Although TV ownership dropped last year for the first time since 1992, traditional TV viewership rose 22 minutes

the length of a sitcom per month. Now the average viewer consumes 1 9 hours of TV per month. And there!s also a new media platform your "nternet #rowser that increasingly competes for your attention. According to $orrester, people spend as much time on the "nternet as they do watching television and sometimes they watch TV on the "nternet on sites li%e Netfli& and'ulu. (o how does digital!s infiltration of the mainstream affect consumer trends when it comes to television) *ar%et research firm *intel recently pu#lished a report on the +.(. television industry we chec%ed out the data and found some other stats to shed some light on what!s happening in the world of television. 1. TV Embraces the Internet Than%s to 'ulu and Netfli&, people don,t necessarily need television sets in order to consume media. -ut while the recession prompted consumers to cut #ac% on dining out and other frivolities, they did continue to spend on home entertainment, which has prompted many TV manufacturers invest in new, "nternet.ena#led models. (o even while traditional television is #eing challenged #y the rise of "nternet video streaming, manufacturers are em#racing new consumer #ehaviors. /oo% at (ony!s search.centric 0oogle TV, for e&ample. The set allows user to search for 1(einfeld,1 and call up air times, cast information from "*2- and information on where the content can #e viewed on the we# it!s a more holistic and streamlined e&perience. There are several other ways to stream we# content to your TV, including the use of connected devices li%e -o&ee -o&. The sym#iosis #etween "nternet, apps and TV could %eep the TV industry going strong.

2. The Box Office Pulls People Away rom Their TVs

The movie industry has also affected TV consumerism the rise of 32 movies has pulled consumers away from their sofas and into cinemas, where they can indulge in a highly visual e&perience for a few #uc%s more than a regular movie. 4hile 32 TVs e&ist, they come at a hefty price and don!t yet provide the same level of viewer immersion.

32 technology was touted as the ne&t frontier in the TV industry, #ut consumers don,t seem to #e latching on in a 2515 study, 637 of survey respondents said 32 technology isn,t enough to ma%e them want to #uy a new TV, and nearly one.third of people say 32 doesn!t enhance the viewing e&perience. "t seems that 32 technology is preferred on the #ig screens of movie theaters and not in one!s home. 8ust 37 of TV owners own a 32 TV, #ut there!s not much 32 content out there to %eep them entertained. The resistance also can #e attri#uted to the glasses factor9 many people find them uncomforta#le, inconvenient and, in some cases, nausea.inducing.

a. !ata is the name of the "ame 2uring the announcement of the merger, /evy was :uic% to use the ;#ig data< #u==word. "n the press release , >u#licis 0roupe ?@A /Bvy said, ;The communication and mar%eting landscape has undergone dramatic changes in recent years, including the e&ponential development of new media giants, the e&plosion of -ig 2ata, #lurring of the roles of all players and profound changes in consumer #ehavior.< Access to consumer data will #enefit the >u#licis Amnicom 0roup, #ut it is also potentially a good deal for clients. At least in theory, with more data, the group can provide smarter decisions to advertisers. -ut, not everyone is convinced that the merger will result in #etter data capa#ilities. ?lients generally own the rights to consumer data, so merging two ad agencies will not necessarily result in more data sharing. $urthermore, agencies don,t need scale to e&tract value from #ig data. "n any case, the fact that data is part of the conversation a#out this deal highlights the growing importance of collecting, managing, and ma%ing sense of consumer data. "t,s starting to happen now, #ut in the future, companies that provide a platform for data collection will rule the #usiness world.

