· 85% own a smartphone (76% worldwide)
· 82% own a laptop (74% worldwide)
· 33% own a tablet (28% worldwide) (Rundle 2013)
This research was conducted in 2013 and the percentages have increased further since. Tablets are now present in half of UK households (Mintel 2014, Introduction). As a result of dematerialisation, technology industries have a greater scope of creation.
Publishers’ use the hype cycle as a model to discover future trends, and become aware when hype is over e.g. cloud computing is now in the disillusionment stage, therefore developing cloud software will not stimulate high interest (Gartner 2014). Please scroll down to the bottom of this post to view the Hype Cycle of emerging technology 2014 (Gartner, 2014).
Should publishers embrace these new technology advancements?
Gamification
Parents of the millennial generation are worried that their children are spending too much time playing games, and aren’t reading enough. But what if the educational and gaming industry were to emerge? Gabe Zichermann, co-author of ‘Game Based Marketing’ believes that publishers should ‘take lessons of the game and apply them to other forms, to implement parts of the game framework- such as levels, incentives and a social network.’ (Kalder 2011). Making interactive applications that incorporate gamification will directly improve education. Statistically, boys under-perform at reading during Key Stage 2, and gamification could solve this problem through an increase of leisurely reading.
Proportion of pupils at Key Stage 2 (age 11) reading at expected level between 1998 and 2011, by gender (%) (Literacy Trust 2012, p.8)
Social Reading
Social networking has improved marketing. Will social reading improve education? Wattpad is the world’s largest community for readers and writers, with over 25million users (Wattpad, n.d.). Candice Faktor from Wattpad has an opposing view and believes that kids are getting smarter. She states that we are the ‘most literate generation’ (Candice Huffington Post, 2013), because we are used to writing, and creating. I agree with Candice, we are reading more. However, I question whether we’re reading more casually or academically.
Augmented Reality
Should publishers develop applications for Google Glass and the Apple iWatch? According to a study this year, only 14% of consumers showed an interest in smart watches, and 11% were interested in head-mounted displays (Mintel 2014). Similarly, when 3D television came out in 2010, broadcasters were reluctant to convert their productions. (Whitworth, BBC 2010), Sky Broadcasting have only released 1 channel- Sky 3D as a result of low demand and limited resources. A study by Nielsen Co. (2010) found that 9/10 participants had no interest in wearing 3D glasses (Bell, Cracked 2013). Therefore publishers should not waste time exploring developments for Google Glass or Apple iWatch until demand for these products have been proven.
I strongly believe Gamification is the future of both publishing and the gaming industry. Michael Lutz developed an interactive horror story experience called ‘The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo’, where the user makes decisions throughout the story, and has five possible endings (Kohler, 2014). I predict publishers will develop more of these experiences in the future.
Word Count: 543
Bibliography
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