“The Future Hold for the Mobile Industry”

1. How does the mobile phone in today’s communication market illustrate digital convergence?

        Mobile phones today have become a major facet of our society. Convergence has taken place because we have been able to bring together a phone, a music player, a web browser, and deeper integration of our social media sites and web pages. Smartphones are the epitome of digital media, and it combines the best of what we want out of the Internet, and really communication in general to everyone in the world. Because of all this integration, we are able to communicate to anyone from anywhere in the world at any given time, with just the touch of a button or application. It seems that even the term "mobile" is becoming a term that is not being used as much, as it seems that it's not just mobility, but integration as well as ease of access.

2. Why is mobility the future of digital communication? Please use the two media technology theories in the article “The Song of the Alphabet in Cyberspace” to explain the mobility.

        Mobility is the future of digital communication because it will enable us to widen our horizons and reach a larger amount of people quicker and more efficiently. In McLuhan's writing, he talks about hot and cold media, and how "hot" media is from a singular source, and really limited source of interaction. Mobility would eliminate that, and would allow a greater amount of interactivity with our environments. Mobility a "cold" media environment, meaning that there is more opportunities to interact and alter what you see to your like; a more personalized experience. McLuhan also talked about an acoustic environment, or direct content with the source of our information. Mobility would eliminate that as well, as there wouldn't be as much of a need to be in direct contact, but would rather have the ability to be away from our televisions and computer, and would be able to use that media in other places.

3. How does the possible integration of the mobile technology with the biological sensors create new opportunities for digital media communication in the future according to the digital media experts in the article? What are the possible ethical concerns?

        Possible integration of the mobile technology with the biological sensors are creating new opportunities for digital media communication in the future because we are able to use it for a more medical sense, as Howard Rheingold said in the article:

"We’re already seeing blood-sugar sensors for diabetics that plug into phones, sensors for environmental pollution, and I think we will rapidly see the growth of body-oriented sensors as part of the “quantified self” movement. Remote sensing of the chemical composition of the blood and even simple imaging devices will contribute to the growth of medicine and again, smartphones plus sensors in the body and sensors in the environment will lead to a new medium unlike smartphones as we know them today." 

      Despite even the medical sense of mobile phones, Dr. Max Schleser stated in hie theory that mobile media should be seen, and should strive to establish stronger connections between people and communities:

"In this context one should not only consider mobile media as screen media like TV or desktop computers, but a social interactive and multi-nodal network media that links to communities, provides new insights through visual communication, while providing access in many respects for a global audience. The notions of sociability and connectivity are and will be key in the future of mobile media."

        Ethical problems would be more aimed towards the question of where the jurisdiction of what can be used to advance technology. Will it come to a point where it is interwoven with our bodies? Our Clothing? Who knows. But when it comes to that point where physical devices are no longer enough, that will be time where the ethical issues arise.

4. Why are sociability and connectivity the important key for the future of mobile media?

       Sociability is what allows us to be more active in communication with friends and families from almost anywhere. It is becoming more and more crucial this day and age to have more socially oriented media. Connectivity allows us not just to be more interwoven in other's lives and activities, but allows us to expand into different communities and peer groups, sharing our ideas, and creating a greater sense of collective intelligence. Without these two elements of sociability and connectivity, the whole sense of having a personal, electronic experience, is lost, and the idea of having technological mobility is gone, losing its appeal. Those two elements are the two important keys to the sustainability for the future of mobile media. 

Digital Music Is Destroying the Industry, One Download at a Time

        Everyone has downloaded music illegally. It just seems like too much of a hassle spending money on something when you can simply get for free and have it be just a click away. Nowadays people are downloading music illegally, and having no shame in taking things what they want without having to pay.

        All the whole industry is paying for it.

        Digital Music has practically eliminated the cassette and other forms of old media. Buying CDs simply takes too long now, and downloading things in the comfort of our own homes is just easier and the number one option for music. As a result, artists make the majority of their money on tour rather than launch CDs because the risk of losing money is higher than ever.

        30 billion songs were illegally downloaded between 2004-2009, which means it's probably exponentially higher now than then. Of course as a result of this, it has led to loss of profits in the music industry, and since Napster in 1999, sales have gone down 47%, nearly an entire half of the money made, gone, just like that.

        That's not even the worst of it. Free music has cost the industry $12.5 Billion in losses, including a loss of 71,000 jobs. This is a major problem, and the music industry knows it. Now, labels feel the pressure of continuing with established artists instead of going out and finding new talent, which can gather larger audiences faster, bringing in more money as quickly and effectively as they can.

