The Future of News: How Can We Cope?
By Xavier Rubira
For my pain point, I am trying to find new ways to use emerging and new technology to disseminate thoughtful journalism and engage with communities. Trying to find new ways to tell stories that are immersive and engaging will be an ongoing challenge for journalists. How we use new and emerging technology to tell stories and research will be the wall that must be climbed.
In a 2018 Future Today Institute (FTI) report, Amy Webb Founder of FTI said, “Like it or not, in 2018 leaders across all industries will confront difficult questions about the future of technology.”
My first concept tackling this issue was to use touch screen bulletin boards/kiosks and have them placed in areas where people naturally go to, such as public transportation stops and on trains.
During the process of interviewing commuters on the topic, I received a lot of helpful information. A recurring theme was the possibility of the device becoming a nuisance by playing videos at high volumes, or flashing bright images. And the last thing I want is to annoy my audience with something that is supposed to help them. Because the device is open for anyone to use, there is a lack of control for the user.
By separating certain features from the kiosks and placing them in the hands of the user we may remedy the situation. So, why not use the kiosk in tandem with the user’s phone.
The FTI 2018 Trend Report mentions a plethora of technology, and trends to pay attention to in multiple industries. The Architecture, City Management and Urban Planning section piqued my interest the most and it plays very nicely into the possible solutions to my pain point. The use of The AI Cloud, Consumer-Grade AI and Robots (FTI, pg.22).
The AI Cloud keeps you connected to your data wherever and whenever you have an internet connection. It links your home network (router) and online web storage services (Google Drive), giving you access to your personal files and so much more (FTI).
Artificial Intelligence uses computer systems/machine learning to perform tasks that would normally be done by a human such as, speech and facial recognition, problem-solving and so much more (FTI). Amazon’s Alexa would be a great example of consumer-grade artificial intelligence.
And lastly, Robots/Bots are machines that are programmed to perform complex or simple tasks automatically (FTI).
The combination of these three technologies could upgrade the kiosk itself by turning it into a robot equipped with artificial intelligence that is connected to the cloud.
The cloud can connect the robot’s database to your phone, while the artificial intelligence can interact with anyone that chooses to, and the robot itself is just the mechanism that holds it all together. They could bring an entirely new level of interaction with information around us.
Having your phone connected to this device could be somewhat like a pocket reporter. And thusly, creating separation and a level of control so the user does not have to worry about unexpected volumes or images, since the AI will act as a safeguard, to prevent abuse of the device.
Also by only allowing for sound to be played directly to the user’s phone via the cloud, the problem could be fixed. As for the concern of brightness, the screen should turn off when no one is directly in front of it. That would require artificial intelligence to use facial recognition to turn on and off.
My second idea came from a report by the Associated Press (AP) called The Age of Dynamic Story-Telling by Francesco Marconi and Taylor Nakagawa.
The report talked about how journalists can create a full body experience with the news they report on using augmented reality (AG) and similar tech. AG is already a consumer-grade product. For example, apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Pokemon Go use filters with Geospatial Data Gathering to augment your surroundings through your phone. Geospatial tech refers to equipment used to scan and analyze Earth’s land and features to create an altered reality on whatever device is projecting it (Pgs.2–3).
I envision the implementation of AG into the kiosks being on the app-end of the package. By taking advantage of the fact that people that phones can already emulate AG it keeps people from needing to make any extra purchases to be compatible with a kiosk. Once again, creating this separation of certain features and placing them on the phone. The goal of this separation is to give control to the user and remove the uncertainties of people using the kiosk, and disturbing others.
The AG would be used in a fun way for people to leave comments on stories in the area they finished reading an article. These messages will be stored on a cloud server. And when a person comes across a location with said comment, their phone will give them a notification allowing them to then interact with that comment using AG. This feature will only activate when the user is using the app as to not disturb them during the day. Almost like making news into a community-wide treasure hunt.
Altogether, I believe that these technologies can alleviate the concerns of people, by giving the power to the player.
For more information on the sources used click down below.
