2007 så skapade Michael Wesch filmen The Machine is Us. Wesch är assistant professor på Kansas State University inom med kulturantropologi och “Media Ecology”. Filmen har ju några år på nacken nu men den förklarar web 2.0 på ett grymt bra sätt och den lyfter mot slutet vissa filosofiska frågor om hur samhället kan förändras på grund av vår förändrade kommunikation.

För några tusen år sedan spreds information med det talade ordet. Under de senaste hundra åren spreds ordet i västvärlden av kyrkan som då i princip hade monopol på nyheter och informationsspridning. I och med att det tryckta ordet blev möjlighet och tidningar till slut kom till mans egendom blev informationsspridningen starkare och starkare. Med radion och tv:n, som fortfarande kunde vara kraftigt styrda så kunde vi blixtsnabbt nås av information. Idag har varje människa sin egen tidning. Det tar 3 klick bort och sen har du skapat din egen blogg. Alla kommer inte att hitta den, men den finns, och den är möjlig att nå. Detta gäller inte bara bloggar utan även många andra former av social media som facebook, twitter eller youtube. Kanalerna och möjligheterna kommer bara blir fler och fler. Vi kan nu själva producera och distribuera vilket innehåll vi själva vill, på någon minut. Jag är övertygad om att detta har ohyggligt stor relevans på hur vårt framtida samhälle kommer att se ut.

Andra bloggar om Web 2.0, Webb 2.0,
Sociala medier, Information, Internet, Media, Bloggar

This is the fourth post in my series on the A – Z of 2.0.

Get a pen & paper, or open Word or an email client, or whatever it is you use to take notes. Please watch the below video, and write down the first thing you think when it finishes. I’d love it if you shared it with us in the comments.

Indeed, we are going to have to re-think a few things. I’ve written in the past about not necessarily being right, just being least wrong. It is almost impossible to talk in absolutes these days – in Borders 2.0 I said the lines don’t run where we say they do, this begs the question “Do the lines run anywhere at all?”. The direction, if any, points not to a particular destination, just to an idea; open beats closed. The direction points endlessly to being open.

Transparency itself is a funny thing; for some reason it terrifies our selves, yet we respond to and admire it in others. It is interminably linked with confidence, an idea of “I don’t care if you see what’s in my bag of tricks, because what is important is not what I do, but the way I do it”. If I can put the rabbit into the hat myself, and yet still be surprised when it comes out, I can remain one step ahead, because the trick becomes “How did I get this thing inside my hat!??!” and not simply what may or may not be inside it.

You see it in music a lot, chord progressions, melodies and harmonies designed to elicit a certain effect. I can tell you that playing a B over an E chord will produce a pleasant sound, or I can tell you to listen to the chorus of this song and you’ll smile when you hear it. There are rules that work, for whatever reason they work, but when put in the wrong place the effect is nil.

It doesn’t matter what you do, it is how you do it.

Last Sunday I caught up with some friends and met a whole bunch of other people I didn’t know. Two guys, entering the last few months of their degrees were talking about plans after university; all their friends were starting their careers, meanwhile these two wanted to jump on bikes and ride around Europe for the summer. They felt an extraordinary amount of pressure to play by the rules, to find a good job, to start their careers. They were still bound by the dogma our parents worked through, and hadn’t realised yet things were no longer as they seemed. They have their entire lives to build a career, and what nobody is telling them is they can get on their bikes and ride into oblivion, and their careers will still be able to be begun when they finally get off.

People, old and young, underestimate, endlessly underestimate the power of passion. There is a light in the eyes of a person when they start talking about things they are passionate about, an energy in their voices that cannot be manufactured. In this moment people are their most transparent, most honest, most happy not to fake it. They’re speaking their truths, what is pure and personal to them, and it can exist outside logic and reason, outside dogma and regulation, and it can succeed when all evidence to the contrary suggests it will fail, because it operates in an entirely different schema to the one everyone else exists in.

Dogma exists to refine and control passion, which does about as much good as building a sandcastle in the middle of a sand storm. Somehow, for some reason, we’ve let that be par for the course throughout the bulk of human history. There exists such an extraordinary opportunity now for people to be who they are, to follow their hearts relentlessly. Dogma 2.0 says the rules are there ain’t no rules, it says the lines don’t run where we say they do.

It says open beats closed. So open up.

It’s the only way any of us will get wherever it is we happen to be going.

