NM Class So Far

Technologies part of new media are internet, cell phones, satellites and gadgets considered part of digital media. New media uses those as its means of getting people their information faster and easier. Let’s look at cell phones as an example. Popular now are smart phones such as the Blackberry. Those devices enable information to go directly to users. It contains applications for sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Updates, emails, messages or status updates are directly forwarded to phones, making it unnecessary to go on a computer. Also on cell phones are data services that allow them to use the internet. The internet, in my opinion, is the most important tool of new media. It is where most information if obtained. This new media class is proof of the internet’s importance. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to have this class. We would have the traditional classroom setting. But since we DO have the internet, we are all able to communicate, hand in assignments, ask questions and learn; all the information we need is on our class Wiki which we get on the web.

Because of demand for information and keeping up with trends, new media seems to be replacing old media. Social networking sites are currently the fad in business advertising and operations. Businesses are attempting to use social networking sites like LinkedIn.com to recruit potential employees and increase contacts. As described in “Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting,” companies can search for professionals by entering phrase (e.g. position title) through a search engine. Once the search finishes, the recruiter can sift profiles until he or she finds the proper applicants. As the article concludes, it makes a point that in order to keep and build a relationship with contacts through the site, actual phone conversation has to be done. (The point being, no matter how advanced technology gets, there is no avoiding or getting rid of the old ways of doing things.) Therefore, I don’t think that new media is replacing old media; it’s simply enhances it. In the article “What convergence? TV’s Hesitant March to the Net,” it says that there is an attempt to have the internet experience on television. (I must say that the television, an old media technology, has evolved immensely. The experience of watching TV now in high-def (HD) in comparison to TVs 10 years ago is completely different.) Even though having internet access on TVs are still in the works, it’s clear that the experience of the activity changes. The internet isn’t seeking to replace it. It is enhancing a viewer’s experience.