technology, media, and culture

At the core: a human-centered approach to technology Flooded by new advancements in technology daily, we can often forget what makes it all work, and what the point of it all is, leaving us to go back to basics and examine how technology should enhance our lives, not replace us. Encouraging the human experience while reexamining organizational operations and the development of dynamics will prove to be beneficial in the future of technology.  Yoon (2022) asserts that, “social media has exposed the perils of technology designed without humans at the center, and its harmful effects on our mental health and emotional wellness. We’re missing what we removed from our interactions a decade ago: humanity, intimacy, depth, and empathy”. This demonstrates that in order to give audiences what they expect from technology, such as ease of use, efficiency, and connection, they need to be part of the development. Yoon (2022) adds that we need, "real conversations instead of mass influence...

  The Public, Journalism, and News Media Journalism has long shaped the stories told to audiences. Selecting which stories are told and how they are told is based largely on the type of content the audience expects, as well as following news values to deliver content the audience can also trust.    The ethical news values highlighted by Wilkins, Painter, and Patterson (2022) that journalists are expected to uphold are:  Accuracy  Confirmation  Tenacity  Dignity  Reciprocity  Sufficiency  Equity  Community  Diversity The Media Insight Project (2018) asserts, “the public says it wants accuracy – for the media to verify and get the facts right”, as the number one value for journalists to deliver. This chart from the Associated Press ranks aspects of journalism that are most important, for both the public and journalists, showing similar results.  Faria and Almiron (2021) assert that, “a human-centered approach to communication and media ethic...

  Expectation: Personalization In a world where our technological environments are constantly changing and growing, cutting through the noise to find value can be challenging. Businesses are trying to find connections with their audiences, and content personalization seems to be one solution to provide audiences with the content they want.  The Adobe Experience Cloud Team (2022) asserts that, “content personalization uses data about consumers to individualize their experiences when they interact with your brand…They can then tailor the content your customers see to match their needs and preferences”. Similarly, Marr (2022) states that, “since the arrival of Netflix and streaming services have upended the way we discover and consume entertainment media, every provider has invested in recommendation technology in order to more efficiently and accurately surface content with audiences that will find it valuable”. By using the various types of data available, businesses can lever...

  New Policy Implications With emerging technologies, corporations need to consider the impact of such driving forces within society and produce policies that are reflective of current concerns. There are many discussions surrounding new policies as technology rapidly grows; why they are necessary and what those entail. Wolff (2021) states that, in the U.S. “there is a much greater reliance on litigation and liability regimes to address safety and security failings after-the-fact”. This demonstrates the need for more proactive approaches and policies that capture current concerns and situations. Betty Tushabe asserts that, “decisions [are] meant to provide us with a safe environment” and addresses the reality that “governments don’t always match the pace at which we’re trying to face these issues” (TEDxTalk, 2018). Wolff (2021) further discusses concerns regarding creating and implementation of new polices, stating, “setting clear standards and rules for an ever-evolving tech...

Staying Competitive to Remain Relevant As technology evolves, the work of communication professionals similarly expands, weighing decisions that impact business plans, team building and development, and customer engagement. Here are a few tips to help your organization stay ahead of the pack: Be Creative Your audience knows who your competition is, so organizations should use what works for individual teams to execute goals rather than trying to keep up with every trend and falling behind. Listen to your employees to maximize role fits and foster growth. A team that is happy and prepared to do their job will deliver better results. This is supported by Devalekar (2021) stating that, “if you’re not taking your employee’s experience into consideration, your customers will go elsewhere: companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147%”. Additionally, the Forbes Technology Council states, “staying competitive is a product of continually developing innov...

  Leaders Navigating Technology The importance of leadership roles have new responsibilities with the advancement in technology, influencing dynamics within teams, business practices, and skill development. Continual growth of technologies means re-examining the structures within businesses and finding which tools and methods to utilize to achieve maximum results. Cortellazzo, Bruni, and Zampien (2019) found that “leaders are key actors in the development of a digital culture: they need to create relationships with multiple and scattered stakeholders, and focus on enabling collaborative processes in complex settings, while attending to pressing ethical concerns”. This demonstrates the wide scope of leadership responsibilities and the adaptability necessary to successfully navigate business in a tech world. This is supported by Jonk, Anscombe, and Aurik (2018) who state that, “as digitization disrupts at an ever-increasing rate, leaders are challenged to accurately anticipate sh...