#. TV Is $oin" %ocial

Television viewers are often multitas%ing they watch their favorite shows while interacting on social media platforms via their ta#lets, smartphones and laptops. A 2eloitte survey found that C27 of Americans surf the we# while watching television, 297 tal% on their phones while the TV is on and 2D7 of consumers are te&ting or sending "*s. According to TV Guide, Twitter leads $ace#oo% when it comes to social engagement during a show!s airtime a phenomenon %nown as 1social TV.1 57 of users said they tweet a#out the

show they!re currently watching, while only 3 7 say they post to $ace#oo%. "nterestingly, the most social TV shows are not necessarily the ones with the highest Nielsen ran%ings they!re the ones that spur conversation and have super passionate fans. American Idol, Glee andSmallville crac%ed the top ten, even though they!re all in different echelons of Nielsen ratings. At *asha#le ?onnect, TV Guide!s ?hristy Tanner spo%e a#out social TV and where it!s going the video of her tal% is em#edded a#ove. Tanner said the reason people are inclined to share their opinions on their favorite TV shows is that it!s not a controversial topic, li%e politics, and it!s not #oring, li%e the weather. And so, we share our thoughts with our friends on $ace#oo%, Twitter and other sites. &. A'(ertisin" Is )ore Tar"ete' (ome TV #rands have #egun to target demographics more specifically. 4hile they used to target the ;+nder C < crowd, (amsung now targets young families, males under 3 and active and childless 2 .3C.years olds. /i%ewise, Toshi#a ads spea% to independent millennial womenE (harp appeals to tech.savvy consumers with Star Trek actor 0eorge Ta%ei, and Vi=io targets shopping.savvy and trendy twenty. somethings. Fou might also notice more advertising targeted toward fathers. 2ads are more receptive to television product mar%eting, as tech is something male friends tal% a#out over #eer, and a father could Gustify a new television as a #ig investment that will #enefit and entertain the whole family. Television companies may try to target dads directly may#e with a commercial of one family with a souped up TV #eing happier than a family without such a TV or via the children. A 32 TV would ma%e gaming and other TV.#ased activities more e&citing, for e&ample, so the %ids might give dad that e&tra push to splurge. !emo"raphic Tren's The *intel report is littered with interesting tid#its and data gleaned from its survey. 'ere are some interesting trends and stats9

$lat.panel TVs remains most dominant in households with incomes that e&ceed H155,555. Not surprisingly, this demographic is also more li%ely to own a TV larger than 5<. >urchasers tend to want the #iggest TV screen they can afford, which suggests that si=e trumps technology and features.

Those under C or with children are more li%ely to have a large TV screen. "nterest in Netfli& is as high among C . C year olds as it is among 2 .3C year olds. 217 of respondents would pay up to H155 more for an energy.efficient TV. 3C7 of respondents would li%e to upgrade at least one TV in the home. C97 of respondents li%e to have a TV in the #edroom. 167 of respondents li%e to have a TV in the %itchen.

Emer"in" tren's in Print *ournalism+

8ournalism has #een going through several maGor technological changes during the past few decades. The pace of these changes is :uic%ening now, altering the practice of the profession as never #efore. These changes, which encompass a wide range of activities from news gathering to dissemination, are #ringing many #enefits. At the same time, the profession faces some negative impacts too. The Print )e'ium -ut #efore loo%ing at the "nternet, let us e&amine what is happening to the good old print medium. The great #rea%through for the printing technology was the development of high speed steam printing press in 1635. A hundred years later, the rotary press emerged ma%ing mass production of newspapers possi#le. There had #een many refinements and additions to the technology such as offset printing. "n fact, most of the important developments #efore the arrival of computers were around the printing press. The :uality and speed of printing improved tremendously in the latter half of the twentieth century. >rinting presses #ecame very sophisticated, and the level of automation increased. "f two persons were needed earlier to load each page, cast in lead, onto the rotary press, now plates are loaded automatically on the we# offset press. Technologies also emerged for high :uality colour separation and four colour printing. The rotary press started giving way to the we# offset presses as #ac% us in the seventies. And for the last two decades, nothing dramatic seems to #e happening in this area. 'owever, the electronic sophistry of printing presses is increasing. The num#er of copies that can #e printed on a we# offset press has #een gradually going up, surpassing earlier limits set #y the rotary. The latest presses are computer controlled and custom settings can automatically #e made through computers. They can also #e operated remotely. This has reduced

