Forget radio for a moment.
I know, it’s hard. That’s what many of us do 24/7.
Surveys like our new Technology Poll are designed to help us better understand how core radio listeners entertain themselves.
But the change that is sweeping our culture – not just our media – transcends any medium, website, or entertainment source.
That’s because the way that people communicate with each other has fundamentally changed right before our very eyes.
For decades, people essentially did business with one another in conventional, expected ways. They wrote letters, they sent telegrams, or they picked up the phone.
But in just a few short years, that’s all changed.
In this year’s survey, we asked our 26,000+ respondents to tell us what communication tools they use more and less when connecting with family and friends – during the past year.
The results may not be surprising to you, but they are telling.
In a strong upswing, it’s texting, social networking, email, and cell phone calls. On the downside, it’s the lowly landline where consumers are moving away in droves. And this is in the past year.
This doesn’t just say a lot about how consumers communicate with each other. It speaks volumes about how radio stations and personalities connect with them. If texting, social media, email, and mobile are becoming the new standards for communication, how many stations are still lagging behind in any number of these sectors? And how many operators still look at these tools as secondary or even tertiary, despite the fact they are rapidly emerging as primary touch points?
Get out of the station. Get out of town. Start watching people and start reviewing your own communications with family and friends.
And then start thinking about different ways, gadgets, and media that are now better suited for connecting with them.
It's different now.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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However, Fred, has communication improved with the new methods ? It’s faster, yes, and, yet, I’m sure you’ll agree that it hasn’t improved !
Texting and emailing what should be delivered in “real time” has now devolved into an ocean of typos and non-inflectionable missives that are almost indecipherable and far from effective in accomplishing even a semi-intelligent dialogue !
Ugh !
Harvey, you are correct. Communication hasn’t improved and grammar and spelling are casualties, not to mention all the disasters caused by “reply all.” But the survey is not a statement about quality, merely quantity, and the numbers don’t lie. Thanks for chiming in.