The Impact of Technological Advancements on Communication
The rapid technological advancement has revolutionized the way people communicate and relate. Whereas individuals were comfortable with some of the out-dated techniques of communication in the last century, such strategies have become obsolete nowadays. This transformation has created a considerable divide between current and former generations. Without social media, particularly Facebook, my life could be significantly complicated because I could not obtain news in real-time yet, for my father, this new technology seems foreign as he prefers television.
The Changing Landscape of News Access
There has been a considerable change in the way people access news. An interview with my father demonstrated that the rapid changes being witnessed currently are too fast for the older generation to comprehend. Whereas televisions were considered a faster means of communication during the last few decades, the channel is soon becoming non-operational. The effects of new technology on the old method of communication have been acknowledged, with some authors noting that the new media assigns the old ones "other places in the system" (Kittler, 1996, p. 5). Based on this premise, it means that instead of using the old broadcasting techniques as it was in the past, the modern generation is highly dependent on new technologies.
The Significance of Social Media in My Daily Life
My current life is based on swift and fast interaction with my surroundings. Whenever I need to know what is going on in the nation or around the world, all require is my smartphone. The garget has become vital and part of my life because I can access the internet and read any online newspaper in the world, thereby knowing social, political, as well as general occurrences globally. Inversely, as I noted from my father, television used to be the most efficient means of communication when he was my age. Unfortunately, as he indicated, it could take him almost a whole day before watching the news because, after all, not every family owned a television. Even to those who had one, it was not easy to watch preferred channels or bulletin. Whereas social media has become ubiquitous, meaning it can be accessed from many regions simultaneously, television proved tedious to watch because there was limited network coverage (Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2016). These changes demonstrate much contrast between social media and TV.
The Role of Social Media in Connectivity
Digital communication channels have made it efficient to relate to others. Unlike during my father's youthful age when it was difficult for him to communicate with his colleagues, social media platforms such as Facebook have enhanced connectivity, highlighting the famous saying that the world has become a "global village." Currently, it is possible to chat with my friends through Facebook and make crucial decisions through group discussions. Indeed, my father's views coincide with those expressed by Luders and Brandtzæg (2016) in their research that focused on the difference in perception regarding social networking sites (SNSs). According to the researchers, the aged consider social sites cold, narcissistic, and inadequate. Some of the significant concerns raised by these individuals entail online insecurity, a factor that has bedeviled the current generation despite many benefits that technology has brought. Hence, although the young generation is currently celebrating new models of communication, those who are of my father’s age are caught up in a generational culture gap as they disapprove social media.
The Cost Factor: Social Media vs. Television
A significant difference between social media and television encompasses cost factors. Traditionally, my father says that it was significantly expensive to advertise products through the television. However, the cost of marketing through social media, particularly Facebook, has reduced substantially. In their analysis of the impacts of traditional marketing techniques against online product promotion methods, Srinivasan, Rutz, and Pauwels (2015) point out that social media contributes to increased customer engagement while TV scores poorly when it comes to consumer appeal. Today, it becomes easy for me to sell a creative idea over the social media, unlike my father who used to depend on television advertisement before he could publicize any commodity he had. These variations have caused fundamental differences between the way my father used to interact with the public and my methods of collaboration.
The Positive Influence of Social Media
The advent of social media has made my life easier I can obtain new information in real-time, unlike my father when he was my age as televisions proved inefficient to him. I can access news with ease, relate with my colleagues effortlessly, and sale new ideas faster than my father could when he was young. Even though the technological advancements have come with numerous benefits, the old generation mostly focuses on the challenges unaware of the positive effects that far outweigh the adverse impacts. Indeed, there is a need for empowerment and advocacy to the aged so that they may embrace social media instead of television.
References
Kittler, F. A. (1996). The history of communication media. New Literary History, (114), 1-15.
Luders, M., " Brandtzæg, P. B. (2016). ‘My children tell me it’s so simple’: A mixed-methods approach to understand older non-users’ perceptions of social networking sites. New Media " Society, 19(2), 181-198. doi:10.1177/1461444814554064
Schivinski, B., " Dabrowski, D. (2016). The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands. Journal of Marketing Communications, 22(2), 189-214. doi:10.1080/13527266.2013.871323
Srinivasan, S., Rutz, O. J., " Pauwels, K. (2015). Paths to and off purchase: Quantifying the impact of traditional marketing and online consumer activity. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(4), 440-453. doi:10.1007/s11747-015-0431-z
Appendix 1
Analog Television Communication Technology
Figure 1
The image indicated in Figure 1 shows a sketch of how analog television worked. Traditionally, there was neither internet connection nor satellite technology. Therefore, TV images were transferred from transmission stations to households, a process that was tedious, inefficient, and expensive. Due to such challenges, it was not easy for consumers to experience benefits such as social media which depends on efficient technological advancement being realized today.
