Monday, October 25, 2010

The Future of the Media

So what will happen to the media in the future. A recent poll found that most people think newspapers will be extinct by 2050. Amazon.com regularly sells more books through their kindle (electronic form) than hardcover books. We've seen chain stores like Sam Goody's go out of business due to most people downloading their music. What do you predict happens next. How will cell phones change? How will radio change? How will television change? What does the future look like to you.

31 comments:

Megan said...

I agree that newspapers will probably be extinct by 2050. I do not know anyone other than my grandparents that read the newspaper on a daily basis. I know that I do not. If I need information on the latest news, I just use the internet. I believe most people get their information this way.

Cell phones now are just like Ipods, MP3 players, etc. In the future, they will probably become more like radios where you can listen to radio stations by just a click of a button.

Television will most definitely change. It has for years. TV will follow the trends of the public. Television supposedly gives us what we want so we will see.

Speaking of the future, I believe that paper copies like books, newspapers, magazines, etc. will be pretty much extinct. Everything will go to the computer. If you want information, you will have to have the internet.

drm198 said...

I think that newspapers will probably be extinct by 2050 as well. I know the only paper that I physically read is the local sunday paper here just because that has become part of my Sunday ritual. Other than that I get all of my news online over the internet.

Cell phones are becoming more like computers everyday it seems. I just upgraded to my first Blackberry about two years ago and I wonder how I ever got along without it now. I believe that cell phones quite possibly could replace laptops by 2050. Radio as well will be something else that you get off of your cell phone. I hardly ever listen to radio anymore since I have Sirius/XM in my car.

Television will change as well and has been changing for years. That does not mean it will change for the better in my opinion. Now it all seems to be about reality television, which I can not stand. It does however seem to be what the public at large has a taste for. That is how I think it will continue to adapt.

Taylor Lang said...

I can say with a high degree of certainty that newspapers will be extinct by 2050, if not before then. We have already examined the increase of electronic media in this class and all of the signs point to the extinction of hard- copy newspapers. Although there will still be demand and value placed news and reporting, the delivery method will surely change. Electronic media has and will be taking over. The question is at what rate will we continue to see the takeover happen?

It's funny that a few years ago when cellular phones stated having data and internet plans, I made the joke that in no time cell phones would do everything for us and people wouldn't have a need for i pod's and GPS systems. That is now true. Personally, I use my iPhone for everything including music, GPS, internet etc...

Television and the delivery method will also change greatly. However, I believe that there will still be steady demand for cable subscriptions and programming. I have gotten into the habit of watching my T.V. shows on Hulu and/or downloading them and plugging my computer into my T.V. with an HDMI cable.

Paula said...

I agree that the newspaper will be extinct by 2050. My dad reads the local newspaper faithfully everyday and he's 79 years old. I will simply pull up the newspaper on the internet and read, the local paper is beginning to get smaller and smaller everyday.

Cell phones will probably become a microchip of some kind with basically little effort in order to use. They already have bluetooths and hands free, the cellphone can be readily accessible to the hearing impaired. It's definitely going to change in the future.

Television will also change because we've gone from the black and white tube to color to high definition, flat screens,sallelite etc. Because of the changes in technology television will change. I wonder what changes will take place with television. Not long ago we had to convert our boxes in order to receive some channel(analog to digital).

A paper copy of anything(books,newspapers,magazines will be basically extinct because you can get information from the internet, there are e-books. I too agree that computers are the future.

Paula G

Melissa Laster said...

I agree with the poll about newspapers. I think that they will either be extinct or just online. I just think that people don't have time to stop and buy a paper and sit down and read it all. They can get online and just read what they need to.

I don't think cell phones will change much. I do think they will continue to get more advanced. They will be able to do more and hold more material. I think that cell phones now can do a lot but I am pretty sure they will be able to do more high tec stuff in the future.

I think that cars will only be made with satellite or XM radios. I think that the regular AM/FM radios will be changed. Satellite gives you more options on content and think that is what people want. I also think that cars will be the only place radio's are. People wont have them in their homes because they can listen to music on their tvs.

