Future Implications

The Social Media Landscape is continually changing, technology is constantly evolving and the way we get our information would most likely scare my grandparents. I was on an airplane recently with a colleague; the majority of our fellow travelers were playing on their smartphone, tablet or laptop prior to takeoff.  However, there were a few passengers reading the newspaper (yes a newspaper!) These were the only folks on the plane that qualified for AARP. I leaned over to my colleague, pointed to those reading the newspaper and said, “I think when this generation moves on it’s the end of the newspaper industry”. She agreed with me.

We now have access to all the information we want--anything we want to know is only a Google search or a mobile app away. There is a mobile app available called News Republic, with the tagline “it’s my news.”  With News Republic, the user gets to build their own new channels for news that is relevant to them. The user can build a personalized home screen and choose which topics to be alerted about. With this app, I stay up to date with news across the globe all from my mobile device.  Sharing these articles is easy as well--just a quick click of the mouse will share articles the user finds interesting and relevant to their Facebook Friends and/or Twitter followers. There is now no reason to waste time at the store purchasing a bulky newspaper with limited news stories--and there is no more ink on my fingers!

With changes in human behavior and technology, why would we continue to pay for news and information? I’m reminded of the scene from Good Will Hunting when they’re at the pub near Harvard and he says to the pompous Harvard student with the pony tail, “you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on education you coulda’ got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the Public Library.” He’s obviously talking about education and at the time the movie came out today’s technology wasn’t available, but the concept is the same; why pay money for information that is available for free and more conveniently accessed?