the num#er of people needed to operate the presses. The units of the latest presses are arranged vertically, reducing the need for long hori=ontal spaces. The second half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of transmission of newspaper pages #y fa& and the inauguration of photocomposing. The 8apanese had started using facsimile transmission of the newspaper pages early in the fifties. T'@ '"N2+ was the first newspaper to introduce facsimile editions in "ndia. (ome newspapers li%e Malayala Manorama adopted this technology several years later. Athers altogether s%ipped this phase of technology and Gumped to computer #ased transmission of pages in the nineties. >rior to these developments, monotype had given way to /inotype in larger newspapers. Hot metal composition, which was common in the seventies, was tedious and time consuming. The average output on a /inotype machine was a#out 255 Inewspaper columnJ lines per hour. There was an inherent restriction on the speed of the operator as molten lead is cast into lines. >hotocomposing, which arrived in the seventies, removed the tedium of the operator to a large e&tent and restrictions on his speed. The early photocomposing units installed #y T'@ '"N2+ could compose 1555 lines per minute. Now, no#ody tal%s of speed in composing. The only speeds worth considering now are the speed of the operator and the speed of transferring the made up page on to film Iwhich is Gust a few minutesJ. 4hole newspaper pages can now #e sent across continents in a matter of minutes. This is #eing facilitated #y high speed modems, fi#re optic ca#les and satellite lin%s. The last page #eing readied for an edition that is, the front page carrying the late #rea%ing news, can reach the press from the pagination room in less than ten minutes. The latest we# offset printing presses for newspapers can print at the rate of a#out one la%h copies per hour. 4hile the high end technologies for printing #ecame more comple&, a new dimension to pu#lishing was added #y the personal computer. The computer made it possi#le to pu#lish material from the des%top. Thus, pu#lication of a lot of new material #ecame feasi#le. Now, one can pu#lish small #oo%lets or maga=ines without worrying a#out the costs and large scale circulation. The page ma%ing can now #e done even from your home. Thus, you can pu#lish something with small investments. The whole e:uipment would cost you only a few la%h rupees, and the power of pu#lishing is in your hands. IFou have to use the services of an outside printing press, if you want a good num#er of copiesJ. The distinguishing feature of this technology is that it can #ring a#out :uality very closer to those achieved #y larger presses. Almost all the typesetting features and tools needed to #ring out well designed pu#lications are availa#le in latest 2T> programs for the personal computer. They can handle graphics and pictures with ease. Accompanying programs li%e >hoto(hop can enhance the :uality of your photographs. And programs li%e ?orel2KA4 offer unlimited graphic and design

