Integration of New Media and Technology - Essay Example

? The New Media Future and Technology Executive Summary This paper is aimed towards discussing the integration between newmedia and technology. This new media has become very instrumental in the current world as it allows for individuals to attempt to make sense of the occurrences that are taking place in the world around them. As a result of technology, individuals have been able to rapidly access information and form their own opinions in a faster time than would have previously been feasible. As such, this discussion is based upon the ways in which the internet, acting as the greatest instigator of technological change in our current world, has impacted news media. Introduction Media and technology are two inseparable aspects of society that rely on one another as they develop further and integrate with the lives of more and more stakeholders within society. New media is defined by on-demand access to a litany of different types of information. Some of the common examples of new media may be things like the internet, websites, computer multimedia and video games. The new media industry is growing at an increasing rate and taking over the world. This is due to the fact that it makes information readily available as it makes communication easy.1 This paper is directed at analyzing the growth and development of the juxtaposition of new media and technology as it exists within the current world and how this will likely impact upon the availability of video games, movies, and other forms of entertainment in the coming years. Analysis of Issue and Relation to Current and Future Market This is a global system of interconnected computer networks which use the standard internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, business and government networks. The internet carries a large range of information resources and services such as the inter-linked documents of the World Wide Web (WWW). As such, the ability of new media to provide rapid service dissemination throughout the globe and integrate with the needs of stakeholders throughout the system is profound. The use of the internet has been increasing drastically over the years according to the statistics released on March 2013. The data gave an estimate of over 2.7 billion internet users; almost 1 in three individuals living on planet Earth. The number presents the following divide by gender and by economic development. The graph below explains more of the result. The report shows that more men use internet compared to women, 37% of the World women use internet while the percentage of men is 41%. In developed countries the gender divide among internet users is small. The number is 475 million female users and 483 million male users. The developing countries there are 826 million women and 980 million men. This data represents a population of 154 million more men and women using the internet. This data proves that internet is becoming a reliable source for both men and women in the world in both developed and developing countries.2 However, all of these statistics by themselves are rather useless. In order to understand the dynamics of the industry for video games, movies, and other forms of entertainment, it must be realized that these statistics point to a likely and growing trend; namely the fact that more and more entertainment, video games, and movies will be projected directly via the internet and into people’s homes.3 This changes the dynamic of consumption considerably as buying physical copies of movies, TV shows, or even video games will likely be replaced by the fundamental shift that the new media is presenting to the current market.4 Yet, in order to more fundamentally understand this dynamic, it is necessary to focus first and foremost upon the way in which the internet itself has shifted the manner through which people integrate with entertainment as such.5 Whereas it used to be that the internet was an ancillary entity that existed tangentially to the TV, it can definitively be said that the shifts in the market that are taking place currently denote the fact that the internet is oftentimes a substitute for the TV. The internet has made information available on almost every subject to the users. This has facilitated education systems because people can access notes about their subject even when out of class. By the same token, capability increases in the overall size and type of data that can be projected around the globe have also shifted, allowing individuals to download and stream larger and larger pieces of information.6 This aspect in and of itself has a profound impact with regards to the way in which people integrate with entertainment. The likes of Netflix, Hulu, and a litany of others have aptly demonstrated the range and degree to which the consumer is willing and able to integrate with alternatives to the TV; even integrating the internet with the TV as a means of providing an additional level of on-demand experience. Whereas it is logical to assume that traditional means of marketing will likely spread the extent to which the increasing “on demand” new media will spread, it should also be understood that the pervasive nature of social media has allowed the same demographic that is most likely to integrate with such a service the platform they need to promote the service. Ultimately, social networks represent the ability to expand upon the activities and experience that one might otherwise have within their own solitary life.7 As such, the ability of social media to facilitate the shift towards greater usage of on demand media within this “new media” is not only understated within most of the literature, it is a trend that should be partially expected. The social network sites are now a family with members who closely track the activities, likes, and status of their fellow users. In such a way, underestimating the impact that this particular web demographic can have with regards to emergent technology and alternative means of integrating with products or services should only be done at the peril of any firm that seeks to offer such a service or product to this group. One might be tempted to ask that whether or not the slow and gradual changes in media representation within the current era will likely to be continued indefinitely.8 In seeking to answer such a question, it is the understanding of this author that the answer would be a resounding no.9 Ultimately, as past experience has indicated, the methods through which technology shifts and changes denote the fact that such shifts are not continuous or gradual. Rather, they oftentimes reach a critical mass that allows for a great many competitors to compete within the market and oftentimes signals the end for a litany of different firms that might not have