@staceyrumble

Technology is in a constant state of evolution because solving a problem breeds some form of technological innovation, which in turn brings forth new problems and needs requiring further innovation ad infinitum. Also known as, progress.

The more efficient the process of progress becomes, the more questions arise as a result and the more innovation takes place. The Internet has dramatically improved this process. As a result, the way we receive, filter and create content (and solve problems), has changed entirely.

Only in the last fifteen years or so with the widespread uptake of digital by the everyday consumer, has society’s means of consuming information transcended the inefficiencies of an analogue existence. Ironically, scientific progress was severely hindered by the absence of digital.

The process of gathering information before both the Internet and computer processing was long and painstaking, two crucial barriers-to-entry.

If problem-solving is ‘too difficult’, or simply not engaging enough, boredom and apathy set in, reducing the brain-pool of individuals dedicated (or nerdy) enough to come up with a solution.

Fewer minds wanting to get involved in a seemingly niche or complicated profession like atomic physics implied inherently less innovation because the creative process was starved of brainpower.

Since then, we haven’t looked back. The Internet has given us three critical assets: speed, quantity and to some degree, a small amount of quality.

Quantity, because we no have the ability to categorise high volumes of content in a way which makes it both universally accessible and easily searchable.  Quantity, because there are more minds; there are more minds, because the Internet has made both our consumption of information and the feedback loop so much faster.  

Not only can we consume and filter content quickly, we can now engage others about their content in real-time, making problem-solving live and engaging. With more and faster feedback, content is improved to the point of the best product possible.

Off the back of one creative idea, come several more questions from others within the community, who in turn create content themselves.

However, digital is not the agent of progress. We are. Even without it, progress will indefinitely breed progress. Digital is just the Nitrous Oxide making it breed like rabbits.

These days there is a strong tendency to communicate in short informal ways.

2011 has seen Social Media being used by hundreds of millions more people engaging with their friends, following celebrities and sporting heroes and gaining insight into others’ lives. Social Media is helping these individuals to get up-to-the-minute news and build relationships which weren't possible a couple of years ago.  One area, where Social Media has been particularly helpful is in Sport.

Digital has streamlined our communication, making it simple for fans to converse and exchange ideas, resulting in noticeable trends in sport, often appearing during live matches e.g. #KingKallis during the last week's 5 day test between South Africa and Sri-Lanka.

The use of Twitter, Google+ and Facebook have streamlined this growth with most businesses organisations, sporting clubs, venues and NGO’s using the medium to drive traffic to build meaningful relationships with their fans/consumers.

Digital has created so many new avenues of engagement for Sports fans and their constant interactions are causing them to have increasingly more influence over sports providers and content creators. The more content these fans consume, review and generate, the more content they ultimately have control over.  

However as Social Media becomes so saturated there is a very real risk of it becoming increasingly difficult to attract sports fans’ attention.  Being creative around gaining followers and utilizing your natural influencers is imperative to success in Social Media and any digital space. Creativity in digital and Social Media is a must and sports brands must be able to both engage and re-engage their consumers.

Marketers need to plan to stay socially active throughout sports events and post consistently relevant interesting content that appeals to broader audiences in order to attract new consumers. With 2012 now in full swing, there is already a lot on the sporting calendar. It’s important your brand isolates which events it would like to be involved in this year and capitalise on them with extensive planning. 

Consumers are already making full use of the information highway at the convenience of their armchairs; make sure your brand (note, where relevant) is involved in the conversation too.

Digital has taken the world by storm and has substantially penetrated the global music arena. It is the driving force behind modern musical innovation. 

Music is undoubtedly a huge part of the web and continues to grow. We watched as the iTunes Music Store fuelled the rise of a new era in digital music and many followed. Today we have access to music at our fingertips. Applications like iMesh, Limewire and YouTube have made it so convenient to listen to our favourite tunes and to share music with others via the web. Music has also become tightly integrated with social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook, which continue to be a rising trend amongst communities. A perfect example is Lady Gaga who has a staggering 17,635,095 follows and counting. Furthermore, we are able to do live audio-streaming via platforms such as Icecast and Peercast to listen to our favourite radio stations from all across the globe, connecting people now even more than ever.

