The bite of new technology can be unforgiving. Just ask the taxi driver union what they think about Uber. While the taxi drivers might grasp on to the little political outlets that exist to help their cause, it is inevitable that they will slowly go the way of black and white Television.
Technology is progress. Everything moves forward whether you believe it will or not. The people who say things like “what would anyone need a computer in their house for” are the ones who will likely become a victim of progress. Take project management for example: technology is drowning project managers, but as we move forward the tools project managers use are becoming more powerful and have more impact on their organization.
A while back I talked about the progress of Hollywood magic, and how technology is helping everyone to have such magic. That’s great for us, but bad for the TV studios. I also talked about satellites, and how they are becoming cheaper and more obtainable in the private sector. Again, good for us and bad for the cable companies.
Then you see Facebook and Google strongly compete to not only be the world’s biggest video streaming service but to change the industry’s control over the content. This competition is great for the consumer because it gives us an abundance of free resources. In fact it is providing opportunities that were unimaginable 5 years ago.
Consider the deal with ESPN and Google’s new media service, this is horrible news for the cable company and bad news for the sports industry. Why bad for the sports industry? In part because they are forced to settle. As a result sports are redefined by the masses and we get things like extreme ironing, and chess boxing, and some YouTube shows have moved on to get their own TV show. In addition to what Google has to offer, Facebook is right on Google’s heels with their own incentives. They are going to start putting ads in their video content and even give some back to the publisher!
Google and Facebook may have an advantage when it comes to the software and the services we use, but the devices will use are just as critical. Things like HDTV and computer animation have advanced so much that my 3-year-old won’t watch anything but. All the series I saved for years so I could pass on the joy to my children have been thwarted by high-definition. So what do we do against such aggressive progression?
We look ahead!
Where will media be in 5 years? We have already seen the google glasses and now there are 5 different brands on store shelves. Right now these devices can watch movies play games and watch 360 videos, but companies like Meta are developing real life applications for the technology. Real game changers that will change the tune of the naysayers when the size and function become a little more practical.
You know what is not really on store shelves? 360 cameras. Because YouTube is a long steady game the time to start making 360 content is here and now. For $200 bucks you can start making content that people will be searching for 6 months or a year from now.
Use the technology to your advantage and start early because it can crush you if you are not looking. However you can use it as a tool to help you build capital and with that, build the future we all dream of.
-Brandon
