New Media Audiences and Technologies - Essay Example

New Media Audiences and Technologies Introduction and Aims The technological changes and advancements have produced relevant results and experiences appreciated by everyone. The world has come to witness variety of technological developments that have come with special interest and design. In the entertainment technologies, the changes from the traditional media have demonstrated the use of new media technologies by the audiences. The new media have made audiences stay focus and relate to its contents in different situations than before. More so, the visual entertainment has enabled more audiences to have the real impacts as new changes in technology have affected the way they relate to the information they receive. The emerging new changes in the telecommunication sectors carries with it new audiences as they find the shifts meaningful and are carried away. Therefore, it is important to understand the concepts behind new media technologies and the audiences that drive it towards the direction it takes. This report will focus on new media technologies and audiences with a focus on television. Although television had been known over the years, it is considered as a new media because there have never been any improvement on the audiovisual technology to replace it since it is still widely used and accepted. Television is one of the new media that have attracted many audiences who wants to grasp the content and stay focus towards the new developments. Currently, television contents and programs lure audiences since it is a new technology, which integrates easily into the society and become accepted. The report will also focus on the future audiences being that technologies are developed daily, and comes with challenges to the audiences. Similarly, the report will consider how technologies have changed ways in which they circulates and the way new practices may be understood in a theoretical and conceptual manner. Literature Review This part deals with some of the initial findings regarding new media and audiences as well as the challenges experienced. There are many studies done in relation to future relationships of audiences and the new media since they shift focus depending with the availability of new media. Because of this, the report aims to establish future trend and the challenges the audience will experience with the developments of new media. Therefore, the focus will be on the available literature in finding consistency of their study in relation to the area of study. In attempts to understand the evolution of new media and audiences, Napoli (2008) proposed evolution audience model that referred to the notion of the dominant framework used by the media stakeholders in conceptualizing audience evolution in response to changes in the environment. The environmental changes related to diversity in technology transformed the audience consumption and gathering information from different dimensions. The new technological changes in the media interact with one another as the developed new media affects the consumption and provides new means of gathering information. The study revealed causal relationships between the traditional declining exposure metrics and the emergence of a new audience behavior. From his study, it is clear that the entrance of new media technologies affects the audience consumption as it creates an environment for exploitation. Because of this, developments of new media affect the audiences’ ability to capture information as they create increasing interactive media environment. The low rates of audience consumptions affect the media penetration and do not acquire new audiences. There are other research findings revealing that new media attracts audience attention and they are more likely to adopt what it initiates (Annette & Clyde, 2004: 355). This is a confirmation of study conducted by the above subject. Seiter (1998:67) study on the new media audience and technology found a relationship between new media technology and new audiences. The study revealed that new media technologies come with new programs designed to a certain category of audiences, which is their target. For instance, cartoon programs are designed to entertain young children as well as Disney Junior, which provide entertainment to kids. These programs target audiences hence creates new audiences from the already existing list. The numbers of traditional media have reduced with the development of new media because of technological advancements that attracts more audiences. The study further found that new media targets group of audiences in the society as different people react differently to television and other new technologies. The ability of the new media to attract new audiences depended on a number of factors such as the ability to penetrate and provide meaning to its audience. Many new media are not able to penetrate and receive audience attention hence add little value to the audience. However, new media such as social media like Facebook have attracted many audiences who have remained loyal over the periods as indicated in a study by Russo, Kelly & Chan (2008: 21-32). Methodology This report is based on a study involving survey techniques on secondary sources and interviews. Many scholarly resources had discussed the same issues of concern hence provided deeper understandings of the previous findings of the survey. The literature reviews from the secondary sources related to the issues in question were used by examining the role of new media and the challenges they experience with audience. This allowed the study to verify the early researches and ensured they adhered to the topic of study. Similarly, the significance of the secondary literature ensured they addressed the research questions concerning the issue of study. The study also used survey methodology by employing interviews as a tool for data collection. This was through asking questions and listening to individual’s response by recording as they clarified on the issues found from the secondary survey. The interview took different forms including informal way where the interviewee asked the respondents question in an informal settlement including the field. For the sake of the study, it used semi-structured interview techniques, which provided greater discussion concerning the problem and views of the respondents as they shed more light on the identified factors. The closed-ended questions administered probed than the open-ended questions used in this study. The questions purposely explored different parameters involved in the object of study. The collected information was both qualitative and quantitative in nature hence provided a deeper understanding of the situation. Semi-structured interviewing methodology was the best for the study because it allowed better focusing on the required points and getting hidden information. The selection of the participants for the secondary survey and in the interview was through random sampling. Media had taken a centre stage in the contemporary society and at least everyone had information concerning its influence. Therefore, the participants were household’s heads who determines what their family views because the media device they feel is more suitable for their households. Similarly, the participants had been using some new media technologies to enable them give reliable data. Findings and Analysis Research findings showed that new media had come with new audiences by restricting certain programs to certain demography. Some television programs were forbidden in certain schools and their viewing illegal. Household heads no longer watch some television programs with their children because of their contents hence targeting