I believe that televisions are going to change a lot. They have already changed so much. They are getting bigger yet skinner, the picture is getting way better and they are able to do more. Being able to pause, rewind and fast forward TV is crazy and I only think that it will get better.

I think that the future is going to bring some crazy and fun ideas. I can't wait to see what happens with cars and tvs. I also think that the computer world is changing. I think laptops will change to the IPads. Desktop computers will soon be completely gone.

Unknown said...

I can only hope that newspapers are extinct sooner than 2050. The only time I read a newspaper is when I am in a hotel and USA Today is delivered to my door daily. I am convinced that if it were not for hotels, the subscription rate for USA Today would be drastically lower.
Cell phones will continue to become more of an all-in-one device. In the immediate future, we will see better quality cameras and larger storage space for music and pictures on cell phones. These will be in addition to the high speed internet access that will be provided through a cell phone.
The TV may see the biggest change in the future. I believe the TV will become more of a household computer. A TV console is large enough to add a significant amount of computer equipment to the system - I expect that we will see drastic improvements to the TV. I hope some of the programming improves as well, currently most TV stinks - especially the media.
I also think that many electronic items will become hands free by using a voice active device. Additionally, I believe that more household devices will become connected.

Robert (rap201)

jessimpson said...

Everyone agrees that it is inevitable that newspapers will be extinct by 2050. The advancement of technology makes sure this will happen. It is much easier to "google" the news than it is to go down to the gas station to pay .50 or $1.00 for the newspaper, especially when it may or may not have in it what you are looking for. As far as Kindle goes: I have heard that it has glitches and that the user is restricted to what can be viewed. If they fix these problems, however, hardcover books will go extinct. With the iphone, almost anything is possible. Information is just a click away. Over the weekend, I witnessed my friend using her iphone to lose weight. She has a calorie calculator and BMI index on her phone. The television allows us now to record and "pause live t.v." to view it whenever we want. We can skip all commercials.

In the future cell phones will have every application imaginable. It will be possible to do anything with them, but we have got to remember how much this will probably cost. I could have never imagined paying so much for a phone. Television will be more interactive. It will be possible to view whatever you want whenever you want to. We are already so reliant on technology, but the future will make us much worse. There may be a time when you can throw down your phone, jump in it, and drive away. When we want the Internet, we might reach up and push a button behind our ears, and the screen may appear on our retinas. All we would have to do is think what we want, and it appears right before our eyes. I cannot even imagine what the future holds for technology or the people who will be forever lost in the dust because of it.
Jessica Simpson

bkp36 said...

Newspapers are already struggling to make it in the electronic world. I don’t think it will be 2050 but rather 2020 when printed newspapers are no more. I don’t necessarily believe that is a good thing but it is what I expect.

Cell phones have changes so much in the last decade it seems impossible to know where they are going in the future. I expect the voice commands to become more prevalent. I think the speakers will continue to improve and especially the wireless ear pieces. I see cell phones becoming as small as the wrist watch which is also becoming absolete since people use their cell phones as their time piece.

I’ve been hearing of “smellavision” for years! I expect that to happen in the very near future. As far as other improvements 3D will become 4D, surround sound will become so elevated it will be as if the person is hearing it though private earpieces.

The future? Smaller will be bigger, bigger will become smaller. Perfection will reach an all new high and people without technology will fall to the waste side. It can be very exciting yet frightening. The future will bring better things than the human mind can imagine and the media will reach new heights. Are you ready? Make sure you buckle up because it’s back to the future 25 years later. No one really knows what is in store for us but it will bring many changes.

bpaganelli

Daniel said...

The world is constantly making progress toward an all digital media. As this continues newspapers will definitely become a thing of the past. Magazines and books will be the next to go. People are becoming more and more accustomed to having information delivered instantly, so they will no longer be willing to wait for the latest newspaper or magazine when the news is readily available on their computer or phone.

All forms of traditional media have seen a dramatic change in how news can be delivered, and with this change many companies have not been able to keep pace, and have gone under. The past fifteen years have brought changes that most people could not even imagine. This is what makes me really wonder what changes will occur over the next fifteen years.

Daniel Ray

LHipp said...

