From a religious idea "there is nothing new under the sun", however, when you look at the current capabilities of internet technology there might be an argument that nothing like the internet has ever existed in human existence. Yet, when you simplify the internet it is only an invesible object that lets you communicate with people, share and find any piece of information all from virtually anywhere. In retrospect that does not sound simple at all. The purpose of that idea and this article comes to the point that the internet might be one of the single most important inventions in modern history, and its impact is definitely shifting and growing by the day. For the 21st century the internet and its technology associated with it: mobile phones, social media/networking, education, movies, television, and gaming is going to explode and open new possibilities for all people. These changes will be seen in each and every industry associated with the internet.
Changes in industries have already occurred and can be seen in many example. Print media and movie buying/renting has already taken a shift and right next to that change will be television media being distributed in some alternative mode.
The shifts in print media can be seen with these charts. Advertising revenue which is a major source of income for print media companies is declining and online advertising is rising. Plus circulation for new papers is dropping rapidly. The internets turn of the century influence is the source of this change.
For out of box office movies Netflix has made it much simpler to rent and see movies. When cost and simplicity are on one side then customers will be on that side too.
Another major shift the internet has recently created is the social media and social networking industries. Social Networking is people connecting with each other and sharing personal content. We are in the age of connecting not information now. Now on the internet connecting with new people and old friends is the new trend. Plus people are connecting in many different ways. You can now talk over the internet, text over the internet, and video chat over the internet. Facebook shows that with over 1 Billion people you can virtually connect to anyone over the internet.
Social Media, which is users creating content to share to as many people as possible is also a relatively new trend.
Youtube is the epitome of social media and shows that normal people can generate self made content that other people want to see. With a medium like this a person can create a video and post it to an outlet that can "distribute" the video to over 800 million people. This is a direct threat to the old structure of how content and information was distributed. Because of the internet the old will change.
Furthermore, It is understood the internet is important and will lead to more advances but what is equally important is how the internet is accessed and what is going on in that industry.
Mobile phones are so important now that more people have access to them then electricity and safe drinking water.
Mobile phones are important to stay connected now. Not only do mobile phones let people talk to each other but they allow people to connect to the internet also. Now since people are connecting to the internet with their phones they are also making purchases on their phones too. It is also very likely that by 2014 people will be making more purchases on their phones then on the traditional desktop.
I am amazed at the power of the internet. I do not like what it has done to people though. For instance, when we look at Social Media people have acquired keyboard courage, its almost as if you can see the pulse of America through comments on Facebook, twitter, and other sites. That being said these advancements still add great value to society by keeping us informed on events in the world.
ReplyDeleteThe world is sincerely becoming smaller and smaller; all thanks to the internet. I believe that the development and evolution of the internet will continue to have a crucial impact on the welfare of our society, however, there is limit on how much we should participate in internet usage. Our generation is becoming addicted to many aspects of the internet, such as social media and blogging. In contrast, the internet can have a positive impact by granting individuals the opportunity to communicate for purposes such as employment or even finding long lost family members.
ReplyDeleteThabiti Stephens - The internet is an amazing tool. How people use it can leave you with mixed emotions about the subject. The way that social media is used is you can how people act out of their character on these sites. Cyber Bullying is a result of this. The addiction to the internet has become a commonality for our generation.
ReplyDeleteThe internet has become a powerful influence in our lives, I remember growing up using the internet and it was nothing like it was today. Growing up it was unique to have internet service and now its the complete opposite. However, as stated in the article its influence has had a long-lasting impact on our lives (both negative and positive).
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