audiences of particular age sets. These challenges and new audiences came with new media technologies contrary to the traditions (Deiber, 2009:307. The number of retired men was found to be increasingly viewing daytime soap operas for their entertainment, as they have become new audience because of technological advancements; it has created television with new products, which meets their expectations (LaRose & Davenport, 2009: 338). The difference in television programs coming from the media has defined the audience relationship with technology. From the literature review, it is evident that audiences used technologies within their environment as well as in classrooms. It indicated that there was a relationship between new media and audiences in relation to gender and genre. Similarly, there were different interpretations of the media technologies and media forms among the audiences making them assign different meanings Seiter (1998: 80). Different audiences reacted differently to new television programs depending on their subject matter and the general content. The results revealed that advancements in technology saw the realization of new media and new audiences that affected the number of television viewers (Duhe, 2007: 99). Out of all the new media developed, television had remained the most viewed news channel by many audiences. Most of the audiences who wanted to get in-depth understanding of information resorted to television, as it was available and could be reached any time. Television gave the audience a better understanding of events as it involves viewing pictures and videos. From the secondary survey, it was evidenced that new technologies are taking over from the traditional media, as they are perceived to be closer to people and easily accessible (Evans, 2011:100). The diversity among the audience reflected on the long-term changes in the media usage. For instance, the numbers of people responding to reading newspapers have declined indicating the level in which new audiences are emerging with new media technologies. The number of people watching television remained stable over the years showing that it is at its optimum level and not likely to be influenced with the changing technologies. However, new media technologies characterized by cables have attracted a number of audiences, which have increased over the years. The number of people using new media in relation to cable had increased because of their ease in access by individual and convenience in usage (Livingstone, 2013: 59-66). This makes it attract new audiences who leave other traditional media due to inconvenience and other related issues. The findings from the study also revealed that future audiences would have a variety of new media and technologies to choose as earlier outlined by Alnarran, Chan & Wirth (2009: 231). They will be happy to choose for themselves what they consider credible, as there will be plenty of help. Future new audiences will have the capacity of relying on their intelligence in weighting the information received from the new media and technologies as they will increase and require them to filter information received. Similarly, they will benefit from the collaboration of new technologies developed, as new media will be a source of multiple sources of truth unlike the old media, which had one source of truth. Therefore, future audiences will be challenged on the media to choose as they are increasingly developing with the advancements of technology. Conclusions The report reveals that advancements in the field of technologies have created new media and audiences making people shift their attention from the traditional media. The improved technological tools have given birth to new media that influenced its new audiences into taking a different dimensional approach from the traditional. New media have created new audiences through the new programs, which comes with it. With the coming of new media, households’ heads longer watch certain television or media programs, certain gender are influenced into watching certain distinguished programs in the television, they all create a distinct new audience which is related. Despite the wide use and development of old media, new media is taking over as many audiences are resorting to new media because of their convenience and close affiliation with the audiences. With the development of new media, future audiences will have a variety of options to choose as new media comes with many sources of knowing the truth unlike the traditional media that had only one source. The audiences will be able to identify the source of information they want to receive, as they will have the choice. Bibliography Alnarran, A. Chan, S & Wirth M., 2009. Handbook of media management and economics. New York: Routledge. Annette, H & Clyde, R., 2004. The television Studies Reader. Mason: Cengage Learning Deiber, R., 2009. Access denied the practice and policy of global internet filtering. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press Duhe, S., 2007. New media and public relation. New York: Peter Lang publishers. Evans, E., 2011.Transmedia Television: Audiences, New Media and daily Life. New York: Routledge. LaRose R & Davenport, L. 2009. Media Now: Understanding Media, Culture and Technology. New York: Routledge. Livingstone, S., 2013. New Media and Society. Sage Journals. 1 (1), pp. 59-66 Napoli, P. M., 2008. Toward A Model of Audience Evolution: New Technologies and the Transformation of Media Audiences. McGannon Center Working Paper Series. Paper 15. Russo, A., Kelly, L., Chan, S., 2008. Participatory Communication with Social Media. Curator, The Museum Journal.51 (1), pp.21- 32. Seiter, E., 1998. Television and new media audiences. New York: Clarendon Press. Appendix 1: Sample Interview Transcript 1. Are you an audience of new media? Yes. 2. What is your take on new media is in terms of the programs thy implement? Its programs restricts individual and requires parental guidance. 3. Where do you use new media or how do you apply it in your daily life situations? It can be applied everywhere since I can watch television through my handset 4. Do you think people react the same to new media contents? No, people react differently to media contents depending with the subject matter and the nature of the program. 5. What do you think has led to new media? Advancements of technology 6. What is your preferred new media channel? Television 7. What are your reasons? It offers in-depth information through visual aids like pictures and sounds. 8. What are the future challenges to the new audiences owing to the development of new media? Future audiences will be challenged on the media to choose and the programs to watch Appendix 2: Coding of the Interview Findings Question Response Are you audience of new media Yes (13) No (7) Take on new media is in terms of the programs thy implement Restrict individuals (7) Requires parental guidance (6) Interesting (3) Suits every demography (4) Where do you use new media or how do you apply it in your daily life situations Everywhere (12) Workplace (3) House unit (6) Do you think people react the same to new media contents Yes (7) No (13) What do you think has led to new media Advancements in technology (10) Changing lifestyle(5) Need to accommodate all interests (5) What is your preferred new media channel? Television (8) Newspaper (4) Video (3) Cable connection (5) What are your reasons for the above answer In-depth information through pictures (7) Easily accessible (5) Cheap (4) Offers reference (4) What are the future challenges to the new audiences owing to the development of new media? Choosing the best content or program to watch (10) Dealing with reliability of information (5) Adapting with the move (5) Read More