The Future of Media
Far too often articles have proclaimed the future of mass media, and how one new and upcoming technology will revolutionize the industry, only to be forgotten and replaced by the new next best thing. However, one commonality can be found amongst these revolutionaries; they are all consumed through some form of technology. Be it smartphones, television or computers, all ideas we have regarding the future of media is related electronic devices, not print media. So, is traditional print media dying? Yes. However that’s not to say that print media will completely phase out of sight, relegated to hipsters and the technophobic, either unwilling or unable to adapt. Although subscription to traditional paper editions of newspapers, books, and textbooks have been waning over the decades as online newspapers and e-books have been skyrocketing in numbers, the printed page still remains a powerhouse industry, as many students can attest to after years of lugging massive textbooks to and from classes. Still, It is clear that technology is the future of mass media.
It can be difficult to predict the future of mass media; after all, it was only a few years ago that we thought 3-D TV was the future. One noticeable trend in recent months has been that of wearable technology. Smart watches have existed for a couple of years already and with the growth of the market, especially with Apple’s controversial entrance into the market, smart watches and other wearable technology hold a strong chance of becoming the technology from which we consume our media in the future. A niche of wearable technology that holds the most capacity to amaze, and truly resembles what we have called the future of media consumption is virtual and augmented reality.
A part of many science fiction novels and movies, virtual reality has always seemed like a pipe dream to many people. However, over the past couple of months many strides, leaps, have even been made in the realization of this technology. From the Oculus Rift, to Project Morpheus, many companies have created workable virtual reality headsets. And while many believe that virtual reality only applies to the extreme gamers, and not the masses, Facebook’s $2billion purchase of Oculus Rift shows their certainty on the widespread possibilities of the technology. Another less extreme variant of this technology is augmented reality; with Google Glass and Microsoft’s announcement of the HoloLense, it is clear that major companies are investing large amounts of money into the development of these technologies. Whether they produce another ‘3-D TV’ or revolutionize how we consume our media remains to be seen. After all, far too often articles have proclaimed the future of mass media.