opportunities. Type alignment has #ecome so easy that you ta%e it for granted. IAnce, this was #eing done manuallyLJ As " said earlier, the low end and high end technologies in typesetting and page ma%e up are now closer than a decade ago. A small as well as large pu#lication would need only personal computers to ma%e the page. 2efinitely, the latter would need more of them, organised into a local area networ% or intranet, with much more dis% space and other resources. An the software side, the features availa#le on the ?hampion system used #yT'@ '"N2+ and the >age*a%er used #y a local des%top pu#lisher in Thiruvananthapuram are not much different. 4hat the local man lac%s is the /inotronic printer that can transfer the made up page on to photographic film for plate ma%ing. This situation may also change if service providers with /inotronic printers get esta#lished as in the 4est. "n future, it would #e possi#le for the des%top pu#lisher to hand over floppy dis%s containing his pages to the presses which will have /inotronic printers. The entry of computers into typesetting was not without any casualties. The computers almost displaced a #and of traditional typesetters, impositors and lay out artists who rightly prided in their wor%. They were men who practised type setting and layout as an art, strictly adhering to rules of their profession. The computer operators who replaced them were adept in handling the machine and the programs, #ut lac%ed %nowledge a#out niceties of typesetting. As there was a divide #etween the old and the new generation, the fine art of typesetting was not passed on to the new generation #y the old guard in full. Though most of the old typesetters were trained in the use of computers in several organisations so as to avoid retrenchments, most of them never ac:uired full mastery of the new medium. *any were Gust using the computer in a mechanical manner and loo%ing forward to their retirement. As a result of this, now one finds the new comers #rea%ing rules, that were considered sacrosanct #y the old guard, with impunity. (ome of them have not even heard of things li%e grid alignment. *any of them manipulate line spacing without discipline and entirely leave spacing #etween words and Gustification to the machine. Though the typesetters now have the added power to manipulate features li%e %erning, many of today!s typesetters do not have the s%ill or inclination to try them. (cala#le fonts availa#le on computers have opened up possi#ilities that the old generation of typesetters could never dream of. The freedom of the old compositors to chose point si=es was limited #y the choices availa#le in their composing room. Now, the computers will create any point si=e for you. And a large num#er of fonts are availa#le as never #efore. The machine, however, had #rought in certain limitations on page design. 4ith some of the early software, there were difficulties in achieving te&t flow into /.shaped or T.shaped designs. 2efining of rectangular design elements, on the other hand, was easy. Thus, /.shaped and T.shaped te&t lay

out #ecame rare in newspapers using computer typesetting and rectangular #loc%s dominated. The new techni:ues also led to newspapers gradually a#andoning vertical and hori=ontal page ma%e up in favour of modular design. The transition was often through designs that were neither this nor that.

Emer"in" tren's in ,a'io+

Kadio hasn!t changed much in the last ten years. "n fact, radio hasn!t changed much in the last twenty years. The single most impactful change in radio happened with the passing of the Telecommunications Act of 199D. "t deregulated media ownership, allowing a company to own more stations than previously. *ost famously, ?lear ?hannel went on a #uying spree, purchasing hundreds of radio stations over that ne&t few years. This changed the 1who1 of radio. "t changed programming. *ade stations more homogeni=ed and centrali=ed. "t shifted the social ecology and dismantled the culture of radio, replacing it with the shell of corporatism. These radical shifts in the media landscape changed the 1who1 of radio, #ut they didn!t change the 1what1 of radio, i.e. what listeners thin% of as radio, that remained the same. "n the ne&t five to ten years, the 1what1 of radio is going to #e flipped on its head and transformed into something that!s fundamentally different. The young and the digital are going to live through the greatest transformation that traditional radio and in.car music have ever seen. "n this post, we!ll tal% a#out the democrati=ation of radio, the app revolution, the personali=ed music e&perience, e. commerce on wheels, real.time station analytics, and the creative destruction that will ensue. 'ere are si& maGor trends that will change radio forever9 1J The 2emocrati=ation of Kadio. Kight now, we ta%e it for granted that we can only access the radio stations that e&ist in the places where we live. /ocal radio is local #ecause we don!t have the a#ility to tune into much else. "n as soon as four years! time, e&perts argue we will see 1near saturation1 in the connected, 4i. $i ena#led car mar%et. 4hat this means is that the tyranny of geography that defines the current radio landscape will #e lifted indefinitely.

