Media technology refers to communication tools used to transfer information from sender to receiver (e.g., telephone, television, radio, etc.). Below are summaries of four commonly used media technologies, their purpose and target audience.
Facebook – This online social media network is intended to help people make new friends and reconnected with old ones. People often use Facebook (FB) for networking by starting groups and virtually introducing themselves or their friends to other people in certain industries. In the beginning, FB was only available to college students but its rapid rise in popularity made it more marketable and quickly became available to everyone. Anyone can start a profile or group including celebrities, bands, and even activist organizations. A popular outlet to reach multiple people at a time, FB is also used by TV and radio stations to promote upcoming events or giveaways. On nearly any website you visit, you will see a link that allows you to share the article or post on your FB page, or to “like” the company on FB.
Facebook allows the user to create a profile and upload pictures, which is very popular among young and old audiences alike. Unlike other social networking sites, FB has multiple privacy settings which enable the user to choose who sees their profile and what information they want to make public (Cashmore & Yadav, 2006). Facebook has also come out with many applications (apps) such as Farmville, Mafia Wars, and Daily Horoscope among the most popular, which allow users to purchase credits and play games online or get daily horoscope readings posted on their profile.
Text messages – The cell phone was an incredible advancement for media technology as it made people accessible virtually anywhere. Since text messaging came out, its popularity has skyrocketed. It is similar to e-mail in the sense that it is written word being instantly transmitted electronically from one person to another, but it is sent between phones. It makes communicating in loud settings easy or when you just don’t feel like talking.
Texting, or Short Message Service (SMS), first became popular in Europe and island nations where the cost of texting was much less than making a call due to roaming charges between countries (Reardon, 2008). In America however, texting was not cheaper than calling and phone companies made large sums of money when first introduced with each text costing upwards of 20 cents, unless their subscription included a texting package. Although people of all ages text, marketing is directed towards pre-teens and teenagers (and their parents) as they send on average upwards of 1700 text messages per month (Reardon, 2008).
eHarmony – An online dating site that allows users to make a profile and post pictures in order to be matched with another person with similar interests. Started in 2000, eHarmony boasts being in business over 10 years and has served over 30 million people (datingsitereview.com). At any given time the site has 72,000 – 90,000 active members and a Harris Interactive study done in 2010 showed that roughly 542 eHarmony members get married every day or 98,915 couples per year (datingsitereview.com).
The audience is single people of all ages looking for love, not just a hookup like some other dating sites are known for. The site is available in 10 countries including the US, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and recently added Brazil (datingsitereview.com).
PDA’s – Personal Digital Assistants have multiple uses including but not limited to: telephone, SMS, address book, calendar, calculator and e-mail. Many versions of PDA’s are offered with the iPhone and Blackberry being amongst the most popular. Shortly after its introduction in 1992, Nokia made the first PDA with a fully functional phone called the 9000 Communicator. Although the original PDA is still offered, sales of PDA’s with the phone function, commonly known as smart phones, are staggeringly higher.
The PDA appeals to many audiences as it has such a variety of uses. Functions such as an mp3 player and touch gaming draw in younger consumers while PC synchronization, e-mail, and web browsing attract more mature audiences.
References
Cashmore, P. & Yadav, S. (2006). Facebook – The complete biography. Retrieved March 20, 2011 from: http://mashable.com/2006/08/25/facebook-profile/
Reardon, M. (2008). Text Messaging Explodes in America. Retrieved March 21, 2011 from: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/23/tech/cnettechnews/main4471183.shtml
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