Week 1: What is New Media?

In today's lesson, we will look at new media, what it means and some of the conventions of using new media.

Look at the video clip provided and think about the implications of the video. The video was taken from http://youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U&mode=related&search= and was created by Karl Fisch

Activity: Brainstorm and find definitions/examples of New Media to present to the class.

Try to answer the following questions:
-How do you define new media?
-What is the history of new media? Does it have one?
-What are the characteristics of new media?
-How do new media readers read?
-What are current/future trends for new media?

Here are some definitions of New Media:

Artworks that use multimedia, computers or communications technologies in creative expression. (Digital arts) http://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=X&start=0&oi=define&q=http://www.canadacouncil.ca/help/lj127228791697343750.htm&usg=AFrqEzfJbcVUIV6ljAmGEh8atS6RWo6-DQ

Using digital media and computer technology to create innovative and interactive instructional and presentation materials for delivery via CD, DVD and the Internet. http://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=X&start=1&oi=define&q=http://www.cmp.unt.edu/glossary.htm&usg=AFrqEzdKWMLczGiEBDvqKAxi1Y_ZWDLNKg

A general term covering non-traditional ways of delivering advertising or promotion messages, anything from text messaging to the Internet http://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=X&start=2&oi=define&q=http://www.oup.com/uk/booksites/content/0199274894/student/glossary/glossary.htm&usg=AFrqEzdEMpk-WSUEDnVq0-wDcfP8zhWGOg

All electronic communications that have appeared or will appear since the original text-and-static picture forms of online communication.http://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=X&start=3&oi=define&q=http://www.iib.qld.gov.au/itcareers/talk.asp&usg=AFrqEzdsYd_aBs4jbrWebQaqyNj495ipcQ
=6&oi=define&q=http://www.ripe.tv/dictionary.n.html&usg=AFrqEzeTSlnCmGk5Bj2s9Jn2LjiCpOw2rg

New Media means basically just that: new media. The latest form of mass communication developed by society always tends to be given this label. In years past it was radio, television, cable TV, satellite TV, etc. Nowadays it tends to be used primarily to talk about emerging digital/electronic communications forms, particularly the internet and the World Wide Web. newpeoplemedia.org/abbreviations-acronyms.htm

New media usually refers to a group of relatively recent mass media based on new information technology. Most frequently the label would be understood to include the Internet and World Wide Web, video games and interactive media, CD-ROM and other forms of multimedia popular from the 1990s on. The phrase came to prominence in the 1990s, and is often used by technology writers like those at Wired magazine and by scholars in media studies. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media

New Media is a relatively new field that includes all forms of computer-enhanced communication. In addition to digital video, examples of New Media communication are web sites, emails, CD-ROMs, DVDs, streaming audio and video, interactive multimedia presentations, and computer animation. New Media is a convergence of the older styles of communicating with the new, computer-enhanced styles. http://www.google.com.sg/url?sa=X&start=5&oi=define&q=http://www.newmediabrew.com/terminology.htm&usg=AFrqEzempzd9euRGOW-UuxCeDQCj2HoKXw

Some common underlying characteristics: Electronic/computer-enhanced form of mass media for various purposes: education, advertising, arts, general communications…

New Media Positioning Map The spectrum concepts of Asynchronous-Synchronous and Individual-Collaborative may be used to help us understand some of the New Media better. How would you place the following in a positioning map for new media? Try to explain your mapping: Forum; Wiki; Podcast; Chat; Conferencing tools; Blogs; Youtube

You need to be aware of what your aims are, and how you plan to use the new media format before selecting one.

What are the conventions of New Media?
The conventions for traditional and new media are very different. The reading conventions are different, and hence the writing conventions are different too. You need to be aware of user expectations and user behaviours.

Web user behaviours: How do users use and read the Web?

Try answering the following:
1. What is the most commonly used button by web users (in the Internet Explorer browser)?
2. Compared with reading from paper, how much faster or slower do we read from screen?
3. Compared with writing on paper, how much more or less should we write in a web page?
4. What percentage of web users read word-by-word?
5. What % of web users scan a page for keywords/links before staying or moving on?
6. How fast does a popular website take to load? 7. What causes repeat traffic to websites?
8. How long does it take for a web page to get a user’s attention?

What are some of the differences you find between the New Media audience and traditional media audience?

Other things you should know about the audience of New Media:

-no more mass audience
– smaller groups or individuals -no more one author dispensing info and addressing one large audience; individuals exchange information, with the ‘main author’ writing more; audience is no longer passive and want to be participants in the ‘conversation’
-users are not just consumers but prosumers (producers and consumers of information) and remixers of information –they are active users who want interaction with the texts, and not passive recipients of information such as from magazines and TV Therefore, you need to know your audience very well to cater to their needs.