My New Media Class So Far

In today’s society, new media is a commonly used term and applies to a lot of things we now take for granted such as Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Shutterfly, Twitter, etc. Technology is also part of the ever changing world of new media. Digital TV, DVR ("digital video recorder") boxes, computers, computer software programs (i.e., Adobe Photoshop) and digital cameras are just some of the technologies that we now use on a daily basis.
The internet is a major factor in making most of the new media possible. Without the internet, things such as blogs, emails, search engines and home shopping cannot exist. The world has now reached a stage where it can no longer operate without the internet and therefore we rely on it heavily. Having all these new technologies have now seen a decline and slowly a decline in old media. Newspaper sales, for instance, are no longer like they used to be. Unlike twenty years ago, people can now have access to any number of sources in which to get the latest news instead of waiting to the following day to obtain the news. With obtaining news online, you can instantly get the latest news. Post offices have also taken a hit as emailing someone takes seconds to arrive unlike a written letter which can take days and therefore is now referred to as “snail mail.”
Old media is slowly, but surely being edged out. Take TV for instance. Earlier this year, all TV stations have changed to digital as it is not possible to receive a signal through the old analogue aerial. Will radio go the same way? The disturbing thing now if the internet stops working, then the world is going to be set back many years as we all rely so heavily upon it. This is not a good thing. “You can watch the TV while you are using the internet, picture and picture, another section of it, you click on picture and picture and a little box appears in the corner, you can be chatting away or whatever and you can watch telly at the same time, you are not missing anything really.” Irish Communications Review Vol 9 2003.