The charge of the "Digital" brigade

We often don't reflect on the changes taking place in our environment. Your mind only needs a moment of solitude for it to fast forward into the future. And the experience can leave you more bewildered than a Hollywood thriller.
Digital technology is all ready to stamp its authority on our lives. Nobody can escape from the grip that it will have on our lives.
One of the areas that will get severely impacted would be conventional media. Media budgets which till now have a 90:10 ratio in favor of conventional media, will have to brace themselves for a "culture shock".

1. While magazines have started their climb downwards, the dailies will soon see it coming for them. The current readers of the paper version will sustain its innings as long as they can. But alas, they themselves are transient. Therefore the discarding of paper may not be a gradual effect. Rather it will be sudden swift change on reaching the tipping point. A new generation will shun paper in favor of the liquid crystal based tools.
2. While technology will be enemy No. 1, one must also remember the much publicised "save the planet" initiatives will also play their part in dissuading folks from using the paper.
3. The pace of development of the digital tools has been so rapid that it would not be wrong to say that "change" can be expected to happen sooner rather than later. The e-book is already there. It will only get slimmer in the coming days. "Language" options will make it possible to read in the language of your choice while "voice" options will let people shut their eyes as the "voice" takes over. Imagine the sense of comfort in having a soothing voice read the stuff for you. Why on earth would you pick up a newspaper.
4. Access to choicest e-books lodged across servers, would serve the best of contents at the press of a button. Can newspapers even attempt to stand up to this ?
5. E-Tools would enable the reader to circumvent the advertisements and make reading a song. Given this choice why on earth would a consumer dive into clutter.
6. Consumer review sites like "Mouthshut.com" would replace advertisements as consumers would prefer to rather listen to consumer experience than manufacturers' eulogies.
7. Television media too would be on the receiving end as digital attacks get more frequent. With no advertisement breaks and the power to make a selection at any time, who would even look at conventional television.

With conventional media under attack, what now appears conventional would soon turn extinct and the so called "other media" will come to the forefront.

The story of tomorrow has been cast in stone. It is indelible and will come charging our way. It is up to us to choose - whether to stand prepared or keep pinching ourselves hoping this to be a dream.