My first look at audio’s use of tablet computers was derailed by news of Steve Jobs’ death. My second has been derailed by word that the subject is to be ably addressed by Pro Sound News Europe… no point covering the same ground.
But there’s plenty to talk about beyond apps that make an iPad an essential piece of kit for live sound or broadcast. The combined ability of the internet and tablets is causing problems…
To be fair, along with Steve Jobs part in bringing tablet computers to the table (see Tablets and Toys) we’ve already looked at the rise of apps as the next generation of computer – and audio hardware – user interface (see What's App Doc? The Death of the Desktop). It doesn’t take a visionary to see what is coming. And the speed, size, convenience and flexibility of a tablet interface make even a MacBook Air look clumsy – it could become as essential as your Leatherman. The stage is set, so to speak.
A new prescription
Looking at the tablet in broader terms and adding in some surprising discoveries about the internet makes interesting reading…
A recent survey of UK schools revealed some surprising truths about the power of the internet. No, not the weight of its impact on society or the surprising shapes rendered by its organic evolution. Not even the breadth or volume of its content warns of what one commentator called ‘radical historical revisionism’. This is new, raw power...
Without the ability to verify the validity of information sources, Demos – a think-tank focused on ‘power and politics’ – reports that a consensus of 500 teachers did not believe their children were able to distinguish accurate, verifiable information from misinformation, disinformation or propaganda. Among the findings of its Truth, Lies and the Internet report were that students were alarmingly prepared to believe that 9/11 was ‘an inside job’ and that the recent UK rioting was used by the police ‘as an excuse to imprison young people’.
Am I straying from the point? We’re talking audio here.
Not if you talk to some of the people behind books that are designed to share their hard-won understanding and experience with those wanting to learn about all aspects of audio. They are increasingly finding their efforts undermined by internet posts based on similarly shaky premises.
This problem was first brought to my attention by Philip Newell, an old school studio designer whose investments in research and education are not to be underestimated. ‘It’s the blind leading the blind,’ he lamented. ‘You get people posting nonsense, and other people take it as gospel because it’s on the internet.’
And he’s right.
Before the internet, the machinations of print publishing generally meant that anything that appeared in print had been thoroughly researched, accepted by a publisher, and then edited, proofed and marketed. It wasn’t a cheap or easy thing to get a book into print and onto the shelves of bookshops. These hurdles effectively presented a ‘quality filter’ that pretty much ensured that the printed word was trustworthy. (Nat Tate's biography excepted...)
But desktop publishing bypassed many of these obstacles, and effectively lowered the integrity of the printed word. Now, add in the the internet and the convenience of an iPad or Kindle, and the problem escalates.
Skipping across the Atlantic for another study, we can add in ‘how people consume media on tablet devices like the iPad’. Conducted by Bonnier R&D and ad agency CP+B, this used 15 focus groups from three US cities to compare their use of magazines, magazine websites and iPads.
Alongside some very interesting observations, this report identified eight ‘insights’ into the use of digital magazines. Among them are these:
• A New Decision Hierarchy – iPad users are picking up their tablet and then deciding what to do on it. Traditional magazine readers typically had specific purposes in mind before picking up a magazine, like finding information on a specific topic, shopping for products or filling time during travel.
• A Sense of Ownership – iPad users enjoy owning apps that are an extension of their interests and passions. According to the study, iPad users ‘were more likely to download an app that they felt added value to, or extended the capabilities of, their tablet devices.’
• An Affinity for Advertising – the iPad allows marketers the opportunity to create advertisements that add value and are artistically designed. This resonates well with iPad users.
• A Catalyst for Action – Users want digital magazines to help them dig deeper into the topics they enjoy without the use of pop-ups or interruptive marketing tactics.
Search and destroy
Returning to the Demos study, it appears that a significant part of the problem is a lack of understanding of how search engines work.
When I was establishing the ground rules for Fast-and-Wide, I discussed the shape of media to come with (among others) an executive from Reuters. He placed the ability to properly research and verify social media sources high on the list of essential skills for reporters.
The Demos report bears this out from a consumer’s standpoint: ‘Although there are more e-books, trustworthy journalism, niche expertise and accurate facts at our fingertips than ever before, there is an equal measure of mistakes, half-truths, propaganda, misinformation and general nonsense,’ it says. ‘Knowing how to discriminate between them is difficult and extremely important.’
So where does this leave us?
At the top end of our work, tablets promise a new era of capability, combining computing power with a set of hand tools, connectivity and access to the internet. Both kit and media can be managed with unprecedented speed and ease from a mobile interface...
At the entry level, however, tablets threaten to replace hard-won wisdom with half forgotten tales and half remembered lies. The obvious conclusion: tablets are good but take them with care.
