It’s easy to say that technology is here to stay, but where it is going is much more complicated. It seems like we have everything at the moment, so what more could be invented? Computers and cell phones are getting smaller, combining. And I’m sure that is what we will continue to see.
At this moment in history, we have several venues to get what we want. Radio and newspapers are still kicking, and television is one of the main media sources. However, cell phones are now the baby of media experimentation. Although they may not all offer the same features, most cell phones have more than the average person makes use of. Cell phones are the ideal way to get media on demand: small and connected. It may take time to see, but they will explode with more advanced technology, providing video and real-time opportunities for anything you can see on television.
This may mean other media outlets will evolve. Just like radio went from news to mainly entertainment, newspapers will have to change to survive. Newspapers will need to connect with people on a more personal level, like magazines. Thus, evergreen stories will replace hard-hitting news in a specialty newspaper, issued maybe once a week or month.
And beyond this? Would it be so hard to fathom a media chip inserted into a person’s brain, capable of downloading information from the World Wide Web? Maybe. However, there is already technology for the handicapped that transmits thoughts through a chip and onto a writing board. Maybe the internet is closer than we think.
Today’s technology is a continuous, “Video Killed the Radio Star”. No matter what happens, I’m sure we will see media benefit from it.
Michael Smith
Katy Blair