The print product of newspapers will slowly disappear but online versions of newspapers will stay. Corporate-owned papers will consolidate more operations and keep just a few local reporters on the scene to pick up stories. Gannett papers will be the first to do this, feeding on the souls of their communities and destroying hometown newspapers. Without newspapers, blogs and television reporters wouldn’t know what news to regurgitate. I think the side effect will be fewer real journalists and fewer watchdogs keeping an eye on our democracy. Online sites are not as profitable as the printed product meaning more layoffs.

Smart phones are increasing in popularity, and more companies are giving Apple a run for their money. Phones that stream radio signals and television signals will be common way before 2050. I expect more consolidation in radio and more streaming services like Pandora. Television is becoming an “on demand” service where you can stream the Internet, movies and TV shows through devices like Apple TV when you want. I expect this technology to be incorporated in the actual television set while the picture gets clearer and becomes 3D.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I personally believe that newspapers will be extinct before 2050. I can't really think of any of my friends that read the newspaper. My dad occasionally reads the sports section of the newspaper. I don't read the newspaper either, but if I ever glance at it, it's only the sports section. I believe that it is a waste of paper and ink to publish newspapers. Majority of people now days get the news they want from their local nightly news, or the internet. I get the news I want from both the nightly news and the internet.

Television will keep changing; it has already changed dramatically in the last 20 years that I have seen. There used to be good shows on TV that many people enjoyed watching, but now, I barely watch TV because it consists of trashy drama reality shows. Now, I use my DVR and record the shows I like so I barely watch TV anymore.

As far as cell phones go, I don't know of anyone who just owns a cellular device that only makes calls to people; everyone I know at least has the internet on their phone. The phone I have is the iPhone. I would be lost without it because it's not just my phone..it's my computer, radio, ipod, email, games, calendar, weather access, etc. I don't know what I would do without it.

Speaking of radio, I believe local radio stations will be extinct by 2050 also. I never listen to my local radio stations because I have XM radio with I have access to hundreds of stations commercial free. It's great.

The future will be TOTALLY different from how it is now. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing : )

Sara Walters-Skw98

emdaco said...

My thoughts are that the vast majority of newspapers will no longer be distributed on paper, but strictly online. Although this is a step in the "green" direction, there's no replacement for the feel and smell of a real newspaper.
What is referred to as "Terrestrial Radio" will gradually disappear, as satellite radio offers a much larger selection, no commercials, and no FCC censorship. Not only does Terrestrial Radio broadcast as many minutes of ads as it does music, the same songs from the top 40 are played across all the stations in the markey. Satellite radio has so many channels that it allows new music from new artists, international music, and old songs that don't get a lot of attention anymore to be in rotation.
With features such as "On Demand" from your local cable provider, and websites like Hulu.com, the importance of the broadcast networks and timeslots will become significantly less important.

emdaco said...

My thoughts are that the vast majority of newspapers will no longer be distributed on paper, but strictly online. Although this is a step in the "green" direction, there's no replacement for the feel and smell of a real newspaper.
What is referred to as "Terrestrial Radio" will gradually disappear, as satellite radio offers a much larger selection, no commercials, and no FCC censorship. Not only does Terrestrial Radio broadcast as many minutes of ads as it does music, the same songs from the top 40 are played across all the stations in the markey. Satellite radio has so many channels that it allows new music from new artists, international music, and old songs that don't get a lot of attention anymore to be in rotation.
With features such as "On Demand" from your local cable provider, and websites like Hulu.com, the importance of the broadcast networks and timeslots will become significantly less important.

Emily Conroy

Renita Moore said...

I believe that newspapers will become extinct long before 2050. The Commercial Dispatch has been downsizing so much in the last few weeks. Many long time workers have been replaced by inexperienced workers that have to learn as they go. Therefore, the paper is late more frequently and the customers do not want their newspapers after the evening news. On top of that the internet is flowing with whatever topic you choose to discuss.
Cell phones will get better because that is a trillion dollar industry. Technology will come up with brighter ideas to keep it flowing.
Television will remain the same because at the end of the day every
one likes to unwind in front of their television.
E-books will cause hard and paper back books to become extinct by 2015.

scacapit said...

