How new media has changed the way in which individuals communicate - Coursework Example

Information and communication technologies are numerous, segmented but that they are characterized by two important dimensions - that of its pervasiveness and the connectivity of the technological platforms/media that is anytime and anywhere. The Internet and the Global Village Unarguably, the Internet is central to the sophistication of information and communication. It has enabled people - through their computer systems and mobile network devices - to be networked together so that they interact real-time.

A resident in London, for instance, could chat with a friend from Chile, read an on-going news story about what is happening in Libya and buy some apparel from a manufacturing outfit in China. All these feats could be accomplished at the same time, from the comfort of the Londoner's own home and just with some clicks of his mouse. It is easy to understand how people regard the Internet as a blessing for the sheer reason that it makes life so much easier and for knowledge to be gained at the speed of light.

Presently, the global Internet users are fast approaching its 2 billionth mark. (World Internet Usage 2011) Because of this, the Internet became a platform for communication as well as a form of digital community that people could take advantage of for whatever objective, cause and purpose they have. For example, there is the issue of online trade or more popularly known as e-commerce. Organizations through the Internet gain access to millions upon millions of consumers to sell goods and services.

At the other end of this equation, there are also those millions who turn to the medium in order to find and buy goods and services. Today, trade of all kinds and in all volumes peruses the Internet as an integral part of the sales process because it eliminates several steps and barriers in ordinary trading process. Because of the Internet's capability, production and sale of goods and services has become cost efficient, benefitting the producer and the consumer in the process. The type of communication offered by online infrastructure has provided users a facilitated way by which their economic or commercial needs are satisfied.

Online trade and marketing are now so sophisticated that they are permeate people’s online lives. There is also the use of the Internet by marketers, news organizations, cause-oriented groups, and other users that seek to disseminate information so that they could shape public opinion and, hence, influence their behavior and those of the policy networks’. The Internet forms part of many corporations initiative to build brands, cultivate customer relationship and dispense excellent customer service – all designed to gain competitive advantage.

Cause-oriented groups could use the medium in their strategy to inform the public about their activities. All in all, the Internet has achieved the status of the traditional media in terms of usage and integrity making it one of the platforms that public came to rely on. Information Access If one has to consider the way Internet works - how content could be produced and accessed by several people simultaneously - it becomes easy to understand how it has become a valuable tool in education. Online classrooms, podcasts and webinars are excellent demonstrations of how people tap the Internet to learn.

For example, many South Koreans and Chinese used to go abroad in order to learn the English language. Recently, however, an increasing number of online classrooms have become alternative destinations for these learners. Through the