Advances in technology have for the most part hurt traditional news media. Yet, new technology may be the key to restoring newspapers and magazines to their former glory. Augmented reality – technology that overlays virtual data onto the real world – may be the key to bringing readers back.
In their December issue, Esquire magazine became the first U.S. magazine to use augmented reality. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGwHQwgBzSI) Readers point the cover at a webcam and watch on their computer screen as Robert Downey Jr. comes to life. While it was an expensive issue to produce, the industry immediately took notice and started thinking of other ways news media could use augmented reality.
This week, a writer from Online Journalism blog listed several ways news media could benefit from investing in AR. (http://onlinejournalismblog.com/2010/02/03/augmenting-reality-through-journalism/) AR could revolutionize the way news outlets report live events. Imagine if on election day you could aim your smart phone at your local polling center and have data about voting results appear directly in front of your eyes. Or if at the upcoming Winter Olympics, you could point your smart phone at a venue and get information about what events are playing there.
“Similar to the superimposed first-down line on NFL football fields, which has often been used to describe how augmented reality can overlay virtual information on real objects, stats about the distance of a quarterback’s pass, the speed of a tennis player’s serve, exit poll results on election days, or data released at international summits can be virtually generated so people can view them on their smartphones even as the event transpires.”
AR could also be used to help news outlets provide hyper-local content. What if you could point your smart phone at a location of interest and, through a news app on your phone, generate a digital screen of the latest news from that region?
Not only could augmented reality be applied to news, but it could be a boon for advertisers as well. The Online Journalism Blog claims augmented reality could be used to help companies provide targeted advertising. “In a simple case, only users interested in purchasing that BMW would hold up the print ad in front of their computer screens to generate a virtual car that shows off all its features.”
Augmented reality has already been seen in the fantasy world of Harry Potter, where articles on the front page of the Daily Prophet would come alive. And with this new technology, a fantasy newspaper may just become reality.
I leave you with a quote from a writer from InventorSpot.com, who seems to have complete faith in Augmented Reality and its potential to transform news media. And I sure hope he’s right.
“So, for those journalism majors in college right now who think they may have made the wrong decision in selecting this field of study, think again. The brave new world of augmented reality is going to make your profession one of the most enviable and sought-after career choices in this next decade.” (http://inventorspot.com/articles/augmented_reality_could_transform_legacy_newspapers_new_media_36445)