Press & Hold Technology in Interactive Media

Interactive media is result of the amalgamation of graphics images, with video, audio or animation. It is a method of communication which works with the participation of the users i.e. in which output comes from media itself and input comes from the users.

Consumers, more and more, want to intermingle with the company they do deal with. You can get better with your communication with consumers and prospective customers, and build an online society, allowing them to engage in a two-dimensional communications with visitors to your website.

Interactive media on a website generally refers to features that respond to a user’s actions. It can also refer to actions that a user can take in order to further engage with a brand. The point of interactive media is to encourage the visitor to invest more time and effort into your brand. When visitors are invested in your brand, and in the interactions with your brand, they are more likely to become a fan – and a loyal customer.

Interactive media can be as simple as having a Twitter button that visitors can use to follow you on Twitter, to encouraging them to “Like” your brand page on Facebook, to providing feedback forms on your site, or encouraging community by stimulating comments on your blog posts.’

Interactive media is any media that responds to user input. Traditional media such as broadcast television and film involves an audience watching with no way to navigate or participate. Interactive media began to replace this model of one-way communication beginning with the commercialization of the internet in the 1990s. The following are common types of interactive media.

Application Software

Software designed as a tool for users such as a knowledge management platform.

Apps

Application software for mobile devices such as a weather app.

Games

Entertaining and engaging software that may resemble a digital world.

Virtual Reality

Immersive digital experiences that make users feel as if they are exploring a world that is a digital construct or is a digital twin of physical reality.

Pervasive Games

Games that mix virtual and physical environments.

Interactive Video

Video and television with interactive features such as streaming video that audiences help to create.

Publications

Publications such as websites that allow users to navigate communicate and participate.

Social Media

Digital communities that allow media to be navigated, shared and created.

Art

Interactive art that involves the observer.

Advertising

Digital, outdoor and in-store advertising that features interactive elements such as a digital poster that reacts to people who are in its proximity.

Theme Parks

Theme park attractions that combine media such as a movie with physical elements such as a roller coaster.

Cinema

Interactive cinema that allows audiences to play a role in the film. In theory, movies could be game-like.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Interactive Media

Interactive media is a broad category that encompasses everything from iPad’s to implants for disabled people to choosing your own adventure books. Some of these technologies do not have all that much in common, but there are some general things that can be said about them and the direction that interactive media as a field is going.

One definite advantage of many forms of interactive media is that they make technology more intuitive to use. Many smart phones, for instance, are easy to use; users are often encouraged to experiment with their products rather than reading detailed instruction manuals for their proper use, the thinking being that users are able to sense how the product is used. Designers often create their interactive media products with intuitive use in mind.

One potential disadvantage of interactive media is that it can be intrusive. In some countries and cities, for instance, stores use computer-generated voices projected out in to the street to try to lure customers into the store, which some people classify as noise pollution and a nuisance.

Another advantage of interactive media is the possible medical uses that it has as an augmentation for handicapped people. Computer chips implanted in a quadriplegic’s body, for instance, have been able to take the movement signals sent by his brain and interpret those as directions for a cursor on a computer screen. This is one area where the interactivity of media could have huge positive impacts on many lives.

One possible criticism of many forms of interactive media is that they are delicate and prone to breaking. For example, many touch screen products break down or become scratched and scuffed from users constantly touching the screens. Interactivity is desirable, but the act of constantly touching and manipulating an interaction interface can quickly wear those interfaces down.