Digital Technology

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Digital technology refers to a range of data delivery mechanisms that affect how we:

• Access entertainment (TV, Music, Radio etc)
• Communicate and interact with each other (mobile, internet, convergent etc)
• Form social groups and communities (real world networks, cyber networks etc)
• Access information (professional opinions, network member comments etc)
• Make our purchase decisions (supplier information, user reviews etc)

Over the last 10 years digital technology has changed our lives in a variety of ways:

The catalysts for this change are varied and include:

• Technology convergence
• Improved information delivery infrastructure
• Reduced costs
• Increased data transfer speed

Some of the impacts of this change are very apparent. For example, the way in which we watch television is now very different, with viewers using digital tools such as time shift channels, digital video recording and video on demand. Other changes have been rather more subtle but will potentially have greater impact, such as the changes in our purchasing processes brought about through the influence of our expanded social network.