A quick search on YouTube reveals a hoard of videos dealing
with predicted future trends, and there have been further updates to the Shift
Happens video since this one was released in 2009. However, this one is still
of interest to us as it focuses on how we use media, and the rise of digital
media. Four years later these may no longer have the same impact, but they
continue to progress and are worth considering in terms of how organisations
should handle them in their policies.
Of particular interest to those of us concerned with
libraries and other information handling professions is the rapid digitisation
of books by Google. As a user this is great news, as they will be providing
easier access to previously rare and inaccessible documents, although I would
be concerned at the cost of accessing such materials. From a library perspective
there are also issues of cost and selection of what materials to be made
available. Policy documents would have to outline what material should be made
available and at what point this becomes unfeasible.
Another trend is the rising numbers of visitors to social
networking sites such as Facebook. For libraries this demand means that they
should be looking to provide greater public access to these networks (and to be
involved in them themselves), which obviously comes at a cost. Another
consideration for the policy! Saying that, there are also issues such as child
protection. While providing access for adults is great, for younger visitors
there may need to be some controls in place. How this will be
managed/supervised will also need to be considered in the policy.
This has already led
to another trend, a shift in advertising for many organisations away from
traditional media. As a user this will drive me to look for social networks that
are free of advertising if it becomes overpowering, although generally adverts
in a sidebar can be ignored. For organisations this means they need to ensure
their advertising is effective without driving customers to other sites.
According to this video the average teen sent 2272 texts per
month. Whether or not this remains an accurate statistic, it shows that youths are
extremely communicative. For the library, or any other organisation wanting to
tap into this market, the onus is on you to stay abreast of current
communication trends and to devote time to establishing a presence in this
environment.
Finally, we have the issue of SPAM. Pretty much since email
was invented it became infested with SPAM, to the point I gave up on my Hotmail
account because it was so overloaded. Filters have improved since then, but the
issue remains, and organisations need to be aware that they may be impersonated
by spammers for nefarious motives. Individuals need to know that their identity
may be stolen without their knowledge, and that SPAM no longer is restricted to
email. For schools and libraries the issue of cyber safety needs to be promoted
as part of an overall technology policy.
