Internet usage up, Web and TV down

What is the web coming to?

Hello class and welcome to my second blog for ETROY Strategic Communications & Emerging Media. This week we will be talking about media convergence and how the interconnection of information and communications technologies is becoming the new standard in todays media world. We now have apps, tablets, smartphones and all of the other technologies that makes it faster to get the information that you are looking for. That brings me to one of the things I want to talk about today. The title of my blog is Internet usage up, web usage down. Now, you ask how can that be is the internet and the world wide web one and the same? Well they are not. Just two decades ago, the world wide web was born but it is now in decline because of apps and other services that allow you to bypass your web browser. Before I read this weeks articles I admit I never really thought much about this, but it has become apparent as I look at my day to day life and realize that I am very much a part of this media convergence. Ever since I got my first smartphone I have slowly been adding more and more apps to do what I used to get on the web browser to do. One of my fellow student articles that I read talked about how when he was an undergraduate he got on the web browser to do everything related to school and now we go to blackboard to do assignments, we have an app for that. That is so true! My life has become mostly apps from Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, IGN, email, Troy blackboard, YouTube, you name it there is an app for it. The traditional use of going onto your computer and pulling up internet explorer, Google chrome or Firefox has gone down substantially. So, what caused this shift form the we browser? Well, with the advancement of technology and the speed of new technology people expect to get the information that they want at lightening speed. The best way to do that is create an app so instead of going to your browser and logging in to Facebook, you are logged in and can access Facebook anytime and anywhere.

The rise of streaming

So far I have been discussing the decline of the world wide web. Another form of media in decline is Television. Now I for one still watch TV pretty regularly but unlike a decade ago, I won't have a fit if my TV goes out. When I'm not watching TV, I am either on Netflix, Hulu or the new WWE Network. If these three services, I can watch hours upon hours of TV and movies. I've watched entire seasons of TV shows on Netflix or Hulu, or watched movies and TV shows that I may not have been interested but took change and watched it and ended up liking it and I spent no money other than the monthly subscription I pay a month. Most television networks like ABC, FOX, USA, etc. let you stream episodes right off of their website now. TV networks know that content is being consumed online more than ever and have had to make changes to make sure that their shows still get watched because no viewership means cancelled show. This brings me to one of the articles we read. It talks about Nielsen changing the way it measures television consumption. We are now in the digital age and content is being consumed in so many different ways than just watching TV and Nielsen under the pressure from television networks is finally going to start doing that. Since this article was written in February of last year I assume that they have already started measuring viewing from other means such as Netflix, Hulu and on the networks websites. It really just makes sense in this ever changing world of media and how it is converging into one convenient source to get all of your information and entertainment needs. Just thinking about how media is going to keep evolving is mind boggling. What are they going to come up with next?

Drawbacks to rise of internet usage

For all of the benefits to have entertainment and information in the palm of your hands there are some drawbacks. For instance, before I got my first smartphone which was the Motorola Droid smartphone in early 2010, I had an old flip phone. My plan was simple and my bill was cheap. When I got the Droid phone the first increase was having to get data which was unlimited at the time. That increased my bill but having unlimited data on my phone was definitely cool. As data consumption became larger and larger phone companies started phasing out of unlimited data plans and charging more for data packages. As long as you didn't change your plan you could keep unlimited data but they would begin to throttle the data the more you used it which would slow your internet down. Eventually I gave in got an LG G2 phone and changed my plan which my bill has gone up from $60-70 a month to $178 a month for a share everything  unlimited talk and text plan with 6GB of data to share. Wow! That's over a $100 difference but the convenience of use makes you want to pay and that's how they get you.

Is the web dead?

Even though apps have made life a lot easier for all of us, the truth is web browsers are not going anywhere anytime soon. As of this writing I typing it on my pc through internet explorer or Google chrome. As much as I love my ipad and smartphone I can only type with accuracy on my PC or my iMac. As much as I use my phone or ipad I still use my desktops and laptops everyday to access the internet. One article that we read is called Long live the web and it talks about how the web has evolved into a powerful, ubiquitous tool and that the web is essential to the digital revolution as well as our continued prosperity. In closing, media convergence has made it where internet, TV, radio, and newspapers have all had to make "friends" and converge into one medium in order to get content out to the people as fast possible because the people of today are very impatient and expect quick  results. I hope that you all enjoy my blog for this week. Feel free to subscribe and comment.