Evolution of New Media Essay Example for Free

Evolution of New Media Essay The advancement of technology has transformed dramatically in the 21st centaury and affects every aspect of our everyday lives. With the comparison of a South African example of traditional and new media products, in the form of the print and the on-line news providers of the Mail Guardian news product, this essay seeks to evaluate the implications of the development of new media, and its affects on the likes of traditional news products. Before delving into the issue of the impact that new media has on traditional media, it is important to define these two terms. Traditional media is commonly seen in the form of radio, television and print (newspapers). Each are separate entities and are independent of each other. They do not rely on each other for existence and do not influence each other in any way. As the term, traditional media, is an incredibly broad term, it is difficult to give a precise definition for it. Rather, it is in contrast to the concept of new media that a fitting definition for the term traditional media is formed. Print media, in the form of the Mail Guardian newspaper, is a South African example of traditional media. The term new media refers to the forms of media content that combine and integrate data, text, sound and images of all kinds(Flew, 2003: 10). The on-line news provider, Mail Guardian, is a South African example of new media. The website incorporates images, texts and sounds-all of which are separate medium-and brings them together under one roof. This bringing together of various medium to form one entity is known as convergence (Dessaucer, 2004: 123). It is this idea of convergence of various media, which defines the term new media. Unlike the print edition of the Mail Guardian, the on-line version offers a broad range of modifications to its traditional counterpart. Rather than being printed on paper, news articles of the on-line news provider are presented in digital form. This is a seemingly obvious observation, however, it highlights the evolution of traditional media into the more popular form of new media. There is also a noticeable difference between traditional and new media in that rather then flipping through pages of undesirable texts and articles, the reader of on-line news sites actively selects the articles that they wish to read by effortlessly clicking a mouse. Furthermore, on-line news providers provide more than merely news articles. Through features called hyperlinks, readers can be transported to various other websites such as sports, music sites and even virtual gambling (Flew, 2003). Hence on-line news providers extend beyond the realms of merely providing news, but rather as technology co ntinues to develop, and the boundaries of one website and another become blurred, they begin to assume a more all-rounded focus. Online news services allow the reader the luxury of setting a specific section of the news as the front page, opposed to traditional media, where the content of the front page, is dictated by the editor. Among the many other advantages generated by new media is that it allows for articles to be reported in real time and updated often (Dessaucer, 2004: 123). Most print media are usually printed twice a day. In the case of the print form of the Mail Guardian, it is only printed once a week. Hence, if a news story breaks after the paper has been printed, readers are required to wait a full week to get its take on the matter. In the case of a reader missing a weeks edition of the newspaper, they will find much difficulty in trying to retrieve it. With the advancement of technology, the Mail Guardian online caters for issues such as these. New media allows for storage of information without causing cluttering-as would be found in the storing of old newspapers. By creating archives where readers can actually retrieve past information, the issue of loosing out on a weeks worth of news is eliminated. The Mail Guardian online, has the ability, unlike that of traditional print media, to upd ated and edit its stories as often as required. So, readers of online news services are kept up to date on breaking news, in real time, as opposed to the readers of the print version of the Mail Guardian, who receive breaking news a week after it actually occurs. Here again the advantages of new media are highlighted. The likes of traditional print media are also limited by space, resulting in the actual content to be limited. Thus in traditional print media, only selected articles feature in the news. On the other hand, new media, in the form of on-line articles, tend to contain more in-depth articles, as well as provide additional information on related topics in the form of layered journalism (Dessaucer, 2004: 125). This idea of layered journalism, utilizes the feature of hyperlinks (Flew, 2003: 15). As explained earlier, hyperlinks provide the reader with links to other related information, including past stories, multimedia features and links to other websites that offer primary source information on a specific subject (Dessaucer, 2004: 124). The advantage of this is that the reader is provided insight into specific topics, without much effort and without actively having to search for it. Limitations to traditional media are found in the area of interactivity. Person-to-person interactivity in traditional media is extremely limited in comparison to that of new media forms, which both facilitates and stimulates interactivity on all levels. Internet usage involves person-to-person communications, group communicationthrough electronic mail (email), news groups, chat rooms, mailing lists and the World Wide Web (Flew, 2003: 12). This increased interactivity, stimulated by new media, allows the reader to assume a more active role rather than a passive one. New media benefits the journalist as much as it does the reader. New media and the idea of convergence, allows for a journalist to film a news event, interview people, write an article on the event and send it to his/her editor, who will post the article on-line, all in a matter of minute and all with the same instrument. Again this emphasises the idea of real-time journalism, opposed to traditional media, where a journal ist first has to film an event, then they have to interview people and only then can they write their article. Furthermore, if the event is a far distant from the place where the article will be published, it will take a considerable amount of time for the article to reach the editors. Only after this whole procedure, can the article be published, by which time the then breaking news would have already been forgotten by the public. It is this slow, relentless pace that sets traditional media light-years apart from new media. It is estimated that by 2005, approximately 194 million people will be on-line in the U.S. alone. Research shows that from 1996-2000, the number of people on-line had increased by a staggering 149% (Dessaucer, 2004: 124). With new medias increasing popularity, it is not surprising that that newspaper readerships have been declining worldwide (Flew, 2003: 101). As reading of newspapers is becoming a less popular activity, it is surprising to note that on-line news providers are not yet the dominant news source (Dessaucer, 2004: 124). One only wonders how long it will take for on-line news services to be the service of choice, considering all its advantages, as well as the staggering growth rate of new media users. Although losing popularity worldwide, there is still a market for traditional media in the form of the poorer third world communities. In order to utilise new media, one is required to have the necessary knowledge, facilities and infrastructures readily at hand. This poses problems for poor third world communities, as all these essentials are incredibly expensive to orchestrate and implement. These communities barely have money for food let alone unnecessary luxuries in the form of advanced technology. Other issues which surface when dealing with new media is the idea of ownership and funding. As technology advances into the 21st century along this information highway, it is those companies who are active on the global stage, across different media such as the likes of the South African company, Johncom, that actually own and fund these online services (Steemers, 1999: 232). As these companies are usually based in the west, it is the western style democracies, which have traditionally influenced broadcasting policy (Steemers, 1999: 233). Hence, issues of plurality and cultural diversity arise, as these companies usually neglect to consider the views and styles preferred by other communities (Steemers, 1999). Furthermore, The idea of converge nce, in new media, which allows for a person to read the news, receive the latest sports updates, check his/her shares on the stock exchange while talking to his loved ones overseas depositing money into his bank account and listening to the radio all at the same time raises the issue to attention. The fact that the reader is partaking in various activities at once highlights the fact that the focus of attention has the tendency to move at an alarming rate (Steemers, 1999: 233). Conclusion: As technology continues to advance and new media continues to assume an ever-increasing influence in the media industry, it seems inevitable that traditional media will slowly be phased out of existence and in fact evolves into what is known as new media. However, in as much as new media is seemingly the way of the future and provides seemingly endless opportunities for its users, it only focuses on a niche market, leaving behind the poorer third world communities. Until such a time that access, infrastructure and education about new media are made affordable and available to these poorer communities worldwide, print media and traditional media, it seems, will continue to exist. Rather than suffocating it into extinction, it is likely that traditional media and new media will exist side by side for a long time to come. REFERENCE LIST * Dessaucer, C. 2004. New Media, Internet News and News Habit. In Howard, P and Jones, S (ed), Society Online, London: Sage, 121-136. * Flew, T.2003. New Media: An Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. * Steemers, J. 1999. Broadcasting is dead. Long live digital choice. In Mackay, H and OSullivan, T (ed), The Media Reader. London: Sage, 231-249.