Life . . . as we know it
There's a revolution going on. It doesn't feel like it. It rarely does, but there is. Life, as we know it, is changing very dramatically and very quickly. All of us will feel the changes. Writers and artists are feeling the first effects.
As we moved from an agrarian society to an industrial society, from the horse and buggy to the car, telegraph to the telephone, many workers, jobs, and technologies were replaced and disrupted. Some industries and workers transitioned effortlessly. Others were trampled or left behind. The current rapid advancements of technology are making businesses obsolete at a record pace.
So comes the Creative Age, or what some have called the Information Age. We've been in the Information age for about twenty years. But now, the useable products are coming to the marketplace in a big way. The convergence that all the techno talking heads have been hawking for years is finally producing real products; the Blackberry and Ipod for example.
The Creative age will supply vast opportunities for those who can wade through the barrage of information and can decern a pathway to a viable, sustainable business model. Those that will thrive will embrace the technological advances that are sweeping models and businesses into the abyss with greater frequency.
"Big Box" retailers like Walmart, COSTCO, Sam's Club and Barnes & Noble, combined with online retailers like Amazon and Ebay have redefined how many Americans shop. These retailers have harnessed and are exploiting the new technological realities. This has forced immobile or entenched smaller retailers either out of business or into bankruptcy in thier wake. "Mom & Pop" businesses now must change or die. Independant bookstores are struggling now for survival.
Certain service industries seem safe because technology thus far has been unable to touch them. Restuarants and bars will continue sell food and liquor, beautitions and barbors will cut and style hair, plumbers will fix leaks, contractors will build houses, but as we adopt emerging technologies into our daily lives these old business models may also become obsolete. If not obsolete perhaps modified.
These advances have sent the Mega Media companies scrambling. Publishers, Movie companies, TV stations, Radio, all are trying to figure out how to move digital product on the internet while retaining thier current profit stucture.
The one thing that has not changed and will not change is all of these media outlets need content. Here lies the opportunity for writers of all genres and for me. So, as I continue to develope my writing skills with a target towards novels and short stories, I am going to slowly look into script and play writing.
As the times change, so must we all, or we"ll be trampled or left behind.