        Of course, like all crises, things were put into the law's hands. In 1999 the RIAA sued Napster, which at the type was the main source of illegally downloaded files and music. There was so much money put into an 8 year period, that it caused Napster to go bankrupt. After it was all said and done,
it changed file sharing laws forever.

        No matter how you look at it, digital downloads have had an overall negative effect on the music industry. But will it diminish it forever? Perhaps not. But the concept of the digitization to the music has been both a blessed curse, and an all too apparent curse.

       

Communication Journalism

Podcast:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/episodes/86257-communication-journalism

RSS Feed:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/10676.rss

Twitter Killed All Journalists!

There has been a media murder, and the image above is the prime suspect. 

What was once a one-way street in the world of Journalism, has now become an overwhelming force where everyone can contribute, and have twitter to thank for that.

Many believe that journalism has been killed, and maybe it has, but more in the traditional sense. Twitter as well as other social media sites have allowed a greater sense of citizen journalism, making anyone able to share information that they obtain and distribute it to anyone, from anywhere in the world. But where does that leave the traditional journalists who are getting paid for what they do?

The short answer; referee. Or more specifically, they are used more and more as those that can correct people on the internet, keeping the credibility of the information intact, that way, no matter who puts out an image, or a link, or a video, there will always be someone who can verify it as fact.

Personally, I see this concept not as a deletion, but an evolution. The traditional journalist is dead, but the act of being a journalist is alive and well, maybe more so than usual. It's simply the medium and where it's obtained that makes it different.

A man by the name of McGuire at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication wrote about this topic, and stated:

"Twitter offers just as equal a chance for journalists to destroy credibility and ruin any potential connections with readers for an entire organization."

But that doesn't mean that people should be afraid of Twitter, that companies should cower in fear at the site of normal average citizens stealing their jobs simply with a camera phone. If anything, they should be embracing this evolution, and using this to further their Journalism careers, and understand that this craft has become a global enterprise.

When someone posts a tweet with an iPhone image and shows some major event, and posts links to other sites where they can get more information, don't be mad that he beat these mass journalists to the punch in broadcasting their information, be proud.

Because ultimately, it's them that's going to be the ones that give us up to date information when we want it. It is also up to the traditional journalists to make sure that the information is truthful and accurate.

Will you be part of the Journalist Revolution?



McGuire Article
http://cronkite.asu.edu/mcguireblog/?p=158

Are Twitter and Social Media Ruining Journalism?
http://jfbarclay.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/twitter-and-social-media-ruining-journalism/

Introduction to Podcasting

1.  How does podcasting fit into the organizational communication in business, non-profit, and academic contexts?

Podcasting fits into organizational communication because it is essentially streamlined, allowing the audience you’re reaching out to see a catalog of your content, and is essentially a universal medium. It allows anyone, no matter who they are, to start a podcast, and begin to create content that people may want to listen into and subscribe to. Anyone from businesses, non-profits, and academic contexts can be represented in the form of a podcast.

2.  Why does the speaker say that podcasting extends message?

The podcasts is able to educate. It is able to teach people. It needs to be able to teach people something and keep them wanting more. You’re going to want an audience that wants to hear your content everyday, and wants to keep coming back for more. It is able to extend the message beyond the conventional conversation, but is able to reach an ever-expanding audience and are able to get great feedback form them.

3. How does podcasting encourage participation culture according to the speaker?

It encourages participation culture because it allows people to participate in listening to it and enjoy your content. It also allows people to look at the rest of your content and become interested in what you have to give them. This encourages the feedback from your audience, almost instituting a form of collective intelligence, which can improve your podcast and content as a whole.

4. What are the three critical elements of development for a successfully media when the speaker talks about email, blogging, and online ad? Why does podcasting have the three elements?

The three critical elements of development for successful media are important, being able to keep content fresh and interesting, and keeping the audience wanting more on a daily basis. Podcasting has these three elements because they are essential to obtaining an audience and maintaining that audience that is always engaging and entertaining.

5. How does the concept of digital media convergence get applied in podcasting when the speaker discusses the compounding media?

Digital media convergence gets applied in podcasting through the availability of links that take you to other forms of media. Being able to access different social media sites, web pages, video, and even additional audio, that expands the content in the original podcast. It allows different types of mediums and media to come together towards a common objective, which is to better the podcast.