The Landscape of 2021 A.D.

Final Project, Selenia Detweiler, Com 303-50, December 5, 2011

We‘ve come a long way since the very first instances of verbal and written communication. From the early stages of speech, along with the primitive use of symbols and pictures to convey messages to one another, we‘ve evolved into a communications powerhouse. Data has never been transferred faster and communication has thus never been more sophisticated than it is right now.

When I think about technology and the use of the umbrella perspective I think about Facebook. Some of the enabling factors for me and the use of Facebook is personalize, communication, availability. When using Facebook you have the ability to adjust your profile to reflect only the things you are willing to let others know about you. These setting can be private, semi-private, or open. Along with setting you choose who you want your friends to be and what exactly they will be able to see when viewing your page. You can also choose which, if any, games to play with friends. Facebookgives you the ability to create groups, join groups, etc to promote ideas that are meaningful to you.

Facebook was originally established as a means of communication. Set up for college students to stay connected to friends. Communication is a motivating factor. Now that it has gone public many people of all ages use Facebook as a means to stay updated with their family and friends.

Another motivating and enabling factor is availability. Smart phones, lap tops, and desk tops allow people to connect with Facebook more often and much easier. I did not log on to Facebook a fraction of the number of times I do now because I am able to log on using my phone. Sitting on a bus or at a stop light allows me to check up on friends any time and any where. I am also able to update my ―status‖ whenever as well. Letting my friends and family know what I am doing.

(http://ewheeler82.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/umbrella-perspective-of-communication-technologies/)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/social-networking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations

The networked classroomTiny Branson, Colo., is proof that the information highway can take you anywhere. Faced with declining enrollment at its traditional schoolhouse, Branson started offering an online public school education to students in far-flung areas of the state.

Branson‘s population may be just 100, but via the Internet, 850 children go to school there. One of them is Riley South, an eighth-grader who ―attends‖ class from his family‘s ranch 165 miles away in Penrose.

Riley gets up on his own and is on the computer between 6:30 and 7 a.m. everyday. ―The best part is I can get my school work done earlier and I can get my horse exercised and rode every day,‖ he told NBC‘s Kevin Tibbles.

(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18664322/ns/nightly_news/t/what-will-world-look/#.Tt1U27JCqU8)

The Integration of VoIP VoIP allows you to make phone calls in three different ways.

You‘ll need a high-speed broadband internet connection for all three options. First, you can still make that phone call through your computer using a microphone and headphones/speakers, or a headset that does both. Second, you can actually still use an old phone you have lying around your house to make an internet phone call with the help of a VoIP adapter that hooks up to a broadband connection. A third option, (mainly for businesses that have multiple incoming/outgoing calls) is to buy a special VoIP phone that is just like many other businesses phones but it plugs directly into a broadband connection. It has all sorts of special features right on the user interface so that you can easily answer and transfer calls multiple phone calls. Picking the option that best suits you depends on what your intended use is.

(http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2008/11/the-evolution-and-future-of-communication-technology/)

According to Moore, the marketer should focus on one group of customers at a time, using each group as a base for marketing to the next group. The most difficult step is making the transition between visionaries (early adopters) and pragmatists (early majority). This is the chasm that he refers to. If a successful firm can create a bandwagon effect in which enough momentum builds, then the product becomes a de facto standard. However, Moore's theories are only applicable for disruptive or discontinuous innovations. Adoption of continuous innovations (that do not force a significant change of behavior by the customer) are still best described by the original technology adoption lifecycle. Confusion between continuous and discontinuous innovation is a leading cause of failure for high tech prod

ucts. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Chasm_(book))

In the future, the ―cell phone‖ could be an extension of our bodies and senses, where information could be exchanged and communication could be achieved through universal gestures. Moreover, embedded technology could become more accepted, designs could be more varied and shape-shifting technologies could enable people to adapt devices for different needs.

While critical mass can be applied to many different aspects of sociodynamics, it becomes increasingly applicable to innovations in interactive media such as the telephone, fax, or email. With other non-interactive innovations, the dependence on other users was generally sequential, meaning that the early adopters influenced the later adopters to use the innovation. However, with interactive media, the interdependence was reciprocal, meaning both users influenced each other. This is due to the fact that interactive media have high network externality[1], where in the value and utility of a good or service increases the more users it has. Thus, he increase of adopters and quickness to reach critical mass can therefore be faster and more intense with interactive media, as can the rate at which previous users discontinue their use. The more people that use it, the more beneficial it will be, thus creating a type of snowball effect and conversely, if users begin to stop using the innovation, the innovation loses utility, thus pushing more users to discontinue their use.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_mass_(sociodynamics))

Blumler and Katz‘s uses and gratification theory suggests that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media. Users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their media use. The theorist say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfills the needs of the user. Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.