/isteners will gain access to stations on the we# and across the country. The amount of options availa#le will #e unprecedented. 0iven how rigid most single.format, local stations are, those without a connection to their audience will die. The car#on copy, dime a do=en classic roc% and top C5 local stations will #e disrupted. Those without a voice will lose. (oon, radio will canni#ali=e itself. All stations will #e at war, everywhereE they!ll steal listeners from each other. 2J The "n.?ar *usic App Kevolution. "n.car radio is a fact of life. The few competitors to challenge the mindshare of traditional radio have #een the cell phone, the social phenomenon of the i>od, and satellite radio, i.e. (iriusM*. The connected car will #ring forth the availa#ility of apps li%e >andora and *A0, as well as, ones that we haven!t even anticipated yet. Ance traditional radio is Gust another app, rather than a stand. #y, it shifts the landscape. The selling point of radio has always #een that it!s free, it wor%s, and it!s Gust there. "n the future, that proposition won!t hold as strongly in the minds of listeners. The notion of tuning into an personally irrelevant and #anal local station will seem dated and contrived once listeners have more personali=ed e&periences availa#le to them. News and weather updates, as well as, cele#rity gossip can #e delivered more efficiently though other in.car apps. Ance the personali=ed, on.demand music e&perience ta%es hold, traditional radio will increasingly lose listener interest. 3J The >ersonali=ed *usic @&perience. There!s nothing #etter than hearing a personali=ed music e&perience while driving. (omething a#out the act of driving N and our #uilt.in e&pectations of it entails N heightens the pleasure derived from hearing a personali=ed playlist. 'earing song after song of music that we love has a certain #lissful, euphoric feeling to it. 4e!ve all Gammed out when one of our favorite songs played on the radio, #ut few of us have had the chance to Gam out to every one of our favorite songs. Fes, a person can create aplaylist or shuffle their i>od, #ut the randomness and discovery elements are what ma%e the personali=ed music e&perience so special. Aur #rains have a prediction mechanism and when a song plays that we love, yet hadn!t :uite anticipated, it!s flooded with dopamine. "t!s li%e winning at a slot machine. >laylist music doesn!t have that effect. There are no pleasant surprises. The second thing to consider is that the data that can #e collected to determine the nature of a

personali=ed music e&perience is vaster. Voice recognition can pic% up on a listener!s tone, i.e. mood, 0>( %nows their location, and in.car apps %now what the weather is li%e. All of this can #e used to create a uni:ue playlist. Added to this is also the fact that personali=ed, ad.supported services will ta%e user profiles into the car and serve up highly targeted ads. Kather than #eing hit with ads from car dealers and insurance providers, listeners will hear targeted ads that are relevant to them. At present, traditional radio can!t offer these things. CJ @.?ommerce on $our 4heels. Thin% a#out it. @verything is for sale. @very song played on radio will #e availa#le to #e purchased while people drive. "t will download directly to their car. No driving to the store. No visiting iTunes. Now. Fou hear a song you li%e and purchase it at the moment of discovery. -y the time things get to this point, some have argued that listeners will have shifted from an ownership to access model. There!s truth to this, #ut trust me, everything changes when everything is for sale. 4hen a song can #e #ought mindlessly with a single voice control or press of a #utton, listeners will #uy. The identity of every song will #e %nown and various types of dynamic pricing can #e integrated. At various times of the day, a song may cost H1 or it may drop to 5O. 4hen every single listener is a potential #uyer, when every recommendation is more personali=ed, it changes the entire face of music mar%eting. $or a fee, listeners may #e a#le to send songs to their family mem#ers and friends during their morning commutes. Ance everything is for sale, radio stations could may evolve into the largest, most profita#le affiliate mar%eters ever. All songs are ads. J Keal.Time /istener Analytics. Tim 4estergren, the founder of >andora, imagines a day when every car has 1Thum#s +p1 and 1Thum#s 2own1 #uttons installed on the steering wheel. And if you thin% a#out it, traditional radio hopes for the same thing too. Not only would such a feature provide real.time listener analytics, #ut it also would help prevent listener turnover. 4hen a listener puts effort into ma%ing a station #etter and feels li%e their votes matter, they will #e much li%ely to stic% with a station when a song comes on that they don!t li%e. "nstead of calling a station to re:uest a song, voice recognition will analy=e a listener!s re:uest and send it to a station in real.time. This will #e the first time that traditional radio will gain insight into

