Media Research
Media Research
Media Research
net/TrendsSpotting/trendsspotting-handbook-of-online-india
Media -
In general, "media" refers to various means of communication. For example, television,
radio, and the newspaper are different types of media. The term can also be used as a
collective noun for the press or news reporting agencies. In the computer world, "media" is
also used as a collective noun, but refers to different types of data storage options.
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5 months ago
The term new media refers to various technologies that have emerged or seen rapid growth on a global scale
during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium. Most people who have an Internet
connection are already aware of some of the major types of new media, which includes social networking
sites such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as blogs and video sharing sites such as YouTube. New media
has also greatly advanced cellular communications in the last twenty years, through applications that connect
with the Internet and other technologies. As new media is constantly evolving to connect to as many
different platforms and people as possible, one of its most defining characteristics is interactivity.
One of the first forms of new media that the general public became familiar with during the latter-20th
century was cyberchatting. Whether one-on-one or within a chatroom, chatting online quickly evolved from
a mostly text-based tool to one which also included audio visual capabilities via such applications as
webcams. Because of the anonymity afforded by the Internet, many people who engaged in online chatting
began reconstructing the narrative of their real lives, posing online under a different name, age, gender or
occupation. Today, the notion of a new online identity first introduced in chatrooms has expanded to include
visual recreation, via the popular web service, Second Life. On Second Life, members can create their own
3D image, also known as an avatar, and interact with other members in a completely virtual world.
Blogs are another form of new media which have expanded our notions of the levels of interactivity made
possible by new media. The ability for bloggers or citizen journalists to post any text, photos or videos for
other Internet users could interact with was initially seen as a breakthrough in global communications. The
problem, however, of locating blogs which focused on particular topics of interest was then solved by social
networking sites, which enabled people to stay abreast of one’s own network of friends and organizations via
one website. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are also compatible with
blogs, cellphones, and other new media applications, enabling people to send and receive updated
information to a select group of users.
The hybridization of different types of new media has given way to some concerns over privacy in recent
years. The potential to combine different forms of new media into one source, such as connecting to social
networking, email, phone, and web banking through a hand-held device, renders one more vulnerable to
identity theft via hackers and spyware.