The metamorphosis of media in the 21st Century

Scenes in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 would not seem out of place in this day and age. Huge viewing screens for easy access media, and a landscape shift from paper books to digital readers, evoke images of Guy Montag's dystopian society. As a culture, we love media and consume it constantly. With a "Here-and-Now" mentality, new technologies allow people constant access to the media they love and cherish. A rise in the easy access of media consumption leads to a rise in media production. However, the question is how this will change moving forward in the 21st Century, just as media and communication had evolved drastically throughout the 20th Century.

The news is presented to us almost immediately after it happens. Our lifelines through social media connect us to people all over the world. Handheld devices and other technologies allow us to watch our favorite shows and films on the bus, in the car, anywhere really. Fiction and non-fiction alike are crucial parts of the way people live and function. These are the stories that show us views of the world around us and sometimes take us to worlds constructed from imagination.

Media has grown more and more affluent in our society structure. It can inform, entertain, persuade, enlighten, and transport. Outside of worldly necessities such as food, clothing and shelter, we as human beings thrive on stories of all kinds, be they fabricated or familiar, for comfort or curiosity. The film and television industries make billions of dollars a year as our culture demands more and more content to consume.

In the future, the media will only get bigger, and with the proper intent, will shape us for the better. Technology will become smaller, faster, and more efficient. Content will be created in droves. The task at hand is to create quality content that entertains and challenges its audience. Media started as a social construct in oral tradition and now finds universal footing in mass media. While fiction provides its audience with perspective, prose, and the opportunity to make the unfamiliar familiar, non-fiction formats such as news programs and commentary-based media can persuade, inform, and enlighten. As we educate and enlighten ourselves, we develop, become aware of the world around us, of the people around us.

As media delivery methods evolve and increased, media is realized as communication. As we grow as a culture and society, effective and efficient communication is necessary. With proper development, rich media can comfort us, educate us, and push us to greatness, justice, and clarity. Media in its greatest potential can push us to our greatest potential.