What is New Media?

According to Wikipedia, New Media is a "term meant to encompass the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies in the later part of the 20th century." However, for many people, mediums are considered new technologies that allow people to communicate and interact with each other even in distances that set people apart. Having made this possible with advanced technologies, the 21st century has now stepped foot in a new era of a digital world, a world in which technology rapidly changes and proceeds into more breakthroughs in new media.

In the 21st century, new media plays a huge role in our lives; in fact, there might even be not one person touched or exposed by this digitized world we live in. This is how prominent technology is in our digital lifestyle. Because there is no official definition to what new media is, many describe it to be the latest innovative technology that allows us to network and socialize with others with a single touch of a button or a screen. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Pandora, del.icio.us, blogs, and texting as forms of convenient communication tools.

For example, when the telephone was first introduced in the 20th century, it was then when this first communication tool started to allow people to communicate with others far distant from them. Because new media was developed and improved, wireless cellular phones have now permitted individuals to communicate with their family or friends from anywhere and anytime, just as long as this device is present within their grasp. However, nowadays, cell phones have undergone such a complete make-up remodel in which no one can even imagine how advanced new media has become with this single communication tool. Cell phone then has permitted us to only communicate from others who are out of reach from where we are, at present, but now it has dramatically changed our lives by granting us the convenience of accessing new mediums as the internet, chatting with others, writing in our blogs, downloading applications (eg: games), playing music and watching shows or videos, and numerous others that this communication tool has made available and possible with technology. Because new media has captured our lives in a digital world, our generation becomes so dependent on it that even I cannot imagine having it absent, especially now that our lifestyles are based on the influences of new media. Cellphone has dramatically improved since it first was introduced into our world and because its development is unstoppable, many measures are being taken in order to intensify its services to us. According to the NYTimes, "the ChaCha is a new program that offers free services for cell phones by allowing an individual to inquire a question, which is answered via a text message by a person at the other end, who researched the subject to properly solicit the right information and to answer the inquiry." This shows how new media is offering new services, as a new and improved old media.

The Internet is a very important aspect of new media, where many people pool their sources of ideas, invent new communication tools as Facebook, share photographs, videos, and songs that others have created, collaborate with other people with the use of IMs and chat rooms, and create blogs about their ideas, interests, and how their day went. In effect, the internet satisfies all of the 5 C's (Communication, Collaboration, Community, Creativity, and Convergence). Although it may seem that new media is replacing the old media, it is not so. In actuality, new media is enhancing old media by creating more innovative and convenient tools to interact with others. Improvements in technology only augments old media, which transforms it into new media; therefore, not replacing old new media at all.

Pogue, David. "Yahoo's Answer to Speech Recognition for your Cellphone". NYtimes. September 14, 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/technology/personaltech/10pogue-email.html.