New Media and Society - Literature review Example

RUNNING HEAD: NEW MEDIA AND SOCIETY New Media and Society Name Institution Date Introduction New media is a discourse that has brought about a paradigm shift in the process of receiving information and the type of information that the public sphere is exposed to. The definition of new media is evidently an ongoing and open question with some scholars associating new media entirely to computer technologies while others to the cultural contexts in which technology is applied for instance in film, science and art. The emergence of new media has evidently changed the nature of the contemporary public sphere. The contemporary public sphere is characterized by democracy whereby the public sphere is clearly a part of what is referred to as the mass media. As Bentivegna, (2002, p52) highlights; the mass media allows the circulation of opinions and provides conditions under which the forum is operated. In the recent years, new media more specifically the internet and the World Wide Web have significantly rejuvenated the contemporary society. However there is a great deal of controversy concerning the extent to which new media has actually rejuvenated the public sphere. This particular paper therefore seeks to evaluate the extent to which the internet and the World Web have revitalized the public sphere. The history of the internet can be traced back, to the decades of the innovation of computers. After the innovation of computers the internet was devised in the 1960s. The internet gained world wide recognition in 1991 after a software browser was created resulting to the creation of the World Wide Web. The internet and the World Wide Web can therefore be described as electronic media that employ the use of computers to search, share as well as broadcast information all over the world. Huggins, (2008,p120) highlights that new media such the internet and the World Wide Web have greatly improved the democratic process through enhancing political communication. Communication is a central aspect in contemporary politics. This is because it provides an opportunity to the public sphere to air their view points concerning political matters that influence their lives. For instance Huggins, (2008,p121) points out an example of the Hansard society e-democracy program in the UK, the program provides a series of online consultation and discussions that link or connect the UK citizens to the various parliamentary committees that scrutinize legislations or inquires. Huggins, (2008, p121) points out that such an online program has enhanced the involvement of the public on political matters. Dahlberg (2005, p 615) also explores prospects of the internet and the democratic discourse. According to Dahlberg, L. (2005, p 615) the prominent emergence of ‘’online democracy and practice’’ is a prospect that demonstrates how the internet is working towards enhancing democracy in political communication. Dahlberg (2005, p616) highlights that; a rapid increase on internet democracy and online projects are being undertaken by corporate interests and the government. This has resulted to an improvement of the democratic process in three ways. The first approach is that of the communication camp which propagates that the internet has boosted a shared value and spirit. As a result the public sphere can easily share their common political interests. The second view point is the liberal individualist view which assists members of the public sphere to express their individual or personal interests. In this case the internet provides an opportunity for direct communication between politicians and citizens, this therefore provides a political communication environment where politicians are supposed to give solid back up to their political ideologies and polices. The third approach is the deliberate perspective, which endorses the internet as a method of advancing the public sphere in terms of developing a discourse of rational critical citizens. This approach is separate from corporate and state power and thus enables freedom of public opinion which can hold official decision makers accountable for their actions (Dahlberg, 2005, p616). Although arguments have been raised to back the fact that the internet and the World Wide Web have revitalized the democratic process through enhancing political communication, the level of revitalization, is actually skeptical. This is because arguments have been raised to support the fact that interactive media such as the World Wide Web and the internet have a ‘’ Vulnerable potential’’ in enriching democracy and enhancing public communication. A study undertaken by Blumler and Gurevitch (2001, p1) on new media and political communication argues that the use of new media such as the internet is a ‘’vulnerable potential’ to enriching democracy and also enhancing public communication. Blumler and Gurevitch (2001, p2) argue that democracy and public communication can only be enriched through the use of policies that are appropriate. One of the imperfections associated to the use of the internet in political communication unlike other mediums such as televisions is that it is bound to change or add different information concerning how the public and communicators relate to each other. This has therefore resulted to a scenario whereby the wrong content is posted or the right content is edited, this may further results to political unrest. For instance the London 2011 riots were initiated by just one single Facebook post .The post ignited flames in London. In addition, the rioters used occasional tweet messages in order to describe where the protestors are and what they were doing (Taylor, 2011, p1). The London riots therefore raised many questions concerning the use of new media in communication (Wang, 2011, p1). In addition the World Wide Web was also linked to the recent Arab spring uprisings. Through sharing information, Arabic countries organized uprisings against the existing regimes; this further led a loss of lives, in context where peaceful means would have been used in order to initiate democratic changes. Dahlberg (2005, p161) also provides an argument that the potential of the internet in terms of creating a strong democratic culture has been undermined by the aspect of corporate colonization of the cyberspace. A study by Dahlberg (2005, p161) reveals that commercial media sites and corporate portals are dominating or governing the attention for news online. In most cases, the views, critical participations and the voices of the users are being marginalized. Most of the portal sites are being governed and controlled by powerful corporate bodies and commercial media such as Yahoo News, Washington post and many others. As a result