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New media

technology Maturity 9-11 Next article →

New media refers to communication technologies that allow for deep interaction between users. It also allows users to interact directly with digital content. This is a major shift from traditional mass media. Old media, like radio or television, usually follows a "one-to-many" model. In that model, one source sends a message to many passive listeners. New media creates a "many-to-many" web of communication. This means any individual with the right technology can produce and share content. This includes text, images, and sound. This shift changes how we interact with society and each other.

To understand how new media works, we must look at digital data. New media relies on computational media shared through computers and the internet. In this system, cultural objects are reduced to digital data. This data can be manipulated by software using algorithms. An algorithm is a set of rules that tells the computer how to act. For example, an image can be stored as matrix data. Software can then use algorithms to perform tasks like color inversion or sharpening. The computer acts as a very fast calculator. It executes these mathematical processes much faster than a human could manually. This speed makes interactive multimedia and video games possible.

New media is not just a list of new gadgets. It is a complex mix of old and new conventions. It combines traditional ways of representing human experience with new numerical data. For instance, in filmmaking, software is used for certain production tasks. Meanwhile, computer animation is used for others. This creates a blend of human creativity and technical execution. New media also acts as a "metamedia." This means it often reworks existing cultural works rather than just creating brand-new ones. It uses tools like databases and search engines to change how we access information.

There are many specific types of new media platforms. These include blogs, wikis, and online social networking sites. Virtual worlds and various social media platforms are also key examples. Some people refer to these web-related tools as Web 2.0. It is important to note that not everything digital is "new media." For example, a standard feature film or a non-interactive news website is not considered new media. To qualify, a medium must contain technologies that allow for digital generative or interactive processes. Without that interactivity, it remains part of the traditional media landscape.

Even "old" media has been transformed by these digital shifts. The printing press has changed because of desktop publishing tools. Software like Adobe Photoshop allows for advanced image manipulation. Digital technology has also created digital television and online publications. These changes show that media do not simply replace one another in a straight line. Instead, they evolve through a network of interconnected feedback loops. Old media refashion themselves to meet the challenges posed by new digital tools. This creates a complicated, evolving relationship between different types of communication.

History shows us how we reached this digital age. In the 1950s, connections between computing and radical art began to grow. By the 1980s, Alan Kay and his colleagues at Xerox PARC worked to give personal computer power to individuals. This moved control away from large organizations. In the mid-1990s, the term "new media" became a popular sales pitch. It was used to market interactive CD-ROMs for education and entertainment. During this same era, media theorists like Marshall McLuhan were influential. McLuhan famously stated that "the medium is the message." This idea suggests that the technology itself influences human experience more than the actual content.

Scholars have different views on the impact of these technologies. Some see great potential for a democratic public sphere. They believe the internet allows citizens to participate in non-hierarchical debates. Others worry about the power of large corporations. They suggest a few transnational companies may gain unimaginable global influence. There is also the concept of displacement theory. This theory suggests that because people have limited time, new media might reduce the time spent on old media. This could eventually lead to the end of traditional formats. Regardless of these views, new media continues to reshape our world.

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