talkingDigital

Image via CrunchBase

Digital video and online video have been two hot trends, and there are multiple ways that this relatively new technology is bringing a change to the world. Here’s what we see happening now, and in the future, when it comes to this innovation.

1. Cord-cutting

People are “cutting” their cables virtually, when it comes to television and video. The term is a bit misleading, however, when it comes to what actually happens. Most people who discontinue cable television service will still get their Internet services through the same cable, but the point is, people are cutting costs by watching television, movies, and video clips online.

2. Simple answers

Did you know that YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine? That opens an entirely different realm of possibilities when it comes to getting answers to people who can’t read or can’t visualize instruction.

3. Education

The cost of traditional college education has absolutely skyrocketed, and it’s reached an epidemic problem in America. The costs of tuition, living and books has escalated to the point where only the wealthiest citizens can afford to pay for it out of pocket, and the middle or lower class students who have to take loans are realizing that it’s not a good trade financially. Student loan debt in America stands at $1 trillion, and is rising, unfortunately.

At the same time, the bandwidth of the Internet and the scope of people’s devices, combined with the decreased cost of video creation and production, have led to an exciting revelation in education: it’s going online. It makes sense that the industry would consolidate in this manner. Why should 10,000 professors be giving the same speeches on any given day, when the five best professors could be giving it online, at a greatly reduced cost?

As a result, online video in the realm of education is becoming very popular. In many technical trades such as computing, it’s a natural fit. If you want to get IT training videos for Microsoft certification, there’s no better place to do it than on a computer. Being able to switch between video training and actual application of the learning is a natural fit. There are hundreds of educational uses of online video, and we’re only beginning to scratch the surface here.

Image via Wikipedia

What is new media? Rather, what is new about new media? Of course, the Internet has changed media and added a new dimension of communication and innovation, but when should those who produce and consume online augmented communication stop considering their methods and means as new?

Of course, the argument for new media is not new vs. old, but new vs. traditional. Traditional media comes in the form of television, radio, newspaper and magazines. However, listening to terrestrial radio via the Internet stream would most likely fall under new media. Same for television. The nightly news broadcast is a form of traditional media, but logging into the broadcast’s website to comment on a story is considered new media.

If new media is defined as online media consumption, but all traditional media outlets now have online methods of distribution and interaction, is the concept really new anymore?

So, what’s the alternative? When it comes to research, advertising and study, it is very handy to divide the media into two groups – traditional and…

How about emerging media? Emerging says it all. It’s not mainstream media, it’s not new or old. It’s emerging. A Google search suggests that others have already claimed the word emerging and associated it with specific types of media. However, the words new and social were also in existence before they were adopted into their contemporary meanings.

It’s important that those within the industry insist on using a different term for it. Otherwise, we will still be calling ourselves part of the new media 20 years after YouTube and Facebook were created. By that time, all media will be `a la carte.

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