We live in times when the environment we exist in is more dynamic than it has ever been before. More innovations per unit time are seeing the light of day today than it had ever been in the times of the likes of Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. There is a possibility that a new discovery may be taking place right now in the most unorthodox place than the traditional laboratories. An invention may be taking place inside a students’ hostel, or accidentally somewhere in a farm. The interesting fact is that some of these discoveries are always building upon some of the inventions of long ago and as a result, transition from one version of a discovery to a better version of the same concept may take a shorter time than the times of long ago. It is possible for those who do not keep up-to-date with the ever-transitioning occurrences around us to hold on to obsolete knowledge, models, and trends . In this regard, this study outlines the difference between the term trends and the phrase trends convergence. It also explores media convergence as a recent example of trends convergence.
Trend
A trend refers to the swift transitions in which a product, an old model, a strategy, or a particular way of doing things is quickly replaced by a new one . Ignoring, these trends will definitely come with dire repercussions such as using businesses models that are not compatible with the prevailing trends and thus ending up with a businesses that is not sustainable in the face of the new trends. People are always in need of superior ways of doing things, which would lead to superior services, better products and an ease of operation . For example, these days it is possible to operate a business that does not own a physical address or an office inside a brick and mortar building but in a virtual space or else known as a virtual office. Therefore, in certain businesses such as graphics or website design, those who may enforce reporting to a physical office by employees as the rule of the thumb may find themselves left behind by those who will grant their employees the liberty of working at home.
Trends Convergence
As new products, models, and strategies come in to application, in certain special occasion, there may occur circumstances in which the continuous transition of discoveries may lead to a situation in which different discoveries end up contributing to the achievement of similar objectives . For example, the discovery of the mobile phone that is a very separate technology from the internet made it possible for individuals not only to access voice services through their phone but could also access information stored in other computers through the internet. In the media industry, the different elements of mass media such as voice, data, printing, broadcasting, internet may have emerged to meet specific media needs, But as is the case, these technologies have all ended up to serving almost the same purposes .
Exploring Media Convergence
The traditional print and broadcasting technologies in the media industry were primarily designed to transmit news to the masses. Nevertheless, as time changed swiftly and people’s needs evolved, several desires were aroused. For example, people needed to be able to access information anywhere and in real time. Television sets and radio units could not be carried all over the place primarily because of their bulk nature and secondly because one needed to have a source of power to turn them on. On the other hand, communication became a vital and integral part of human socioeconomic lifestyle. People needed to exchange information to effect transaction or close a business deal especially if such people were separated by vast distance. The discovery of the traditional mail services, the telegram, and the telephone made communication possible for people who were kept apart from each other because of their different geographic locations. Businesses could now be conducted between business partners from different geographic regions without any of them ever having to commit to physical contact.
At the advent of the traditional mail services, time was of essence. This was practically because the mail service is a slowed form of communication. The sender would have to wait for a very long time to receive feedback from the receiver and vice versa. Because of the need for a more real-time communication channel, the Telegram was invented during the industrial revolution era at the start of the 19th century. The telegram was a bit expensive to use and yet clumsy even though it improved the speed with which communication took place between the informant the target. Need to a cheaper and a more efficient mode led to the accidental discovery of the telephone services. The telephone made life a bit easier than the telegram though it could not be carried from place to place and was thus restricted at the point of connection. Still people needed to communicate with their family members and business associates on the go and the telephone could not achieve to fulfill this need. This led to the invention of the mobile phone. At least with the mobile phone, people could now communicate whether they were in a remote countryside or sailing further offshore. Further, as part of the mobile phone age, the radio was incorporated as a component of the mobile phone. People could now listen to their favorite radio station right on their mobile phone. The radio is not the only component that was added to the mobile phone. The photo camera and the video camera all summed up in the mobile phone camera are features that have also found their way as components of the mobile phone. Hence, with a mobile phone, you can now take photos of incidences and raw footage of occurrences that were primarily the functions of bulky cameras and camcorders. From this discussion, it is quite clear how trends in technology application change over time and propelled by human need.
The discovery of the computer was a technology that was aimed at solving the problem of information management and filing that huge paper and books library were struggling to keep. Its initial purpose was thus not as a communication tool but as a documents organization and management tool. The discovery of the possibility of interlinking several computers together made it possible to share information through those computers. This discovery was the internet, which made it possible for one person on one end of the globe to retrieve information stored in another computer on the farthest end of the globe in real time. Similarly people could engage in electronic mailing; shortened as e-mailing, to quickly convey information to each other. An internet connection is all that was required. As computer software and programs were constantly being developed, with time the computer started sharing the role of the traditional television in which the news media and television programs could now be streamed live through the internet. People could still catch up with their favorite TV shows several hours after it aired on their television on their computers through the internet. The internet allows information and files that have been made available for public use to be stored in the up-loader’s server space to the length of time the up-loader would want to retain it there. This is actually the shortfall of the television because once information is passed and communication done through it, that same information cannot be retrieved. With an internet-connected computer, that same information can be retrieved repeatedly until the owner of the information deletes it.
Now all these technologies have found usefulness in one smart technology and device called the Smartphone. The Smartphone has made it possible to undertake mail services through the electronic mailing platform together with voice communication that guarantees instant feedback between the person making the call and the one receiving it. With the Smartphone, you can also listen to your favorite radio station because it has a radio component incorporated as part of its manufacturer’s architecture. In this way, the Smartphone converges mail, telephony, and radio technologies together under one device. With a Smartphone, the owner can also systematically store their digitized information and files such as music, photos, spreadsheet files and document files in an orderly manner in folders and they can appropriately share these with their family members, friends, and business associates. The Smartphone being a mini and portable computer can also be used to create files, take photos, record voice and music files and videos in the same way a computer does. Those in the television-broadcasting segment of the media industry have also discovered the powerful technology of the Smartphone and have made available their broadcasting content to the Smartphone user through the internet streaming technology. In real sense, you can now watch your favorite TV show from your favorite TV channel right at the palm of your hand.
In summary, the media industry has undergone tremendous changes that have seen the emergence of very advanced technological trends over a very short period of time especially when compared to what has been observed in other industries, The rapid change and upgrading of such technologies have effected tremendous efficiencies in the way human beings interact with the mass media industry. From the traditional communication channels of the early 19th century to the advent of the post-modern communication platforms, so much has been discovered in such a short time. In addition, human engagement with each other has become a lot easier than ever before. Media technology advancement has consolidated the various media platforms within the precincts of a single technology, the Smartphone, making access to as much possible media content as easy as the click of a button.
References
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