*Interactivity*
Interactivity has a major role to play in the ‘New’ Media, this goes without saying. In this digital age, journalists and major Media conglomerates have turned to new ways of conveying information to the public, and this is done through Interactivity.
The digilitization of the Media has given the public new ways of accessing information, other than traditional forms of Media such as newspapers. DVDS, Digital Television, Social Networking and several Media sites such as RTÉ have given consumers the choice and the ability to choose what they see and when. Several websites even go as far as to update consumers on the news which is important to them, as individuals, based on the catagories most viewed by them.
Interactivity allows the public to control what they see and hear, unlike the traditional Media i.e newspapers and televised news, in which the consumer has no say.
Multimedia
Multimedia is the means of using different forms of media to convey information, and since we are now living in the Information Age, the word ‘multimeda’ has become part of our everday vocabulary. It includes the use of text, graphics, still images and videos and of course, the Internet.
Multimedia can be divided into two major catagories – linear and non-linear multimedia. According to www.usu.edu , multimedia can be defined as “A non-interactive form of multimedia in which a project starts at a beginning and runs through to the end. Conventional “television” is essentially “linear multimedia” (although switching channels could be said to involve interactivity). However, there is no ability for the end user to control when elements are to be delivered. Some multimedia projects are like television in that they present material in a linear fashion from beginning to end” (http://www.usu.edu/sanderso/multinet/definiti.html#L)
Whereas non-linear multimedia is “When the end user is given navigational control to wander through multimedia content at will. The user can control what is seen and when it will be seen” (http://www.usu.edu/sanderso/multinet/definiti.html#N) This includes video games in which the gamer can control what they see on screen and also hypermedia.
Multimedia is now commonly used for educational purposes, especially in Universities where interactive learning has a major role. For more information on Multimedia, I strongly reccomend watching the following video, “What is Multimedia”.
Street Journalism . . .
The Internet has given every Joe Bloggs the chance to shape the future of Journalism by creating his own, well…blog. (excuse the pun!) It means audience parcipitation and the every day reader now does not have to be told what he or she will read about, now they can decide. The power of the media is changing hands into those of the public. Journalism is now there for the taking and the everyday man can now choose to become part of this revolution.
Blogs, however, are not the only source of citizen journalism. Although it is not a source many would immediatly think of, but YouTube and other such sites also give rise to citizen journalism. By uploading newsworthy videos or video blogs, you are entering and changing the face of the media as we know it.
Citizen Journalism – good or bad?
Although Street Journalism gives the public a chance to participate in the Media, it causes worry and discomfort for trained journalists across the world. Is a Journalsim degree even necessary? It seems that three years studying for an honours degree is becoming less and less important as the years go by and one wonders by the time this blogger recieves her masters, will Joe Bloggs have already taken her job? What is more important – education or experience? Guess its just as well that I haven’t forfeited my social life for constant studying then . . .
*Net Culture*
Net Culture refers to applications such as e-mail, the world wide web etc according to the Hutchinson Encyclopedia. (http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/Net+culture).
Net Culture has become so popular in recent years that it is rare that a household or institution will NOT have access to the intenet. The internet is crucial these days due to its range of content and diversity, this stemming from its accessibility. The fact that essentially anyone can gain access to the internet and upload or change various parts, means that diversity is inevitable.
The media is everywhere online demonstrating that net culture has become so hugely important that even the media are cashing in. Social Networking, Online News Sources and Advertising are merely three aspects of the Media online, three unavoidable aspects.
I wonder, is there any culture other than net culture?
The Onion – the world’s best online news source?
In a world where the internet has quickly become the most accesible source of news worldwide, websites such as The Onion have become increasingly popular. These websites offer those caught up in the rat race to find out about various types of news in a manner that best suits their needs – one that is easily accesible up to date. The busy folk of the world cannot take time from hectic schedules to get the latest news from sources such as newspapers or television and instead the internet offers them a new innovative means of keeping up to date with current affairs.
The Onion is self described as America’s finest news source and the aim of this post is to question the truth behind this statement. Is The Onion truly the best online news source that the U.S. has to offer or are there other sites which give it a run for its money?
The layout of The Onion is very operative, divided into several sub sections and headlines, making the site clear, concise and easy to use, headed by main stories and then broken down into news, polotics, entertainment etc later on. Taking all this into account while viewing other online news sources such as The Huffington Post which is not half as accesible, it seems that The Onion is truly America’s finest news site.
