New and New Media

The first news was messengers riding around the country with letters to deliver, this took over a course of days and was tedious for the messenger and the precipitant would have been delayed the message, even if it were urgent. Depending on where the message was coming from decided who was up-to-date with news. This even now is still used, some use it to catch up with friends, in a pen-pal enjoyment way some send invitations such as the old folk who don’t really understand how to use this new technology. Some just think it is more personal rather than texting an invitation. Letters have become more efficient and quicker with the Post and Express. Newspapers became the new medium when it had been passed to each house, with all the latest news and opinions on the current world issues, it came out everyday and because it had many places publish, everybody would get the news on the same day. Now newspapers are used for advertising, ranting, classifieds, and discussing world issues. There are local newspapers such as the Leader and there are State such as the Herald Sun. In the 20’s radio became the instant source of news where it was up-to-date and played music and in the 50’s soap operas for entertainment for the housewives. World news that we see on television nowadays was watched in theatres before a film started instead of advertising coming films. War footage and newscasts would screen through the theatres though it wasn’t the most up-to-date. Now we have technologies that are quicker, more efficient and easier to get up-to-date news including benefits such as education and entertainment.date news including benefits such as education and entertainment.

The average 1950's housewife enjoying the company of her radio

Now new technology has spread around the world making life and social interaction more efficient. Technologies such as:

FACEBOOK

This ‘social networking website’ began to be the adult’s version of My Space on the fourth of February, 2004, when many youths rejected it as being a tri-hard version of the ‘then cool’ My Space. Now many individuals, youths and adults alike, use it everyday. For some it is an obsession to stay in the loop of what is going on and for others it helps there business and advertisements prosper. Facebook’s use over the years have been starting to escalate importance as one of the many advantages in the media is that anybody could share news and gossip online as Facebook allows every user or client connect around the world as it acts like an online community. This allows world news to circulate easier, more efficiently and quicker as it is just posting on a ‘wall’. Regarding personal use many can socialize with partners if they are committed in a long distance relationship, speak to friends about a party in the near future and even ‘update their personal profile to notify friends about themselves.’

Many University students and adolescents appeal to Facebook as they can converse about academic problems that they don’t feel comfortable expressing in ‘open surroundings’. World news and debates can be conversed between people from different parts of the globe as they can discuss using Facebook like a forum and as a benefit getting different opinions about the topic. Another benefit of Facebook is that you can gather information and news as you can apply to your home things like ‘Flickr, del.icio.us, Twitter, your blog, news feeds and much more. Facebook is also very flexible as it can be found anywhere, from computers to mobiles giving it a reputation for easy accessibility and the individual can choose what they want seen from their page. The good thing about this is that the individual can leave out personal details that they don’t want to be known. However, the flip side of this is that information posted may be unreliable as they select what is seen and may apply a different context to the original.

TWITTER

Twitter has as much use as Facebook though it is much simpler it can carry out complex jobs. It is a ‘real-time information network that connects you to the latest information’ that consists of celebrity gossip and statuses which can reward journalists and the paparazzi of some stars whereabouts. Other things are fast updates on world news or ‘follow conversations’. Tweets is what the bursts of information is and one person with one tweet can only produce 140 characters worth of information at a time, which means the information is succinct and isn’t hard to read for those who don’t like lengthy paragraphs of information. Though if needed, there is a detail pane that people who are interested can get into the tweet ‘deeper context and embedded media’. The advantage of Twitter is that the individual can access it without having to actually tweet though instead browses conversations and have access to others opinions and perspectives on subjects of interest; some may contribute or ‘listen in and retrieve up to the second information.’ Twitter allows businesses to strive as it connects them with customers without delay. Most businesses use it to share information about products to their clients and some like Channel Seven use it so fans can show their support on Dancing with the Stars or deliver their opinions on Q&A that is programmed on the ABC channel.  As it is used to ‘gather real-time market intelligence and feedback, and build relationships with customers, partners and influential people’, Twitter offers businesses opportunities to get an engaged audience and allow them to interact. Twitter though based in San Francisco has made an impact all over the world as other countries can change the language as they view Tweets which makes Twitter more effective on audiences and like Facebook is mobile as it can be accessed on smartphones and computers with ease.