Our society is advancing at a faster pace than ever before. Children as young as five years old know how to use a computer and even how to access games through the internet. Every day new applications for the internet and computer are created and we as students need to be fast learners and keep up with the times. 

In the past, news could be found only on paper and nowadays we can find the news all over the internet through a variety of outlets including blogs and online newspapers. 

Journalists need to keep up with the many outlets that we have available and know how to use them. In order to become irreplaceable, journalists need to know how to use everything and anything new that becomes available.

The mass communication field has come a long way since Johannes Gutenburg’s printing press. Globally, people are able to connect and communicate, promoting counter-cultural exchanges. That is, the exchange of information regarding a range of topics from current events to value-contesting ideology. Nationally, the internet brings the U.S. citizen’s first amendment right to the convenience of their own desktop. Because of this, the field of communications will change in a number of ways that will impact not only communications professionals, but also information consumers. Essentially, the definitive line between the two will be broken, with technology providing individuals with the ability to become “communications professionals” in their own right. The internet has become a tool accessible to all, and by-products of this accessibility, most notably the blogging phenomenon, proves testamony to this fact.

A number of websites providing blogging forums have grown in such popularity as to become household names. Who hasn’t heard of myspace.com, or the controversial celeb gossip “professional” (if you can call it that) Perez Hilton? With the right advertisers, it would seem anyone could make their own blog-page a profitable business.

Not only is the advancement of communication technology to the advantage of communications professionals, those in journalism or public relations for example, but also to for profit business entities themselves. Mass media works just as a business that places their services on-line to reach a broader audience of consumers. The broader the audience and the faster it is to disseminate information, the easier it becomes to communicate.

With all of the above becoming a reality for communications professionals, the opportunity for ingenuity is greater. It may be inevitable that the communications professional who once wrote a column for a large print media conglomerate, will become an independent business entity. With such long established corporations such as Time Warner or Hearst Publishing dominating much of the field, the odds may be against such an entreprenurial individual. However, the possibility is there.

Living in a world where technology is rapidly changing every moment has created new opportunities for the communications industry.  It seems to be that on a daily basis numerous innovations are being released, all with the goal in mind to make the way we communicate faster, more customizable and available to us at all times.

            Take our current election for example. Barack Obama decided that when he made his decision on who he was going to choose to be his Vice President he was going to send a text massage to everyone who signed up to know.  Information is at the tips of our fingers, which has become a major security to many people.

            The professional in communications have been benefiting from this need to know all mentality. They too have gathered more information now then ever before on potential customers and have found ways to take that information and use it to deliver individualized advertising. How many Internet websites have you singed on where they referred to you by your name or automatically shows you the weather in your zip code.

            It seems that our generation has become accustomed to constantly being in communications with others. I know there a seldom times that I don’t have my cell phone within earshot. The days that I don’t sign on to MySpace I get anxious with the thought that I have missed out on knowing something.

            The one question that has been in my mind is what advance is still left to make in communications. There is already video messaging, so how much closer can communication be simulated until it then becomes once again face to face conversations.

Communication in my mind was someone giving a brilliant speech that enlightened the audience they were connecting with. However, today, the communicators message may not be seen, heard, or understood if they are not in tune with their environment. In the same sense, negative messages they may not intend to communicate to the general public may be derived from statements recorded by the press. Communication in a way has become dangerous. It is as if the professional communicator is the surgeon and the words he uses are his instruments. His words can affect the patient either positively or negatively, with outcomes many times out of the doctor’s hands. Professional communicators will have to realize that communications are not just one dimensional. There is a whole society online dedicated to giving their opinion on what your communication means. Even funnier, someone will read it. We call that a blog.

Another thing is that because the average person can have the same influence as the educated professional the professional’s communication must be clear, distinctive, and reliable. Just as many newspapers and magazines have gone out of business, the world of mass communications is shifting into a time when the internet reigns supreme. With many normal people having profiles online, you can tell a lot about a person without actually meeting them. In the future, the same will be true about professional communicators who will have to give out more about themselves in order for the rest of the world to deem them credible communicators, no matter their qualifications.

I appreciate all that technology has done for me and my fellow man but the idea that we are all connected, at all times scares me. The fact that machines, screennames, and Times New Roman fonts have replaced face to face conversations, penmanship and human connections by proximity is a sad truth and I believe technology is responsible for the lack of obligation people have to be good to one another. Technology has replace activism, technology has replaced grievances, technology has a numbing affect.

