It is of no doubt, the 21st century basically has been taken over by the word “media.” Back in the early 19th century, media had a little impact on society compared to the information age we are in now, media has its roots in almost everything that is being done today, everyone makes use of media in a way every single day. Countries in the world today depend on the media. In the early days, before the birth of the evolved digital age, people rely on traditional or analog media which are in the form of the radio, newspapers, even billboards, and the like to stay informed. A revolution in technological advancement brought about convenient and easier access to getting information and entertainment. Apart from the advancement of the technological revolution is “Digital Media.”
Compared to analog media, Digital Media broadcasts digital data which sometimes do necessitate the use of digital cables or satellites transmitting binary signals to any electronic devices capable of converting the signals to videos, audios, text, and other useful components. The use of cellphones, Personal computers, apps, and tablets all points to the utilization of digital media.
Digital Media comes in various varieties, it could be in videos, articles, digital art, could also be in the form of virtual reality, podcasts. Unlike the 1990s, where people had to depend on radios, newspapers, and fax machines for communication purposes, the present now, almost everyone goes around with a gadget in their pockets, purses, companies, and industries use digital media through digital communication, computers, even digital media has its uses during shopping and dinners, people come back to their houses after work to consume digital media through streaming and playing video games.
TYPES OF DIGITAL MEDIA
In the early days of transmitting information and entertainment, the main types of media were newspapers and magazines. The new digital age however has various types that can be put into subgroups;
AUDIO
Audio digital media is widely used by populations around the world, being used for various catalogs of music through audio services like Spotify, apple music, tidal, and many more, audio is also useful in radio stations and podcasts.
VIDEO
Digital Media presently has more visual display uses which include television services, medically, video is been used in surgical operations in the case of laryngoscopy, and that allows doctors to have a close-up examination of the larynx and throat. Streaming of movies, a good example is Netflix and YouTube.
SOCIAL MEDIA
The most popular and widespread utilization of digital media is through social media. More than the average population around the world is active on social media. People use Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, WeChat, to connect with one another, it also gives active users the chance to share their favorite pictures, comment on posts involving cultures, politics, sports which eventually do lead to building up conversations.
ADVERTISING
The arrival and the start of digital media brought about the opportunity of digital marketing. Early in the 19th century, adverts about brands, businesses were made through newspapers, magazines, radios. In the early 20th century, the digital age was introduced by expanding the options of advertisement through the visual display with the help of a television set.
The present 21st century evolved digital media, creates a faster and easier way of advertising and promoting businesses. Due to the current information age, brands and businesses grows and thrives on gleaming digital marketing campaigns and tactics like paid media, owned media, and earned media, these tactics flourishes through the help of digital media forms like podcast ads, social media ads, website ads, blogs and many more.
IMPACT OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Digital media surrounds us and has its various applications, computer upgrades are done easily, smartphones evolve almost every six months, different apps and multimedia, we all keep track of being informed and being updated on various things, our day to day activities involve the use of digital media.
Culture
Culture has been said to be the way of life, there were limitations to who to communicate with, what to communicate about, and the locations to communicate during the late 19th and early 20th centuries due to the infrequent exposure to another culture. The evolution of technology and digital media empowers us with the possibility to converse with anyone and brought about the option of enlarging our communication cliques by sharing thoughts, views, and beliefs across the universal globe through social media. Digital media allows having a voice either in verbal or non-verbal form, some things posted, twitted, e-mailed, or texted are culturally inappropriate.
Education
Compared to how studying was in the ’90s, present-day studying has become easier with the implementation of digital media. Teaching and Lecturing methods are more advanced and creative for the enhancement and precision of academic diligence. The likes of social media platforms are used by students to converse about ideas and thoughts, another digital media type being utilized by the student is YouTube for taking tutorials and intellectual individuals offer online tutorials giving enlightenment and making students stay more notified.
Students get obsessive and consume a large part of their time on social networks, they become so dependent on exploring and making use of digital media and that diminishes their ability to be able to think and generate helpful subject matters.
Politics
Social media being the most utilized form of digital media, with an internet connection, social media permits the people to take part and be functional in political divulgence and easily obtain political facts and information. Country Leaders use social media to pass information across the states, people have easy access to watching the president give a speech through the television, many leaders use Twitter to pass information and to interact with the people, digital media can be seen as a medium that bridges the gap between leaders of states and the people.
