Music Expectations

Music, like other forms of media, has become more culturally diverse. In the 60’s and 70’s, when I was growing up, music was more diverse than it had been in the past but there were definitely lines drawn. Now, with the internet, you can find cultural music in unexpected places.                        

http://infospace.ischool.syr.edu

 

Technology changes the way music is consumed because it makes getting or buying the media quicker and less expensive. It also opens up opportunities that are not necessarily ethical like Lime Wire or Napster. However, itunes, Netflix, Amazon and others, has made it just as easy and convenient to do it legally. Bon Jovi said “Steve Jobs is personally responsible for killing the music business.”(2011) This could not be further from the truth. I believe people give Steven Jobs too much credit for most things; including being the sole person that killed the music industry. Number one; the music industry is not dead. Number two; if it was it would be a number of different scenarios that had a part in it happening – not just Steve Jobs.

 

According to Bracetti “Through a collection of data from personal preferences (followed musicians) to hashtags, Twitter\u2019s engine recommends musical selections and makes life easier by directing listeners to streaming services.”(2013) Music and culture will continue to change as media changes; they all need and feed off one another. Another example of how media has changed the entire music culture is a little closer to home. Swash says

“The development of the digital world over the last 10 to 15 years means SXSW's role as a showcase for new musical talent has been superseded; you no longer need an annual event to introduce you to a new act because you've probably already heard their music online. That overlapping of music and technology has transformed the very way musicians conceive their careers.” (2013)



References

Bracetti, A. (2013, July 18). Napster Leads the P2P Brigade - 10 Ways Tech Has Changed How We Consume Music | Complex. Retrieved from http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/07/10-ways-tech-has-changed-how-we-consume-music/napster-leads-the-p2p-brigade

Swash, R. (2011, March 17). Music industry dances to technology's tune | Culture | The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/mar/17/sxsw-music-technology-soundcloud

How Technology Changed Societies Expectations of the Movie Industry

 



The expectations of society on the movie industry half a century ago was a lot different. Before everyone had a television set you could only find movies at a theater. When television became popular the movie industry had to change by adding techno-color and other forms of enhancement to compete. When VHS tapes and players became affordable, again they thought it would be the death of the industry; it slowed down but stayed alive. Now we can download or watch a movie instantly, the moment we want to see it; this causes the industry to change yet again to keep up with society. Filmconnection.com mentions “As with anything else, the movie business has had to adapt to the changes the Internet has brought, and is still adapting; neither is the Internet a guaranteed ticket to Hollywood.”(n.d.)

 

People have become accustomed to instant gratification. They want what they want now and that includes movies. Instead of selling movies through a store you have several choices of way to download it to many different devices. Another way the movie industry has changed is that there are more expectations of varieties of different cultures to be portrayed in movies, television and advertising. There have many predictions as to where the movie industry will take us in the future.

 

George Lucas agreed that massive changes are afoot, including film exhibition morphing somewhat into a Broadway play model, whereby fewer movies are released, they stay in theaters for a year and ticket prices are much higher. His prediction prompted Spielberg to recall that his 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial stayed in theaters for a year and four months.(2013)

 

References

How the Internet Has Changed the Movie Business. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.filmconnection.com/reference-library/film-entrepreneurs/how-the-internet-has-changed-the-movie-biz/

Shafer, S. (2013). Lucas and Spielberg Predict Big Changes to the Film Industry. Retrieved from http://screenrant.com/steven-spielberg-george-lucas-movie-industry-ticket-prices-discussion/

The social Side to Blockbusters [Infographic]. (2012). Retrieved from http://allfacebook.com/files/2012/09/crowdtap_social-blockbusters.jpeg

 

 

Media Impact: Changes in Cultures

The media Impact on a variety of cultures worldwide has been enormous. Often times we hear the negative side of social media but there are a lot more positives than negatives. Through new technology and social media many cultures cane make the rest of the world aware of their plight. Before these new technologies existed most cultures communicated within a small group. Rarely was anyone aware of what was going on half way across the globe unless it was war. Now we are enlightened about the lack of women’s rights, illnesses, terror groups, children in the sex trade, and other tragedies that we can actually help to end by using our voices and speaking up. If enough people share information about a problem it makes the voice louder; politicians and other important people hear who can actually take action. The people who do these atrocious acts can no longer do it in the shadows.

Mediaimpact.org states “Entertainment-Education programs draw on our deep affinity for stories to reveal worlds of new possibilities, where dramatic conflicts and decisions are tied to real world consequences.”(2014) New technologies allow for these stories to reach many more individuals. One person may not be able to do much; combined with hundreds of others can do a lot.

