Digital trends and digital behaviour

"Did You Know?” (4.0), produced for the Economist's Third Annual Media Convergence Forum in New York City on October 20–21, 2009, focuses on the convergence of technology and how it has changed the media landscape.



Digital trends identified:

• digital books
• online media (newspapers)
• online multimedia (TV, radio, videos)
• digital advertising
• user generated online content
• crowd sourcing (Wikipedia)
• online social networks
• leveraging of online social networks
• mobilising of social networks

These digital trends can have an impact on how an individual behaves as a digital citizen. The following six digital activities and associated behaviours have been identified:

1. Access to vast quantities of mediated and unmediated information anytime anywhere will require digital literacy.
2. Ability to quickly upload self created content and multimedia will require awareness of intellectual property and copyright.
3. Ability to easily reuse and remix digital content will require awareness of intellectual property and copyright.
4. Leveraging of online networks will require an awareness of privacy, disclosure and online safety.
5. Technologies such as Twitter, that help to mobilise people into action will require an awareness of acceptable use and online safety.
6. Personal and work digital environments converging will require an understanding of acceptable use.

The video states: "Convergence is everywhere. It is easier than ever before to reach a large audience, but harder than ever to really connect with it." Technology is only an enabler, people make the connections, therefore people need to take responsibility for the digital behaviour.