Can you train for Modern-day Communications Jobs?

 

No Pain...No Gain

Technology advancements have changed many things in the communication field. From large cameras held on shoulders to small phones in one hand, these advances mean training for communications jobs is very different than it was a few decades ago.

Many communications professionals studying in the '90s had to rely on bulky equipment that was not easy to move around. Nowadays, if you have a mobile phone you can get some good footage a whole lot easier than the guy with the big camera. Training for communications professionals has gotten easier as technology has evolved. It seems all you need is a mobile phone and a steady (or sometimes not) to get a video of a great news story. 

Communications professionals nowadays have to train on a lot more than just how to pronounce certain words correctly and remember that when the light is on the camera is rolling. Now communications professionals have to learn how to use different web-based programs and how to use social media. Digital technology including email, Zoom calls, and building websites are some skills that a communications professional may need to know.

Another change in the communications field is learning how to use Artificial Intelligence. This is one part of digital technology that is clearly advancing quickly. Just a year or so ago AI photos were easy to spot because the computer program couldn't figure out how to form fingers on people's hands. As time goes on, you can see AI advancing to the point where you can't even tell if Trump and Biden really did go out in the woods together or not or if they were actually knitting together.

     AI-generated images of Trump and Biden                    (Screengrab/RNS)

 Communications professionals will need to be aware of AI-generated photos and be able to distinguish between real and fake. A contributor to a religious news website wrote an article stating her friend had created these AI images and shared them on social media and they went viral. She said, "as unbelievable as these images are for any number of reasons, there are certainly those out there who don’t recognize fake news as fake news. Such was the case before AI, but it’s only going to get harder now to distinguish between what is true and what is a deepfake" (Prior, 2024).

Technology has influenced the necessary training for modern-day communications jobs. Train as much as you can and never stop learning...kind of like AI.

References:

Prior, K. S. (2024, January 31). Commentary: Ai Imagines Trump and Biden as buddies. Baptist Standard. https://www.baptiststandard.com/opinion/other-opinions/commentary-ai-imagines-trump-and-biden-as-buddies/