Everything will be electronic. Doctors won't need nurses and clerks because they will have all patient information on their ipad. There are glasses you can wear that let you send emails and messages by blicking your eyes.

NO one is safe from the matrix. Its really amazing as well as scary how much technology has advanced. Theres no telling what is in store for the future because the things that they give us to use have been used for years by big industry. The people are behind. They already have our chips that are going to go in our heads or hands to do transactions instead of money. Its really wicked when you think about it.

lhw55 said...

As much as our society has become consumed with technology I do not think that it will completely wipe out all of the sources of media that we have grown up knowing.
I believe that newspapers will never be extinct. I have unlimited access to the news via the internet and my cell phone, but I still purchase a newspaper daily to read what is going on in the world. Newspapers have been around since the beginning of media and I personally could never see them going away.
Cell phones will continue to make our lives easier and we will be able to run pretty much any aspect of our life from the palm of our hand. It will constantly have new and neat things to offer its user.
I do believe that all music/movies will come to a digital world and hard copies will be non existent. We will only see those on our digital devices and will purchase them through online accounts, not stores.
I believe that books will be just like the newspaper and will never go away. Of course with the invention of new things hard copies will decrease, but we will never see them go away for good.

David said...

I believe newspapers will be extinct well before 2050. Media will be delivered by more people on the fringe from their personal devices than the traditional reporters. We are already seeing this as news outlets have set up communication channels with the public for quicker delivery of the news.

I believe the computer will be similar to the alligator. A dinosaur that makes it through the ice age. I believe everything will go to personal devices and wallets will disappear along with the use of cash or plastic. These personal devices will be run on biometric security and perform all functions from both touch and voice. Smartphones of today will be the chasis for this evolution.

Television will move to 4D and become interactive. Gaming consoles, news outlets, programming, all will evolve to engage and involve the viewer. Advertisers will finally "touch" the consumer through this medium with the ability to immediately purchase the product or service.

These are not farfetched and currently available in some frame. The real question is: What unknown of the future will impact these areas? My guess: some form of artificial intelligence which will challenge the human minds speed of thought.

Thanks again,
David, dlt174

Nick said...

For better or worse, print media will fade off into the sunset by the Year 2050… in America, which is important to clarify for this discussion. As technology becomes cheaper and cheaper to purchase, more and more of it will be consumed. I would consider the Generation Y as the first generation of being fully computer integrated and for the most part completely trusting of using the internet and computer for nearly everything… including receiving their media to life altering events such as finding a mortgage.

When this generation becomes senior citizens, more or less everyone in America would have gone through the technology change to being digitally accepting of delivery of products and ideas.

I’ve never understood why local newspapers haven’t embraced the internet and electronic delivery more. After a dozen years of being told that electronic delivery was going to take over as the form of media deliverance, they have reluctantly gave in and put their information online… for free?!?!?! The only place people can go to for local news and stories is their local newspaper. Yes it is fact that people are trending to no longer want physical delivery of media, but why on earth would local newspapers give this news away for free just because they put it on the internet? I recently cancelled the delivery of my local newspaper because I felt foolish paying for a product that I can get for free on the internet. Every story, word for word, was available on their website. It seems that newspapers went from ignoring the issue altogether to completely just giving away their product, something truly unbelievable to me.

XM and Sirius are failed attempts at mass changes to changing the way radio is delivered. Together they have formed a formidable, and seemingly survivable, business plan. However much like the example of newspapers giving away their content for free, I don’t see listeners in mass ever paying for radio when they can have it for free.

Nick Abernathy

john ray said...

I defenitely think newspapers will die in the next probably 20 years.

In the future, I believe more bluetooth type technology will be used where you dont have to even carry a phone or computer. It will be more of a virtual type electronic where your car or house is equipped with the technology and as long as you are in it, you can view the internet, radio, etc.

I believe that television will be pretty much the same but remote controls will become obsolete. Voice commands and a virutal remotes that pop up in front of you which you can touch, move, etc will be available.

Hunter Boerner said...

I think media in the future will be all electronic. Everything else now is involving the computer in some form or the other from talking to watching movies. I think that newspapers will slowly start being only available online because it is easier and cheaper for customers to read this way. Also it is more environmentally sound.

