Blakley: ‘The Stories Behind the Stories’—Technologies and trends to watch
By Shellie Branco and Sonya Senkowsky
Johanna Blakley
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After providing an overview of activities at the USC Norman Lear Center center, Assistant Director Dr. Johanna Blakley discussed some of the latest developments in multimedia technology and usage — including what she finds exciting — and what’s a snooze.
Some highlights:
• Digital Music: Boring. “I’m so tired of reading about this. I’m so tired of people struggling with what’s happening in the industry,” said Blakley. The more interesting developments have to do with hardware, not digital music management, she said.
• Radio: By 2010, expect 20 million satellite radio subscriptions (according to “The Future Of Digital Audio,” an April 2005 report from Forrester Research, Inc.). Among the promising services are HiDef radio and XM MyFi, something of a TiVo for radio. The popularity of on-demand radio is fueled by interest in targeted advertising. “I think it’s ironic that, as we go forward and there are more options made available with digital technology ... radio once again becomes a big player,” Blakley said.
• Gaming: This industry had $9.9 billion in sales last year, exceeding the film industry. But Blakley (and others; see seminar session “Holding Down the Hype”) question the meaning of this number, which directly compares all gaming profits (including hardware) against box-office sales.
“Is it (gaming) really bigger than Hollywood? I don’t think so,” Blakley said. Her assessment: “A lot of hype, but still an amazing amount of potential.” The Centers for Disease Control are endorsing the Sony EyeToy games for PS2 , which bring physical exercise into gaming. The games use a camera and “motion capture” technology to allow players to interact using body movements rather than game controls.
• Online Gaming: “Massively multiplayer online games” (MMOGs), which involve interaction between players, are gaining in popularity. A South Korean game, Lineage, is playable in multiple languages, and is the most popular MMOG in the world. Virtual prizes and rewards have such value to some players that South Korean businessmen who are avid gamers have been known to pay children to pump up the skills of their characters, to give them clout with industry peers in the real world.
Ads within games, corporate sponsorships and better safety measures to protect children are among factors needed to help online gaming reach its potential. “The education potential for “massively multiplayer online games,” known as MMOGs, is through the roof, but that area has not been made profitable yet,” said Blakley. One MMOG aimed at children that holds great potential is Disney’s Toontown.
• Crime in gaming: There could be many opportunities for investigative reporting into criminal activity in certain corners of the virtual world, such as “massively multiplayer online games” (MMOGs) and offshore poker sites. “I’m still waiting to see a really good article about that,” said Blakely. In one case, MMOG hackers counterfeited virtual gold coins — redeemable for real-life rewards.
• Children and Multimedia:: In 2003, 31 percent of US children ages 3 and under were computer users. Programmers, game designers and others are looking more to children for input on new development.
• TV: Reports of this medium’s death have been premature, Blakley said. American TV consumption increased 86 minutes last year, above the world average. But Japanese are the world leaders in TV consumption.
• Peer-to-peer Networks: BitTorrent, a means for sharing large multimedia files over a distributed system as easily and quickly as small files, will revolutionize the way people use the Web to access multimedia.
• Ratings: Devices called Portable People Meters will likely transform the ratings system. These wearable devices will go beyond the limitations of traditional surveying techniques to track media consumption in bars, airports, and other public places for a deeper account of what people are hearing and watching outside the home.
• Advertising Internet commercials are pushing the boundaries of traditional advertising, becoming both more targeted and more entertaining — as illustrated by Budweiser’s hiring of parody site JibJab.com.
• Mobile Media: It’s the Wild West period in mobile technologies, with more experimentation on the way with mobile TV and mobile radio with pictures. Europe and Asia are the current leaders in mobile platform development.
• Blockbuster events; They no longer belong only to the realm of film. Sales for Celine Dion’s Las Vegas show “A New Day,” if taken in terms of cinema box office revenue, would be considered one of the biggest “movie” blockbusters of all time, Blakley said.
• Reporting: As different digital media worlds continue to blend, it’ll be trickier for reporters to narrowly define their beats. Titles such as “gaming reporter,” “music reporter” or “TV reporter” will become less relevant. “The good stories are going to be ones where you can look across those boundaries.”
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