Why should we care about multimedia? How does this megatrend in telecommunications play such a substantial role in our lives? In a society where time is of the essence, multimedia provides a way for us to accomplish so much and enjoy so much more about the many facets of our daily activities.
As media consumers, we receive the benefits that people would only dream of 25 years ago. Since then, the speed at which we receive information and the depth at which it is presented to us increased in mass
proportions. Media has made even more of a splash in education as well.
Teachers do not only have to defer to the "boring
textbook" anymore. Educational efforts are not only limited to VHS tapes
and VCRs anymore either. Since the invention of the CD-ROM, the possibilities
of media in education are boundless. Methods of teaching may include anything
from real-time tutorials, that take the person through a step-by-step process,
to encyclopedias with extensive bios and links to additional information
online. DVDs can also be used as a educational tool with all the extra features
that are available when you buy a DVD. As multimedia becomes more and more popular, companies want to gain the upper hand in order to become a giant in the field. This opens up a multitude of job opportunities. From news anchors, sports anchors and reporters to the people behind the scenes such as the producers and film/editing crew, job possibilities are almost endless. If you are interested
in pursuing a career in multimedia, there
is a position somewhere for you. Considering this skyrocketing popularity
and abundance of job possibilities, there is no wonder why the multimedia
field itself has become a top commercial giant. Money
is constantly flowing through this megatrend. The demand never goes down;
if anything, it is still on the rise, and the major players are around to
make sure it is supplied. A plethora of movies to reach out to every kind
of viewer. Prime time sitcoms are produced by the week, and news programs
and some others are produced by the day. Many people are
constantly looking to upgrade their home entertainment centers to achieve
that ultimate experience when watching their favorite movies, television
programs, or listening to their favorite music. Hearing your friends say
"wow" after experiencing your superior entertainment setup is also aesthetically
pleasing. Basically, as long as people are demanding
entertainment and information, and others are around to supply their demand,
multimedia will continue to be a superlative commercial giant.The political implications concerning multimedia has also been a large issue for many years, and forever will be. Political issues are possibly the
most covered subjects by multimedia today. When you put this to thought,
you will never see the State of the Union address interrupted by Stuart
Scott with an update on the Lakers-Kings game. However, that basketball
game will be interrupted for the briefest of statements from Mr. President.
Politics have such a large impact on the media. When election time comes
around, every other station you
flip to on your television will have coverage of latest developments at
some point during the day, or night for that matter. Political leaders for
years have utilized multimedia in sending out their message to the masses.
Today, no matter how urgent or spontaneous that message is, one form of
multimedia or the other will find a way to send it directly to you real-time.The legal/regulatory aspects of multimedia are some that have not been very effective as of late. As we all know, there are multitudes of "file sharing" programs out there that let their users "share" their files
with each other. The problem: much of this material is copyrighted, and
the sharing of this unauthorized material is illegal. Regulators have been
successful in shutting down some programs, the late Napster and Songspy, but
as of now, there are too many to really gain an upper hand in the battle.
Until some method is developed to monitor or crack down on the uprise of programs
such as these, music and movie lovers everywhere will continue pirate their
favorites. ARRGG!!