According to NewMedia.org, "most technologies described as "new media" are digital, often having characteristics of being manipulated, networkable, dense, compressible, and interactive, with examples that include the Internet, websites, computer multimedia, computer games, CD-ROMS, and DVDs. New media does not include television programs, feature films, magazines, books, or paper-based publications – unless they contain technologies that enable digital interactivity."
Social media isn't specified, but I think it's capabilities are what I think many people think of when they hear the term "new media." I use new media on a daily basis to perform my work and for personal use. From online meetings and instant messaging, to using my smartphone to send the occasional tweet, to interacting with others on my favorite celebrity gossip messageboard, I find many uses for digital technologies.
Today many people receive their news via social media. When an event, such as a natural disaster occurs, people who are affected by it can take to social media to provide their first hand accounts of the story. The advantage for them is that they don't have to worry about backlash from not verifying information, they can upload a photo or video or tweet for the rest of the world.
But there are negative consequences. Yes, we get an eyewitness account, but what happens when that account differs from someone else's? Which one is true? This is a negative aspect of amateur journalism via social media.
And then what about the media's responsibility to provide truth in reporting? When competing with information on social media involving a breaking news event, news organizations face a dilemma with being one of the first to report on an event, with potentially unverified information, or being late to report but with accurate information that a competitor has already reported.
Jennifer, I think I did the same thing as you before writing this blog. I wanted to make sure I was using new media in the right manner. To me, there are new media technologies that deliver new media services. In other words, my iPad delivers music from my cloud via iTunes. Social media definitely fits into the new media category from all of my past readings. You are right, journalists are having to develop new requirements to verify content from these unvetted social platforms.
ReplyDeleteTim and Jennifer, I, too, had to look up a definition of new media to make sure I fully grasp what it is. We sometimes throw around terminology without completely understanding what it means.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, you hit on a big hot-button issue for me, and that is truth vs. fiction on social media. I have lost track of the number of times I've had to correct someone on Facebook who was posting information that was incorrect. These days, most anyone with a social media account is an amateur journalist to one extent or another, right?
As for traditional media, the pressure to be first with news these days is fierce. That's why we have seen a number of instances in which a media organization (or organizations) put out wrong information in the quest to be first. I certainly understand the competitive aspect of media, but the industry loses a little more of its credibility each time a media outlet publishes or broadcasts information that is just plain wrong. Whatever happened to sitting on information until you knew with 100 percent certainty that it was right?