In the words of Marshall McLuhan who predicted years ago that the world would soon become a ‘global village’, indeed, this has began playing out in a seemingly faster pace than ever before.
With the broadcasting, the internet, the social media and other media channels breaking new frontiers , making use of the electro-magnetic spectrum to break barriers of time and space, the world seems to have shrunk into an even smaller ‘global village’.
The speed at which information, exchange of ideas, communication taking place, it is visibly clear that civilization will never remain the same even as more innovations continue to be discovered everyday to make life easier.
From a spot, with an electronic device, be it personal computer or mobile phones, an individual can make payments, attend meetings, talk with loved ones, a date hook-up , tours, sign agreements, learn new recipes, attend tutorials. The list is endless, and one can say that the digital media have opened up the world to limitless possibilities. The trajectory is gradually shifting; the digital media is now overtaking both the electronic and print media to become the top consumer preference in terms of information source and dealings.
The corona virus pandemic further accentuated the relevance of the digital media. A pandemic that shut down social and communication life, but also opened the eyes of the world to a new world-changing reality, called the digital media reality. All over the world, due to the effects of the pandemic, which led to multiple restrictions and lockdowns, people could no longer meet face-to-face, hold meetings at the office, and engage in other social activities. Hence, the digital media became the only option for socialization to take place. People could now work from home, talk to loved ones over video calls and messaging, meetings could now hold online.
The digital media filled the lacuna so that the impact of the pandemic on socialization and communication could be cushioned.
World leaders over the past months have engaged in several virtual meetings, even some shows and occasions had to hold virtually.
Digital media reality has hit all areas of human endeavours. With just a click, a multi-million dollar deal can be signed even without meeting the client. Internet advertising has hit a record high, most businesses and companies around the world can no longer survive without access to the digital media. The digital media has become the nerve centre of information flow. The digital media is also changing the way things are done, with various platforms such as zoom, face time , social media platforms such as Instagram, Whatsapp, Facebook all becoming the go-to media for business, news, entertainment and all other forms of dealings.
Even when the pandemic is finally over, one cannot help but be fully convinced that virtual reality has come to stay.
Anukam Ebenezer,
Wrote in from Owerri ,
Ebenchikwado@gmail.com.
