Is it just me, or does the world seem to get flatter every day? Everywhere I look, I’m looking at a flat screen, whether it’s my computer screen, my television, or my cell phone screen.

LCD and plasma screen panels are everywhere, and with the growing acceptance of high-definition television, that probably won’t change anytime soon. Consider the latest statistics from research firm iSuppli. Global sales of LCD TVs will grow 27.5 percent a year until 2010, when the market value reaches $84 billion, according to the researcher.

Consumers’ love affair with plasma display panels is no different. HDTV dominates the market for plasma panels, accounting for 79 percent of the 2.8 million plasmas sold last quarter, according to recent research by DisplaySearch. That share will reach 86 percent this quarter if the researcher’s forecast is correct.

Marketers considering digital signage to influence and inform should not overlook the obvious fact that digital signs, for the most part, look identical to LCD and plasma televisions. That’s powerful stuff for a new medium looking for its place in the marketing mix. It’s as if marketers skipped several steps in typical new media development and landed right in the middle of near-ubiquitous consumer acceptance and total familiarity. All that’s left for them to do is create messages to meet their stated goals and start streaming narrowly.

The growth of LCD and plasma televisions in the home will continue. Soon, LCD TV unit sales will surpass CRT TVs. With each new LCD and plasma sale, the world becomes a little flatter and newness gives way to normality and acceptance. That is where the power lies for the seller: in the public’s acceptance of flat screens and their attraction to them.