5 Technologies Expanding How We Consume Entertainment

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Technology has changed the world around us, but it has also changed how we entertain ourselves. The audience expects things to be quicker, mobile, and more immersive.

Here are just five ways that technology has tried to keep up.

1. Digital TV

The cable industry has been changed by streaming services that offer instant viewing options. People don't have to wait for showtimes. With enough streaming movie services, they don't even need to own physical copies of movies. Customers go to businesses like Vudu to convert their DVD's to digital copies so that their entire media library is in the cloud.

2. Virtual Reality

The audience doesn't just want to be entertained anymore but to interact with the entertainment. Virtual reality goggles are an example of this. Controllers and chairs simulate touch and motion to further immerse users into a different reality. In Los Angeles, a VR-based arcade has opened as an entirely new kind of entertainment venue.

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3. The Power of the Internet

Social media has made visual entertainment feel like a collaboration. People support television couples by making them trend on Twitter. The audience has direct conversations with producers and directors where they express support or ridicule. Performers stream live videos for fans. Due to the close contact, the audience feels as if they are as integral to the entertainment process as the artists and creators.

4. Mobile television and Entertainment

From satellite TV to media tablets, television is often no longer viewed on a stationary television. Younger generations are comfortable viewing movies on computers and smartphones. Satellite TV options allow families and individuals to watch their TV on the go—even from semi trucks. Media tablets like the Fire Tablet are built to let the owner consume audio or visual media.

5. Music Streaming

The music industry went through their first big shake up when digital music became a way for people to distribute songs illegally. Over time, companies have taken back control by turning digital music into a lucrative business. In the last two years, Amazon and YouTube have both launched their own streaming music services and continued the trend of subscription-based listening.

People currently expect to be involved in everything from the creation to the display of entertainment. They also expect to get what they want quickly because technology can give it to them. Basically, people expect more, and developers have done an admirable job of keeping up with their customers.

By  Claire Stewart	Embed
Claire Stewart is a freelance writer and blogger focused on writing about health, travel, and business among other topics. She graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelors in Women’s Studies and currently lives in Seattle with her goldfish, Merlin.