Subtitles, Soundtracks, and the Streaming... oh my!

Streaming has completely changed the way I experience media. I remember having a growing collection of DVDs and CDs that took up shelves in my bedroom. Today, everything I listen to or watch is just a tap away, whether it's Spotify, Netflix, or another app. The convenience is incredible. I can jump from a Korean drama on my laptop to a Spotify playlist while commuting. But as much as I love the access, I've started thinking more about what this shift really means, especially for the artists behind the content (Baran, 2022). 

One of the biggest things that concerns me is how creators are being compensated in this new digital world. For musicians, streaming platforms offer exposure but very little income. Artists on Spotify often make less than a penny per stream, which means even millions of plays might not pay the bills (Dent, 2022). And for filmmakers, the economics of streaming have thrown the whole Hollywood model off balance. During the pandemic, studios began prioritizing streaming releases instead of traditional theatrical debuts, which changed how films earn and how audiences experience them (Shaw, 2021). As someone who genuinely values good music,  storytelling, and in-person interactions, I worry about whether this model is sustainable long-term. 

That said, streaming has opened some incredible doors too, especially when it comes to global content. I watch a lot of anime and Korean dramas, and I always keep the original audio on with English subtitles. There's something powerful about hearing the actors' real voices, even if I don't fully understand the language. Over time, I've picked up bits and pieces of Korean and Japanese just from watching so much. It's not just entertainment anymore; it's an education and a cultural exchange in one (Defanti & Arvidsson, 2019).

What's cool is that I'm not the only one. Subtitles and dubbing aren't just accessibility features anymore, they've become essential tools for people who want to explore international media. Closed captions help people with hearing loss, sure, but they also help language learners, multitaskers, and anyone watching with the volume down. This shift in expectations shows how far we've come. Audiences no longer think of subtitles as niche, they expect them (McQuail & Deuze, 2020; Wilkins et al., 2021).

It also reminds me of my mom's story. She immigrated from Haiti and learned English by watching American cartoons and listening to music from groups like ABBA. TV and music weren't just background noise for her; they were how she learned to speak, understand, and connect with the culture around her. She is now a retired nurse and a U.S. citizen who speaks better English than I do. That really stuck with me. So now, when I watch something in another language with subtitles, I think about how that same process is happening for other people across the world right now.

My Mom's Favorite ABBA song:

Technology has definitely pushed media toward more inclusivity. With features like multilingual support, dubbing, and global streaming deals, it's easier than ever for people to feel seen and heard, no matter where they're from (Gaudreau & Akindele, 2021). While not every show or movie gets it right, I still think it's progress. Even imperfect stories can spark dialogue and shift perspectives. For me, streaming has not only made it easier to access content, but it's also made me more open-minded, curious, and aware of cultures outside of my own.

So yes, I do miss the feeling of holding a physical CD or flipping through a DVD menu. But the tradeoff, being able to explore the world through stories, sound, and subtitles from my living room, is something I wouldn't give up. I just hope we keep working on the balance between access and fairness, because behind every episode and track is someone who deserves to be valued for what they create.


References
ABBA. (2009, October 8). Dancing Queen (Official Music Video) [Remastered in HD] [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/xFrGuyw1V8s

Baran, S. J. (2022). Introduction to mass communication: 2024 release. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Dent, S. (2022, January 25). Spotify still only pays most artists less than a penny per stream. Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/spotify-royalty-rates-artists-less-than-penny-185658955.html

Defanti, A., & Arvidsson, A. (2019). Introduction to digital media. Wiley.

Gaudreau, J., & Akindele, A. (2021). The Impact of Streaming Services on the Entertainment Industry: A Case Study of Netflix. International Journal of Business and Applied Social Science, 7(7).

iradincer. (2025, July 28). Close up of bowl of popcorn and remote control with TV works on background [Stock photo]. Envato Elements. https://elements.envato.com/close-up-of-bowl-of-popcorn-and-remote-control-wit-B3YBX44

McQuail, D., & Deuze, M. (2020). McQuail’s media and mass communication theory. SAGE Publishing.

Shaw, L. (2021, May 26). Here are the ways the pandemic changed Hollywood. Bloomberg Businessweek. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-05-26/pandemic-and-entertainment-how-hollywood-has-been-changed-by-covid

Wilkins, L., Painter, C., & Patterson, P. (2021). Media ethics: Issues and cases (10th ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.

