Meeting Tomorrow’s Communication Challenges

The digital world is changing the way we communicate. Poor readership is forcing newspapers to dwindle in size and number. The once-storied heft of the Sunday New York Times no longer requires a weightlifter’s physique. In a harbinger of things to come, the Detroit Free Press recently announced it will end daily home delivery in March and shift its resources to an online edition. The media conglomerate Tribune Co., publishers of some of the nation’s most respected newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun, has filed for bankruptcy. Even the Tribune’s 23 television stations couldn’t save it from doom. Ratings figures are down across the board on national television news programs, and even local news broadcasts are suffering from poor viewership. Book sales are at all-time lows, forcing struggling book publishers to close divisions and cut e-book deals with digital publishers like iPhone and eBook. 

Led by the up-and-coming digital natives, wired-in teens and 20-somethings who have grown up with computers, cell phones, Nintendo, Xboxes and iPods, communication is becoming increasingly digital. When people need information today, they Google it. You get exactly the information you want and you get it instantly. And with the advent of wireless technology, Blackberries and smart phones like Apple’s iPhone, you’re no longer tied to a computer terminal. Information is available on the go — anywhere, any time.

The downside of this digital revolution is the loss of face-to-face human interaction that has been the basis for human communication for the past two thousand years. As discussed in last Friday’s post, UCLA psychiatrist Dr. Gary Small is among a growing number of scientists who fear that the next generation’s penchant for instant messaging (IM) and text messaging is degrading our ability to read and understand facial cues and body language. While there is sure to be some initial fallout, over the next decade business will continue to change to accommodate our increasing reliance on all things digital. A growing number of workers already work remotely, connecting to customers and the home office via the internet and phone. Digital conferencing, web cams and screen-sharing technology make it increasingly unnecessary to meet face-to-face. It won’t be long before we spend most of our time in a virtual world.

For business owners, the challenge will be to embrace the digital world of up-and-coming consumers while maintaining a connection to older, less tech-savvy customers through traditional communication paths. Because industry experts expect communication to be nearly all-digital within a decade, it will be critical to monitor your communication balance and shift resources and emphasis accordingly. With an increasing portion of business coming from digital channels, the foresight and flexibility to take advantage of new communication opportunities like Facebook, You Tube and Twitter will drive business success. On Friday, we’ll talk about how search engine optimization can maximize your ability to succeed in the digital world.