The smart creation of mobile music applications now allows us to create music on our mobiles through the recording and sequencing of multiple music tracks within the application. Amateurs and professional musicians alike are using social audio-hosting sites such as SoundCloud to share and market their music and listen to the music of others.

Also introduced to the music industry is Group Listening, which allows various users to meet virtually and DJ for one another using their personal music collections. Turntable.fm is one of the most popular online listening rooms but is still in its early stages and much development is set to come from this concept creation as indicated by online sources such as wired.com.

Digital downloads are sky-rocketing and many record labels are experiencing greater growth in sales of digital downloads than in physical formats (Link). This goes to show that digital is rewarding the artists for their hard work too while providing music consumers of music with a convenient way to access their favourite tunes.

Here are a few interesting statistics to ponder on, taken from the IFPI Digital Music Report 2011: 

• 13 million tracks were licensed by record companies to digital music services

• US$4.6 billion is the trade value of the digital music market worldwide

• 1000%+ is the increase in the value of the digital music market 2004-10

This is just the start of greater things to come as industry experts have predicted much new innovation and growth over the next decade. It is certainly an exciting time for the music industry in the age of digital, so hold on tightly to your seats as we ride this journey of fusion, between digital and music, together.

Digital technology is penetrating every aspect of our lives and it seems to be no different when it comes to television and our usage of this seemingly dying medium of entertainment.

My interest was piqued when I recently read that one of the trends of 2011 was how television has become more social (e.g. Samsung Smart TV). Talking online about what you are currently watching has accelerated as social media usage in general has increased.

It seems that those in charge of the television medium, e.g. networks, TV show producers etc, have started to realise that television may be technologically outdated and need to make certain adjustments in order to stay relevant.

“When there's something weird, and it don't look good. Who you gonna call?" Call Twitter. The second largest social network has made a tremendous contribution to how we consume television media over the past year and 2012 will be no different.

In 2011, Twitter continued to be a driving force in the convergence of social media and television. With or without the encouragement of Twitter's management or TV networks, people would naturally be inclined to talk about shows in real-time on the Internet.

An excellent case in point would be that of The X Factor USA, one of 2011's biggest reality show successes. A few months ago, Twitter released an article on their official blog called "Twitter, TV and You". It speaks of the new experiment is The X Factor USA.

X Factor had agreed that viewers could vote for their favourite singers via Twitter. This took viewers from being inactive consumers to active prosumers of the reality show. Every viewer was now able to be part of the judge’s bench by being able to interact with the other judges, contestants and other viewers etc. Viewers were now able to play an active part in deciding who the ultimate winner of the show could be - a process now being referred to as a social voting mechanism.

The article makes plain the fact that "from singing competitions to awards ceremonies to dramas, watching your favourite shows is better with Twitter".

From this success, Twitter went on to provide an actual best practice guide for producers on how to integrate this social media with your television programs. In this Producer's Guide, Twitter provided some very interesting stats and case studies of how conversation thrives online when certain shows are airing on television. It also provides some practical advice on how to actually pull off this type of strategy.

The greatest learning from the above is that television viewers are now in a position where they no longer need to watch a show in isolation, but instead can actively engage with all the parties involved in the show, which makes the viewing pleasure all the more experiential.

It seems to me that a shift has occurred from this one-dimensional consumption of television to a multi-dimensional interactive experience of television and I think that the challenge, and ultimately where the success lies, for the industry is to make the integration of these two different technologies as seamless as possible for the end-user.  Something else to look out for in 2012 will be the growth of second-screen applications. Second Screen applications are those that run on your mobile or tablet device and complement your television viewing. More about that later in the year.

But for now, keep your eyes glued to this development.

GH