Automated but Annoying

I have a bone to pick with marketers like myself. As someone who’s in the thick of it, I can’t pretend that email automation isn’t a lifesaver. Honestly, I use it every day to schedule messages, craft campaigns, and follow up with leads without all the manual hassle (Infinite Owl Marketing, 2018). From a business standpoint, it’s smart and super efficient. But on a personal level? I can’t stand it sometimes. Those emails can feel like spam, even when they’re designed to help.

Here’s the thing: consumers want personalization, but they also need boundaries. When a message arrives at the wrong time or feels off, trust can disappear in a flash (Cardon, 2024). The old practice of sending out the same email to everyone just doesn’t cut it anymore. People expect brands to actually know what matters to them and to be respectful of their time. If a company messes this up, it only takes a few bad emails before they hit the unsubscribe button. I’ve seen firsthand how clients can lose credibility with a single mistimed or misdirected message. Sometimes, it’s not even about the content being poorly written; it’s just that people are overwhelmed by the sheer number of emails they receive. And honestly, once trust is gone, it’s hard to earn back.

I’ll admit it, I miss how simple things used to be. I remember when my inbox didn’t have over 100,000 unread messages piling up every day. It’s a bit of a nightmare! I often wonder if I’ll still have my job in ten or fifteen years or if AI will take it all over. It reminds me of how people in radio felt when television came along. But radio didn’t just vanish; it adapted and found ways to thrive. I believe we can grow with technology instead of getting left behind (Baran, 2022). That gives me a sliver of hope. 

So, what’s the answer to all this? I think automation can actually be really powerful if we use it wisely. That’s what I’ve been trying to do with my emails. Now that email automation has been around for a while, I’m starting to space out my emails more, giving people a bit of breathing room. Nowadays, audiences want a two-way conversation, not just a sales pitch (Defanti & Arvidsson, 2019). That’s why it's so important to pair smart automation with good data segmentation, clear opt-in choices, and genuine respect for their inbox. When we use data with empathy, we can create messages that really matter to people (White & Boatwright, 2020). That’s the kind of marketing I want to be involved in, something that’s genuine and connects on a human level.

In the end, marketing shouldn’t just be about replacing the human touch with automation. Instead, it should focus on enhancing our ability to connect with customers in meaningful ways. If we think of automation as a helpful partner rather than a replacement, we can create an atmosphere where our marketing feels more like a friendly chat and less like a pushy sales pitch. More and more, marketing infrastructure is being shaped by CommTech and digital systems that demand smarter tools and more strategic thinking (Digitalization in Corporate Communications, 2022). Together, both marketers and consumers can find a happy medium that leads to more authentic relationships, benefiting everyone involved.

References

Baran, S. J. (2022). Introduction to mass communication: 2024 release. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Cardon, P. W. (2024). Business communication: Developing leaders for a networked world (5th ed.).

Defanti, A., & Arvidsson, A. (2019). Introduction to digital media. Wiley. 

Digitalization in Corporate Communications. (2022). Understanding the emergence and consequences of CommTech and digital infrastructure. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsemr&AN=edsemr.10.1108.CCIJ.03.2022.0035&site=eds-live

Infinite Owl Marketing. (2018). Marketing and design studio. https://infiniteowlmarketing.com/

Prostock-studio. (2025, July 28). Hands of girl chatting with friends on laptop at cafe [Stock photo]. Envato Elements. https://elements.envato.com/hands-of-girl-chatting-with-friends-on-laptop-at-c-VP9WQ9U

White, C. L., & Boatwright, B. (2020). Social media ethics in the data economy. Public Relations Review, 46(3), 101980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101980

Speech Tech Is Opening New Doors

Speech technology has come a long way and is doing more than just setting timers or asking about the weather. For older adults and neurodivergent people, these tools are opening up new ways to communicate, navigate life and feel included in everyday conversations (Baran, 2022). Voice recognition and speech-to-text have come a long way but the real magic happens in the lives of those who need it most. What used to be a challenge like typing a message or filling out a form can now be done by just talking into your phone. That level of independence matters to some people. Speech technology allows people to navigate their devices better, write emails and share their thoughts without having to type. With the help of AI, speech tools are starting to change how people create products and making accessibility a top priority.

I’ve seen how tools like Google Live Transcribe and Apple Voice Control give people real-time access to conversations and help with tasks we take for granted (Tate, 2018). When added to closed captions they create an environment where more people feel seen and heard. For someone who struggles with typing or reading quickly being able to hear or speak my thoughts aloud without extra barriers is a game-changer. I can work and edit my work on my own. For people with disabilities it can greatly impact daily life. One of the newer tools in this space is something called SpeechMatch. It’s being tested in healthcare to match patients with doctors or care providers based on how they naturally communicate (Lennard et al., 2024). So if someone speaks slowly or uses pauses because of cognitive or sensory differences they’re more likely to be paired with someone who communicates in a similar way. It’s already being used with older adults and young patients with autism and it’s building stronger more respectful conversations between patients and providers.

