"Sound" from SoundCloud on Vimeo.
When I was about eight, my family moved to a new apartment building in the city. It was a newer building with four-stories and an attic, which, at three per story +1 for the attic, we shared with a total of 12 families. The young couple up on third was deaf (and they managed to be the least noisy anyway).
A few months after they had their first baby, we were at their place visiting, when we noticed the baby was crying. He was all red and waved his arms back and forth, big tears streaking his plumpy cheeks. Yet, no sound. I was a kid, a very curious one at that. So I asked: why isn't the baby making any sounds?
"Because he knows we wouldn't be able to hear him," was the answer.
The baby was completely normal. He could hear, and scream. He just knew that screaming would get him nowhere with his parents. It is just amazing how incredibly smart our brains are; they learn from the environment. There was the evidence in this tiny human being.
Can technology, what I call the dry system vs. the brain's wet system, be as smart?
Siri is the new feature that has given everyone something to talk about on the new iPhone 4S. The best part - it talks back. What is Siri? It's artificial intelligence made simple. If it's true that silence has a sound, sound is now the new white space.
From the Apple Website: Siri on iPhone 4S lets you use your voice to send messages, schedule meetings, place phone calls, and more. Ask Siri to do things just by talking the way you talk. Siri understands what you say, knows what you mean, and even talks back.
Siri does a lot of things. It is not the only indication that sound is what's next.
According to Mary Meeker, now at KPCB, sound is the new frontier. A new crop of devices are getting you connected to sound in the car, with your friends, and with a higher quality listening and talking experience.
On Google+, we talked about how audio offers a convenience that video does not - it is more portable, as in the scenarios shown in the slide.
It is also all around us. The auditory function is the only one that is never turned off -- unless there is a problem. Thus this is a channel that matures and becomes very sophisticated quickly in babies. They are able to detect tone -- as in "I'm in trouble now" or "mom loves you very much" -- from being able to tell which noises are warnings, and which ones are welcoming.
From that to experiential sound design and communication, and now the ability to talk to your car, and give voice commands to your iPhone.
I'm looking into a few more resources and data points on implications for the bonus issue of the Premium Newsletter. Subscribe now and you will still get the October bonus issue.
Will sound be bigger than video? What are you thoughts?
Where would you prefer to consume information and content in audio format vs. video in addition to your car during commute time and exercise? I was never a radio person, maybe you were. Do you save podcasts to listen to while making breakfast, for example?
[video: hat tip Maria Popova]
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I've never been much of an auditory person. It may be a lack of self-discipline -- even in school, my mind wandered when teachers talked -- but I've found that whatever I'm hearing sends my mind off into other directions. The only way I can focus on what I'm hearing is if I take notes. And even as I do that, I'm thinking about what it means and what I might do with the information.
So no... no podcasts while cooking or driving or cleaning. I have to make time for them in much the same way I do reading. (I do think during those activities, and music is a good counterpoint.)
That said, I do like the idea that sound may trump video. I've always found video in itself distracting -- the mind-wandering-while-listening problem, compounded by visual stimulation that makes it hard to take notes.
Posted by: Christa M. Miller | October 25, 2011 at 09:31 AM
I almost spit out my coffee laughing when I read this, Christa. It is exactly my problem with audio. I listen only if I am paying total attention - no multi-tasking.
And unless I stabilize the information with some kind of visuals (like notes), it goes in and out. I did enjoy fiction books on tape, when I was commuting 3 hours/day by car. But that was pretty much it.
Posted by: Valeria Maltoni | October 25, 2011 at 09:35 AM
EXCELLENT article. Really raises a very good point, and one that I have yet heard addressed. Siri is the new transport into the future of technology.
I just presented this weekend on why you need to start using online video. Stressing that it is already here and will be the next thing for businesses but you're right audio might also need to be addressed.
Although I don't think it will be bigger than Video due to the fact that we already have Podcasts and they don't seem to be as mainstream as Video.
This is definitely something that we should be thinking about and keeping in the back of our minds.
Posted by: Jennifer MacDonald | October 25, 2011 at 02:20 PM
I think I'm in the minority on this one. I much prefer reading, as I find both audio and video force me to slow my intake to the speed of the presenter, but audio presents the best compromise.
It's been years since I had cable TV or watched mainstream media news. When the audience finally gets the technology to once and for all eliminate commercial interruption from their viewing experience, the marketers will go overboard in product placement to compensate. Not as easy to do with audio.
Which brings me to my beloved NPR. Two hours a day, in the car, back and forth to the office. All Things Considered, Marketplace, BBC World Service - these are my trusted sources and they regularly provide stories both thought-provoking and memorable.
In this regard, I can see myself using audio to consume information where it would otherwise be impossible. God help us if people start watching Fox or CNN (or even TED) in the car.
Posted by: Brian Driggs | October 25, 2011 at 07:30 PM
we had TV, and yet videos have become pretty popular... so I'm thinking that we're barely scratching the surface on audio.
Posted by: Valeria Maltoni | October 25, 2011 at 11:54 PM
I'm warming up to podcasts since I started doing more of those. NPR is a great station to listen to, I agree. When I used to drive to the park for running, I listened to a couple of programs on my way over and back.
Posted by: Valeria Maltoni | October 25, 2011 at 11:55 PM