Associate professor in Interactive Media, Dr. Patricia Gouveia, shares a bright outlook on the media industry, with many jobs to come.

A good outlook

Dr. Patricia Gouveia. Photo: Paula Cabral

The media is now in a transition phase, but there will be many jobs in the future. Dr. Patricia Gouveia, associate professor

Patricia Gouveia has a PhD in communication science and is an associate professor at Noroff Univeristy College in Interactive Media. She predicts a bright future for people with media competence:

- The digital revolution is far from over. The media is now in a transition phase, but there will be many jobs in the future, she says.

- What does the future of the media look like?

- There will be a great need for for people with communication skills such as digital journalism and digital marketing. The large growth in uses of online services makes the Internet the primary medium in Norway, Dr. Gouveia says, reminding us that Norway is in the process of becoming a society of knowledge rather than industry, and that communication skills are essential.

Interactive Media will surround us

- We also see an increasing demand for interactive designers for app development, and within the entertainment media. Many of our everyday electronic devices such as watches, cars, and soon washers and refrigerators, will be connected to the internet and driven by their own apps. The refrigerator will be able to tell you when the milk carton is empty, she says. - Even our homes will be smart houses.

- As for television and radio, I expect to see a migration to online platforms combined with an increasing amount of interactivity, but manpower is still required to produce content, she says, adding that growth in the gaming industry is certain.

She has faith in the concept of game-based learning, which is the development of learning material in the form of games.

- So now gaming will be educational?

- Yes, indeed! This is something that is already happening. The goal is to make learning fun.

- Printed media will probably survive

The people who are applying for education today, are not starting work in the industry until their education is complete. By then the media landscape will be completely different from what it is today, and it is this future we are educating them for. Dr. Patricia Gouveia, associate professor

- What will happen to print media?

- The future is digital, there is no doubt about that, but I think print media will survive, although it will be reduced in the coming years. Magazines will also endure, especially those who have a specific target audience, says Gouveia, who also believes the need for graphic designers will remain:

- Graphic design is essential in communication design and visual design, so this field will not disappear.

Global Internet growth

- The huge amount of people in the world that will connect to the Internet over the next 20 years, makes the target audience for web services enormous. This creates vast opportunities, she says, adding that online delivery of education will increase:

- Now we can educate people in places where infrastructure is inadequate. This requires a lot of heads with online delivery expertise.

Big Data Science

There are not enough people with an expertise in big data science. This need is great today and it will grow significantly in the future. Dr. Mikhaila Burgess, associate producer

Dr. Patricia Gouveia also mentions big data science as a field in growth, and she is supported by colleague Dr. Mikhaila Burgess, associate professor in Digital Forensics:

- There are not enough people with an expertise in big data science. This need is great today and it will grow significantly in the future, says Dr. Burgess.

Encourages young people to think strategically

- So you would say it is wise to get en education within media?

- Yes definitely! Gouveia says.

- The young should think strategically, and look beyond the moment. The need for journalism and other information activities will always be present. They should think ahead. The people who are applying for education today, are not starting work in the industry until their education is complete. By then the media landscape will be completely different from what it is today, and it is this future we are educating them for.

     
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