For neurodivergent individuals and the elderly, being able to use tools like this can really improve their quality of life and interactions with those around them. Watch the snippet to better understand (Smith, 2023).

Overall, I think all of this shows how people are starting to expect more from the technology around them. Accessibility isn’t an afterthought anymore. People want tools that meet them where they are, not ones that require them to change how they interact with the world (Moore et al., 2022). That’s encouraging to me because it shows we’re not just building faster or smarter tools, but we’re building ones that are more human-centered (Wilkins et al., 2021). And for someone who sees tech as a way to bring people together, that’s the kind of progress that really means something.

References
Baran, S. J. (2022). Introduction to mass communication: 2024 release. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Google. (2019, May 7). Google Live Transcribe demo - real-time speech-to-text transcription [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl0VW8xn1fY

Lennard, D., Afolabi, S., & Zhang, Q. (2024). SpeechMatch and patient-centered care: Matching communication styles in clinical settings. Journal of Health Technology & Ethics, 12(1), 22–39.

Moore, R. L., Murray, M. D., & Youm, K. H. (2022). Media law and ethics (6th ed.). Taylor & Francis.

Smith, C. (2023, November 10). AI for neurodiverse minds [Video]. TEDx, YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@Wrenasmir

Tate, M. A. (2018). Web wisdom (3rd ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781351385671

Wilkins, L., Painter, C., & Patterson, P. (2021). Media ethics: Issues and cases (10th ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.

Data Talks... Are You Listening?

As a marketer of over 15 years its been clear that data has changed the way we work. It’s not just something analysts or IT departments deal with anymore. As a marketer, I use data every single day to fuel the content, emails, campaigns, and strategies I build for clients. It helps me figure out what’s working, what needs to shift, and where I can make the biggest impact. Whether I’m looking at website traffic, click-through rates, or behavior flows in HubSpot, that information shapes the decisions I make. Without it, I’d just be guessing, and guessing doesn’t cut it anymore.

With so many platforms out there, communicators are constantly adjusting to how people consume information. Social media, blogs, newsletters, video content, it’s all being measured. And those measurements tell us a lot. We can see which subject lines get opened, which content gets ignored, and how long someone stays on a page before bouncing. That kind of feedback loop is part of a bigger shift in how audiences engage with media, and communicators have to keep up if we want to stay relevant (Baran, 2022).

The catch is that just having access to dashboards and data reports doesn’t automatically make you better at your job. It takes training. Learning how to read that data, understand patterns, and tell a story from it is a skill. McQuail’s theory reinforces that mass communication is no longer just about sending messages, it’s a constant process of interpretation and adjustment in response to feedback (McQuail & Deuze, 2020). And in a digital landscape, that feedback often comes in the form of data. Communicators today need to be more than good writers or designers, we need to interpret digital behavior and respond in real time (Defanti & Arvidsson, 2019).

That also means being aware of how we use that data. Just because we can personalize content to a hyper-specific level doesn’t always mean we should. There’s a line between being helpful and being invasive—and good communicators know how to stay on the right side of it. Data is powerful, but it comes with responsibility. We’ve seen how misuse of audience data has led to trust issues with major platforms and advertisers alike (White & Boatwright, 2020).

If you’re in the communication world and still avoiding analytics tools, now’s the time to lean in. You don’t need to be a numbers person to use data effectively. You just need to be curious, willing to learn, and open to using what the numbers are telling you to refine your message. At the end of the day, it’s not about getting everything perfect—it’s about listening, learning, and getting a little bit better every time.

References (APA):

Baran, S. J. (2022). Introduction to mass communication: 2024 release. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Defanti, A., & Arvidsson, A. (2019). Introduction to digital media. Wiley.

McQuail, D., & Deuze, M. (2020). McQuail’s media and mass communication theory. SAGE Publishing.

seventyfourimages. (2025). Black woman presenting plan at meeting [Stock photo]. Envato Elements. https://elements.envato.com/black-woman-presenting-plan-at-meeting-8CTUK4J

White, C. L., & Boatwright, B. (2020). Social media ethics in the data economy: Issues of social responsibility for using Facebook for public relations. Public Relations Review, 46(3), 101980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101980

How Mobile Tech Is Changing Communication

Let’s be honest, people aren’t sitting at desks reading long emails or news articles anymore. They’re scrolling through headlines in the back of an Uber, tapping through Instagram Stories while waiting in line, or skimming texts between meetings. Mobile technology has completely changed how we communicate. And for communicators, it’s changed the job big time.

