The
digital age has brought forth an unprecedented explosion of information
and has radically changed the ways we create, find, consume and
evaluate it. “New media” is a term used to refer to digital forms of
communication, including blogs, podcasts, Twitter, Facebook, e-books,
wikis and more. These emerging forms of media are very different from
“old” media such as newspapers, printed books, radio and TV broadcasts.
Until
recently, media was created by an elite group of professionals and
delivered to the masses. Big publishing companies had to appeal to a
wide audience to make money, so less-common topics and alternative
viewpoints were often hard to find. Today we choose from millions of
websites on every conceivable topic and can interact with authors by
posting comments and sharing our reactions on Twitter and Facebook. Many
people prefer these personalized platforms to receive the majority of
their news, and anyone can create a blog or e-book for free and
instantly publish their own thoughts on the topics that matter to them. A
high-speed internet connection, however, is required to participate in
these emerging online spaces.
In
the digital age, most people turn to search engines like Google and
social network feeds to find information instead of consulting printed
books and professionally written encyclopedias. A Google search, for
example, can instantly bring back millions of webpages, but since online
publishing is free, fast and easy, anyone could have written them.
Also, with millions of websites available online, it can be difficult to
find the right information and it can be frustrating to have to sift
through so much. There are also some types of information that cannot be
found on Google.
Nice work on the in-class exercise, everyone! Here are a few of the key points expressed by both sides.
ReplyDeleteIn favor of new media:
"Quickly edit for more current/up to date information"
"Fast way to get breaking news out to a lot of people" (ex. recent shooting in Connecticut).
"Most information on the web is free."
"It's more convenient since most people have a computer at home."
"Social media is great for business advertising."
Against new media:
"Not everyone has internet."
"You can't find everything on Google."
"Old media is written by professionals, and new media is mostly personal ideas."
"There is no longer a need for face to face communication. It's causing many to lose touch with reality. Having so much information at your fingertips makes us lazy. We no longer look to books or hard evidence for facts, we check Google."
"Information on the internet is not always reliable (ex. Wiki can be changed). Can be hard to determine what is credible - especially for younger kids."
"Journalists for print publications will be laid off. Makes you lazy; won't go to the library to look up books."