the information provided by the internet does not actually provide a great deal of diversity. The news displayed is largely derived from the so called mainstream or authoritative sources. These sources usually depict limited criticism and narrow diversity of the information provided. Dahlberg (2005, p165) highlights that although the internet has editors who play the role of providing diverse views on a particular story, what is evident is that the corporate media has channeled its information in a manner to suite its own conservative views as opposed to the views of the public. This scenario therefore intimidates the contribution of the internet in terms of advancing the democratic culture (Dahlberg, 2005, p165). The issue of the control of the internet by government in certain countries gives an indication of derailment of the democratic process and communication by the public sphere. Although the purpose of the internet in many liberal nations is mainly to facilitate democracy through enhancing a free communication process, the use of the internet can also be used to derail democracy in conservative countries. In countries that are liberal, citizens enjoy access to the internet and the WWW as they desire, however in conservative nations internet services are restricted mainly to harmless services such as the sending of emails (Shuju, 2008). Shuju (2008, p1) reveals that in such countries the World Wide Web browser is usually pre-fed with specific internet addresses, where access to unwanted information is blocked. A user who violates hacks or abuses the service is usually arrested due to violation of the law. For instance; during the Arab spring governments of countries such as Egypt, Syria, Libya, greatly controlled the use of the internet by the citizens. In my opinion, although government control of the internet is a beneficial way of controlling the adoption of unethical social values, however it basically depicts an attribute of lack of democracy. This is because people are not given the freedom of expression and communication. As a result although the internet has revitalized the democratic process and communication by the public sphere to some extent it used to derail democratic process. Apart from the revitalization of democratic process through enhancing political communication, the internet and the World Wide Web have also been useful in facilitating structural transformation, of the public sphere. A close evaluation of the use of the internet and the World Wide Web by groups, individuals and organizations provides a very complex and interesting picture of the changes that have occurred in the systemic feature of the public sphere and the prospects of development that they are exposed to. Gerodimos, (2004, p6) highlights that; the public sphere of the 21st century has a distinct character of what is refereed to as the ’’pull’’ medium. People need to find, search and use the information by themselves as opposed to being given the information as they receive it passively. Kaene (2000, p77) offers an enlightenment concerning why the capability to network through the World Wide Web and the internet have powerfully transformed the organization of society. According to Kaene (2000, p77), the public sphere acts as a fundamental platform for negotiations that encompass the society. This begins with the existence of Micro-public spheres, or spaces where citizens can engage in disputes concerning who gets what, who does what and when and how. The micro-public sphere is a fundamental aspect of influencing how society produces, handles and sustains information, among their members. Kaene (2000, p77), further highlights that the public sphere is able to network as people with similar values; this therefore creates a new form of social dynamics. As the micro-public sphere grows in strength and as people continue to network, the local micro-spheres become public mesospheres with the prospective ability to revolutionize the national level. Later on these spheres become a powerful global structure whereby millions of users communicate. Kaene (2000, p77), highlights that the development of these new structure of society through the www and the internet has greatly transformed the structure of society in the sense that people are able to go beyond the traditional perspective of the public sphere to the highly complex global sphere that can facilitate the transfer of information without geographical constraints. As highlighted by the Adaptive structuration theory the internet acts as an important resource that assists in improving interaction within the network system in society. As a result people with the skills to influence social systems may influence other systems that are not well connected to the internet. In addition users are able to recreate the structure of society by renegotiating meanings, rules and roles (Kaene, 2000, p77). It can also be argued that although the internet and the World Web have influenced a common theme of recreating and reproducing existing social systems as argued by Kaene (2000). The creations of the new social structures have also brought about negative implications to the public sphere. In my opinion and from my daily experience , I view new media such as the internet and the world wide web as having changed the main societal structure which is the family . For instance many people in contemporary society are spending most of their time using the internet as a result face to face relationships such spending time with family and friends in progressively declining. Furthermore the internet has also promoted cultural fragmentation whereby it has promoted the development of virtual groups and communities that are structured around specialized themes, interests and cultural identities. Another way in which the internet and the World Wide Web have rejuvenated society is through development of the cyberspace. The Cyberspace can be described as an online system through which individuals can communicate to each other without having to interact face to face. Smith and Kallock (1999,p4) highlights that the landscape of the cyber space includes the Wild Wide Web(www), text, chat, emails , Bulletin Board systems ( BBSs) and graphic worlds which are all supported by the internet . The existence of the cyberspace has greatly revitalized the general communication process of the public sphere. For instance email discussions are the most popular used method of communication, whereby emails can be sent beyond one interaction. In addition discussion can be initiated among people whereby they can communicate directly through a series of messages. The existence of Bulletin Board systems has also greatly promoted communication in organizations based on the fact