For example, people feel like they now longer need to “reach out and touch someone” because they would rather occupy their time  a machine or a device. Conversations amongst students don’t really happen as much now with cell phones making it easier for you to stay connected virtually instead of talking with others. Another funny thing I have noticed is technology has become a “do not disturb” sign that everyone carries around with them. If someone has earphones in…do not disturb. If someone is texting…do not disturb. If someone is on a computer…do not disturb. Technology has proven to be advantageous, for example, reaching people in places across the world and communicating quickly and for cheap. I think it is amazing for these types of things. But the whole “machine is us, machine is me” is not a concept I am too fond of. I use my technology to get things done and its unfortunate that I would expect a friend to text me back quicker than I could expect to receive a phone call. The most ironic part is,  the one time I was asked to write thank you notes to a group of people that had awarded me a scholarship and I was instructed that an email would not suffice. It had to be written by hand, or typed, but I was required to go above and beyond an email to show just my gratitude. I had to make an effort because an email was just too easy.

Advancements in technology do have its good points and I am not a complete anti-tech person. As a journalist, I can get my message to more people than ever before and more people can join and contribute to the conversation. Even the simple fact that can sit outside in the sun by a fountain and do this assignment as opposed to being tied down by a type-writer is great. The internet makes it possible to access an abundant amount of information and helps me expand my knowledge of the world on a day to day basis. But the more we rely on technology, the more I fear, we don’t rely on each other. I feel like a kid again when I receive a letter or a card in the mail from family and friends. A full inbox is just a drag and has lost its appeal.

The world of mass communications and journalism is changing everyday. When I look back to when I was a child, it’s amazing to think about how many new things have been invented and different sorts of media we now take apart of. Sometimes I feel like the way media is enhancing is somewhat not such a positive aspect in our lives. For some media, such like ipods and blackberrys. They are the devices that we get hooked on. I think that we absorb ourselves in such media that we don’t communicate with the everyday people that are around us. We take ourselves out of society with these such devices. I think for professional communicators, the way media is changing will have an effect on them. But for one aspect, these devices lack numerous characteristics the humans have while communicating, such like feelings and emotions. There is no device that can replace the type of communication you have while talking face to face with another person. As for the world of journalism, it is being controlled mostly by the internet and web. Newspaper ratings are down because everyone can simply log onto the internet to check what the weather is going to be like, the headlines, and anything else they wish to desire. As more and more technology comes apparent to us, the less personal communication we will participate in. For example, on my way to school I take the light rail. On that light rail, how many people are actually talking to each other, learning and listening to other cultures, views, and understandings? Rarely any, most are text messaging, listening to their ipods or on their cell phones talking. Years ago, we didn’t have media and technology to consume ourselves with, we were forced to recon with each other and communicate. It’s not something we can necessary avoid, because we basically live by these devices, but it is something that we can be aware of and still contribute to our society as much as possible.

The world of communications has changed due to all the new forms of technology being invented. It affects everyone, but it has a big effect on those working in the world of journalism. One reason I wouldn’t want to work for a newspaper is because I would be afraid that by the time I got out of school there wouldn’t be many jobs left. Less people are reading newspapers and more people are using the Internet to get their news. A century ago, the only way people could get their news was from newspapers themselves and they had to wait until newspapers were published. Today we don’t even have to subscribe to a newspaper to know what it features. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can find out anything they want to know online at the touch of a button. It does put a strain on personal relationships, since people aren’t talking face to face as much anymore, but there are so many advantages. Who knows how many new forms of technology will be invented in the next 100 years? Due to technology, the world of communications will always be changing.

The media by which journalists communicate through is rapidly evolving and changing faster than ever before.  The Information Age is currently upon us and technology is allowing information to be passed on to the masses in smaller, faster, and more mobile ways. Prior to recent years, a journalist could only communicate to the masses through certain fixed avenues such as radio, television or the newspaper. With the invention of the Internet and mobile electronic devices, a person can access the same information being provided through radio, television or newspapers no matter where they are in the world.

With the growing consumer market on cell phones, mp3 players, and other hand held electronic devices, businesses are putting a lot of money into developing smaller and more powerful mobile devices. Using an iPhone, for example, will allow the user to make and receive telephone calls, buy stocks, check the weather and news, pay the bills, all wirelessly in the palm of their hand. With the ability to check up to the minute news updates whenever they want, journalists have adapted to provide news updates swiftly and often. When John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in 1963, many Americans were not even aware of the event until the next day. Today, if the President was shot, Americans would know within minutes of the occurrence.

