The question “What forms of new media do you use daily?” raised an interesting question for me. I hear the phrase new media frequently and I use it in conversation, but I haven’t ever looked up its definition. I used one of what I think of as a tool of new media, Google, to ask the question “what is new media”. The response from Google included "about" 6,790,000,000 responses and I definitely did not view all of them. The responses I did look at led me to the conclusion that new media is a catch-all phrase that can include just about anything digital that surrounds communications and technology, because both of them are changing constantly.
With that as my foundation, the box of new media tools I use on a daily basis includes: email, texting, applications that improve my productivity personally and / or professionally, sites on the World Wide Web (Web) through the communications network called the Internet (Merriam-Webster, 2013), social media sites, and my cell phone. With a strong technical curiosity, my tool box is full of different tools for each area. I began listing these tools I use frequently and realized my list is quite long, so I'll limit it to five. These are: emails from six different providers that I have forwarded to one account, facebook, Evernote, Microsoft Office for Mac, Apple iWork, and text messaging. On the positive side, this supports my passions for learning, curiosity about technology, fascination with perspectives, and interest in how communication is integrated through each of these areas. On the negative side, it diminishes my focus, periodically impacts my attention and attention span, and has created a lens of distrust.
An exciting benefit of new media, conversation, is the participation people can have in any experience, situation, or event. This lets people share their feelings and impressions and help other people make more informed decisions. For example, one of the social media sites I use frequently is TripAdvisor. It is a site that encourages user participation about individual experiences with hotels, restaurants, areas of interest, and other components of travel. Through consistent monitoring, TripAdvisor has earned a reputation for being a site that honestly reflects people’s comments and isn’t being sent artificial posts. I use this site to pre-screen potential destinations when traveling. Because of the valuable information I have received, I want to give back and help other people, so I frequently make posts on their site. This type of the use of new media has had a very positive impact on me.
There were several major news events during the time I was enrolled in my first graduate school course. We were encouraged to observe how the media were communicating the messages through different outlets. One of the negative influences I have found with the opportunities for communication through new media, is how some major news outlets are, I believe, focused on making the news more than reporting the news. What I observed is that instead of letting the events unfold and reporting them, they tried to steer viewers and readers toward conclusions that hadn’t been determined by the facts available. Following the events, several of these major outlets posted retractions and apologies, but none of these were as prominently displayed and discussed as the initial discussions.
I believe social media allows me to have a broader perspective because I have so many more sources of input for any event. It is my responsibility to use these wisely, no matter what type of participation I am engaged in from observation to contribution.
References
Merriam-Webster. (2013). Internet. Retrieved from
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/internet
I really enjoyed how you took the time to define ‘new media.’ When asking myself the same question the first form of media that came to mind was social networking sites, but based on your response I see that more forms of technology can be included.
ReplyDeleteI also find it interesting that you focus on the good that can be accomplished by people sharing their personal opinions, especially through sites like TripAdvisor, as you mentioned. That being said, do you also think that having such an open platform could lead to negative outcomes? I have found that people are more likely to comment about a business or experience if they received poor service or have something to complain about; and these types of responses are often more likely to grab people’s attention. Is this something that you have seen through your use of new media?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and insights! Your post definitely made me think about new media from different angles.
Sue,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I especially identify with the piece that this new age of technology and information/instant access "diminishes my focus, periodically impacts my attention and attention span, and has created a lens of distrust." How very true. Are we attention-deficit individuals or are we merely a product or reflection of our attention-deficit-designed environment? I too, feel the pull of instant access and feel the need to respond and react immediately when called upon digitally. Great work.