apple Watch provide users with many of the features they would typically find on their smartphones.  Users are able to send and receive text messages, make phone calls, and even snap photos with their watches! In addition, wearable technology provides users with many health benefits, such as a calorie counter, step tracker, and hear rate monitors.  Consumers have definitely adopted wearable technology: Laricchia (2022) ...
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Changing Expectations: High-Quality Content

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       Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple lines of business  within my employer were shut down/inoperable. Luckily, thousands of my coworkers (and myself) were able to continue working from home.  During this 2-year period, we were able to stay in contact with upper leadership via zoom calls and team chats.  The success of this method required that we have a high-speed internet connection and strong audiovisual equipment (headsets and webcams).  Sometimes, management officials (in the corporate sector) would upload companywide updates that left me rather disappointed as an employee.  I couldn't grasp why corporate managers in a Fortune 500 company were not being given the tools to upload high-quality video content if it was the main method of communication.       My sentiment is mainly based on the fact that because we as a society have access to high-quality technology, we should be able to generate ...
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Changing Expectations: I WANT IT NOW

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       If you've ever watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory , you've likely been exposed to Violet Beauregarde's "I want it now" attitude. I firmly believe that we as a society do not appreciate the benefits provided by technological advances.  One of these advantages is the fact that we can get our dose of digital media at any time, with the click of a button.  This has essentially led to a Violet Beauregarde syndrome: we want access, and we want it now.  In order to secure brand loyalty, digital media organizations have to ensure that they provide content as soon as possible.  For instance, if a major news story has just occurred, news media organizations need to be quick to report; if they do't, audiences will simply gravitate to another news outlet that's already published the information.       The Facebook platform provides an excellent example of a "quick reaction".  Severe weather caused a series of tornado...
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Changing Expectations: Global Audiences

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       As discussed previously, technological innovations have made digital media more accessible on a global scale.  Consumers are able to access their favorite media sources from anywhere in the world, and through a variety of devices (smartphones, tablets, and computers).  As such, media companies have had to evolve: they can no longer be successful by reaching audiences within a city, state or country's limits.  In order to evolve, media companies have to cater to audiences on a GLOBAL SCALE.     Often, companies have to adjust their marketing so that it respects the cultures and attitudes of audiences from all parts of the world.  This often means that media companies will create different marketing strategies for each geographical audience they are trying to reach.  Ismail (2021) mentions that because the internet has made it easy for media to travel from one corner of the globe to the other, media companies have to ensure tha...
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Technology Spotlight: Mobile Computing

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       In the previous blog post, we discussed the immense impact created by the accessibility of a faster internet connection.  Faster internet connections had a direct impact on the future of mobile computer.  Heavy CPUs and monitors gave way to sleek desktop computers and razor-thin laptops.  However, mobile computer wasn't only limited to full-fledged computers.  Over time, major tech giants such as Apple and Samsung developed portable tablet computers and smartphones.  The smartphone is perhaps the most important technological innovation, as its invention meant that users could have the computing power of a desktop computer in the pocket of their pants.  Smartphones have proven to be incredibly popular as a Pew Research Study mentions that more than 85% of Americans have a smartphone (as of 2020). This number has likely risen even more, as the statistic was measured based on data from April 2020.  Of course, one of the biggest ...
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Technology Spotlight: Internet Accessibility

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      I can still remember accessing the internet in the early 2000's.  My family lived in the outskirts of a small town and a faster connection (DSL) was only available if one's home was a short distance from the Internet Service Provider.  Therefore, connecting to the internet required a 3 minute-long call where strange, robotic sounds were exchanged between my computer and the internet service provider.  The end result was, of course, an extremely slow internet connection that limited my web browsing to chat and text-based research (unless, of course, I was willing to wait hours for a video to load).        Over time, of course, the internet has become faster and more accessible around the globe.  Consumers are able to access a much faster internet connection, which allows for the viewing of text, sound, and video-based content without waiting for slow buffer speeds.  According to a Pew Research Study(2021), 93% of Amer...
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Technology Spotlight: Tik Tok

I vividly remember my first exposure to Tik Tok:     I follow a very talented cake designer, and she is frequently sharing her most recent creations via her Facebook account.  One day, she shared a Tik Tok cake for a Tik Tok-themed birthday party.  I didn't quite understand the theme, so I performed a quick google search.  I quickly discovered that Tik Tok was the name of an app which was quickly gaining popularity due to its dance and lip-synch challenges.  Although I was extremely perplexed by the fact that someone would theme their birthday party around a social media platform, I was even more perplexed by the concept of Tik Tok.  I had one question: "Can a brand new social media platform succeed amongst a sea of other extremely popular and well-established social media platforms?"     The answer, of course, is YES.  According to Cyca (2022), Tik Tok was the most downloaded app of 2021; the app currently has over one billion active us...
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