Development in Electronic Media - Essay Example

Development in the electronic media has not only advanced but also progressed in an accelerated pace during the last few decades. The advent of TV, computer, the Internet and other multimedia technology has spurred the growth of science and technology as well as sped up the proliferation of information all throughout the globe. As a consequence, businesses and corporations, either local or multinational are extremely dependent on these industries. In order for these companies to stay in business and achieve growth, it is necessary that businesses take advantage of electronic media as options to keep afloat in business. The changes in newspaper industry for example is staggering as many newspaper companies nowadays have their own websites too, allowing the new generation of internet user to access the news anytime in their computers. As we have observed during the last few years, the readership of printed papers has declined considerably. More than 1 billion users of the internet all over the world, access the news through the net and the number is expected to rise in the years to come as young people prefer the convenience of Internet-based technologies in order to obtain news, information, and entertainment (Watkinson 67). Societies whose technology is well developed have now entered the digital age and industries are searching for new opportunities to take this chance to develop business. Although there are threats to this utilization of technology in the media to advance business, the melding together of various media - also referred to as 'convergence' causes furor among many technology users as it holds a lot of promise. The amalgamation of different medium, which 1incorporates personalized services could be overwhelming for many but is very exciting as well. The utilization of high-powered and high technology innovation in computers, switch to digital platforms and the construction of high-speed computer networks brought about novel ideas and methods of doing common and ordinary activities. Hindrances to achieving these, like time and space have been eradicated and media users can read, listen, watch anything or interact with someone anytime. The amalgamation of all mediums into one eliminated the problems of putting all technologies in the media together (Thorburn 122). The conglomeration of media corporations in the 1990's for example has brought convergence in ownership and resulted to, in the consumers' point of view, more exciting delivery systems of our favorite medium. Online newspapers now provide streaming video, TV has chat that is extremely interactive and even radio has camera's or telephone systems (Quinn 43). The advent of the very exciting 3G telephony has likewise brought new feeling of excitement and fascination as companies in the field of mass media could include videogames, news, entertainment and online communication. This is now referred to as 2'convergence media.' 3G (or 3-G) is the short terminology to refer to 'third-generation technology' which utilizes the technology of the mobile phone. The 3G technology has the capability to transfer both voice data and non-voice data such as access to information, email messaging system, instant messaging, internet browsing access, entertainment such as streaming audio and video, streaming movies, and real time TV access (Livingston 12). As of now, there are approximately 60 3G networks in 25 countries all over the globe and spans three continents: Asia, Europe, and North America.NTT DoCoMo - the biggest telecommunications company in Japan - in the early 21st century-one of the giant telecommunication companies in Japan-became the first and leading company to initiate a commercial 3G system. Meanwhile, the introduction of 3G services in Europe started in the year 2003 (Serajul 25) . Currently, debates if the web and television will converge more in the future which will allow only one form of technology instead of the two forms and people in the future will not be able to distinguish the difference between the two. But in order for the two media to join or converge, two occurrences have to happen. Internet and TV should first become interchangeable in content, which means that TV should be able to view the Internet and the other way around. Secondly, 3viewers should be interested in the interchangeability of these media contents. Aside from the converging of different media technologies, the innovation and adoption of these technologies all over the world has become prevalent in the last decade. In Asia for instance, network infrastructure is becoming more advanced and the region is leading in Internet broadband technology. Still, newspapers have tried their best to thrive amidst these fierce competitions (Keenan 77). In one survey conducted in Asia, respondents stated that the cluster consisting of World Wide Web, Mobile Telephone, Multimedia Computer, and Communication Satellite, best represents media convergence (Serajul 1-2). Although it should be noted that the other clusters are also of significant importance, they are just not as imperative in the convergence concept. In America, US respondents included cable TV in their answers as well as pay-per-view and video on demand. However, many people in different continents believe that acquiring information in the web is the most important function of the media convergence (Flew 23). This convergence, considered as the new trend in media technology has a precedence in history as communications companies in the past have founded newspaper chains and networks of radio and television companies in order to attain many advantages in business as convergence is viewed as the extension and escalation of the convergence idea. AOL Time Warner in the United States can be observed as a representation for media convergence (England 90). Time Inc. and Warner Brothers signed the merger agreement in 1989, which then became the world's largest media and entertainment corporation dealing with other ventures such as magazine publishing, music recording, film production and distribution. AOL purchased Time Warner in January 2001 in order to expand the Time Warner network of companies. The convergence of these new technologies has considerable impact on society and businesses as the society itself impinge on the companies to utilize the availability and easy access of the new media technology. Experts in the past few years have argued that free speech and privacy will be further protected and democratic institutions will be reinforced by the current communication opportunities provided by digital media. One reason is that access to and utilization of new digital media technologies such as the Internet, computer games, mobile telephones, have become an ordinary part of everyday life in every communities all over the world.. Media experts also acknowledged that a revolution in media industry everywhere is going on in the world as a result of the new media technology or convergent media which transformed methods of communication in communities