their listening audience. (tations will %now more :uic%ly when a song is falling out of favor and when a new one is on the rise. Ance traditional radio transitions into a user.controlled format, rather than a data driven spreadsheet, stations will #e a#le to adGust playlists daily. DJ "nfinite ?reative 2estruction. Now, stop. ?onnect the dots. 4hat happens ne&t) 4ar. There will #e #lood. A handful of corporations control what listeners hear. They decide what programs receive syndication. They own hundreds of radio stations, #ill#oards, and venues. And you %now what) "t doesn!t matter. None of it. Ance anyone can launch a station from anywhere, ma%e it availa#le on the we#, and listeners can access it in their connected cars, the entire landscape of radio shifts. The start.up costs of a radio station plummet. 4aves of would.#e radicals and entrepreneurs can rethin% radio, recreate it. /icensing will #e a #arrier for some, #ut with the right strategy, they can rise from the #ottom.up. Kadio is a legacy institution. "t!s there #ecause it!s there. No one has #een a#le to challenge its dominance. Fou can!t #eat radio at its own game, #ut once the rules change, you can create a new one. Ance the #arriers fall to offering in.car programming, an era of infinite creative destruction will commence. ?lear ?hannel!s monopoly e&ists due to the curvature of the media landscape. The rules changed in 199D and it created a new game. Ance those rules change again, entrepreneurs will create a new game and the winners and losers will differ. Intro'uction+ -hat isn.t new me'ia/

0ew )e'ia is a 21st ?entury catchall term used to define all that is related to the internet and the interplay #etween technology, images and sound. "n fact, the definition of new media changes daily, and will continue to do so. New media evolves and morphs continuously. 4hat it will #e tomorrow is virtually unpredicta#le for most of us, #ut we do %now that it will continue to evolve in fast and furious ways. 'owever, in order to understand an e&tremely comple& and amorphous concept we need a #ase line. (ince Wikipedia has #ecome one of the most popular storehouses of %nowledge in the new media age, it would #e #eneficial to #egin there9

-i1ipe'ia 'efines 0ew )e'ia as+

;P a #road term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 25th century. $or e&ample, new media holds out a possi#ility of on.demand access to content anytime, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feed#ac%, creative participation and community formation around the media content. Another important promise of new media is the 1democrati=ation1 of the creation, pu#lishing, distri#ution and consumption of media content. 4hat distinguishes new media from traditional media is the digiti=ing of content into #its. There is also a dynamic aspect of content production which can #e done in real time, #ut these offerings lac% standards and have yet to gain traction.

4i%ipedia, an online encyclopedia, is an e&ample, com#ining "nternet accessi#le digital te&t, images and video with we#.lin%s, creative participation of contri#utors, interactive feed#ac% of users and formation of a participant community of editors and donors for the #enefit of non. community readers. $ace#oo% is an e&ample of the social media model, in which most users are also participants.

*ost technologies descri#ed as 1new media1 are digital, often having characteristics of #eing manipulated, networ%a#le, dense, compressi#le, and interactive.Q1R (ome e&amples may #e the "nternet, we#sites, computer multimedia, computer games, ?2.KA*(, and 2V2s. New media does not include television programs, feature films, maga=ines, #oo%s, or paper.#ased pu#lications N unless they contain technologies that ena#le digital interactivity.;

As a conse:uence of the :uic% em#race of New *edia #y #usiness, causes, communications, and a multitude of others, the :uestion of ;what is new media)< did not receive an official or standardi=ed response. "nstead, responses to this :uestion have often entailed a series of hac%neyed %eywords or empty phrases whose effectiveness is yet to #e determined. The :uestion of new media isn,t a :uestion that merely inde&es new toys and tools. Kather, there is a :ualitative :uestion that lur%s #eneath the shining surface of the screen #randishing the images we associate as products or elements of New *edia. A good :uestion to as% instead of ;what is new media)< is ;what isnt new media)< To #e sure, there are some definite signposts to guide the twenty.first century user,s :uery.

