The Internet: The New Milleniums Answer to Written Communication - Essay Example

The Internet: The New Millenium’s Answer to Written Communication The worldwide establishment of the internet throughout most cultures and countries has revolutionized the way people live their lives on many fronts. Computers are becoming smaller, more readily available and more affordable for those in even small, out of the way places. Technologies are emerging that place computers in the hands of children who don’t even have access to electricity, providing instead a hand crank to provide the necessary power to run basic programs. Satellites make it possible to access the internet from just about any place on the globe, connecting the most remote outpost to the innermost dwelling in the urban jungle at a moment’s notice. This begins to illustrate the importance the internet is taking on in the new interconnected high technology world. With the introduction of the internet and communications occurring literally at the speed of light, new practices in modern living are evolving, such as e-commerce, e-trade and e-finance, creating a much more interconnected world even as we remain physically quite far apart. People are finding it possible to do everything they need to do from their own desktop, including receiving the news, interacting with others, working, shopping, banking, trading and any number of other activities. In addition, the internet’s content is relatively free of restriction which allows for the concept of free speech to be fully exercised and put to the test. While “development of a written language is one of the hallmarks of civilization” (Volti, 2001: 181), the development of the internet is proving to be this era’s revolutionary change in communication as it changes the expectations people have regarding communication channels, changes the way in which we communicate on a public level through the media and on a personal level through blogs, listserves and webcasts. The ability of people to connect with each other across long distances at practically the speed of light via the web has changed not only the way people communicate, but also the expectations they have for the retrieval of information. Email is free and instantaneous causing its use by businesses and individuals to grow at a phenomenal rate over the past decade. Few people write letters or read the newspapers anymore as these are seemingly archaic methods of communication and have the added disadvantage of costing money, regardless of how little this sum might actually be. “Nowadays, we think nothing of emailing our aunts in Germany and getting an answer back within minutes, or seeing the latest streaming video full of up to the minute news” (Boswell, 2006). Neither letter-writing nor newspaper delivery can provide the instant information that is today essential for businesses in the modern world to compete effectively and simply a fact of life that is taken for granted for most in the developed world. People are now turning to alternative forms of receiving information, such as blogs, video blogs, webcasts, chatrooms and listservs. The commonly used term ‘mass media’ encompasses numerous institutions and individuals that differ in method and purpose, all of which have been impacted by the development and accessibility of the internet. In general usage, ‘mass media’ has been considered to define groups who make up the communications profession in both the entertainment and news industries. “Mass media refers to those media that are designed to be consumed by large audiences through the agencies of technology” (Boles, 2003). The specific role of the media in society is often debated but what is not argued is that access to information is essential to the health of a liberal democratic society. Newspapers, radio, television and the internet allow citizens the opportunity to make informed choices and serves as part of the checks and balances of a society, a ‘fourth branch of government.’ Mass media is necessary as its existence ensures that those elected to public office are held accountable, but this has become even more possible since the invention of the internet as has already been demonstrated in Canadian and American politics. “Over the next 10 years, as a new political generation comes on-line, the Internet will probably surpass television as the main mode of communication. And with the Internet will provide an even greater ability for the public to talk back” (Ansolabehere, 2000). Reporters already have consummate access to government documents and databases, public and private libraries, and archives of newspapers and other publications through the power of the Internet. An effective media outlet must have editorial independence and serve a diversity of public interests uncontrolled by government or ideological influence. The ability of the Internet to allow average users to post their own views and comments has the effect of shaping mass media. As Paul Ford (2001) puts it regarding the advent of the internet into the general world, “it felt like we were being listened to, taken seriously, and understood. We had a voice, we lonesome dorks evangelizing the Internet to our peers and betters, trying to explain how gopher, FTP, and the nascent WWW was a radical reinvention of all knowledge.” The addition of the