Digital technology is taking over

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 for some to think of leaving their device behind, even if they are just running to the store. 

 

“Like an organic cell that moves, evolves, combines with other cells, and generates, the mobile phone has become a complex spark plug of human life.” ― Umair (2016) 

 

SOURCE: Pew Research Center 

Mobile devices and other digital technologies have completely altered the way we communicate, in turn altering the roles of professional communicators. Reporters, public relations officials and communication specialists have to be more versatile than ever, communicating in the workplace with multiple digital tools on a daily basis. Then, they go home and use the same digital tools to interact socially, meaning these people may never truly be able to disconnect. It can be draining, but it's absolutely necessary in order to deal with the new media landscape!

References

Silas, M. (2002). In the hands of the geeks: The impact of technologies on social aspects of millennium life. Retrieved from https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A103381697/AONE?u=nhc_main&sid=AONE&xid=4e8c33c8. 

 

Umair, S. (2016). Mobile Reporting and Journalism for Media Trends, News Transmission and its Authenticity. Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism, 6(9). 1-6.  

 

Walker, M. (2019, November 19). Americans favor mobile devices over desktops and laptops for getting news. Retrieved from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/11/19/americans-favor-mobile-devices-over-desktops-and-laptops-for-getting-news/.