Friday, January 27, 2017

- Juggling Mobile Tech with Emerging Media in a Multi-Screen World

"In short, in developed markets, the reality is that we live in a multi-screen world, not a "mobile world" that operates parallel to a "desktop world."
Henry Blodgett, Business Insider
 December 22, 2012
http://www.businessinsider.com/survey-mobile-first-bad-strategy-2012-12

Henry Blodgett succinctly clarifies "the reality" regarding mobile media with his reference to a "multi-screen world."  This world includes mobile media, but mobile media is not the center of it.  The dispersal factor of the internet insures that there is no center in communication, except the individuals, and groups of people who are communicating.  Communicators are the ones juggling the multiple screens that make up modern communications.  Real world jugglers have been known to juggle everything from harmless balls to swords.  The ability to juggle the creation of multimedia content and managing/leading the dissemination of that content across multiple platforms/screens - these are the essential skills for strategic communicator leaders today, particularly for those communicators whose focus is developed countries. The needs of developing countries are more complex, because of the DIGITAL DIVIDE.

"The “Digital Divide” is defined as the gap between those with regular, effective access and ability to use digital technologies and those without. An important step in the direction of filling this gap has been the deployment of mobile networks all around the world. For example, as of today, more than 80% of the World's population is covered by GSM, and more than 2.4 billions of people have access to a mobile phone (Source [1]). With one million additional people newly subscribed every day, it is expected that by the end of 2010, almost 4 billions will have access to mobile phones. While accessing phone services is very important, the gap will be more completely filled when access to a higher level of information technologies will be widespread".
Stéphane BOYERA
https://www.w3.org/2006/12/digital_divide/IST-africa-final.pdf

Jugglers are often seen in circus acts, and they invoke awe in their ability to do what they do. Strategic Communicators will likewise find it quite a feat to juggle the many responsibilities involved in communicating in a multi-screen world.

Seeing ourselves are jugglers can help us conceptualize ourselves and our work, so that we understand the complexity, yet know that there is a method to the seeming madness.  Again, by tapping into social science research to better understand our markets, by spending the appropriate amount of time and energy to become knowledgeable about mobile technology, and a similar amount of time understanding emerging media in its entirety - by doing these three things, juggling them as a juggler would juggle his juggling balls, we increase the likelihood that we will be successful in our navigation of emerging media in a multi-screen world.





Our professor for the Strategic Communications, Emerging Media class, Dr. Steven Padgett, points out to us that "mobile technologies are changing the way people seek information. Some of these changes are positive, some are not. Mobile fits as an emerging media."  He then asks us "how can strategic communication professionals use this tool in an efficient and ethical manner?"  

Mobile communication is centered around cell phones and smart phones.  Smart phones are all cell phones, but not all cell phones are smart phones.  My first cell phone was a flip phone that I used only for making phone calls.  Long after texting became available on a cell phone, I declined to try it.  Even today, I don’t care for texting and only text occasionally.  I prefer to actually speak to a person.  I have seen many times when miscommunication occurred because a text was misinterpreted.  A simple phone call would have eliminated the confusion.  However, at other times, a text can provide more accuracy, for example, when the correct spelling of something is important.

Strategic Communications professionals must learn to juggle many balls.  I bought a set of three juggling balls about a year ago.  They have been resting on a shelf since then.  Tonight, I took them out and worked with two out of the set of three.  I found it quite easy to do this.  So now, I think is a good time to begin to practice the art of juggling, by taking time each day to get better.  Practice, as the saying goes, makes perfect.  Five minutes a day should, in a month produce improvement.  In fact, I expect to incorporate the third ball into my amateur juggling act within two weeks.  30 days X 5 minutes a day will produce 150 minutes of practice, a full 2.5 hours.  My first day is today, the day of this posting, January 27, 2017.  I will keep you informed as the weeks roll on about the progress of my juggling.

Similarly, strategic communications professionals must practice working with mobile applications in order to better understand them, and become adept at working with them.  I have to admit that I have an I Phone 3.  This phone serves my needs in most areas, but in the area of mobile apps the phone is completely out of date.  I cannot download the latest apps because the phone does not support them.  I have come to realize that in order for me to use the many new mobile apps I will need a newer phone.  This brings me to the point I want to make in my post this week.  Each of us lives in a unique environment.  While many apps transcend space, meaning they are useful no matter where you are, there are many apps that are issued for a specific grounded, location based business.