With the ever-changing face of media changing more rapidly than ever before, journalists must remain open and accepting of the evolution of media.

I see the world changing for professional communicators in a lot ways. I think that people working in the media will be doing most of their work on the computer and internet with podcasts, blogs, and websites. I think that the new generation is already getting most of their news and information on the internet and I think that newspapers will become less. People like getting things fast and right away. Professionals that work in television I think will spend more time with making sure the information is online than on television because people don’t like spending a hour to watch the news when they can just go online and get what they want in general or even research something specific. I think advertisers are going to focus more on online ads than television or print ads because most people will spend more time on their computer than watching television or reading magazines and newspapers.

It seems that technology is growing faster than we can keep up with.  What was a simple world has become a complex and computerized world.  Being a journalism major you have to wonder what does that mean for my future.  In this ever growing world of technology it is true that just about everything is done through some sort of computer and we have created a relationship with machines that are now staples to survival.  Of course one of the most   Even the video camcorders now either built in hard drives or SD cards that eliminate the need for an actual tape.  With all the new technological innovations, society can access news whenever they feel and on their own timestable.  What I mean by this is that in the olden days, one would have to wait until their regularly scheduled news program or have their ear glued to the radio waiting to get the latest breaking news or even wait until the next day when the paper came out.  Now, news is accessible with just a click of the mouse or through a podcast.   As technology grows the need for human operation becomes less demanded.  Machines have often replaced jobs that used to be manned by an actual person.  I am hoping to have a career in broadcast journalism but it worries me that one day in my future there will not be a strong demand for reporters because the Internet is easily accessible to anyone and news blogs are becoming more and more popular.  I personally am not fond of blogging.  It makes me feel uneasy that someday that may be the best opportunities job wise for me for the career path I have chosen.  While I am fascinated by state of the ark technology, I also think there can always be too much of a good thing.  If our world becomes reliant on a machine to do all of our work for us than what would happen if there was a major malfunction or glitch that corrupted our system?  I think we need to slow it down just a bit with our technological evolutions otherwise as I stated above, too much of a good thing can ofter lead to disaster.

As internet forums and blogging become more popular, personal relationships start to become more distant.  Myspace and Facebook have eliminated the need for people to call one another.  Instead of calling friends and having a personal one on one conversation, I find myself stopping by there page to drop them a comment instead.  I no longer have the same personal relationships that I once had with old friends.

I also feel that there is a big change in the world of journalism as well.  People are no longer subscribing to newspapers like they once use too.  Newspapers are starting to be read online more and more.  Also, news on television is even starting to promote online news by giving a more indepth version of the stories they broadcast on their websites.  I know for myself,  i get the majority of my news from the yahoo home page.  The world of communications is leaning more and more towards the internet and leaning less towards personal interactions.

     Communication has been around since the beginning of time. Before the creation of cell phones and laptops, people had to communicate through travelers, clergymen or through some type of middleman of some sort. Today, with a single click of a button, a person can get in contact with anyone around the world. Technology changes frequently on a daily basis. In addition, before the advancement in technology, people had to physically hand write and send their letters through the mail, and now with the development of e-mails, people do not have to worry about rushing to their mailbox early in the morning to catch the postal worker. Professional communicators should be grateful about the advancement of technology.

     Professional communicators do not have to worry about if their letter they sent has or has not been received to their sender. Everyday, more and more ideas are created to make everybody’s life a little less complicated and a lot more convenient. Now with all the new features in cell phones, people can take pictures, record videos and people can even check their e-mail. In addition, laptops are becoming more and more equipped with features even a child can use. Laptops are becoming equipped with more high-speed hard drives installed in to their products to make downloading files a lot quicker. With the advancement of technology, journalism has also transformed into a whole new world.

     No need to start pulling out the wax and start physically putting pieces of articles together to help with the pagination of a newspaper. Today, with the designing software on the market, people can edit anything in an instant.  In addition, people do not have to worry about hitting the wrong key on a typewriter, instead people can type and erase an error without any hassle. Technology is what makes our world become more and more revolutionary and up to date. As the saying goes, out with the old, in with the new. 