TUMBLR

Tumblr like most social networking currently can be used as ‘an Internet Marketing tool’. So simple to use allows it to be read by a wider audience. Unlike blogging and having to post mountains of information Tumblr allows those who aren’t comfortable with writing the option of writing a short paragraph and then incorporating links, photos, videos and other media formats that will express your information or idea. As for businesses they can advertise and capture a wider audience by using a ‘mashup’ using different medias to be ‘creative [creativity] in catching the eye of a potential client.’ It is used as a teaser so that the potential client can link back to your website and it will capture them especially if they have a short attention span and do not like lengthy reading of a product that would bore them. Unlike Myspace, Tumblr is ‘not about the number of ‘friends’ you have made, but about making new connections and sharing your content, succinctly, with people who are truly interested.’ Tumblr is used to deliver advertisements or information that would be interesting to the community and can be consumed by clients who need an object or by a general news outlet, that is ‘unique’ and creative though having all the attached information. To start it up is free, quick and accessible.

BLOGSPOT

Blogspot and other blog websites like the aforementioned can deliver information around the world, though in more detail then Tumblr, people may subscribe to a blog if they are interested in their particular views and writing. Many people use it as a newsletter for businesses as it takes less time to write up. Current news can be shared and writings ‘on how breaking news in the world relates to your cause, or organization.’ Blogs can easily help with advertisements as a wide audience is likely to read them; a lot of people use the internet and by using the internet they use Google that updates their content regularly and have lots of incoming links like blogs. Advertising is important and it is said’ that people need to see an advertisement seven times before they will buy’. Blogs do eight things, making it repeat the information.

These are:

·  As the original post on your blog.

·  As an excerpt in your e-newsletter, and clicking through to read the rest.

·  As a mention in your Twitter feed, and clicking through to read the rest.

·  As an excerpt on your Facebook feed, and clicking through to read the rest.

·  When someone emails it to them.

·  When someone shares it with them using an AddThis like button on the bottom of the post.

·  When they find it saved by someone on a social bookmarking site like del.icio.us, StumbleUpon or Digg

· When another blogger links to it on their blog.

Blogs as seen in the aforementioned also help use other new media such as Facebook and Twitter. Blogs don’t have to be stumbled upon but your news can be broadcasted by journalists that would like to cover your story. For instance ‘Community United Against Violence used a blog to cover the trial of men accused of murdering Gwen Araujo, a woman they killed after they discovered that she was biologically male. CUAV's blog eventually drew media attention to the trial when the blog was covered by the news.’ Blogs allow comments so that their is client or supporter feedback which is always good to improve your writing or advertisement and this feedback can build a relationship between client and advertiser, allowing them to notice it is real people selling the item and this gains trust and support.

YOUTUBE

 Is a site that people can upload videos that have a vast range of topics and subjects. Any subject that can cater for many interests that may or may not be mainstream.  It was purchased by Google in 2006 and now is used to share information, advertise a product and teach people, satisfy people’s interests and connect with many through media and video uploading.  ‘Registration is free’. Many can use it as a use for news that they film from smartphones or cameras and upload the footage onto Youtube to keep everybody else around the world updated. ‘One of the reasons YouTube has been so popular is because it fosters a sense of community’ by rating and commenting on the footage which allows communication between friend and stranger, business representative and client...everybody. Youtube doesn’t only constrict the user on one website as many advertise or use it to sponsor on individuals blogs and other websites to promote, stories such as on 

Wattpad.com and other sites.

