With DVDs being replaced by Blu-Rays and video files, and CDs slowly being replaced by MP3s, we are heading full steam ahead into the age of digital media.
The removal of physical media offers less clutter and an everything-in-one-place model.
Instead of having to sort through hundreds of cases for discs or cluttering the house with books, an iPod or an e-reader stores an entire library in one device that probably fits in your pocket.
The music industry in particular has seen a large shift, especially since iTunes launched in 2001 and made buying MP3s instead of CDs easier and cheaper. As of February 6, 2013, the iTunes online store has sold over 25 billion songs, according to an Apple press release.
There has also been a rise in independent artists who can sell their albums in digital format and spread their music globally even if their CDs aren’t available everywhere.
“In a lot of ways, iTunes has leveled the playing field for musicians. Whether you’re unsigned, indie, major, whatever—it’s the place most people go to buy digital music,” said guitarist and lead vocalist of The Lumineers, Wesley Schultz, in a press release for Apple.
Another facet of the shift to digital-only media is the move to online television service providers, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV.
The transition to digital-only media offers several benefits, but also a few issues.
Janick Bergeron is the design verification engineer and methodologist for Synopsis, an Ottawa-based technology company. His work focuses on technology verification and security.
Bergeron said there are few cons to this shift in technology.
“The only real con to digital-only [technology] is the perceived non-value in the content,” he said. “Because digital information can be copied with 100 per cent accuracy with zero-cost, there is the belief out there that the information being copied has no monetary value. Intellectual Property (IP) rights and how to fund the development of future IP will be the biggest issue in that area.”
According to a press release from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, cloud services create a world where people aren’t required to store media on their device, because you can access it from anywhere. The cloud can be used for private, public, and business purposes, among many others.
However, there are several problems brought on by cloud storage. While useful, cloud storage does present some troubling questions.
Carleton electronics professor Garry Tarr questioned the safety of privacy with new technologies like cloud computing.
“What happens to privacy when most of the world’s data is ‘in the cloud?’” Tarr asked.
“Will the companies that own the server farms be able to sort through the data at their leisure, learning huge amounts about each of us? This presents a huge privacy issue, and leaves the question if even more of our personal information is going to privy to the highest bidder.”
Bergeron echoed Tarr’s concerns, adding that even with encryption and other precautions to help privacy, most cloud storage remains unsecure.
“The only secure computer is one that is not connected to any network, in a room without any openings,” Bergeron said. “You can have the most private iCloud storage there is but if you communicate with it over an unsecure channel, it does not help.”
There are several industries now facing an uncertain shift towards a digital-only future.
“We have 6,000 years of offline history built in our culture and it is only recently, with the advent of smart phones, that always-online has become practical,” Bergeron said. “The current obstacles are economic: you have to be able to afford to be online. But it will eventually be seen as a public utility (much like electricity or water) and be supplied with a non-profit model. The money will be in the content, not the transport. Netflix is an example of this.”