It’s not really just about making things look good on a smaller screen, it’s about communicating faster and clearer than ever before. That means we’re writing differently, designing differently, and thinking more like our audience. First off, mobile content needs to be scannable. When people are multitasking or scrolling through feeds on the go, attention spans are shorter. So communicators are starting to focus on microcontent, short headlines, sharp subheadings and calls to action. Today’s communicators need to know how information is structured and displayed digitally, especially in mobile-first environments where attention is short and content has to compete visually. Effective digital communication really comes down to how well we organize and label our messages (Tate, 2018). 

Visual storytelling is also key. Mobile-first audiences are drawn to motion, color and simple graphics that convey meaning without heavy blocks of text. Communicators should be familiar with basic mobile design tools and platforms like Adobe Express for short-form video. As Baran (2022) says modern communicators need to balance traditional media skills with digital literacy and content adaptation across platforms. Knowing how to shape a message for Instagram Reels is just as important as writing a press release.

Furthermore, this has forced us to pick up new skills like UX writing, visual storytelling, and even basic motion graphics. I’ve been learning tools like ChatGPT, Adobe Express and CapCut just to keep up. The training now goes beyond posting pictures of what were eating. We have to understand the platform behaviors, user experience, accessibility and even mobile SEO. These evolving digital demands have created a new type of communicator—one who’s both creative and tech-savvy, able to tailor content across formats and devices (Baran, 2022).

So if you’re still thinking of mobile as just another channel, it’s time to reframe it. Mobile is the default, not a side strategy. Whether you’re managing a brand, writing press materials or creating internal updates, you’ve got to think about how people actually experience your message. Technology has raised the bar but it’s also opened the door for us to reach audiences in more personal and effective ways, if we’re willing to learn.

If you're interested in how cell phones were made and how they’ve evolved over time, this quick video gives a great overview of the tech’s transformation and impact on everyday life (Verizon, 2022).

Reference

Baran, S. J. (2022). Introduction to mass communication: 2024 release. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781265040994

Tate, M. A. (2018). Web wisdom (3rd ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781351385671

Insider Tech. (2022, May 10). History of cellphones and how drastically they've changed [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/nrdNdprcYls

How Marketers Are Using AI

AI has gone from being a buzzword to major business tool for communicators. For marketers AI has been a part of our world, we use it to brainstorm, build, analyze and optimize almost everything. From predictive analytics in ad campaigns to AI assisted writing tools like Jasper or ChatGPT we have been working with AI not around it. And while that’s opened up some exciting creative possibilities it also raises an important question: What skills do we need to use AI well?

For marketers AI is already streamlining communication through automation. Tools like HubSpot let us build smart workflows that personalize messages based on behavior, persona or timing (HubSpot, 2002). I’ve used these workflows myself to nurture leads and engage segmented audiences, without having to write every email myself. These tools are powerful but they don’t work unless the user understands both the technology and the audience. That’s where training comes in. HubSpot Academy for example offers free and advanced courses on AI in marketing, automation, content strategy and personalization (HubSpot, 2002).

But AI isn’t just about convenience – it’s also an ethical consideration. Communicators today need to know when to use AI and how to use it responsibly. Should an AI write your CEO’s speech? Probably not. Should it help you analyze patterns in customer feedback to improve communication? Absolutely. Ethical use of AI means understanding the limits of automation especially when content impacts public trust or sensitive issues (Convergent Journalism, 2024).  Also note that communicators must possess both technical and ethical literacy to ensure digital tools serve the public interest not just productivity (Defanti & Arvidsson, 2019).

The good news is we’re not expected to become AI developers, yet. But we do need to become AI literate,  understanding the language, possibilities and pitfalls of using AI for strategic communication. Whether through HubSpot courses, online classes or just hands on experimentation the key is to stay curious and proactive. Because in the end it’s not about replacing communicators, it’s about empowering them to do their best work faster, smarter and with intention.

References

DC_Studio. (2025). Specialist maintenancing AI systems [Stock photo]. Envato Elements. https://elements.envato.com/specialist-maintenancing-ai-systems-Q88AD5U

Defanti, A., & Arvidsson, A. (2019). Introduction to digital media. Wiley.

HubSpot. (2002). About us. LinkedIn Corporation. https://about.linkedin.com/
(Also available: https://www.hubspot.com/)

(2024). Convergent journalism: An introduction (4th ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781003850991