You may have heard this before, but it’s worth repeating. The number of smartphones in use worldwide is about to surpass the number of people. This means that nearly every person on the planet will have access to a computing device that can connect to the internet.

This also means that nearly everyone on the planet will have access to an internet-connected device that can record video. For a lot of people, the first time they ever held a video camera was in their pocket. This rapid rise in the number of video-capable devices out there is having a major effect on the video market.

Just a few short years ago, the only way to get a video was to go to a TV station, and that meant shooting with expensive professional equipment. These days, you can shoot your own video using a device that is a fraction of the price, and it’s easy to get that video online.

The other major technology shift we’ve seen is the rise of social media. No longer do you have to go through a traditional media outlet to get your story out there. You can create your own blog and have a presence on social media. There are also a number of tools to help you distribute your content to a wider audience. For example, if you want to publish your videos to Facebook and Twitter, you can use a tool called Buffer Video. It lets you publish to multiple social media accounts at once.

These two trends are having a big effect on the video business. We are seeing a lot more video content, and it’s less expensive to produce. We are also seeing a lot more content being shared.

It used to be that you had to work with a media outlet to get your story distributed. Now you can go straight to the audience, and even reach a bigger audience than before. Gone are the days of waiting for a news outlet to publish your story. We are now in the era of self-publishing.

Let’s embrace it, and use it for good.