New Media
New Media is a general term used for the various forms of electronic communication that are made possible by employing computer technology.
Until the 1980s; the term media primarily constituted print, radio or television or even static content like graphics etc. Over the years; media has evolved and transformed itself in the form of digital computers, such as internet, computer games etc. The term new media is used to describe the phenomenon that data communication today takes place between laptop and desktop computers as well as handheld devices like PDAs and the source or media from where the data is extracted; which comprises of floppy disks or CDs. Even the traditional media like the printing press has been replaced by image manipulation software like Adobe Photoshop and other publishing tools. New Media is dependant on digital technologies while adopting, adapting and developing or transforming traditional or old media. It can be viewed as a convergence between two separate technologies: media and computing.
Uses of New Media
New Media includes the following:
- Web Sites
- Digital cameras
- Chat rooms
- Streaming audio or video
- Web advertising
- DVD and CD Rom media
- Mobile computing
- Online communities
- Internet telephony, which integrates digital data with the telephone
- Virtual reality environments
Advantages of New Media
When talking about the advantages that New Media has to offer; portability is viewed as a great advantage in this technology and everything that is originally released is again released in smaller and advanced versions. This can be exemplified with the release of iPod. Initially, the iPod created a tidal wave of consumers and this very Apple iPod was again re-released in the form of “iPod mini” version. The new media companies are also basking amidst this developing technology as these companies no longer need to spend significant amounts on brand building. By developing or producing relevant and original online content in the form of text or graphics; it lends favorable exposure and readership of the content. This level however may not be achieved with the traditional modes of marketing or promotion. Moreover, it is more cost effective to hire journalists and editors and publishing of dynamic and professional websites is far cheaper. The best part however is that communication has become amazingly fast, cost-effective and convenient. With its technological advances; the globe has become a smaller place making all activities highly interactive and informative. It is primarily the advertising industry that has capitalized on its proliferation. A recent survey revealed that people prefer spending time browsing the internet than watch TV or indulge in other recreational activities. The other major benefit of this technology is that it eliminates the need of the IT department that would otherwise be required to publish news or other online content. The advent of the blogging software; most of the publishing and admin tasks are automatically accomplished. It has made the entire process extremely cost effective as the other related components like printing presses, delivery trucks, newsstand boxes are eliminated.