Supercharging Communications

The most controversial part about the changing of media through which people communicate is how to blend the new age with the old era to create the present state of communication. For instance, should we continue to replace the old with the new improved versions of applications and new programs? Or should we keep a world in which either the old or new ways are acceptable. Will radio ever die? Will books ever stop being printed?
I think that an important reason that new ways of communications aren’t getting as much attention as they should be is because of the technological generation gap. My parents always call people when they need to talk to them, but my sister and I text message people to contact them. My mother used to read books while her friends read the same book, then they would talk about it at school. My dad played basketball after school with his buddies. Today, I can go home and play online games with my friends and team up to compete against people I’ll never meet. My sister will go home and comment her friends’ myspace pages.
Think. Why do so many older people associate myspace and youtube and the internet with “kids” and “teens?” It’s because whether we like it or not… the concept of “online communities” is ours, and not our parents’. They didn’t grow up with it, so many of them don’t feel the need to learn about it since it wasn’t necessary for them to live. New technology is banding us all together, but in a way, separating the younger and older generations.
But, I do believe that any evolution is good for humanity as long as it isn’t harmful. The Web 2.0 and texting, and vlogging has made communicating much easier and more accessible to the public. In a way, all the new technology saves us time. Instead of having to write papers, or walking to a friend’s house to tell them something we can communicate from almost anywhere to almost anywhere in a variety of quick and easy ways. It’s exciting and humbling at the same time.
Seriously, at the speed that humans are advancing communications and technology our world might not look too different from the world portrayed in “Wall-e.” For now we are lucky to have the ability to communicate at our fingertips considering that communication of the utmost importance to our survival.  We have invented mail, the telephone, cell phone, email, instant messaging, texting, blogging, video sharing, online communities – we have invented the future and continue to supercharge the way we communicate.

Media changes can be seen on a constant basis. Newspapers slowly caught up and started working on up-to-date web sites that make deadlines a thing of the past. We live in the days of Spock’s instant gratification.

TV News is also in a constant state of technological flux. I recent watched a show on CNN that used Twitter as a way to gauge viewer feedback, which gives instant path for the audience to participate.

Talk radio shows have been using liveblogs, chatrooms and forums to entice audience interaction.

What this says to me is that someone has decided the only way to build a new audience is to have the audience feel they have a vested interest in the programming.

In today’s world, communication is at such a fast speed, that it is instantaneous.  We no longer have to wait for letters in the mail, or wait to go home to check answering machines.  Communication follows us everywhere, and everybody is connected.  News travels faster than ever.  Bad news is even faster still.  The technology in the last 20 years has advanced so much it’s almost hard to fathom the long way from which we came from.

Now that we are at a point where technology and communication is at a speed that doesn’t seem like it can get any faster, I wonder where the future of technology will take us?  I can’t imagine how much faster computers can really get before humans can’t even notice the difference between the milliseconds in which it will take our computers to load a webpage.  I think we are close to that stage where it will be that advanced. 

It’s also a little scary how fast technology is growing.  I can’t even imagine what kind of technologies and advancements will come in the next 20 years.  Will we be a generation who cannot keep up with the times, similar to how my parents can’t use cell phones and the internet?  How much thinner can our televisions get?  How much smaller can cell phones get?

There are cameras all over the place, everywhere we go.  They’re in our streets, subways, buses, stores, shops and cell phones.  Videos of anything and everything are available online.  Anything done in public is at risk of being available to the whole world.  It’s a scary thought to know that in the future we may be able to be tracked with cameras everywhere we go.  In other cities in the world, the government already installs cameras in all of the major public areas so they can monitor everything.  I’d hate to be watched all the time, even though I’m not doing anything wrong.

The world of communications, mass communications, and journalism is a constantly changing phenomenon. Even in the past 10… no… just 5 years consumers have witnessed tremendous growth in means of not only technology, but in the ways we communicate as well.

With the rapid popularity of blogging, social networking websites, SMS, instant messaging, RSS, and other communication tools, it has become amazingly easy to communicate with not only people close to us, but to business partners, and to even strangers all over the world. A somewhat disturbing factor, however, is the growth of the Internet’s commercial use. Our magazine, TV news programs, and now websites and emails are bombarded with ads from every direction. What is next? Receiving advertisements in our text messages (although this would seem to be covered under, perhaps, something similar to the “do not call” list)? Perhaps with the growth of commercial use through mass communications, it will become more difficult to actually communicate as ads continue to act as noise interfering in the communication process.

