According to PCMAG digital “means perfect copies, the 0s and 1s of digital data mean more than just on and off. They mean perfect copying. When information, music, voice and video are turned into binary digital form, they can be electronically manipulated, preserved and regenerated perfectly at high speed. The millionth copy of a computer file is exactly the same as the original. While this continually drives the software and content publishers crazy protecting their copyrights, it is nevertheless a major advantage of digital processing.”
Nearly everything has become or is becoming digital. From digital video discs (DVD) to digital photography, we are surrounded by everything that is digital. We are drawn to everything digital because it brings many benefits for both consumers and firms. In addition, virtually everything is transitioning towards the internet and adapting to the rapidly changing world of media. According to techmind.org, “when compared to analog records or cassette tape, the CD has demonstrated greater dynamic range (which means no hiss during quiet parts of the music), very good and flat frequency response (so the sound is crisp), and the format is notably resilient to dust, dirt and scratches.” This is even more true for compressed MP3’s.
However, the digital world has not brought enthusiasm to everyone. Stephen Lacy, Professor at Michigan State University states that the “digital distribution of information has created concerns about the future of news organizations. Observers have speculated on how the Internet has and will change journalism, with almost as many different conclusions as there are speculators. These concerns have caused journalism educators around the country to reevaluate how they teach journalism.”
The future for digital technology is uncertain, but what is certain is that we will continue to accept, entrust and rely on digital technologies.
Very interesting. Digital media has brought unexpected changes to the media world. It is hard for printed newspapers to keep up with people who are getting their news on internet. Since blogs have become so popular many people have began to lose interest in investigative reports and have gained interest in reading opinions on blogs.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder what will happen to newspapers in the future, though i do not think they will go out of business entirely, I do think that some will have to shut or go completely digital.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point about digital media' ability to create generations of copies without loss of quality, in contrast to analog media.
ReplyDeleteThe difference with this generation of lossless media and the past generation of analog media present a big problem for major media industries. Unlike the past, many of the major Film, Music, and Television companies cannot convince people to buy new formats as easily anymore. The transition from the Cassette to CD and VHS to DVD had people rebuying entire collections to enjoy a perfect digital quality. With the advent of purely digital formats such as the mp3 and mp4, the question is how will these industries make money in the coming years, since nobody is going out in droves to rebuy their collections, let alone buying media at all...
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