Better Lives Unit Lecture: Emerging Technology and the Fashion industry
I listened to the lecture about emerging technology and the fashion industry by Nick Almond. I found this lecture is quite interesting but also frightening. It is about how technology changes the world, and how it affects the fashion industry.
He mentioned that technology is about utility, it gives your technology value. The example he gave us is Blockbuster Video was killed by Netflix. Netflix used to be posting DVDs, but it constantly transformed with the development of technology. Now Netflix turned from a DVD delivery service into a production company. The success of it is because it moves with the times. The other example was Steve Sasson who worked in Kodak and he invented the first digital camera. But the boss just like most people, he didn’t see innovation coming. As we all know, Kodak closed now. However, the same thing seems to happen again. The digital camera is impacting by smartphones. Every year, when the iPhone released new phones, some people would think smartphones could take the place of digital cameras soon, because Apple always launches new smartphones with better cameras. There is a number of famous directors who even used the iPhone to shoot a film. Taking photography became easier, it does not only affect digital cameras’ market, but also have an effect on photographers. As a Fashion Photography student, I do not believe smartphones’ cameras can have the same quality photos as professional cameras, but the lecture changes my mind, I think that I have to accept the truth and always keep an eye on it, otherwise I might be left behind the industry. The power of technology is strong, it could change everything. Nowadays, AI (artificial intelligence) is widely used. People are scared because AI could be taking over the labor market and many people would face unemployment. Luckily, it has not made a huge influence in the fashion industry. AI relies on data, and it stuck in the digital world so far. In that case, it cannot create things independently, but it can be a good helper. For instance, there is a technique for people ‘try on’ digital clothing, thus people can find suitable clothing easier. Nevertheless, as the lecturer mentioned before, we always need to give attention to the technology, so we will be prepared when the world changes.