The deaf community is another culture that has benefited a lot from new technology. They previously felt separate from main stream society. Now they can communicate through social media and texting like everyone else. Through these new tools there is no way to tell a hearing person from a non-hearing person. The recent bad publicity about the Mendela sign interpreter, that was even made fun of on SNL, brought to light the problems the deaf community were having with older styles of communicating. I was unaware that there have been many reports of bad sign interpreters, even in emergency situations. Dr. Kent stated “Now that the Deaf community has discovered Twitter, there are opportunities for Social Media and Emergency Management (#SMEM) to become more effective in communicating public warnings to the Deaf.”(2013)

 

References

Entertainment-Education | PCI Media Impact. (n.d.). Retrieved from

     http://mediaimpact.org/entertainment-education/

Kent, J. (2013, December 15). Deaf People Use Social Media to Make Their Voices Heard:

     Can #SMEM be used to reach them in a crisis? | idisaster 2.0. Retrieved from

     http://idisaster.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/deaf-people-use-social-media-to-make-their-

     voices-heard-can-smem-be-used-to-reach-them-in-a-crisis/

 

Mobility: Why it is Important in Communications

          More and more people are relying on their mobile devices more than their desktops or laptops. Skerik points out “folks are not simply laying laptops aside and picking up their phablets instead.  Mobile devices have ushered in new behaviors, enabling people to use time on a train platform, bus or grocery store checkout line to continue following the news stories, researching the products or engaging in the conversations they were having at their desks. Certainly, there’s more competition for attention than ever, however, audiences are devoting hours of their days to online information and interaction, offering marketers new opportunities to connect.”(2014)

Image from http://blog.prnewswire.com/2014/05/29/reality-check-meekers-internet-trends-report-notes-for-communicators/

People want to be able to communicate where ever they may be and go from one device to another. Staying current and communicating in many forms is what is required for today’s communicators. A funny thing to ponder is “Douglas Adams succinctly summed up attitudes toward new technologies when he wrote:

There’s a set of rules that anything that was in the world when you were born is normal and natural. Anything invented between when you were 15 and 35 is new and revolutionary and exciting, and you’ll probably get a career in it. Anything invented after you’re 35 is against the natural order of things.”(2014)

          Communicators of tomorrow will look a lot different than they do today. Skerik also points out "Even more stunning is the spectacular growth rate of tablet sales, which are growing far more quickly than PCs or laptops ever did.  The portability and intuitive design of tablets are fueling the demand for these devices."(2014)  This information is very surprising to a lot of marketers and communicators. This can open more opportunities but also be more time consuming and complicated.

References

Adams, D. (1999, August 29). DNA/How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet. 

     Retrieved from http://www.douglasadams.com/dna/19990901-00-a.html

Skerik, S. (2014, May 29). Reality Check: Meeker’s Internet Trends Report & Notes for

     Communicators | Beyond PR. Retrieved from http://blog.prnewswire.com/2014/05/29/reality-

     check-meekers-internet-trends-report-notes-for-communicators/

How Technology has Changed Communication

       Communicators of the 21^st century have to be more alert to changing technologies and the platforms used to communicate.  Today they have to be able to communicate through the internet, mobiles, and even the old-fashioned way. All forms of communication are different and require different techniques. Today’s communicators have to be just as efficient at short, 140 character, type of communication as they are at formal forms of communication. It used to be that a journalist for a local news outlet could basically categorize their audience. Now, the internet has made it so that their audience is vast and the demographics are always changing.

           

       According to Gross, Five Ways Facebook has Changed us for Better and Worse, are:

• 1.     We can and do share everything.
  The negative side: we can and do share everything.

• 2.     You can now find almost anyone; past or present.
  The negative side: they can find you.

• 3.     The heaviest users of Facebook are generally happy and “more likely to be engaged socially and politically.”
  The negative side:  “the photos of smiling kids on vacation in the Caribbean or announcements about promotions, engagements and awesome nights on the town -- can make us feel sadder about our own humdrum lives.”

• 4.     Class reunions are happening every day through Facebook.
  The negative side: When you are in contact with old classmates everyday there is no reason to have a real class reunion. It’s healthy for people to meet face-to-face occasionally.

• 5.     Security tools are easily available for those who want to use them.
  The negative side: security breaches. (2014)

References

Gross, D. (2014, January 30). 5 ways Facebook changed us, for better and worse - CNN.com.

Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/31/tech/social-media/facebook-changes/

Why Current Training is Important in Communications

     Understanding communications and knowing how to communicate will always be important to all in the business arena. According to mba.com “Successfully pitching a new product idea to your boss or presenting a financial analysis or strategic plan to your company’s management team requires a high level of proficiency across a broad set of communication skills that have never gone out of style—in fact they’re in high demand.”(2014) The more one can learn and stay alert to changes in communications the better off they will be in all aspects of their life. Mike Myatt with Forbes recently said;

Communications is more about listening
than talking

It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator. I hope you noticed the previous sentence didn’t refer to being a great talker – big difference. The key to becoming a skillful communicator is rarely found in what has been taught in the world of academia. From our earliest days in the classroom we are trained to focus on enunciation, vocabulary, presence, delivery, grammar, syntax and the like. In other words, we are taught to focus on ourselves. While I don’t mean to belittle these things as they’re important to learn, it’s the more subtle elements of communication rarely taught in the classroom (the elements that focus on others), which leaders desperately need to learn. (2014)

If we can learn to really listen to our audience and read changing trends our skills will be in high demand. Good communicators also need to understand SEO, SMO, and metadata. In Practicing Convergence Journalism, Usher points out “Good content and high readership levels are not mutually exclusive: good stories will be found, and SEO can help.”(p. 134)

References

Employers Want Communication Skills in New Hires. (2014, August 7). Retrieved from

http://www.mba.com/us/the-gmat-blog-hub/the-official-gmat-blog/2014/aug/employers-want-communication-skills-in-new-hires.aspx

Myatt, M. (2012, April 4). 10 Communication Secrets of Great Leaders - Forbes. Retrieved from

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2012/04/04/10-communication-secrets-of-great-leaders/