Introduction to Electronics in Media

Hey guys, since this is the first post, I thought I'd start with a bit of an introduction. Yes, this is my first time blogging, and I already feel like it's going to be a lot of fun and a great experience. It's no wonder why so many people have begun to create their own blogs already, be it for personal pleasure, or for business. Though there is so much to cover in the world of media, I decided to focus on the consumer technology/electronics aspect of it. This topic interested me for several reasons. First, I’m a big technology buff, and always think the new stuff is cool. I grew up around computers and video games, and always tried to be ahead of the curve as far as new progress in technology, which seems to be harder and harder nowadays with so much out there. I honestly believe that you couldn't find any other field with such rapid progression and new developments and products than in electronics and media. Some of these things include cell phones, televisions, computers, movies, music, games, and not just the hardware of these things, but the software as well.

These things cover communication, information, and last but not least, entertainment technologies. An important thing worth noting here, which some of you may have already realized, is that it has become more and more common for these three facets of technology to be intertwined. This media convergence has its benefits, but how far can this idea be taken and still prove viable over various dedicated devices? What works and what doesn't? How much convergence is too much convergence? What hardware/features are worth the money, and what are wasting it? These are just some of the topics I plan on addressing throughout the semester.

 

Another issue concerning media in more recent times is piracy. This isn’t just for a few songs either. Nowadays, people can download movies, TV shows, computer software, even video games for the newer consoles like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360. Will hardware sales ever be affected by this, or is the number of consumers participating in these downloads smaller than we think? Has it really affected the industry, or was this change bound to occur eventually? These questions and more are things I’d also like to touch on in the weeks to come.

 

I will most likely focus on one technology at a time, tying in the idea of convergence and possibly the threat of piracy for each along the way, and then giving a broader overview towards the end of the semester. I will also most likely relate what all that means as far as numbers and sales go. As a student majoring in Journalism and Media Studies, I know how important knowing the numbers and the business aspect of these things is. I will also start to form some projections regarding the future of the technologies that I discuss as the semester progresses.

 

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!