and nations all over the world. In our world of converged media, consumers have been controlling the businesses and outputs of corporations making technology savvy individuals the leaders of innovation and dictating the flow of business in ways the want it to verge. Current users of technology for instance, use Apple iPods to create their own music play lists. Personal video recorders have become common permitting them to tailor television schedules according to their whims. These consumers in this century have accessed stock-market updates, text messages, wallpaper, ring-tones, and short-form video into their cellular phones as well as come together online communities, debate in blogs, produce their individual content in their websites as their social networks online started to grow. Today's mass media audience take control of the business and as consumers, they could be observed as demanding and engaged in every step a certain company takes. Thus, the success of business in today's generation is closely linked to the minds of the consumers and how they use media technology. Access to broadband internet and Wireless Fidelity internet as well as the use of internet powered by satellite has created this new generation of consumers. This in turn created a media participating consumers which could control the future of media technology. The Pew Internet & American Life Project has reported that 57% of American teens produce content for the World Wide Web which includes texts, pictures, music and video and other forms of graphic arts (Serajul 1-2). The new media culture is the culture in which people refuse to consume passively what the media bombards through advertising but actively takes part in them. This means that consumers also create content in any form of interest or scale and this has been found out to have critical implications for businesses using conventional approach which is to capture the attention of a large audience during advertisement interruptions. In the age of the new media, companies will have a tiny audience instead, sometimes a bit larger where media conglomerates and huge venture corporations will have no room for competition against small scale and medium enterprise in collaboration so as to take the opportunity available to them (Thorburn 26). Many content creators in the new media will generate and produce content which does not necessarily aimed at making profits but just to attract attention and gain audience. This is very true in the internet nowadays as the line between big business advertisement and bloggers' pages is becoming hazy. In convergence terminals such as the 3G, these kinds of phenomena are still about to spread but companies are already conscious of implications if ever 3G develops into an internet like portal. What is important to note in this new media technology is that the new generation and the young people will be given the opportunity to decide for themselves what is reliable and important. The youth today could employ a lot of help which was not present in the previous generation. Collective reasoning and opinion will guide the younger generation to filter out technologies and advertisement which are developed to barrage their sensibilities. For many, the advantages of the new media revolution we are experiencing today will be the flourishing of the novel ideas and creativity and the Renaissance like blooming of expression in technology. But for many businesses related to the media, this means losses as the traditional media, a source of only one truth as compared to the highly technological media, a source of multiple truths. These also threaten the business form many conventional media companies have been accustomed to as it also threatens their profits (Livingston 76). Furthermore, innovations in the media and the proliferation of the high tech convergent participatory media will have profound impact in the communication scene as this novelty allows information and data to reach more audience in many levels. Convergence is a more established culture and not just an ephemeral fad or trend. This brings power to journalism, proliferation of information and the gaining of knowledge through the use of multimedia communication. It is also significant to note that young people today are more in touch with each other and they communicate more often even at a very early age. The impact of these multimedia communication systems is important for personal relationships as well as businesses (Watkinson 145). Parents today have children who are nurturing youngsters that are technology savvy , skillful with the new technology and have the convenience to having virtual access to friends, family and the world as a whole and all these comes at a very young age. This seems good new to businesses whose consumers of new technological products such as mobile phones and laptops have become younger and younger. Thus, the future of new media and convergent media technology looks brighter for many consumers who have been directly participating in the innovations and development of these technologies. As these developments continues, we will see more empowered consumers who are not easily pleased and are more skeptical of the new innovations. We will also see consumers who are more careful and are very informed of their choices as information sharing becomes more prevalent in the World Wide Web as well as in other forms of media like the 3G technology in mobile phones. The access of television in different formats, size and technology will also become more complex for the earlier generation but will bring about a very informed generation who learn things in an instant, learning which took the previous generation decades to gain. In conclusion, business success in the field of electronic media will be founded on the whims of the consumers who will have the greater power to constrain companies to any directions buyers like. As greater competition in electronic media begins to arise, companies that can please consumers will outlast those who don't. The next few years will also be a competition on innovations, innovations which will continue to accelerate surprise and fascinate - and these new technology could only be imagined in our wildest of fantasies. WORKS CITED Bhuiyan, Serajul. "Impact of new media technology on society." Asia Media: Media News Daily 205 SEP 2006 1. 22 JAN 2007 . England, Elaine. Technical Issues: Managing Multimedia: Project Management for Web and Convergent Media. 3rd. New York, NY: Penguin, 2001. Flew, Terry. New Media. 1st. Boston, MA: Oxford University Press, 2003. G. Pitts, Kings of Convergence: The Fight for Control of Canada's Media (2002); C. Kercher, Newsworkers Unite: Labor, Convergence, and North American Newspapers (2002). Keenan, Thomas. New Media, Old Media: A History and Theory Reader . 1st. London, Eng: Routledge, 2005. Livingston, Sonia. Young People and New Media: Childhood and the Changing Media Environment. 1st. New York, NY: Sage Publications LTD., 2002. Quinn, Stephen. 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