Here to Stay?

Can I have a show of hands? Who reading this does not use the internet? Dumb question I know.  Not necessarily. So, why do some people say that the internet is dying?  It is because we have become, in the last couple of years, so consumed with the idea of apps that it has almost drawn us away from the actual "internet." I can hear some of you right now asking this question. Doesn't using apps mean we are using the internet? No, not necessarily. Using an app just means you are using 3G or a wireless signal. Apps seem to have taken over the world. That should not come as a surprise to anyone with the popularity of the IPhone.

The IPhone is one of those things that people think, "How did we live without this device?" Society thought the same thing when the microwave was invented and bread started to come pre-sliced. We always wonder how we made it without certain items. The truth is we made it because we had no idea of the possibilities out there. I rarely see someone without an IPhone. Some may call the device the "it" thing and let's face it; it is. The reason being is because it is a spectacular tool. Everything that one could want, not necessarily need, is at the tip of their fingers (literally). The IPhone is full of apps (applications) that are specifically chosen by you and fit your interests. The IPhone is not the only thing that contains apps, but there is also the IPad, Kindle, Nook and even more.

All of this talk about the apps that seem to consume our universe sends me back to my previous question. Is the "traditional" form of internet dying? Does anyone even actually get on a computer anymore and get on the internet? Does anyone Google? Honestly, I cannot even believe that this question is being raised. I use the internet on a daily basis. My office has a computer just as yours does. I still use Google when I need to look up information pertaining to a certain subject. I love my IPhone, do not get me wrong, but I couldn't live off of that. It is not practical, for me at least. Am I writing this blog using an app, through my IPhone or an IPad? No, I am typing on a traditional computer. It is the most logical thing in the world for me to get on my computer and type out my thoughts (or in this case my homework assignment) :).

         As you think about how the use of apps has transformed the internet, let us think about how they both have transformed television viewing. Do you still use a television? I know I do. I cannot imagine not having a television in my home. I consider myself not exactly with the times, as I know it is popular for people my age (I am 24...25 on Saturday!) to use Hulu and Netflix and things of this nature. To say I'm an old soul would hit the nail right on the head. I prefer listening to my music on the record player that I got for Christmas. I love going home and curling up on my couch and watching my favorite shows on television. I do have a DVR, which is somewhat of a new thing, just so I can record my soap that airs while I'm at work. I'm thankful for that little bit of technology! The internet has taken something away from the traditional form of television, but I do not think it will ever completely take the entire audience. There will always be the little kid that wants to sit cross-legged on the floor watching cartoons on Nick Jr. or the middle-aged man who can't miss a rerun of Bonanza on TV Land. Television, without Hulu and Netflix, is something that will always be there. There is no need for internet to enjoy the simple pleasures in life.

The new technology wave, even for me, is something I almost feel that I need to catch up to. I enjoy the traditional aspect of things and some of the new technology I just do not think I need to have. I have a laptop that I use for school and play purposes. Just a couple of years ago if you didn't have a laptop you were not "with it." Now, if you don't have an IPad you are most definitely NOT. Well...I do not have an IPad. I do not feel the need for one. I have an IPhone, which is, more or less, the portable version of my laptop and then I have my laptop. That is all the technology I feel I need for myself.

So, with new technology taking away from some part of another technology is it possible for something to completely wipe out another product? There is a chance, but I do not think the television, the computer, nor will the traditional internet ever die. These are staples in our culture and I just cannot see them going anywhere. Sure, there will be improvements down the line, but I cannot see how they can make a television any slimmer than it already is. For example, how many things have improved in the kitchen area over time? There have been inventions of toasters, toaster ovens, blenders, mini-choppers, etc... With all of these inventions there has not been one thing that has taken the stove out of our kitchens. Can you actually imagine your life without a stove? The answer is simply, no. The same thing goes for the television and the computer. Can you actually imagine your life, as it is, without one of these things? Good, me neither.  The evolution of technology will continue to change and we are powerless to stop it.  All we can do is sit back and wait for the new invention of our time to hit us.  With all of the new technology that will be invented, there are some items that will never go away.  The computer, internet and the television are three staples and they are here to stay in our world no matter where technology goes.

