Did you know that you reading this blog post is a form of new media? If you’re wondering how, keep reading to find out.
What is media?
To have new media, there has to be an old media so we’ll start there. Defined by Dictionary.com, media is “the means of communication that reaches or influences people widely”. This term refers to mainly the pre-iphone era, when the main forms of media were mostly newspapers, radio, and satellite tv. Thanks to new media though, nobody has to worry about climbing on the roof to fix the signal so you dont miss the five o’clock news. Cambridge Dictionary defines new media as “products and services that provide information or entertainment using computers or the internet”. So the big difference between the two is basically digital technology.
What you can do now thanks to new media
Despite what some people say about millennials always being on their phones, I consider myself lucky to have grown up in rise of the digital era. Especially since most companies are starting to utilize new media and are looking to hire people who already have some experience with the trending media platforms. For example, if I wanted to be a reporter, I would be able to write, shoot, edit, and post a story on my smartphone to multiple platforms all within the same day. Opposed to being a old fashioned reporter who would have to take a crew, equipment, drive back to edit, and wait for it to air at a specific time.
New media doesn’t just affect workers though, it affects how our society as a whole consumes content and information. Nobody has to wait for the sunday paper anymore or the morning news, because now everyone is able to access updated news literally as it’s happening. You dont even have to have a TV, you can get news at any moment of the day as long as you have a digital device with internet. Not only is news basically instant, but so is editing and streaming photos/videos/music. My personal favorite though, is instant networking and job applications thanks to new media platforms like Linkedin.
Influencers are like your modern day celebrities, they have fans and make a lot of money. The only difference is, they dont even have to leave their houses to do it. Charlie D’Amelio is one of the biggest influencers right now on the app TikTok and she got to that status by simply creating 60 second dances in her living room. Influencers arent just on TikTok though, you can catch many influencers on instagram, youtube, spotify and even podcasts. I created, edited, and posted a quick little podcast to Soundcloud, which is a free social media platform where anyone can listen, like, comment, and share my podcasts if they wanted.
So even I have the chance to become an influencer, thanks to new media! (fingers crossed) Although some people do go viral by luck, and hashtags, there is still a method behind it all. Kristi O’Rourke from Five Towns College Career Services said in an interview that these five categories, “communication skills, content management skills, marketing skills, technical skills, and soft skills” are important to have to be able to work in the new media world and are what employers are starting to look for as more companies transition to being new media based.
Watch out for new media’s bad side
Aside from all the great things new media does, there is a common issue many people face. You can’t always believe what everyone says, especially if it’s not coming from a reliable source. This is how a lot of fake news get spread around can cause confusion and trouble. In fact, (57%) of people who often get news on social media say they expect the news they see on these platforms to be largely inaccurate, according to Pew Research.
Having all these new media platforms instantly at the tips of our fingers though makes it hard to look away. Avine Varges got personal during the Women In Business panel at Five Towns College about what she has learned from herself getting caught up on social media, “Dont use it to get you discouraged or beat you down, use it to your advantage. If you feel like you’re on it too much or seeing things that are too negative, start muting words that dont resonate with what you’re trying to do. If it becomes too stressful, stay off of it for a couple hours and get back on later. Just dont let it become your life because it can definitely could your judgement for sure.”
What’s next for new media
Knowing that technology is advancing everyday only makes me wonder…what will be the “new” new media in the future? what will it look like? Will Instagram ever die out like Myspace did? I’m no expert but senior social media strategist Chelsea McDonald is and this is what she say has to say about the future of media, “The trends are just that for a reason; it’s what’s popular and happening right now, which was not popular two weeks ago and will be dead two months from now”, according to an article by Adryan Corcione.
So although we’ll all have to wait and see what the future holds for the evolution of new media, knowing at least the basics now could really benefit your career.
Amber Hubenschmidt 