As for cell phones, I think they will eventually become as powerful and able to hold as much information as computers. We are already able to do so much on our phones from surfing the web to downloading and playing music, and I think phones are just going to keep getting more dynamic.

I think radio will start becoming more specialized like XM radio. There use to be just a few genres of music, but now there are so many different types of music available and also people trying to get into the market.

I think television will become even more clear than it already is in HD. There is such a huge difference between regular television and HD. I also think that shows will start being shown in 3D. Some movies are made in 3D now, but you still have to wear glasses. I think eventually all television will be in 3D without having to wear glasses.

Unknown said...

I believe that new papers will become extinct long before 2050. Occasionally I read the sports section and most of all to see what going on in my surrounding. I get the news I want from both the nightly news and internet.


Television will keep changing; it most likely will changes dramatically in the next 2 or 3 years. That used to be goog show on tv now it show the same thing over and over.

Cell phones have changes so much in the last couple years it seems so impossible to know what may happen in the future. I have seem cell phone as small a pill bottle were you can put in your pocket.

Henry and Susanne said...

I personally believe that all media will be digital in the not-to-distant future. I think books will be read through digital media as well as newspapers and magazines. In addition, I believe that the TV and internet will merge. This has already been done to a certain extent, but the technology will be perfected.

Why do I think this? One word...Facebook. This is a perfect example of a "high tech" media being adopted by even the latest adopter. These days, even grandparents and aunts & uncles are on using facebook to keep in touch. The argument in the past against full digital media was that some people just will not adopt the technology. I think this argument no longer holds water as the technology has become much more accessible.

Brandon said...

I will address this from a slightly different angle. I am a banker who works primarily in commercial lending. I have financed various projects relating to various mediums of media and have seen a few different aspects.

To begin with, my bank finances the local newspaper as well as some machinery for a regional newspaper that is nearby. Both of the newspapers though still viable (barely) have seen a steady and substantial decline in their revenues and net incomes over the last 10 years. They have had to adapt and accept many technological updates and incorporate as much technology as possible. This technology has given cost reductions as well as possibly salvaged a subscriber or two, but the consensus among the newspaper executives is that hey also expect to be extinct well before 2050.

Now as for the Kindle. I purchased a Kindle before going on vacation and I have to say that now after having experienced the convenience and ease of use that I will be hard pressed to ever purchase a physical book again. I struggle when traveling to choose a single book to take but always need to for size and weight constraints. I was traveling to Korea for two weeks and needed some reading materials but was very limited for weight and space. I purchased the kindle...loaded up a few books...and was blown away by the whole thing. I actually purchased and loaded two new books in the airport for a fraction of the bookstore price. I am not sure if this will ultimately be embraced wholeheartedly by everyone but I am a convert ad will tell everyone such.

I think that just as time has advanced us to the point we are in now, it will continue to do the same forever. The things we use today caused something else to go extinct and the things we use will go extinct to something else. We will just call in consumer darwinism.

Cperkins said...

I agree that newspapers will be extinct as far as the printed format. I foresee us being able to down load them to our phones, ipads, kindles, or whatever electronic device we are using then.

I think that radio will change with cell phones. We won't have radio in our car, but instead transmitters that stream continuous music. We will also be able to get "radio" stations through our phones. Phones will increasingly become more important as they take on more characteristics of wi-fi hotspots. This will increase sooner than we expect with the introduction of more 4G service.

Television will stay the same as far as programming. People use television as entertainment and people will continue to find the same storylines entertaining. However, it will become less dependent on individual stations. You may see a decrease in channels as internet shows become more popular.

Rebecca G. said...

I agree that print newspapers will be extinct by 2050. Many of the smaller newspapers in my area have already become extinct in the past few years.

I believe that cell phones will continue to become more like mini-laptops with mp3 players.

Radio may go more along the lines of satellite radio, although I don't believe that the traditional local radio stations will be extinct anytime soon.

As for television, I have no idea what to expect. As I sit here watching a commercial about a tv with web access and apps.

Rebecca Grimes

Unknown said...