The term ;new media< seems to escape its very definition. /oosely, new media is a way of organi=ing a cloud of technology, s%ills, and processes that change so :uic%ly that it is impossi#le to fully define Gust what those tools and processes are. $or e&ample, the cell phone in the late 1965,s could #e thought of as part of new media, while today the term might only apply selectively to a certain type of phone with a given system of applications, or even more commonly, the content of those apps. >art of the difficulty in defining New *edia is that there is an elusive :uality to the idea of ;new.< The very prospect of #eing new denotes an event Gust #eyond the hori=on, something that has only Gust arrived and which we are Gust #eginning to get our hands on. >erhaps in searching for a suita#le characteri=ation for this networ% of tools and ideas is the idea of limitless possi#ility. /imitless possi#ility for communication, for innovation, and education is certainly a fundamental element that shapes our conceptions of new media usage from now on.

Nevertheless, in see%ing a definition of ;New *edia< we need some #asic tenets that can help us get a #etter positive understanding of what New *edia is #eyond what New *edia isn,t. New media can #e characteri=ed #y the variegated use of images, words, and sounds. These networ%s of images, sounds, and te&t data are different from old media formats such as hardcopy newspapers #ecause of the nesting characteristic.

Nesting is a way of organi=ing of the presentation of information according to su#Gects while paying secondary attention to conte&t. "n the place of conte&t, nesting Imost commonly seen in te&t or image hyper.lin%ingJ is a format that fosters organi=ation in a way in which elements interact with one another instead of simply following a straight order. This new organi=ation of data does not re:uire a ;#ac% story< and each interactive element of information stands alone. New media re:uires a non.linear interpretation, since many sources are often oriented around the same su#Gect. center, #ut are not always collated. At the end of the day all this means is that one of the primary characteristics of new media is that it is freed from the linear restrictions of older formats such as newspapers, #oo%s, and maga=ines.

>erhaps this conception of new media is only part of the whole picture and the s%eletal outlines of a much more profound discussion. 4e recogni=e that many online interfaces enrich university and office e&periences, ma%ing nested and comprehensi#le write.ups, drop.#o&es, and support.#ased chat centers. The first thing that anyone using ;new media< in the twenty first century reali=es is

that the technology and capa#ility for innovation does not necessarily determine its usefulness or it,s potential. Af course, that all rests on the shoulders of the user, or does it) 0ew )e'ia 2 !i"ital !i(i'e/

New media has had a profound effect on three of the most essential categories of society in the twenty.first century9 economics politics, and the e&change of ideas. Af course, the scope of this article is limited in its a#ility to name the types of changes that are a product of new media, let alone a sufficient treatment of each category. 'owever, it is important to s%etch a #rief schematic life of new media in the "nformation Age.

@conomically, new media is the glo#e,s commercial s%eleton. $i#er optic wiring networ%s #etween the world,s cities connect one to another to anotherP. Not only does this simple fact ma%e glo#al finance and trade a physical reality, since data networ%s #etween firms and investors are universally accessi#le, #ut it also impacts the possi#ilities and conceptions of so.called ;old commercial< enterprises while giving rise to new ones. @very time a customer goes online to shop for that rare #oo% title, or that overstoc%ed i>od, or even the digital camera from a large retail store availa#le down the #loc%, new media is on #oth sides of that transaction. New media is not only the product #ut helps to mould the process of electronic commerce.

This means that manufacturing and production are largely focused on ma%ing the hardware that supports new media, while ;softer< enterprises li%e news agencies, programmers, and artists adapt their crafts to the flows of the electronic current. "f it seems a#stract, that,s #ecause it is. New media processes and communications add another dimension to the #usiness and consumers, practices we were already use to.

>erhaps the most interesting part of new media has to do with the restructuring of research, glo#al economics, social interaction, and the currents of writing and dissemination of all information that have accompanied its emergence. 4e# and #log.writing in particular are not particularly revolutionary or ground.#rea%ing #ecause it changes the way people use language or construct #asic sentences. "t is ground #rea%ing #ecause it allows people to structure and nest information into documents differently. "n today,s average we#S#log post, news articles, op.eds etc. are not only entries in mi&ed media Iphotos, writing, videoJ format, #ut they are organi=ed according to

hyperlin% organi=ation.

