Multimedia is not just a passion of bizarre people

In Consumers become prosumers! I wrote about brand management trends on Internet. Although popularity of this media is very high we can’t forget that one isn’t as powerful as many – old media combining with new media creates multifunctional and multisuitable media – multimedia.

Advertisers thinking about their brand also should be aware about multimedia possibilities, because “Sometimes there is too much money spent on useless traditional commercials while less money and bigger impact might be made from using multimedia tools”, explained multimedia artist Jānis Garančs in an interview. He expanded, that “There must be a mutual level of education. Some businesses structures maybe are not aware of such possibilities. First of all artists should teach and tell more and secondly business people should take deeper interest”.

Social activism and multimedia

In the age of „who cares” J.Garaņčs sees a solution: „New artists should be aware of (also in Latvia) that there are many possibilities of how to affect people. The first art tools – posters and video – can have a huge influence. In London or in smaller cities more common are illegal radio stations. Society must be prepared for some kind of boisterousness that is not antigovernment or harmful. Such things broaden the horizon or might show that things are not always right. Art can be used to address the masses. Art isn’t a megaphone of government; it is more like a tool for how society can reply to government or big corporations – possibility for “small human beings” to be heard. Fame for 15 minutes can also change something. Previously we just had a radio that transmitted a message from one point and audiences could only listen. In recent years there have been launched interactive television when people can partly participate in programme making. On the one hand new technologies give opportunities and on the other hand if people are not ready, they do not use them. The society’s education and common awareness about these possibilities are very current issues so life could be more interesting”.

Living in the rapidly changing world I suppose multimedia, what used to be just a passion of bizarre people, tomorrow will be as usual as newspaper or radio are. Who doesn’t want life to be more interesting?