that conferencing can be held without having to physically attend meetings (Smith and Kallock, 1999, p4). On the other hand in despite of the benefits derived from the cyber space, it has created a wave of new criminal activities known as the cyberspace crime. Jaishankar (2008, p xxx1) highlights that since 2000; the cyberspace has transformed the ideological viewpoints of criminologists. This is because criminologists have come to realize that criminal activities do not only take place in the physical nature but also through the cyberspace. The internet and the www have created a paradigm shift in criminal activities, whereby crime has taken different forms of complex dimensions. For instance one of the manifestations of crime is through the use of the internet for terrorist activities. Jaishankar (2008, p5) points out that the design of the internet in an anonymous way has created a haven for terrorist to undertake their activities in an organized way. Terrorist are able to effectively plan and even execute their terrorist activities through the use of the internet. In addition the internet has provided an active platform whereby terrorist can interact and share ideas concerning how to organize their activities. As indicated by the social learning theory terrorist groups have used the internet to learn from each other. Other dimension of cyberspace criminal activities include illegal sharing and copying of music files, which violates patent rights laws, internet piracy by collage students who use data and research that is not original, online victimization and illegal online transactions (Jaishankar, 2008, p36).The manifestation of crime through cyber crime can be argued to be a negative contribution of the internet to the public sphere. In my observation of the current society, the internet and the World Wide Web have also rejuvenated the public sphere in the sense that members of the public sphere are able to interact economically and expand their business ideas through the internet . This has facilitated great advancements in the field of business for instance the internet provides an opportunity for business people to market their products and services online even within the global framework. In addition business owners can easily outsource various services across the globe through the use of the internet. Furthermore the internet and the World Wide Web have enhanced the development of new business models of production which assists in partial automation and coordination of the production process in space and time. All these economic benefits that are derived from the internet are translated into cultural and social benefits which give the public sphere new services and products, and easier and more rapid processes of delivering services and products at low costs. In despite of the benefits that are derived from internet and the World Wide Web, in enhancing economic interaction among members of the public sphere, a number of limitations of the use of the internet have arise in the recent years. For instance according Davidow (2011, p1) the internet was one of the major factors that contributed to the recent global financial crisis. Davidow (2011) argues that the concept of interconnectedness which is brought about by the World Wide Web and the internet had a role to play in the recent economic crisis. This is because the internet provides a lot of positive feedbacks which is rather very risky in the context of business. The riskiness is derived from the fact that through internet , members of the public sphere are usually informed of positive information about the performance of business as result , they tend increase their investments in such organizations. However in real sense such organizations may actually be in the verge of collapse. Davidow (2011, p1) highlights that too much positive feedback through the internet was a major factor that caused huge problems such as the dot com bubble, the housing bubbles and the Flash Crash, which greatly affected the public sphere during the period on the financial crisis. Conclusion From the above discussion what is evident is that new media such as the internet and the World Wide Wed have greatly revitalized the public sphere. The discussion has highlighted areas of revitalization such the democratic process and political communication. Another highlighted area is the changes in the structural systems of the society. Other factors include the influence of the cyber space and also advancements in business and commerce. However the discussion has also highlighted some level of controversy in the extent revitalization that the internet and the www have brought to the public sphere. In summary this paper concludes that new media has rejuvenated society in a positive manner however negative implications to the public sphere do exists. As a result this paper proposes that effective evaluation and application should be applied when using new media such the internet and the World Wide Web. In addition a policy framework is essential when using such Medias. References Blumler, J. G., and Gurevitch, M. (2001). The New Media and our Political Communication Discontents: Democratising Cyberspace in Information. Communication and Society, 4(4), pp. 1-13. Bentivegna, S. (2002).Politics and New Media’ in Leah A. Lievrouw and Sonia Livingstone (eds.) Handbook of New Media : Social Shaping and Consequences of ICTs, pp. 52. London: Sage. Dahlberg, L. (2005). ‘’The Corporate Takeover of the Online Public Sphere: A Critical Examination, with Reference to the New Zealand Case. Pacific Journalism Review, 11(1), pp. 90-113. Dahlberg, L. (2001).The Internet and Democratic Discourse: Exploring the Prospects of Online Deliberative Forums Extending the Public Sphere in Information. Communication, and Society, 4(4), pp. 615-633. Retrieved From Davidow,B .(2011).How the Internet Powered the Financial Crisis. Fobes. Retrieved From Gerodimos, R.(2004). Democracy and the internet. Emerging Lessons for the 21 Century Public Sphere. Annual Conference of Political Studies Association.p1-10 Huggins, R., and Axford, B. (2008).New media and politics, University of Michigan.p120-121. Jaishankar, K.(2008).Cyber Criminology, Exploring Internet Crimes and Criminal behaviour. Taylor and Francis Group. P3-51 Keane, J. (2000).Structural Transformations of the Public Sphere.p77 Shuju, H.(2008).The Internet and Middle East Studies. Japanese Institute of Middle Eastern Economies (JIME). Smith , M and Kallock, P,.(1999).Communities in Cyberspace. Routledge,p4-6. Retrieved From Taylor, C.( 2011). London Riots: BlackBerry Messenger Used More than Facebook or Twitter.p1 Wang ,F.( 2011). London riots lead to second thoughts about online speech. Peoples Daily Online . Read More