(http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/uses.htm)

Media Systems Dependency Theory (MSD) was first proposed by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin DeFleur in 1976, and consists of a complex system in which the media, individuals, their interpersonal environment, and the social environment have dependency relationships with each other; Each component depends on the other components in a system by drawing on resources in order to satisfy goals. Particular attention is given to the resources of media systems in modern society and the consideration of conditions which will increase or decrease individuals' reliance on media systems.The more complex (specialized) the society and differentiated its culture, the broader the scope of personal and social goals that require access to media information resources

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_systems_dependency_theory)

— Communication could be ambient, always on, and people could live online— Computers and mobile devices could be embedded in the ordinary— ―Using Software‖ could vanish; only interface and human interaction would remain— Device interaction could become natural, predictive, and fluid— Mollecular manufacturing could revolutionize production— Objects could access ‗The Cloud‘ at will

(http://www.designworldonline.com/articles/4331/What-will-communication-devices-look-like-in-2033.aspx)

Social cognitive theory, used in psychology, education, and communication, posits that portions of an individual's knowledge acquisition can be directly related to observing others within the context of social interactions, experiences, and outside media influences.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_cognitive_theory)

The theory of the Long Tail is that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of "hits" (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail. As the costs of production and distribution fall, especially online, there is now less need to lump products and consumers into one-size-fits-all containers. In an era without the constraints of physical shelf space and other bottlenecks of distribution, narrowly-targeted goods and services can be as economically attractive as mainstream fare.

(http://thelongtail.com/about.html)

The Principle of Relative Constancy is a complex idea with very simple implications. What at first seems like a curio – that advertising is a fairly constant proportion of Gross Domestic Product –turns into something that might define an industry: media are playing a zero-sum game and have no choice but to eat their competitors‘ revenues. Or see theirs eaten.

The precise mathematical process of determining constancy is less interesting than it general use as a benchmarking tool. We can use it to figure out just how much advertising exists.

(http://economicsofadvertising.com/?page_id=42

Tension free needs: People sometimes use the media as a means of escapism and to relieve from

tension For e.g. People tend to relax watching TV, listening to radio and for satisfying their

need for entertainment there by relaxing from all the tension, people watch films, films on TV etc

Note: The needs are individual in nature, and how u satisfies the need is individualistic.

E.g.: That‘s why some watch news to relax and some get more tension by watching news, Program is same but people use it for different needs.

Taking TV today, most people watch reality shows because It is more realistic For entertainment Interesting New concepts (different from other programs) In a way you can participate Controversy, people crying Sensationalism (http://communicationtheory.org/uses-and-gratification-theory/)

Social Integrative needs: It encompasses the need to socialize with family,

friends and relations in the society. For social interaction now a days people do not seems to have social gathering in weekend, instead they do such social interaction using media like the social networking sites like my space, facebook, orkut etc to satisfy their need.

Another example is you may not watch the particular serial regularly but because your friend watching, you also start watching so that you have common topics for discussion.

(http://communicationtheory.org/uses-and-gratification-theory/)

TECHNOLOGY MOVES FAST

The pace of technological development is moving fast — really fast. New tools are being developed at an astounding pace, the cost of hardware and software continues to decline, over 90% of the world is now covered by a cellular network and 25% of the world has access to the internet.

http://ewheeler82.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/umbrella-perspective-of-communication-technologies/)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/social-networking

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_innovations

(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18664322/ns/nightly_news/t/what-will-world-look/#.Tt1U27JCqU8)

(http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2008/11/the-evolution-and-future-of-communication-technology/)

(http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2008/11/the-evolution-and-future-of-communication-technology/

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Chasm_(book))

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_mass_(sociodynamics))

(http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/uses.htm)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_systems_dependency_theory)

(http://www.designworldonline.com/articles/4331/What-will-communication-devices-look-like-in-2033.aspx)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_cognitive_theory)

(http://thelongtail.com/about.html)

Final Project

Selenia Detweiler

COM 303-50

December 5, 2011