The document discusses three major communication trends: 1) The rise of digital media that is available online and on-demand, 2) Increased collaboration and communication through cloud-based services, and 3) The rapid growth of wireless devices and their impact on how people access information. These trends are changing how people live, learn, work and socialize.

1. Communication Trends
Social network platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube allow
you to communicate via text messages and share video and links to
digital information and media. Increasingly, organizations are moving
Impacting All of Us away from self management and relying on others who specialize in
those systems. There will always be a place for face-to-face meetings,
live performances and physical books and artwork. But now all of
Everything is Digital and Always Available On Demand these experiences can also be accessed virtually and on-demand.
by Everyone who is Inter-Connected Via the Cloud
which is Everywhere. Trend: The Rise of Wireless Devices
Before the end of the year, we will cross the five-billion mark for con-
Have you noticed how fast the nected wireless devices worldwide. Next year, more smartphones with
world is changing? Even the pace Internet capability will be sold in the U.S. than less capable feature
of change is constantly acceler- phones. Sales of new tablet sized devices like the Amazon Kindle and
ating. Over time communication the Apple iPad are increasingly eating into traditional desktop and
technology has enabled faster laptop sales. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter report
transfer of knowledge, resulting that users who access them via wireless devices post 3 to 4 times more
in innovation; innovation, in often than those that use a traditional browser. All of these trends
turn enables faster knowledge demonstrate the dramatic shift to hand-held devices soon becoming
transfer. the norm for most consumers.
The challenge today is What about you? Has your cell phone usage increased in the last
in understanding and decade? Have you disconnected your traditional phone line? Don’t
reacting to the trends be surprised if in a few years your television viewing is completely
that are impacting us on-demand and your first means to find any information is via your
all. Businesses need to react or smartphone. There is still a place for newspapers, magazines, muse-
they will no longer be able to compete. Our education system must ums and libraries. But there will be a virtual cloud-based version for
change if we want to train future workers for this newly hyper-con- you to access at your convenience.
nected world. Individuals need to understand how the new forms
of human communications impact us, and in my view, free us to ac-
cess the knowledge you want, gain experiences you need and allow
you to interact socially with others like never before.
By Jeffrey Stewart,
A Little History Chief Technology Officer at Trekk Cross-Media
The history of humanity has been about innovation. Central to this
is the ability to communicate, to exchange ideas, to build upon
others’ successes. We have seen tremendous change over the last
millennium in the higher speed and lower cost for people and
organizations to travel and to communicate. We’ve moved from Electronic Information Databases
walking caravans to wind powered ships to trains and automobiles.
Rockford Public Library offers an extensive selection of in-
But the acceleration really increased with the introduction of wired
formation databases, most of which are accessible from your
telegraph and telephone to terrestrial and satellite links to fiber
home computer, if you have a Rockford Public library card,
optics networks... and the Internet. We are currently experiencing
or available to use at the library. Here is a sample of what you
unprecedented change in human communications. Here are the
will find at: http://www.rockfordpubliclibrary.org/research/
three big technology trends that are rapidly changing the way we
databases.
live, learn and work:
Trend: Digital Everything Career Insider
A comprehensive online career resource database, Career In-
The music industry offers a perfect example. Remember Napster sider provides access to downloadable career guides, employer
and the legal battles over digital download and file sharing? Then profiles and rankings, discussion boards and more.
iPod and iTunes taught the industry that people are not necessarily
willing to pay for content – but they are more than willing to pay Consumer Health Complete
for convenience. Once virtually all music became available as digital Need to research a health-related topic? Consumer Health
files using a standard format, huge new opportunities were created Complete covers a full range of health-related topics, such as
– and old business models collapsed. aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs & alcohol, fitness, children's
Since then, the economics of digitization have affected broadcast health, men & women's health, etc.
video, movies, magazines, newspapers, phones, and of course,
books. The defenders of traditional business models first deny it, Mango Languages
then attack it, and then try to control it. Then, if they’re smart, they Traveling abroad? Brush up on your French, Spanish or learn
adopt it and transform their business to deliver convenience. a new language quickly and easily through Mango’s unique
teaching method. Choose from 48 unique courses including
Trend: Collaboration and Communication in the ESL.
Cloud
Our world is rapidly moving to a place where instantaneous com-
MyMediaMall
This downloadable audio and digital book service is available to
munication is the norm. The advancement in Internet bandwidth
all RPL cardholders. You can download bestselling audio books
and computational capability are creating an explosion in online
and other digital content directly from RPL’s website. Installa-
services that allow on-demand downloading of any digitized media
tion of free reader software is required. For instructions, click
and computational output. These online data center purveyors are
on the “MyMediaMall” link under e-resources on our home-
commonly called cloud computing vendors. Since it doesn’t matter
page at: www.rockfordpubliclibrary.org.
where or how these services are provided, to you they exist in the
Internet “cloud.”
16