IPAD/APPS/SMARTPHONES

Apps are a shorter name for applications and they can do about nearly everything from emailing to playing ‘Angry birds’ to seeing what is new in the fashion industry. Apps are put onto smartphones and Ipads and depending on what type they either are paid for or free. There are so many things smartphones and Ipad’s can be used for because of applications. Nearly any audience can find something out of it. Some are: educational apps that have been researched and a ‘study reveals that forty per cent of parents who download educational apps say their child’s academic performance has improved as a result.’, social apps such as the aforementioned facebook and twitter as this technology allows internet access, music and entertainment including Youtube and movies, and a new usage is newspaper or magazine subscription. Soon, newspaper circulation will die down or hope to die down whilst their customers buy an app and subscribe to the certain newspaper. This will be cheaper as printing is no longer needed and efficient for the newspaper companies. Ipad usage not including apps has broadened over the time they first made (May 28, 2010): businesses will use them. ‘Examples of uses in the workplace include attorneys responding to clients, medical professionals accessing health records during patient exams, and managers approving employee requests.’ As in the aforementioned, schools are now using Ipads, professionals such as music composers and the entertainment industry. It is easy as it is slim and a portable which is better than a laptop. Ipads are more efficient for daily life and the individual can personalise it with the apps they want depending on their use of the Ipad. One recent thing smartphones have been doing is gathering news and delivering it. Over in war-stricken countries where it is hard to get a journalist and crew to show the rest of the world what is exactly going, everyday people are filming it on their Iphone or other smartphone and placing it on the web. This has disturbed some people such as journalists as they may be cut from their job as this new way of retrieving information has no need for them as companies will just pay those individuals who captured the footage to let them release it.


CIRCULATION AND CONSUMPTION

Does the new technology actually affect the news production and its circulation and consumption? The answer is, to an extent yes. As already informed in the aforementioned, technology has changed the deliverance of news via text, Iphone and internet just naming a few and it has changed the production side of things, as in anybody can film from their smartphone and then download it onto the internet such as Youtube so that everybody can watch it. Also how newspapers are slowly moving there way into an App following the lead as some magazines and currently Channel seven news, which a person can then download and pay for it like a subscription, each issue they would have to pay for the next download. This may either mean that because there will be less money invested to getting the news because the press would not have to print, this would end up cheaper for the audience or that they will keep prices the same and reap the profits. There is a controversial question whether newspapers will outdate and die off as media converges and is being consumed much differently than fifty years ago.  New technologies have changed journalism as anyone can be a journalist for the day either giving their collected footage to the media production company’s or uploading it onto Youtube or some other site on the Internet. Also blogging can release the information and as a writer on the internet they are their own editor, meaning job cuts may come and have already for some companies as there are new and more efficient ways of getting information from the ordinary people. ‘The nation’s daily newspaper circulation is around three million (2.4 million national/metropolitan and 0.6 million regional dailies)’. Even though newspaper circulation are decreasing as other medias are more efficient and are being replaced by articles on the web that are snack-size there are alternatives as old media and new media converge. If you go onto the website instapaper.com then you can download the plug in to your device such as an Ipad or smart phone and still be satisfied with the lengthy articles that whilst working stumble upon. This plug-in allows the saved article to be ‘read later at your convenience’. This site alone has more than a million users and another that does the same thing has over two  million, which has already exceded the newspaper circulation as it becomes more convenient for the busy individual as they can keep the paper without the  physical thing everywhere they go. Not only has consumption and circulation changed but the readers habits as now they seek a particular writer or blog that they may  be interested in and this news may be irrelevant to the biggest current issues of the world. In reality newspapers have ‘failed to keep pace with society’. To keep it fresh many have slashed their journalists as they publish content that may seem interesting to a wider audience which includes celebrity news and it becomes more interactive and life-style driven. The fact is this new technology has captivated a larger audience and is a new revenue of leasing out news  quicker and more conveniently though having its downfalls.

CHANGE

The world is changing and technology is just making it evolve even faster, soon enough there will be no oral conversation but everything behind a screen, people going to university and school will have all their texts on their mandatory Ipads. Changes are occurring already. Instead of using a Melways you can use a GPS or go onto your Ipod or Iphone and get Google maps as an app. Journalists wouldn’t have to go to an office but work from home as they upload their footage from their smartphones. People won’t be flipping through magazines whilst waiting for the hairdresser or an appointment, instead there will be Ipads that have the subscription. Soon enough a surgeon in the country E.R can converse with another surgeon in the city via twitter or facebook. As a society we will all become connected in some way using this technology. Although this may be far fetched but TV’s may stop being produced and everything would be broadcasted to an Ipad. I reckon his will make us less intimate and social, family values will drop and obesity will rise.