The WAY We Consume Information has Changed, And I Like It.

August 21, 2016

It was my first time watching a State of the Union Address on-line (via a YouTube feed) and I was pleasantly surprised to be presented with a split screen of the streaming video speech along with INFOGRAPHICS accompanying each of the Presidents talking points!

I’m not sure about the television format but I’ve never seen a SOTU in way other than basic TV. Not since Stephen Colbert’s “The Word” have I seen such well done and appropriate placement of supporting presentation media alongside a speech delivery… but the SOTU address is far longer, far more complex and certainly far more important, so how would it hold up?

Excellently.

Each of the President’s points were summarized by a graphic that clearly “visualized” the progress or impact. This wasn’t your standard “Death by Powerpoint!” As usual, the President’s speech was well written, well delivered, and in this case, well supported. I found it very easy to visually process the graphics while not missing a beat on the actual speech. In fact, I think it helped to illustrate the President’s points better. I know it enhanced MY retention.

Also, below the fold, the page was strewn with shareables: Statistics, photos, questionnaires, forms, surveys and even a roll call of WHO was sitting in the box seats… All short, simple and ready to be instantly shared on your preferred social media feed. You could scroll down, peruse and participate in real time while continuing to listen to the speech. Brilliant.

My real takeaway here was that although this unique delivery did wonders for me, I believe it’s really directed at our younger generation that’s learned to process information differently, more dynamically. Gone are the days of straight standard delivery. We now process more in short multi-tasking bursts. It may be considered good or bad, either way it’s here to stay IMHO. The old ways are ok, but the new ways are slowly replacing them, permanently. And I like it.