Media As We Know It
In the increasingly digital age we live in today, it’s practically impossible to avoid the various forms of new media in existence today. With new types of technology emerging just about every day, media is becoming increasingly personalized to the individual consumer.
With technology evolving at the same pace as the media that it’s developed with, the future of media and content creation has the potential to change the face of storytelling. In this blog, Hollywood Branded explains how advances in technology are leading the world towards new digital experiences.
Personalized Media
One arena where technology has evolved is in the new types of social media and social media content that are currently dominating society as we know it. TikTok for example is a social media platform that’s targeted at young mobile phone users (Gen Z in particular). The app lets its users record themselves dancing, goofing around, cooking, or anything else they want and even alter the videos using a vast selection of effects.
That is only one aspect of the app however, in addition to promoting creative expression and freedom, TikTok is likely the most personable app on the market currently with its “for you page” (FYP). According to the New York Times, “under the hood, TikTok is a fundamentally different app than American users have used before… TikTok is more machine than man. In this way, it’s from the future — or at least a future. And it has some messages for us.”
As most social media apps do, TikTok accesses user information and uses that information, in addition to content that you watch on the app and generates a page that is so specifically catered to you it’s almost scary. Because of this groundbreaking algorithm, TikTok has become a true addiction to young adults and was the 2nd most downloaded app in the world in 2019.
Advancements In Technology - VR/AR
In addition to the content that is generated on TikTok, the progressions that have been made in the world of VR/AR technology and the implications that they may have on streaming content caught must be addressed as well. Another technological advancement that is still exploring its capabilities is virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). According to Forbes, “virtual reality is where users wear a headset and are fully immersed in computer-generated environments” whereas “augmented reality is where computer images are superimposed onto the user's view of the real world, through a screen or headset.”
As AR is being programmed into the latest iPhones, and as video game companies begin to use VR headsets, it’s only a matter of time before the entertainment industry follows suit and begins to explore making content immersive instead of “just” interactive. One possible company that might be among the first to take that blind leap into VR content is Apple. According to Road To VR, “Apple may be planning to release a VR headset with limited AR capabilities as soon as 2022, which is said to be a precursor to its long-rumored, full-fledged AR device… as a mostly virtual reality device, it will display an all-encompassing 3-D digital environment for gaming, watching the video, and communicating.”
The Future of Streaming: Interactive & Immersive Media
Shifting to the technological advancements of streaming content, there has been a newfound trend in the industry of creating interactive content, especially on our good friend Netflix. Currently, Netflix has 12 interactive titles, including Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie. Titles such as these broke the mold of content as they allowed for various outcomes that were determined by the viewers who were actively participating in the decision-making processes of the character(s) on screen.
In the last 10 years, the entertainment industry has shifted in many ways. From the masses cutting the cord and drifting towards the world of streaming, to new industry mandates for diverse cast, crew, and stories. With many other developments well on their way, one new development that I foresee is the introduction of Immersive Media in the entertainment industry. As content is becoming more and more catered to the specific user, and with technology evolving to match and feed the new desires of media companies, the future of streaming could get insanely personal. While varied outcome entertainment is not a new development, it was previously exclusive to certain video games, never before seen in film and television productions outside of fictional pieces such as Amazon Studios’s “Upload.” With the exciting possibility for a world that is fluent in “Immersive Media,” we have the potential to submerge ourselves into the world we’re viewing with the utilization of VR and AR technology to create a completely digital and interactive world.
Want More?
If you’d like to read more on technological advancements in the media, check out some of our other blogs!
- New Study Proves Effectiveness Of Brand Marketing In Virtual Reality
- How Virtual Reality Entertainment Impacts Brands and Movies
- Virtual Reality – The Future Of Product Placement?
- Facebook Uses Augmented Reality In New Advertisements