By 2050, I believe there will be no such thing as a newspaper in the United States. Even in today’s world, I would guess that the newspaper is the least of the means utilized by people to access information on a daily basis. I could not tell you the last time I pick up a newspaper for the purpose of attaining information.
The cell phone is the one device that probably has had more impact on the way people communicate and obtain information, than any other invention in my lifetime. This device will most likely become even more technological in the future. In the next 40 years, I could envision that the cell phone will evolve into an implant that will make it a regular part of the human body.
In the next 40 years, television will probably no longer exist as we know it now. I see it becoming a device that you carry in your pocket and use anywhere. The ability to make the television into a device that will be small enough to carry may exist and one would be able to receive reception of a picture, no matter where you are located. The television will follow the same path as the cell phone and become a device we will have at our access 24 hours a day.
It is hard to say what the future will look like over the next 40 years. I predict that most of the things we see on television that are considered science fiction will become a reality. We are already seeing some of this happening in the world today. The cell phone is a good example of this concept.

Elizabeth Wade

Unknown said...

I agree that newspapers will become extinct, but I believe that it will be sooner than 2050. Very few people I know rely on paper newspapers to learn the news. I find it is easier to get all of the news through the internet than by relying on a newspaper. I also believe that books will eventually be replaced completely by electronic books. It is relatively quick and easy to access books on kindle and less cumbersome to transport them.

I think that cell phones will continue to change and expand the services available through them. As the technology expands, so will the services. Eventually, the Sirus/XM services will replace the AM and FM bands of radios. Television will continue to change to give the people more of what they want in programming. We have already seen many changes in television programming as well as improvements in the quality of the picture and audio. I expect that more and more of our lives will be changed as improvements are made in the electronic technology.

Jeremy D. said...

I understand the reasoning behind recent poll results. Current trends prove that newspapers will cease to exist in the near future. They will disappear and become a distant memory. I can’t remember the last time I’ve read an actual newspaper besides the much loved, Reflector. I always use my phone to read the news and find out things.

I think that the future will provide an exciting new scene. Cell phones already do so much; I can’t imagine anything new that it will be capable of. We can already view the net, watch television, and listen to the radio using our cellular phones. Maybe if phone companies make the reception a little bit better, then that would be a vast improvement. Imagine a world with great cellular service. That is a world that I one day want to live in.

clp said...

The future of the media has been altered greatly by the advances in technology. It is truly amazing the amount of information that is available with the click of a button. I believe that in the not to distance future that cell phones will be able to stream television very similarly to a computer. Cell phones are already capable of streaming videos from YouTube and downloading television series from iTunes. I firmly believe that the next step is to stream television series and movies directly to cell phones. I am not sure how radio will change, because I don’t listen to radio. I like to have a greater control of the media I listen to. I hate how Mississippi Public Broadcast seems to be playing less classical music than ever. I don’t like listening to people talk on the radio, I only would listen to radio for music. After reading other students’ sentiment about radio, I predict that satellite radio or another medium that offers greater control to the listener will replace radio.

I think that television will one day be replaced with video streaming. Hulu is one my favorite television streaming website, because the content is paid for my advertisers rather than the viewer. I believe that one day people will no longer wish to pay twice for their television content. The public will grow weary of paying for cable or satellite television services when almost everything on television is offered somewhere on the internet. I much prefer to watch my favorite television at my convenience on my computer rather than worry about trying to watch it when it comes on or trying to remember to record it. If television wants to remain competitive with the internet it will need to provide more On Demand services that are available to the consumer at his or her leisure. Another semi-related prediction/hope for the future is that instead of having to pay a lot of money for DVDs or Blue-rays people will be able to download movies to their home computers and store it on their hard drive or external hard drive for a lesser fee. The media could then be watched on the television using a DVD player with a USB port. People would no longer have to worry about losing or scratching their disc, and companies could virtually eliminate production cost because this method eliminates the need to make hard copies of their product.

Codi Phillips

Ebb said...

I beleive that newspaper will no be used as much, becuase you have so much technology being brought in to par with the future. Technoloyg is changing from the old ways of doing thing and it has advanced so much,that printing out paper is a waste of time, when you can just go on the internet to view recent papers.