What is NEW Media?
by SB on July 5, 2014 at 10:30am
We talk about the MSM ( Main Stream Media ) and the emergence of New Media quite often on this Blog but what exactly is this NEW Media?
What I think it is may be very different to what you think it is. When you hear about a New, exclusively online News organisation what image does that evoke for you?
I will use as a starting point the Wiki definition:
New media refers to on-demand access to content anytime, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, and creative participation. Another aspect of new media is the real-time generation of new and unregulated content.
Most technologies described as “new media” are digital, often having characteristics of being manipulated, networkable, dense, compressible, and interactive.Some examples may be the Internet, websites, computer multimedia, video games, augmented reality, CD-ROMS, and DVDs.
New media does not include television programs (only analog broadcast), feature films, magazines, books, or paper-based publications – unless they contain technologies that enable digital interactivity. Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, is an example, combining Internet accessible digital text, images and video with web-links, creative participation of contributors, interactive feedback of users and formation of a participant community of editors and donors for the benefit of non-community readers. Facebook is an example of the social media model, in which most users are also participants. Wikitude is an example for augmented reality. It displays information about the users’ surroundings in a mobile camera view, including image recognition, 3d modeling and location-based approach to augmented reality.
So going by this definition a new News site that was exclusively online would be NEW Media not MSM if it has the following:
1. On demand access
2. Accessible via any digital device
3. Interactive user feedback and participation
4. Does not include Television UNLESS it had technology that enabled digital interactivity.
How does that sound so far? Does NEW media appeal to you? Do you want to be able to comment on the stories of the day on the same site that brought you the stories? Do you want to be able to participate by sending photos, ideas, tips or stories?
What do I personally want that I cannot get at present from the Media?
I want just the facts but presented in a interesting rather than a dry way.If there is opinion I want it to be clearly tagged as opinion.
I want to be able to discuss each article of interest to me without censorship as long as I follow the rules for politeness etc much like on this Blog.
I want citizen journalists as well as paid journalists.
Imagine if there was a way for people on the spot to send photos instantly to the news site along with a voice message or text or e-mail that could (after editing ) be loaded almost immediately and made live on the site. News as it happens on the spot would be possible as long as there is someone with a mobile phone nearby. The days of having to get a photographer and a journalist to the area before a story could be written are gone. Our news could be more up to date that ever if we use our new technology and change the way we source our news making it easy for the public to participate.
There will be issues with authenticity and bias for these kinds of stories as the supplier will be unknown to the News outlet. To counter this I would think that stories from non staff would have to be clearly labelled as such with no responsibility taken for accuracy. Of course if they are found to be false the beauty of New Media is that they can be removed immediately.
I still want investigative journalism. Stories that take time and research that must be fact checked by professional journalists. I still want Editorials as long as the Political bias of the Editor is made clear. New media that had two editorials on the same topic from two different perspectives really appeals. Why upset half of your readership? There is no reason why we can’t look at both sides of any issue.
That however is just my opinion. I am interested to know what everyone else wants from the NEW media.
If you agree with me that’s nice, but what I really want to achieve is to make you question the status quo, look between the lines and do your own research. Do not be a passive observer in this game we call life.