Coming Apart and Coming Together Again

Not long ago Limelight CSO Mike Gordon talked in detail about the fragmentation of consumer audiences. We watch different shows, view media on different devices, and relate to content in different ways. We also travel with our own entertainment, so what used to be a road trip with the family now often ends up with everyone watching their own videos on portable media players or listening to their own music. Particularly as we close in on the holidays, there’s a certain amount of isolation enabled by technology that’s hard to ignore.

Fortunately there’s also a major upside to all of the connectivity we now have, like more consistent interaction with family members throughout the day. Here’s how a recent Pew Research report put it:

“…Those with the most technology are more likely to share moments with family members while they are online and to exchange some kinds of family communications such as checking in with other family members and coordinating activities…”

In addition, the more we have the ability to connect at any time and any place, the more we can come together around certain moments in time. During the holidays, for example, we can share family photos, chat with online video, exchange gift ideas, and even throw virtual snowballs at each other. We can be present for each other, even when we’re physically apart.

In the final stretch of 2008, it’s nice to think about the ways our technology investments are having an impact on human connections, literally and figuratively. That iPod or HD camcorder you get this year? Take a moment to remember the powerful connections that come with it. Limelight Networks alone has infrastructure in place with the ability to deliver more than two terabits per second worth of video, photos, music, and more online. Remember that you get access to that delivery system and many others any time you connect a device to the Internet; that you collapse a world of distance every time you share a photo or watch a video online.

And then forget all about the technology and just enjoy the holidays.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 4:47 pm and is filed under Content Delivery Network, Mike Gordon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.