What is new media - Essay Example

What is New Media? Grade (November 2, What is new media? New Media is a very complex term that has seen people try and try to define, but often falling back into listing the components and the vehicles of New Media, as opposed to defining in actual terms, what New Media is. Thus, to define media, it is essential to look at the existing difference between the old mediums of communication and the new ones, based on two major components; democratization and distribution of the communication content (Socha & Eber-Schmid, 2014).

The old media was restricted in both democratization and also distribution of the communication content, such that either unique content would be passed on to one individual at a time, or general content would be passed to many audiences at a time, but both would not occur simultaneously (Crosbie, 1998). The old media comprised of one-to-one (interpersonal communication) or one-to-many (mass communication), where the interpersonal communication would allow for passing a unique content to one person only; at a time, while the mass media would allow for the distribution of the same message to a large audience, but without the ability to make the content individualized or made unique for any single individual (Crosbie, 1998).

Thus, the New Media can be defined as the mode of communication that allows for unique and general content transmission at a time, meaning that using the new media, an individual can be able to communicate a unique message to a selected individual in form of a one-to-one communication, and at the same time be able to send a general communication content to a wider audience (Crosbie, 1998). Thus, New Media is characterized by the possibility of democratization of the communication content; the possibility to send and receive communication either in the form of unique or general content for an individual.

The New Media can also be defined as a creation of the technological advancement, such that it is a communication media that could not have been possible if technology did not exist (Manovich, 2001). It is possible to communicate one-to-one without any technological aid, for example through face-to-face communication of two individuals. Additionally, it is possible to communicate to a wider audience without the use of technology, for example a leader addressing a gathering. However, it is not possible to communicate a unique content to one individual and pass general information to the rest of the gathering, if technology does not exist.

In this respect, New Media is the communication media that is technology-dependent, and which will cease to exist, should technology cease to exist (Crosbie, 1998). Thus, New Media is a communication medium that allows for interactivity of the communication content, through the content being manipulated and networked, allowing for simultaneous communication of unique and individualized content with the communication of general content, since the communication agent can manipulate the content to suit either unique or general audience (Socha & Eber-Schmid, 2014).

The New Media is a function of the existence of the internet, personal computers, networking systems, invention of the mosaic browsers and Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) for allowing the passage of information (Crosbie, 1998). Therefore, simply put, New Media is not the computers, or the internet, or the browser software, or the networking systems, but the combination of all these to form an integrated communication media that allows for the democratization of the communication process, in a manner that traditional communication media could not allow (Manovich, 2001).

ReferencesCrosbie, V. (1998). What is New Media? http://www.sociology.org.uk/as4mm3a.docManovich, L. (2001). The Language of New Media. MIT Press.http://faculty.georgetown.edu/irvinem/theory/Manovich-LangNewMedia-excerpt.pdfSocha, B. & Eber-Schmid, B. (2014). What is New Media? New Media Institute. Available at: http://www.newmedia.org/what-is-new-media.html