internet has ushered in an age of highly technologically produced mass communication and has made it possible for us to gain access to far more information than ever before in the history of mankind. Through such user-directed content as blogs, listservs and webcasts, the common man is now, for perhaps the first time in history, able to have some form of interaction with the major news mediums of the world. “Blogs can be used to make political statements, promote products, provide research information and give tutorials” (Ng, 2007). As such, blogs can be found written by politicians, musicians, novelists, sports figures, newscasters and other notable figures as attempts to not only share their opinions, but to promote their own personal agendas separate from the restrictive and uncontrolled traditional venues of newspaper and television. Listservs are essentially a question thrown out to the great beyond in hopes of discovering an answer. Questions and responses are available online for as long as the server cares to host it, allowing users from all places and multiple times to respond while providing ample room for further discussion. Chatrooms build on this concept by adding instant responses to this text-based mode of communication. As users type in their thoughts, other users can immediately respond, having ‘virtual conversations’ in real time. Organized in community groups of shared interests, chatrooms have enabled internet users to share information on a wide scale without dependence upon more traditional methods of news media and without the wait typically associated with previous community-specific publications such as magazines and newspapers (Pack, 2003). There remain several inherent risks with this method of communication however, the most pressing being that of internet predators seeking younger internet users for harmful purposes (Sullivan, 2006). This is only possible because of the close relationships that can form with frequent conversation and sharing of interests. Webcasts allow any average internet user to become their own interactive news program discussing whichever topics they choose and allowing other internet users to call or write in their responses and questions. “The potential for everyone to self-publish has the ability to revolutionize the world by sharing video across cultures and countries” (Clint Sharp cited in Dean, 2005). Many large and small businesses have already discovered the advantages of webcasting as an alternative means of conducting business rather than flying various constituents in from around the country or the world. “Online meetings are interactive and collaborative. They’re in real time so there’s two-way communication via instant messaging or other software between a participant and the conference leader or across the team or group, depending on how you customize the meeting. You can instantly share content and visuals, watch and listen to presentations or ask questions and make comments – often simultaneously” (Krotz, 2007). Distance learning and even traditional learning scenarios have employed the use of webcasts with an eye toward future technology integration in and out of the classroom, politicians have used them to help launch campaigns or to advocate party affiliations and other organizations have used them as effective press conferences or to inform research markets and analysts. Communication technology in the form of online communication, which can take written or audio/visual format, has revolutionized what we have come to expect out of communication techniques. No longer is the individual satisfied with waiting a week or even a day for news of what interests them. People now expect nearly instant access to the information they wish to know. This increased access to the internet by the public has had the effect of changing the way in which mass media operates, constantly having to broadcast on a number of different venues and requiring closer adherence to truth as facts can be easily and quickly checked. At the same time, individuals within the public sphere have gained increased access to these media sources and can even go so far as to become a media source in and of themselves through the available technology with just a small investment. Works Cited Ansolabehere, Stephen. “The Role of the Media.” International Information Programs. Illinois State University, 2000. Boles, Derek. “Language of Media Literacy: A Glossary of Terms.” Center for Media Literacy. Canada, 2003. February 4, 2009 Boswell, Wendy. “How the World Wide Web has Changed Society.” About the Internet. (2006). February 4, 2009 Dean, Katie. “Survey Confirms It: Spam Sucks.” Wired News. (October 23, 2003). February 4, 2009 Ford, Paul. “Internet Culture Review.” Software Stories. FTrain. (February 27, 2001). February 4, 2009 Krotz, Joanna. “How to host a successful B2B Webcast.” Small Business Center. Microsoft Office, 2007. February 4, 2009 Ng, Deborah. “What are Blogs?” WiseGeek. Conjecture Corporation, 2007. February 4, 2009 < http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-blogs.htm> Pack, Thomas. “Creating Community.” Information Technology. All Technology, 2003. February 4, 2009 Sullivan, Mike. “How to Protect Your Kids Online.” The Dangers of Chat and Instant Messaging. Security Software Systems, 2006. February 4, 2009 from Read More