The younger generations make use of social media to stay updated about the affairs of the state. Many people see social media platforms as an opportunity to vent their displeasure about the current affairs in the state, people pass around fake information to slander the government.
Medical
Medical fields still stand as one of the most sensitive fields in existence. From ancient times to the mid-20th century, medicine and other fields of medicine kept evolving, from the use of knives to scalpels, using boiled water for sterilization to using medical ethanol. Since the discovery of the digital age and its rapid development, medical personnel find it easier to save a life. More advanced and useful and easy to use equipment have been made to increase the rate at which lives are saved. In the present information age, there is a digital media device that measures the heart rate, also there is another gadget that keeps individuals updated about their current blood pressure.
Preceding the introduction of digital media, surgeons find it difficult in having a perfect surgery because of clunky devices and most times leads to complications both post and pre surgeries even during surgeries, since devices are being implemented, the complications rate has been reduced and patient safety has been increased. Doctors use social media as a form of interacting with people in need of medical attention and during
some surgery cases, doctors use video conferences to discuss the medical case of the patient. The devices sometimes have software problems that could create risks.
Print Media
A form of media that has been around for more than a century, is basically still around. Print media examples like newspapers and printed magazines serve the purpose of passing information across to the masses until two decades ago, a wide range of people prefer getting updated and getting news and information from their digital media devices rather than checking out a newspaper or a printed magazine. Digital format has definitely taken over the media platforms with quick and easy access to the internet, threatening the existence of print media. However, print media has more fact check accuracy; every one with access to a device could post information through social media making it hard to trust and to rely on the information posted.
How Digital Media Has Empowered Individuals
People are connected across the globe in ways that have never happened before bridging the gap of distance and time. Digital media helps and empowers people that feel disconnected from their society and socially isolated individuals. These individuals might feel disconnected or self-isolated because they feel the immediate people around them don’t think like them, don’t have the same mind as them, and even don’t share their point of view.
When Individuals like these make use of social media, they associate with like-minded persons and people who are in the same situation as them. Relationships are being built and established through digital media devices. There are various people on social media platforms that empathize and show support to both strangers and friends. Some people find consolation by talking and connecting with people throughout the whole world and has developed new paths and new careers. The inception of digital media gave rise to blogging careers, a website that gives people the ability to stream their day to day undertakings.
Limitations And Challenges Faced
Generating important and relevant materials satisfying the needs of the customers; there are lots of competitions when it comes to digital marketing, more than three brands could be advertising and marketing the same products, the way to be ahead of the competition is to create a better and meaningful engagement for the audience, stating the reasons for the product you are marketing can be used to solve their particular issues.
Recognizing the reason or what motivates the customers to buy; different persons produce and sell same products, as a brand wanting to thrive and to please the customers, statistics data must be carried out, to figure out what triggers customers to buy the particular
product, after carrying out the findings, advertising and marketing the products becomes easier.
Showing support on all platforms; during the period of print media, there were limitations on advertisement platforms, digital media came and took care of that, now we have various platforms for advertisements. Being active on all platforms is important, delivery across all platforms are different, media marketing strategies deal mostly with winning audiences, prominence activity on social media platforms gives businesses a voice.
Time is taken for planning and Implementation; one of the great challenges marketing faces is the amount of time it takes to plan and map out perfect marketing strategies to match the taste and pleasure of the customers.
Paramount digital media companies in the world
Twitter and Facebook
The two biggest and widely used social Media by populations around the world.Others are YouTube, Snapchat, WhatsApp, etc.
The most influential and used search engine on the planet. A technology company that is involved in most if not all websites.
Apple
One of the most decorated technology companies, producing cutting-edge smartphones (iPhones) and outstanding personal computers(MacBook).
Amazon
A giant commerce colossus, also widely used by various people around the world. Amazon is involved in many different businesses, streaming services, digital advertising, and many more.
Netflix
an online streaming giant of movies, widely used by most populations of the world. Original contents are also available on it.
Job Opportunities In Digital Media
Digital media is widely and deeply involved in almost all sectors, working fields available. Having a career in Digital Media offers the chance of working in any form or kinds of environment including; Digital Media Specialist, Graphic Designer, Web developer. Choosing Digital Media as a career path can be both fun and enlightening.