Digital Revolution Casualties

We are living in the midst of the digital revolution. It has changed our world, and for the next minute or so I want to talk about those changes.

Because of the digital revolution, many technologies are dead or dying. Sure they may not be extinct yet, but they are already endangered and will disappear in the future. Years ago it was easy to see that CDs would replace phonograph records. That’s exactly what happened.

Think of VCRs. For the better part of three decades, the VCR was the dominant form of watching video. Today, VCRs are quickly disappearing due to the DVD. You may still have VHS tapes in your home. You may even have a VCR. If you do, you are quickly becoming the exception rather than the rule. Soon VCRs and VHS tapes will be gone.

What are also on the way out are movie rental stores. I can remember going into stores that didn’t have DVDs. Now DVDs are all they have. But people aren’t coming to the stores because they can download videos or order them from Netflix. So movie rental stores are closing.

How about cameras? Used to be the only camera you could buy required that you also buy film to put in the camera. Now almost all camera companies make only digital cameras. Many announced years ago they would stop making film cameras.

And what about television? Most homes get their TV programming from cable or satellite. The homes that still use rabbit ears or outdoor antennae had to get a converter box. Analog TVs are about to go extinct.

Finally, think about how we write to one another. Yes, people still write letters and thank you notes. But most of the communication today takes place through e-mails and text messages. A year ago, one group estimated that two million e-mails are sent worldwide every second. Text messages are most likely sent at that same order of magnitude.

We live in a world of remarkable change. Much of it is due to the digital revolution. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view.