Social Media and the Changing Times
How the Advancements of Technology is Changing the Way We Communicate
Times fly by, indeed. Before the 1960s, the images we used to see in television were black and white. There were more newspapers, pamphlets, magazines and other print materials where businesses advertise their products and services. The radio was popular back then: news, dramas, music and other entertainment programs.
Now, we have different types of color televisions from HDTVs (High-Definition Televisions) to LCD TVs (Liquid-Crystal Televisions) to plasma screens. Radio may have become more portable, but people are turning to other forms of media where they can listen to music. Book sales are neck-and-neck with ebooks. Newspapers and magazines are cutting back on publication costs, as more people prefer to read news and feature articles on the web.
People born in the 1940s sometimes express nostalgia over the media gone past and show wonder over the newfangled appliances and ideas today. How times change, they say.
The older generations are right. Since the late years of the 20th century, innovation has borne the computer, and then the Internet. Email came, and letters coming from the post office dwindled. Websites started sprouting from online shopping sites to websites showing off different types of merchandise. There came websites that function like the heavy tomes of encyclopedia we used to browse in libraries. News transferred to the web and gets updated in real time. Personal blogs also became more attractive reading material than magazines featuring the same content.
Pictures seem to be sharper and more colorful, too, because of Photoshop and other photo-editing software. The list can go on and on. Here’s a table that details the latest changes:
Jeff Bullas, a social media expert, further narrates the challenges of conventional media:
- It’s not searchable (You need to access old files to view newspaper archives in libraries and publication houses).
- It cannot be viewed when you want (Television shows run on a strict schedule).
- It cannot be accessed on the hardware platform you prefer to use (e.g. tablet, computer or mobile devices).
- It doesn’t build an online asset for the brand.
How do we reconcile both traditional and modern means of communication? Although current media such as the Internet may be more effective, marketing campaigns should not set down and throw away their traditional advertising campaigns. Many people still watch television, read newspapers and listen to the radio. The only differences are the demographics and the techniques used to convey messages to target audiences. For example, the younger generation flocks more to the online social networks while the more mature age group is inclined to traditional media.
Other people used to the convenience of today’s technology might say that online media has the advantage over traditional media. They may be right. However, there’s a certain nostalgic feeling, a longing evoked by conventional media. The rustle of broadsheet pages, the glossy look of magazines and the excitement brought by colorful, moving images make many people feel strangely content and happy.
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