anticipated the technological shift in the first place. The internet has enjoyed the emergence of converge in the media industry. Digital convergence is associated with several benefits enjoyed in the media industry. It helps in providing universal and easy access of information and diverse content across platforms. It also ensures that programs and services which are of particular value for society can be easily accessed by viewers. It has made sure that both broadband and broadcast are used efficiently in the media industry. Convergence of media studies has ensured that terrestrial platform is be made available for long term use in the media industry. The internet shares files with other media channels in the media industry. The Current Market Structure and Likely Change: It is without question that the internet has become the backbone of the media industry. This because the media industry is now operating using the digital technology. This has made it possible for media industry to be able to share information at a faster rate compared to the era of analog. The new media (Internet) has the ability to involve audience participation. This ability is known as interactivity. Compared to other media forms new media is known to have the most evolved feedback system in place. The new media uses narrative style of writing. This form of writing brings out a story, people like reading stories. If serious issues are written inform of a story many people will be willing to read and learn from the stories.10 The new media uses Multimedia, this is where stories are supported by cartoons, moving pictures, sound and music. The use of multimedia makes people to be interested in the message being passed and this facilitates information distribution within the new media family. Internet growth and developments has been due to the emergence of web 2.0.11 This the second stage of developing the internet. It was characterized especially by the change from static web pages to dynamic, user-generated content, and the growth of social networking. The new version of web 2.0 contains new features and functionalities that are not available in the past. Web 2.0 is associated with several characteristics which include; The web is a platform: this means through the web it is possible to access all data using the web. The web is functionality: the web aims in the transfer of information and services from websites. The web is simple: it facilitates the access and usage of web services in a more user friendly interfaces. The web is light: the lightness provides the ability to share information with ease. The web is social: people are able to create the web and populate the web by socializing. The web is flow: user are seen as co-developers while the web 2.0remains to be perpetual beta. The web is flexible: the software is on a more advanced level because it enables the access to previously unavailable digital content. The web is mixable: the expansion of codes in order to modify web applications allows individuals who are not computer professionals to mix different applications in order to come up with new ones. The web is participatory: web 2.0 has adopted a structure of participation that encourages users to enhance the application while they use it. Web 2.0 has had several implications in the modern society. Web 2.0 has led to growth of social networks like Facebook and Twitter; through these social outlets people are able to have access to people with different cultural practices. This has promoted cultural borrowing in the world. Web 2.0 helps in democratizing the consumption of culture so that everyone has an access to numerous documents. This channel of cultural distribution is enriching the society. Web 2.0 has destroyed some virtues found in the cultural practices of different parts of the world; this is happening through social networks where people can share nude pictures and videos. It has transformed the cultural consumption of habits; this because a lot of information is available in different sites like blogs and social networks.12 Yet beyond this level of development, the reader should be fully cognizant of the fact that the technological shifts that have taken place over the past several years, especially the development of Web 2.0, has a profound impact not only upon the individual we surfer but also upon the individual product or service provider that is interested in seeking to promote their business within a more technologically advanced framework.13 The internet has made it possible to have the experience that one might normally have at a movie theater or in front of one’s television set online. This ultimately points back to the issues concerning immersion and interaction that were presented early in the introduction of this analysis. New media therefore promises to be a genre that will encompasses the main demand curves for at home entertainment in the very near future. Although this change might not be gradual and might take place all at once, it would be well for firms that are interested in capitalizing on this shift to engage and lay the groundwork for representing their ideas to the consumer before other competitors engage it themselves.14 Effectively, it must be understood that computer animation, virtual art, interactive art and video games have enched the media world and allowed for a higher level of interaction between the art/media provider and the ultimate consumer; a relationship that entertainers have always sought to foster and develop. Conclusion The internet is one of the best new media invention which has changed the world. The internet has created a platform where businesses can market their products and get new customers. This has been possible due to the increasing number of internet users. Businesses have been using emails, Facebook and Twitter to market their products online. The email is the best marketing platform compared to the other two compared to a report released in 2013. Through the internet the world has witnessed growth of the social media. Facebook is the leading social media with 70% followed by Google plus which has 50%. The internet has also made it possible for other new media trends to be effective. Growth of the mass media industry has also been highly influenced by the internet due the fact that information can shared at a faster rate. The internet has also promoted artistic work where people are able to get feedback of their work from their audience. Bibliography BARELKA, ALEXANDER J., ANAND JEYARAJ, and RYAN G. WALINSKI. 2013. "CONTENT ACCEPTANCE MODEL AND NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES." Journal Of Computer Information Systems 53, no. 3: 56-64. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 4, 2013). Blank, Grant. 2013. 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