Technology, Media & Culture

Everyone uses digital technology. Okay, maybe not everyone , but it's not that crazy to say that technology use may be one of the very few things that nearly everyone has in common in 2020. Millennials are still leading the way in technology adoption, but it's pretty steady across all generations, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to be more creative than ever when it comes to "spending time" with relatives and friends.

Do you remember when you used to hear songs for the first time on the radio? Or if you missed the premiere of a new episode for your favorite show, you had to check the TV guide to see when the next airing would occur so you could catch up. Back then, consumers had to do a lot more work to consume the media that interested them. Today, it simply could not be easier to digest whatever type of media you want, in just about any way you could imagine as video and music streaming have soared in popularity in recent years, so much so that broadband networks might not even be ready for this type of traffic (Alexander, 2020). 

Social media platforms run my life and I'm not afraid to admit it, mostly because I know I'm not alone. We are approaching a unique time where social media websites like Facebook , Twitter , Instagram and LinkedIn are becoming one-stop-shops for everything you could possibly need, from social interactions to news to entertainment, and everything in between. People are using social media platforms more, and for longer periods of time, than ever before. Elgot (2015) wrote that it's beginning to look like Facebook users might be getting to a point where they “never have to leave the site to get their news” (para. 30), while Hughes & Wojcik (2019) cite a 2018 survey that says seven-in-ten adult Twitter users in the U.S. get their news from the site. Even with Twitter being less popular than Facebook, Hughes & Wojcik (2019) estimate one-in-five U.S. adults get news from the site. What's so great about getting your news from a social media platform anyway? For one...

Communication professionals may require additional training given advancements in digital technology and changes to the media landscape over the last few decades. This training can come in many different formats, including both formal and informal settings. A formal setting may include an in-person training or webinar focused on one topic or a series of topics, while an informal experience could be an employee taking a free online course in their spare time to up-skill himself or herself in the moment.  Related: 10 Best Online Classes for a Media, PR or Marketing Role Let's take a closer look at some of the training opportunities available to communication professionals, both formal and informal. SOURCES: Public Relations Society of America ; International Association of Business Communicators ; Harvard Extension School ; Lynda.com Just as communicators need to identify which digital tool is best for which job or story, they also may need to identify which professional development...

With digital technology creating new responsibilities for professional communicators, their education and training has also changed. I graduated with my bachelor's degree in journalism in 2013 and the courses I was required to complete were drastically different than what was required 20 years prior. My course list included broadcast journalism, multimedia journalism, photojournalism, digital publishing and web design, in addition to the traditional reporting courses. And as it turns out, my small, liberal arts college in New Hampshire isn't alone .   Kolodzy (2013) wrote that journalists must be willing to use many tools in many different ways and that's true for all communicators. Different jobs require different tools and it's the responsibility of the communicator to determine which tool is best for which job (Kolodzy, 2013). This requires additional training to familiarize employees with new digital tools and on-the-job practice. Employers also need to teach commun...

Technology has literally changed the world. Think about the gravity of that statement and how many things from our lifetime we can truly say have changed the world. Alright, 2020 doesn't count ! Technology has brought our imaginations to life. Whatever we can think up, technology and science can likely make it happen (Silas, 2002). It's been a tough year, but we are still living in a very exciting time as far as technology is concerned and it will be interesting to see where we are even five years from now!   The mobile phone ─ and specifically Smartphones ─ have had an immeasurable impact on the world as a whole. The Pew Research Center estimates that 5 billion people worldwide owned a smartphone as of 2019. These handheld devices allows us to do everything from check the weather, deliver the headlines, send an email, check you bank balance, make a video call and just about anything else you could possibly imagine. It's changed our daily lives and it's unfathomable f...