 

Oh...How Time's Have Changed

    
My name is Maggie and I will be blogging about different areas of communication including the the emerging media.  I am currently in graduate school at Troy University obtaining my Masters degree in Strategic Communication.  Yes, this blog is for one of my courses, but I do hope that my thoughts will enlighten you and make you think of things that perhaps had not crossed your mind before.  I will be updating my blog once a week in hopes that you will enjoy my thoughts on whatever I am feeling the need to talk about at the time.  In case you lose track of where my blog is it can be located at http://maggiesoutlook.blogspot.com. 

In a world of gadgets and gizmos it is easy to forget how the "media" all began. Johann Guttenberg invented the printing press in 1448 and this invention changed the world forever. First, it changed the way books were distributed and then it went on to include newspapers, which for some time were the only way for the public to receive their news. The newspaper is one of the most well-known distributions of news to the culture, but living in today's society you probably would not know that. It seems that the newspaper has become a bit of a dinosaur in today's world. The world has changed, even within the last 15 years, as to how we get our news delivered to us. Honestly, who does read a newspaper anymore? I know that I do not read one, well not on a daily basis. Being from a small town, where there were no television stations, the local newspaper was the way to learn about upcoming events in the community or what had happened over the past week. It was not a paper that I purchased for myself, but a paper that I would read after my mama was done. I do wish that the newspaper was not dying a slow and painful death, but with all of the new inventions and the turn that technology has taken that seems to be the case. The generation that grew up reading newspapers has gotten older and is slowly passing away. Once that generation is gone I have to wonder, will there be anyone who will still read the paper? I am sure there are some younger people my age that do read the paper, but those people are few and far between. Most people today retrieve their news from the television and/or more often than not a computer.

The invention of the television changed the way the world received news. People could see stories as they unfolded. It was a whole new ballgame because with a newspaper the public would be informed of news that had happened days before, but the television kept the public in the loop at all times. Not only do we have the four main networks, but there is cable television. There are television stations that dedicate 24 hours to delivering breaking news, so no matter what time of day it is you flip on the channel and be up-to-date in a matter of minutes. Honestly, how can a newspaper top that?

It is almost hard to believe that we can now get our news quicker than just turning on the television, but that is most definitely the case. How you ask? The answer comes in one short term: Smartphone. The Smartphone has revolutionized the way that the world works, how we communicate with each other and how we receive our news. The Smartphone has given us the ability to receive breaking news, Facebook status updates and the latest score in the basketball game. It is unbelievable how much technology has changed in the past few years. Now not only do we have the Smartphone, but we also have the tablet devices, the most common one being the iPad. The iPad is more or less a laptop, but has a tremendous battery life and it is super lightweight and runs off of 3G so you can take it with you anywhere. Many people treat the iPad like a television because you are able to watch all of you favorite television shows on the go. I can hear some of you asking, will this make to the television obsolete? I am going to answer NO to that question. The television is a central entertainment area for a family and although an iPad is convenient, you are not able to catch the television shows as they air on television. You must wait until they are put up on the show's website.

I sit here discussing the evolution of technology and media in our world and how things seem to change so fast. Most likely, there is some new invention being tested to bring us, the people, a way to gain our information faster than before. I would like to ask, is it even necessary to receive our information as fast as we do now? Do we know too much? Sometimes, I think we do. Any time something happens, every single person in the world will know about it; from a shooting to a sink hole it is reported in the media. A cruise ship breaks down in the gulf, it is reported on. How many cruise ships leave ports from all over the world? We never hear anything bad happening, but then one breaks down and every person is making a big deal out of it. I had a friend of mine saying he didn't want to go on a cruise because of it and that just doesn't make any sense to me. The media makes such big deals out of things that, honestly, should not receive as much attention as they do. Do we really think that receiving our information faster is the best route to go? In my humble opinion I think we need to slow down.  We, in the last couple of years, have gotten so used to receiving our information at such a speed that it cripples us when we do not have it.  You can carry a phone with you and get your e-mail right when it is sent to you.  I watch my boss every day gets hundreds of phone calls and when she cannot answer one of the phone calls they continue to pester her until they get her attention.  It is of the upmost annoyance to her that at any point of the day she can be reached.  There is not one moment of her day when she is not bothered by someone.  With this being said how can we think that having our information come to us any faster than it does would be such a good idea?  Sometimes, going at a slower pace is a good thing and the same can be said with technology.  As with good things there will always bad.