An interesting excerpt from the LA Times (you need to be a registered user to gain access to the full article) that I received via Rafat Ali’s blog (entry from 19 Sep – category is Broadband) generated a few thoughts for me on convergence:
Former Academy of Television Arts and Sciences chairman Bryce Zabel wrote this surprisingly strong essay on TV, and some great points too…
— “For me, it’s not a state of convergence that we are entering in this digital age but something a little more metaphysical. All of the information overload is ganging up on our senses and coming together into something else: The Blur.”
— “Will kids who can no longer appreciate the difference between a broadcast network and a cable network, or a pay network and a satellite feed, really appreciate the distinctions we currently draw between all of these delivery systems?”
— “The best model to replace what’s on the way out may be TiVo meets iTunes.”
— “It’s one giant, indistinct, amorphous hard drive of blur.”
The idea of the giant “blur” can already be seen as we start to accept the integration of technologies into our accepted everyday practices – perhaps that person sitting next to you on the bus sms-ing is actually mo-blogging…
And the convergence of even our communication technologies – how many devices are currently running that you didn’t have 5 years ago…it certainly adds to the information overload and the blur…and the cost of running them all…
Exciting? Definitely! Manageable (effectively)? Perhaps! Blurring? Absolutely!
And then there’s learning technologies – how do we embrace the blur? Provide a pathway through the mist? Pack your survival kits (lots of chocolate needed), sturdy hiking boots, compass (for directions) – or should that be GPRS or sonar, forget the map – and just go for it!
Digital Dialogues 