“New media has revolutionised communication”
“New media has revolutionised communication”
The introduction of new media in the 21st century has revolutionised the way people communicate. It is undeniable that the introduction of new media, such Email, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have opened an array of new ways people around the world can communicate with each other. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter allow users to reach out instantly, to their friends, family or even people they don’t know. Although this new media has unquestionably revolutionised communication, questions arise about the limitations that accompany this revolution. For example, how have the new communication medium affected the way we communicate? Are there limitations to using new media?
For my third element, I have done a tongue-in-cheek PDF which aims to show how new media has revolutionised communication by answering short questions through a new media format. I have chosen to ask a series of questions to new media databases and take photos of the answers. With that, I will document how long it takes for me to upload the answer from my phone onto my computer. I’m using this to make a statement about the responsiveness of having questions answered instantly, the abundance of information given to us and to show the many different way’s we have learnt to communicate through new media. Social media users benefit from the connections they make and maintain, the entertainment they access to amuse themselves and the information they are exposed to (which increases their knowledge base (Dollinger 2014). There are new ways of communicating now, which didn’t exist years ago.
An example of the major advancement in new media communication is the way people increasingly apply for jobs. Free or low cost internet access at most libraries around the world, combined with free social media sites is a major advantage provided by these mediums which enables opportunities for professional online networking (Askoul 2014). A tool such as LinkedIn allows users to upload their resumes and update their CVs digitally, connect with businesses and receive job offers through others looking at their profile. This transition from old media is astounding. Furthermore, instead of people searching for a lost business card, resume or forgetting their qualifications, employers and co-workers can easily look up their profile.
John Harwood, the Senior Director of Teaching and Learning with Technology at Penn State’s Information Technology Services says that we are creating huge amounts of wonderfully expressive human communication through email, blogs, and instant messaging but a lot of this is not going to survive for very long—or no one will be able to access it (2007) Harwood goes on to explain that our immense volume of electronic communication only exists as long as its medium exists. For example, MySpace was a new media socialising platform, which enabled conversations and documentation in a period in time. Those conversations and documentation are however no longer traceable. On a personal level, I have files stored at my family home, stored on floppy discs, which I cannot retrieve as eight track tapes are useless to computers readily available today.
Social Media as new media has changed the way we share information, teaching us new ways to communicate and collaborate through features such as news feeds, groups and digital events, with social technology helping to shape the world’s events and culture (Benioff 2012). Connected individuals have, and will continue to rally crowds, topple political establishments and firmly challenge issues of social interest.
REFERENCES
Askoul, A, 2014, Editing for Mass Media, blog, viewed 20 March 2017 < http://ayaskoul.weebly.com/>.
Benioff, M 2012, ‘Welcome to the social media revolution’, BBC News, 1 May, viewed 24 March 2017, < http://www.bbc.com/news/business-18013662>.
Dollinger, M, 2014, ‘Social Media: Cui bono? Who benefits from all this socialness?’, Journal of Business Horizons, vol. 58, no. 3, pp. 235-236, viewed 24 March 2017, <http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0007681314001621>.
Duchene, D & Harwood, J 2007, ‘How has technology affected written communication’, Penn State News, 10 September, viewed 26 March 2017, <http://news.psu.edu/story/141346/2007/09/10/research/probing-question-how-has-technology-affected-written-communication>.