BRYAN LESCH

Technology of 2022

Influences

Roger’s Diffusion of Innovations points out how ideas and technology spread through cultures. The ideas I thought of were portability, speed and personal health for my vision. In a society that is growing more and more connected annually, speed and portability have become an asset all new technologies must possess. Over the next decade, these assets will grow even more important.

Influences

Critical Mass Theory, which suggests we all play a part in the advancement of technology, also played a part in how I see technology developing over the next decade. Although not everyone can change things drastically, the fact that everyone’s voice can be heard today—whether through the internet, radio, magazines or television, gives us all a chance to make our technologies bigger, stronger, and faster.

Influences

The Social Learning Theory is an interesting one in the technological sense. SLT says we learn through society what is acceptable/cool. How this can apply to technology is although something may be more effective, if it doesn’t have the right amount of support, (political, celebrity, social) it can die a quick death.

Influences

The Uses and Gratifications Theory tells us people seek media to fulfill needs they have. UGT doesn’t tell us what media does to us, but what we do with our media. This explains the popularity in reality television. People that can’t live the lives they see on TV can still watch other people live those lives.

Media and Technologies Influenced

All forms of media, fields, and technologies will be influenced over the next decade. For this presentation however, I’m going to look at a few that apply to me directly:

Video Games Television Education

Video Games

In the future, video games will become more and more portable. People will want to take their games with them; forcing gaming companies to produce games that are graphically advanced yet accessible on a cell phone or tablet.

Not like this

Like this

Video Games

As society takes more steps to get healthier as a whole, video games will encourage more movement by the user, something to combat the “couch potato” stereotype. Video games will feel more like exercising than relaxing at times. Some consoles, such as the Wii and Xbox 360 have already developed games that require users to move around and become more active in their game-playing experience.

More of this

Less of this

Television

When I introduced the Uses and Gratifications theory, I talked about how it can explain the popularity of reality television. In the future, reality television will become even more ingrained in our society. With so many different characters, concepts and ideas, one will only be able to ask “What will they come up with next?”

Television

According to the research, 75% of smart-TV owners who connect their set to the Internet watch on-demand online programming ("Internet tv usage," 2012).With the growing number of internet users and the ability to make TVs that connect to the internet, the ability to share programs among users will become easier. Want to show a friend a part of a show you saw on TV? Just clip a video file from the show and send it directly to his TV!

Homer will have to put in some overtime to get his family a TV that can connect to the internet

Television

Television will also become more interactive. By 2005, DISH Network and DirecTV had already rolled out ITV platforms in the US, with a combined audience of 25 million viewers (Grant & Meadows, 2012). Did your favorite player just make a great play? Instead of the broadcast forcing everyone to watch a replay, a link will appear at the bottom of the screen that will allow users to view a picture-in-picture replay. Commentary and behind-the-scenes material options will also be available if a user wants to watch them.

Education

Technology and education go hand in hand. The technology that is available in a school and the progress that is made by the students at that school is something that is talked about daily in newspapers and on the news. As more options become available for teachers to use, the days of students all sitting in a chair and rotting while a teacher hopelessly tries to keep their students’ attention are numbered.

This never happened in this class!

Education

Florida public schools are expected to completely adopt digital instruction materials by 2015 (Lee, 2011).

This is something to watch for in the future. Although tablets can be expensive, the cost of textbooks will be cheaper on tablets than traditional books. Tablets will also give teachers more options to teach students. Apps will play a major role in teaching students in alternative forms, rather than just reading a chapter in a book.

Education

Classrooms are already becoming digital. With people taking on more things in their lives, it is easier for people to “go to school” over the internet. Video calls, conferences and presentations will replace class meetings and tangible, written reports.

Get with the times!

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think the biggest thing technology will do for us in the next decade is make our lives more accessible and easier. Although learning new technologies and how to best use them is easier for some than others, companies are striving to make everything user friendly. Over the next decade some of the things that are staples of our lives today will cease to exist or will be changed to make our lives easier than they are now—we hope.

Sources

Grant, A., & Meadows, J. (2012). Communication technology update and fundamentals. (13th ed., p. 115). New York, NY: Focal Press.

Internet tv usage growing. (2012, July 17). Retrieved from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/178988/internet-tv-usage-growing.html

Lee, C. (2011, July 30). Florida school will be giving students ipads instead of textbooks this year. Retrieved from http://www.idownloadblog.com/2011/07/30/florida-school-ipads/