The Troy University radio station WTSU, operates in the Troy, Alabama radio market with expanded coverage into Montgomery and Dothan Alabama.  WTSU does not have a mobile app.  However, radio apps like Tunein allow one to listen to 100,000 radio station, including WTSU, so having it own app is not critical for listening to the station.  However, mobile apps provide other capabilities besides listening.  It is the individuality and uniqueness that a dedicated app brings to a radio station like WTSU.  However, there is a cost associated with almost everything.  Public radio, because of its non profit structure, does not have the flexibility that for profit radio stations have.

Strategic communications professionals can use mobile media in a variety of ways, but that is determined by the nature of the business the professional is working for.  Some businesses have a clientele, a demographic, and a business base that uses mobile.  Other businesses may not have a customer base that is into mobile as much.  So each professional has to size up the business environment, check the pertinent data, and do research, using research skills taught at the Master's Degree level.  The research into the potential uses for mobile media will yield information that can be used to decide the best use of mobile media for a particular business.

Research will examine the demographic, and might include surveying.  In addition, the current trends can be examined to see where things are going with mobile media.
Ethical decisions are important.  Using mobile media should follow the same ethical guidelines as any other communication.
Strategic communicators will have to juggle several activities at once.  Mobile media is just one area.  Mobile first may be practical for some businesses, but the business plan that is mobile only is only appropriate for certain businesses.  Even then, decisions must be made to stay out in front on the mobile platform.  Competition is fierce in the mobile arena, and mistakes can be deadly to a business.
The skilled juggler
is able to keep many things going at once.  The skilled strategic communicator can do the same.  Mobile media, then, can be one ball of many (one of many other communication strategies, such as print, TV, radio, etc, or it can be all the balls, but segmented, with each ball a different mobile media strategy (such as mobile apps, mobile internet, or SMS).  The key is to get them all going and keep them in the air, no small feat, but easier for the skilled strategic communication juggler.


http://www.juggglow.com/en/

Juggglow

combines the art of juggling with mobile technology by connecting your smartphone to the juggling balls via Bluetooth Smart. You can control the color effects of the glowing balls and share your juggling achievements with your friends. The mobile app includes many more features such as games, battles, statistics and tutorials.


The above juggling app shows how there is a mobile application for nearly every activity.  Therein lays the opportunity for expansion into mobile.  Motion = mobile.  Motion is everything, and people, even when sitting still, are still in motion with their mobile phone.  Like the juggler's ball, motion is constant.  Mobile media, because you can take it anywhere, means that anything can be done with a mobile device.  The possibilities are nearly endless.  

So how can strategic communication professionals efficiently and ethically use mobile media?  One way is to learn the art of juggling.  Multitasking means being able to do many things at once.  Mobile implies motion.  Think motion, and how skillfully and ethically managing moving parts will enable efficiency in mobile media.


Efficient, ethical behavior for strategic communicators when using the tool of mobile technology to advance their careers is a worthy goal for each of us to strive for.  Ethics is important when it comes to equity.  We in affluent countries of the West often take our access to technology for granted, including mobile technology.  Ethical behavior for strategic communicators will include concern for equal access to emerging media and mobile technology for rural America, the poor in America, and developing countries.

BELOW IS THE LIST OF TITLES AND LINKS TO READINGS FOR OUR CLASS THIS WEEK:

The mobile Web to bridge the digital divide?
http://www.w3.org/2006/12/digital_divide/IST-africa-final.pdf
The anthropology of mobile phones (This is a TED Talk video)
http://www.ted.com/talks/jan_chipchase_on_our_mobile_phones.html
Shape of phones (This is a short and strange TED Talk about the possibilities of altering the physical shape of a mobile phone.)
http://www.ted.com/talks/fabian_hemmert_the_shape_shifting_future_of_the_mobile_phone.html











This is a picture of me, Eulas Kirtdoll, speaking to a community group in Marion, Alabama, May, 2015

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