WHAT IS NEW MEDIA? By Bailey Socha and Barbara Eber-Schmid Introduction: What isn’t new media? New Media is a 21st Century catchall term used to define all that is related to the internet and the interplay between technology, images and sound. In fact, the definition of new media changes daily, and will continue to do so. New media evolves and morphs continuously.
What it will be tomorrow is virtually unpredictable for most of us, but we do know that it will continue to evolve in fast and furious ways. However, in order to understand an extremely complex and amorphous concept we need a base line. Since Wikipedia has become one of the most popular storehouses of knowledge in the new media age, it would be beneficial to begin there: Wikipedia defines New Media as: “… a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. As a consequence of the quick embrace of New Media by business, causes, communications, and a multitude of others, the question of “what is new media?” 10 essential gifs for when you can't move your face | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett. Jessie Cole's article on Botox made an excellent point about how we are being taught to prioritise ourselves as still images rather than as living beings with emotions.
The proliferation of static, impassive images of faces perhaps goes some way to explaining the rise and rise of the gif in internet culture. Regardless of how the name is pronounced, the gif remains strangely popular even in an era where the technology of the web has moved on high-definition video. Gif editor Gifboom, which essentially allows you to create a moving selfie, is being tipped by teenage Instagram superstars as the new hot thing, and it's no surprise: we are social animals and respond better to expressive human faces. You don't need to look at London Grumblr to know that a gif can express a complicated (and hilarious) range of emotional responses, as seen on comment threads across the web. In this sense, they are the micro-expressions of the internet, and long may they reign. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. How Social Media is Affecting the Way We Speak and Write. Do you speak “social?” There is a lot of writing out there about the effects of social media on business, marketing, branding and customer services.
But what about how social media communications is impacting our written communications, or even our oral communications? Anyone remember when email was going to destroy letter writing, and even the art of writing altogether? Well, it did destroy letter writing, but did it really destroy the art of writing, or just change it? The Impact of “Social Speak” on the Written Word I’d argue that email, SMS and social media communications tools have made irreversible impacts on the way we write, but that is not to say we should write in that “social” manner. The social web has changed the written word in a couple of key ways: 1. 2. “Social” Spoken Here “Social” as “Anti-Social” In social settings or face-to-face interactions, there is a distressing attention deficit problem.
How do you feel social media is affecting our oral and written communications? 30 Social Media Predictions for 2012 From the Pros. How will social media impact businesses in 2012? We sought expert opinions from a wide range of pros you’re likely familiar with. We are grateful for the dozens of social media professionals who have written over 600 articles for us since we started Social Media Examiner in October 2009. To give you a glimpse of what we can expect in the next 12 months, we decided to tap their knowledge and expertise. Here are their predictions of where social media is headed in the next 12 months. #1: Businesses consolidate social media activities Michael Stelzner @mike_stelzner As the social media landscape becomes more crowded in 2012, businesses will pick their battles and dig in.
The old mantra of “be everywhere” will quickly be replaced with “be where it matters to our business.” The major four players have all gone through massive changes in preparation for the battle for users. Have you picked your battle? Michael Stelzner, founder and CEO of Social Media Examiner. Jay Baer @JayBaer Now is the time. Literacy 2.0:Are Digital Media Changing Language? Naomi S. Baron Are instant messaging and text messaging killing language? To hear what the popular media say, a handful of OMGs (oh my god) and smiley faces, along with a paucity of capital letters and punctuation marks, might be bringing English to its knees. Although journalists tend to sensationalize the linguistic strangeness of "online lingo," quantitative analyses of instant messaging conversations and text messages reveal that abbreviations, acronyms, and even misspellings are comparatively infrequent, at least among college-age students.
For example, in a study I did of college students' instant messaging conversations, out of 11,718 words, only 31 were "online lingo" abbreviations, and only 90 were acronyms (of which 76 were LOL). In a study of college students' text messaging, my colleague Rich Ling and I found a few more lexical shortenings; yet the grand total of clear abbreviations was only 47 out of 1,473 words, which is hardly overwhelming.
Attitude Shift 1: "Whatever" Is Social Media Destroying Our Perception of Reality? Is social networking redefining identity? When did you last send a tweet? What did your Facebook friends have to say about how they’re feeling this morning? How important are online networks to your sense of who you are? Chances are you’ll have something to say about at least one of these questions. For a majority of Britons, online persona and virtual networks are becoming increasingly definitional. Monday saw the publication of a new report that looks at the impact of technology on identity, by the Government’s chief scientific advisor, Professor Sir John Beddington. The report suggests that the ubiquity of smartphones is changing the way we relate to others, and may lead to place-based communities becoming less cohesive.
The Telegraph, reporting the publication of Beddington’s report, emphasises the risk that the rise of social networking may “fuel social unrest”. But is it really accurate to say that hyper-connectivity can in itself be a cause of social unrest? But, do we have the willpower? Comments.