As far and mass communications and journalism go, when at one point in time, print media and electronic/digital media were considered completely different forms of communications, today they no longer need to be considered segregated.

The technological and communications world is changing for the better for professional communicators. It has definitely made their work easier with the communication tools mentioned above. Anything and everything can be accessed on the Internet, making information readily available to anyone who needs it.

During my lifetime, I have seen the communications industry change completely. To think that it has changed so drastically, yet that it’s not done–it’s scary. As I venture into the world of communications, I know that things will be more different than they have ever been. Cause for alarm? Maybe

As newspapers consolidate, magazines shrink and blogs multiply, there are a few key things that I have noticed about the communications industry. A lot of people are doing a lot more, for a lot less. Many people in the communications industry now blog, do web design and shoot video in a job that used to only entail broadcast. Because a lot of mediums are joining forces (ie, magazines -> e-zines -> blogs), industry professionals are expected to do the same. Not only should a news broadcaster on Channel 2 report about an accident; they should drive out on their own time, shoot the footage, upload it to their blog and write commentary. Similarly, magazine writers now juggle multiple articles, keep up with their blog on the magazine Web site, and tackle a few design jobs in between.

The payoff? A few talented individuals seem to get paid more, while jobs shrink and others get paid a lot less. Can’t keep up? You’re expendable, and you can be replaced.

Maybe I’m over exaggerating. Maybe this is a normal evolution that happens when a catalyst of new media enters the scene. Maybe, but since the infancy of the communications industry, companies have done what they can to be more efficient and streamline. The result? Less jobs, but each worker is expected to plow through more work. Excuse the cynicism, but it’s frightening to be headed into the industry when it’s changing constantly.

As the world evolves and technology advances, the challenges of communicating becomes harder to keep up with. I recently was just talking about this, and how children are recieving messages and are being taught certain morals–through media and the new technology being used to output certain messages. Now, ads are placed on every webpage, inbetween site changes, and even at the palm of our hands in our phone. We are becoming ads, ourselves by choosing what ads we give into and decide to become customers of. While it is good for media companies that exposure is accessible in every place possible, the challenge of persuading consumers to become interested is what makes these advancements of technology a downfall. Because communicating can be done at the flick of a pinky finger, it makes it hard for companies to grab a person’s attention on one particular thing.

Also, media professionals have a challenge of keeping up with the latest things being said, the newest ways of communicating, and now its not about what are people doing but what are they going to do next to communicate a message? While it is more challenging, at the same time it can open up a lot more opportunities for jobs and opportunities to learn about the latest technologies.

Personally, while all the new technological ways are exciting and fast and easy, I also wish that there was more ways of people using more personable ways of communicating. Now, friends text me and in ten seconds I just found out that Bob and Julie broke up, rather than being at a friends house and enjoying that time talking about the latest things going on in our lives. Eventually, those moments of good conversation will be taken for granted and eventually completely lost at technology advances to open more room for ways of communicating.A recent children’s movie, “Wall-E”,opened my eyes to how our generation and our future generation is being so consumed in technologic communicating that we forget the world around our computers. The movie shows humans becoming so reliable on communicating via computer and robots that they dont notice the sun outside, the pool in front of them, or even the person right next to them.   Convienient communicating is the way people are talking nowadays because everybody is so busy and maybe even becoming lazy because we have technology to communicate at the touch of a button.

In conclusion, while texting, emailing, blogging, bluetooth sending, are all exciting and easily accessible, I hope that we do not get too consumed in it to end up like the humans in “Wall-E”.

As our world becomes more crowded and more diverse it seems that time becomes less and less available. As technology advances continue to strive forward, not only are these new advanced mediums allowing us to better express ourselves and stay in touch more easily, but they are also enabling us to simply keep-up with the constant demand of our time and input.

In these fast paced times it has become essential for everyone, not just the busy professional, to be in two places at once, so-to-speak. Without this ability to conduct business and handle home matters simultaneously, or respond to a critical business matter while at a meeting discussing another, we would not be able to meet the needs and expectations of all those around us in our professional and personal lives. I believe that the necessity to multi-task will bring about more and more changes in our cultural and social environments, and though these changes may seem like a nuisance or a distraction to some at the moment, in time they will become expected and seen as common etiquette.

