PREDICTIONS 02.27.08

We already know of many industries being transformed by the Internet. Film and television must contend with illegal online versions of their products. Both the music and publishing industries are reeling from the wide and easy access to low-cost alternatives, watching their profits plummet. But there are other industries that are starting to experience the transformative effect of the digital age.

One of the greatest, and most surprising, cultural changes produced by the World Wide Web will be a significant drop in American theaters. Within five years, theaters across the country will begin shuttering their doors. The reason? The same people who would have started and supported small theater will have turned their attentions to creating short films for the Web, which is both cheaper and reaches a larger audience than traditional theater, and has a permanence that live performance can’t offer.