“That’s the best thing since sliced bread!”
To me, the best thing since sliced bread has to be Digital Media. From iTunes and smartphones, to quality filmmaking, television and music, the digital age has made everyone an artist.
When I was a kid in the 1980s, a video camera was enormous and expensive. They were few and far between and viewing films made on them was often a chore.
Now, just 30 years later and children are taking photos and filming video because their parents have smartphones. Sometimes, children even have their own devices.
The quality of our films and television have really benefited from the switch to digital filming and broadcasting. Movie theaters no longer need projection rooms, just a small space to fit the small digital projectors that are now used. Television is clearer, in both the audio and the visual, making the experience that much more enjoyable.
Writers even have it easy. The editing capabilities and the ever-expanding list of blog sites allows anyone to release their work. News writers can send copy around the world. The editing rooms no longer have to “cut and paste” to work the layout. It’s all done on computers, using digitally created photos and text. We can also access the news in a moment and have our favorite outlets send us breaking stories and updates. The community is getting involved by sending their story tips, photos and comments to news companies.
Music has probably seen the biggest change. Since the invention of MySpace, Facebook, file-sharing, and then iTunes, more musicians have been able to get their music to the public before being “discovered”. In fact, many have been discovered because of this technology. Before iTunes, we were forced to buy whole albums, which often included songs we did not yet know and sometimes would never enjoy. Being able to purchase one song at a time was like a gift from the media gods.
The digital age has allowed us to share our photos, videos and music with people around the world in an instant. There’s no more use for slide projectors. No need to bore your family and friends after a dinner party with a spool filled with the photos of your most recent vacation.
The digital age has allowed us to be more involved in each other’s lives, across great expanses. Sometimes even in the middle of a war zone. The digital age has allowed us to document our lives for future generations. Our children, grandchildren and beyond will be able to view our lives at the click of a mouse long after we are gone.
These are the reasons I say; “Digital Technology is the best thing since sliced bread!”
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