New media and the transformation of the media industry can be directly linked to the introduction and development of the Internet. Furthermore, the Internet can be seen to directly promote change within other media, social and business environments. This post will evaluate and analyse online communication and will also discuss corresponding matters such as policy, audience interaction and convergence.
The impact of Internet is at the core of our growing ‘information society’. This has resulted in the rapid expansion and ubiquitous nature of new communication technologies. Flew (2005, 1) believes new media technologies exemplify convergence, digital networking, reach, interactivity and many-to-many communication. Consumers have also learnt how to use these technologies to interact with others. Rather than passive, online audiences are now active and socially connected and have shown declining loyalties to other media forms (Jenkins 2004, 38).
We all know the Internet encompasses a variety of communication platforms; email, discussion forums, blogs and social networks. For many individuals and businesses however, these are now essential forums of communication. Such mediums are being incorporated into many commercial media sites and online news pages. Furthermore, many recognised journalists, political leaders and social commentators regularly blog through such websites and generate discussion.
The desire for Internet users to correspond with each other has been evident for years, however, new social software such as MySpace, YouTube and Facebook have transformed the way in which we choose to interact. These virtual cultures are based around ongoing interactions among those participating in “computer mediated communication” (Flew 2005, 61). According to Rheingold (1994, 14) these virtual communities build social capital and enable those involved to share knowledge and information with ease.
The introduction and development of broadband and wireless Internet services are also key factors in this rapid expansion. These connections have promoted ‘digital culture’ even further, with fast upload and download speeds for easy access to peer-to-peer applications. The broadband evolution is sure to continue with the guaranteed support of both state and federal governments.
Possibly the most influential force behind the popularity and growth of online communication is convergence. Cunningham and Turner (2006, 3) believe convergence dissolves the distinctions between media systems and media content. Another concept linked with convergence is the idea of digitisation. According to Cunningham and Turner (2006, 2) “We no longer have to turn on the radio to listen to programs produced by our favourite station; we can listen on our home PC”. As such, convergence is more than just a technological shift as it alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences.
The Internet has also had direct implications on mass-media legislation. The Online Institute for Law and Policy has raised concerns regarding; intellectual property, freedom of speech, privacy, and security (Flew 2005, 201). Despite this, a major factor that complicates legislation is the decentralised nature of the Internet and its global infrastructure (Flew 2005, 201). Within the Australian context, authority over technological legislation has been entrusted into the hands of broadcasting authorities such as the Regulation of Online Communication. The problem is however, that policy lags behind technological developments, and as van Dijk (cited in Flew 2005, 202) suggests, “legal responses have been fragmentary and are based on outdated assumptions”.
In conclusion, the developments that surround the Internet and the digitisation of content have resulted in the reproposing and reinvention of societal media interaction. Online communication has raised issues and generated debates that are not in themselves new. We have always had successive waves of new media, from the broadcast era of print, radio and television and now the digital era of the Internet. Each has presented issues of policy control for our legislators, issues of adaptation and restructuring for the media industry, and new and exciting challenges for audiences. As new media technologies continue to converge and become increasingly user-friendly, the communication industry, and the broadcast mediums within it have been and will be constantly reformed and restructured by its vast application.
References
Cunningham, S. and Turner, G. 2006. The Media and Communications in Australia. Crows Nest: Allen & Unwin, 2nd edition.
Flew, T. 2005. New Media An Introduction. Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 2nd edition.
Jenkins, H. 2004. The cultural logic of media convergence. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 7 (1), 33-43.
Rheingold, H. 1994. The Virtual Community: Finding Connection in a Computerized World. London: Secker & Warburg.
3 comments:
Daniel,
You write very fluently in language that is easy to understand to almost all audiences. Your list of resources is very detailed and i have begun reading the texts you have referenced which have helped me with my own works. I am curious as to know your outlook for the future that you proposed. In your closing sentence you have stated that "As new media technologies continue to converge and become increasingly user-friendly, the communication industry, and the broadcast mediums within it have been and will be constantly reformed and restructured by its vast application". I am curious to know where you see the convergence between old and new media's heading. Also how if at all, older broadcast mediums can do to support themselves in this new 'information age' as their benefit or potential to increase the level of desire for the newer (internet) medium is relatively small. If you disagree with this statement how do you see the old helping the new when the new is furlongs more dynamic and advanced? Also how do you think that this will affect the copyright infringements?
Daniel,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog on the Internet and its impact on media and communication industries. You have obviously conducted considerate research into the subject, as you have utilised a number of intelligent and insightful resources. I was particularly interested in your discussion regarding the implications of the Internet on mass-media legislation. Likewise to you, I also believe that broadcasting authorities are playing a game of catch-up in relation to technological legislation. At present, I believe our intellectual property and copyright laws are outdated and do not reflect the spirit of produsage and the information age. They need to be significantly amended to allow for the protection of communally created content.
You also mentioned in your blog that “new media technologies exemplify convergence, digital networking, reach, interactivity and many-to-many communication”. I am curious as to what you mean by “reach” and whether you are referring to the idea that new media technology has allowed for the greater participation and inclusion of citizens. Furthermore, you made reference to the fact that audiences are showing a declining loyalty to traditional forms of media. I think this has and will continue to dramatically affect the way certain industries, like the music and news industries, run their businesses.
Daniel. I think you raise some extremely valid points in your blog entry. It is phenomenon the ways in which the Internet has transformed our daily lives especially in regards to the media and communication industries. No longer do I go to a hard copy of a dictionary to check the spelling of a word., I merely “dictionary.com it”. The changing nature of business models across a variety of industries is present in the day to day activities and their reliance on the Internet and other new media technologies.
The Internet is a relatively new phenomenon in Australia, the fears that it would end the consumption of radio (although video was originally supposed to kill the radio star…), the newspaper, the book and other “old media” but instead the Internet has produced new cultures, blurred lines between producers, users and distributors and allowed spaces for alternative views and representation that are underrepresented in the mainstream media (Goggin, 2006).
Whilst the Internet has taken oven from other traditional media outlets as displayed by my assessment piece for Media Audiences, to which our lecturer and tutors have instructed us not to research and observe the consumption of the newspaper or books but focus on the Internet and Television. This raises question regarding how long traditional media outlets will remain as they stand today with arms both in portals online and hard copies.
Today the Internet is regarded by companies as an “integral part of the way they reach audiences” (Goggin, 2006, 259). It is through this medium of networked networks, that we are able to be on a level playing field with multinational corporations. With the hope that our Internet speeds will be increased up to 40 times under Mr Rudd’s Government’s plan (Lewis, 2007) , it will only see an increase on our dependence and reliance upon the Internet as we become enslaved to it and the benefits we reap from its content and opportunities it provides us with.
References:
Goggin, G. 2006. The Internet, online and mobile cultures. In The Media and Communication in Australia. 2nd ed., ed. S .Cunningham and G. Turner, 259-278. Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin.
Lewis, S. 2007. Rudd bets $4.7 on broadband future. The Australia. March 22. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21425145-601,00.html (accessed May 08, 2008).
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