It is clear that the ability of everyone to more readily interact and share their insights and experiences circumvents, in a way, the traditional path or information to the general public. It is a difficult time for certain mediums, such as the newspapers and magazines or even television, to adapt and redefine their deliverables and their target market. However, as history has proven, they will eventually readjust and become part of the new media of our future. I imagine there may be a time when, like consumers, the media will also become a bit of a multi-tasking machine and will join forces within their industries to become the integrated and multi-faceted information source that we all will seek.

Without the existence of our interconnected technological world, the world would literally be passing us by.

Technology has come along way. It is amazing the advancement with the Internet. As a society, we rely heavily on the Internet. The Internet has provided many benefits. We now have the ability to communicate with people all around the world, anytime of day, within a few seconds. We are able to conduct research online without getting a pile of books from the library. We can find newspaper articles and videos of events at our fingertips with just a few clicks.

Despite all the great benefits of the Internet, some industries and people have suffered from this. For starters, when was the last time you picked up the Yellow Pages to find a business listing? Maybe once in a while. I usually toss out my copy. Even calling 411 for information has dwindled. Most people use some form of search engine, Yahoo or Google to find a listing, phone number, address and even directions. Why look anywhere else when everything is online. This convenience has made businesses like the Yellow Pages suffer.

Newspaper print has suffered greatly because of the Internet and online news and ads. Online has been able to reach a younger demographic that print has not. It is hard to get a teenager to pick up a newspaper and read the news. Yet, when this individual goes to check their Yahoo Mail, news headlines grabs their attention on the homepage and they are more likely to read further.

The Internet has been able to reach and influence audiences that other news media were not able too. The future of newspaper print looks gloomy with the rapid expansion of the online world. 

The music industry has also felt the negative effects of the Internet. There are so many music downloads that are free that many people no longer pay for music in stores.As the Internet grows, many other industries are being replaced or, suffering major financial losses. 

Some win and some lose..

The world of mass communications and journalism is clearly changing and evolving at a rapid rate.  The internet seems to be the biggest threat.  Internet might not be a huge threat to TV, but more so to other media such as newspapers and some magazines.  It is much easier for a consumer of media to flip on their computer and log onto the internet to get the current news, than to make a trip down to store to pick up a paper.  On top of that, the stories in the paper might be dated compared to what is posted on the internet.

It was only about five years ago that you may have witnessed someone pulling off to the side of the road (or not) squinting their eyes and holding a big poster sized map an inch away from their face, dragging their finger along it trying to figure out where the hell they were.  They may have even been talking angrily to someone on their car phone trying to figure things out.  Now people have GPS.  Some devices can give you directions just from touching a few buttons, or better yet you can just ask the GPS in the car for directions.  This is just one example of how quickly technology and people change.

I can see the world of professional communications changing in a few ways.  A newspaper journalist would suffer from these changing times because online news publications are dominating newspaper journalism.  Some professional communicators may lose jobs, but in other areas there may be new jobs available.  For example, we always need people to come up with new, faster, better, more efficient technologies.  In that sense there will be more jobs for professional communicators.

The big change for professional communicators, which seems to be the most obvious, is that changing technology has made their work easier.  Blackberries, e-mail, software, tape-recorders, printers and so many other technologies that we already have, now make life and work for professional communicators simply easier.  With the constant evolution of technology, it seems that the trend will continue in this direction.

Today: InDesign CS3 Project

Introduction to InDesign CS3 Lab 1
On Wednesday we will get into InDesign CS3. Here is the related material:

• Powerpoint for intro to InDesign CS3 [PPT]
• Handout for Lab [PDF]
• Associated Files [ZIP]

Assignments Due: September 24

Blog Post: Reflections on the changing world of communications, mass communications and journalism. How do you see the world changing for professional communicators? Place this in the category, the machine is us.

Lynda, InDesign CS3 Essential Training with David Blatner: the following chapters and all videos inside them:

1. Introduction
2. Workspace
3. Getting to the Tools
4. Creating a Document
5. Managing Pages
6. Text
7. Graphics

Assignments Due: September 17

Using your account on Lynda go into the Photoshop CS3 One-on-One: The Essentials tutorial. Do chapters 1 through 4, playing, following and doing all of the modules within these chapters. The titles of these chapters include:

1. What Photoshop Can Do
2. Setting Up Shop
3. The New and Improved Bridge
4. Basic Color Adjustment