'yperlin% organi=ation is one of the definitive features of new media, and its implications run deep as well as wide.. Nesting, which is fre:uently in the form of hyperlin%ing, re:uires e&tensive interpretation and research. This organi=ation is #eneficial since old media representation often asserts an artificial conte&t into an article or media piece in order to provide continuity. "n nested new media, hyperlin%ing fosters the ultimate citation resource.apparatus. "n traditional reporting found in a print newspaper, scholarly research article, or encyclopedia, information and references are contained within the #ody of the te&t. There are certain citations and allusions, #ut for the most part, the sweeping or narrow nature of the te&t depends on the structural organi=ation of the piece as well as the reader,s conte&tual understanding of a given su#Gect.

"t is well %nown that data organi=ation differs greatly in twenty.first century new media. Ta%e for instance, the single most influential tool in casual research and data.storage9 Wikipedia. "t is virtually impossi#le to search an article that is pu#lished on Wikipedia without coming across a hyperlin% to another page of dataE in fact, it is more accurate to say that it,s difficult to come across an entry with fewer than ten hyperlin%s. "n addition to the classical mode of citing sources at the end of a document with trusted te&ts and data, Wikipedia e&emplifies a style of information technology that is #ased on the interconnectedness of ideas and events.

'ere it is important to note one way that ;new media< may not actually #e all that new9 2uring the $rench @nlightenment, the authors of the famed ncyclopedie created a system of footnotes that referred to certain other entries. The su#tle structure of such an organi=ation underlies a profoundly partisan representation of facts and images. The same is largely true in hyperlin% writing. 4hile the content that is mentioned and presented within an article may #e empirically accurate, it is important to note that the selection of sources and outside connections may still #e highly su#Gective. This :uality ma%es research a more shaded and comple& enterprise and sometimes even enriches the reader,s understanding of a given issue. QiR

A note on 'ata3collection

4e need to note that new media is also characteri=ed #y an astonishing and uncharted level of personal e&perienceSe&posure. Anline companies and sites can trac% the content of personal emails

and site visits in order to target advertisements on users, side#ars and preferences.

There are we#sites whose sole purpose is to compile and share personal data with we# surfers. Ane e&ample isSpeokeo!com, a we#site that uses pu#lically cached information Iphone num#ers, family mem#ers, emails, addresses, even shopping trendsJ and shares them, al#eit sparingly without a mem#ership, to all those who wish to search.

?oncerns over privacy in new media are legitimate9 the #iggest concern is whether or not to #e concerned. >erhaps in the fog of shared and lin%ed information across social sites, #usiness networ%ing, as well as email messages and pu#lically recorded data, personal privacy for those who wor% with new media technology may #e a thing of the foggy and distant twentieth century. "n reality, there is one all important caveat9 2on,t write or reveal anything on line that you wouldn,t want the world to %nowL

%ocial 'imensions

There is indeed something a#out new media that is defined #y its capa#ility to reach outside of stagnant information pools. >erhaps the term new media is more apt to descri#e the networ% of networ%s that overwrites traditional relationships in e&change for new ones. "n many ways, traditional media outlets now rely on new media sources for data and information. Ane recent article from the $rench newspaper "e Monde charted the evolution of political #logs across @urope in order to assess emerging trends and opinions in the region. 4hat this signals is twofold9 not only does new media ena#le the average person to engage in political, cultural, social, and economic action, #ut it also suggests that old.style reporting and data outlets are secondary and not primary sources for many. New media is an ena#ler and the new primary source.

The e&change of ideas and images are is of primary importance in considering the potential for new media. Not only are political hori=ons widened #ut so too are artistic and educational ones. Today, there is a tremendous a#ility for individual users who write, paint, report, educate, etc. to ma%e connections to one another in a way that might allow them to circumvent the conventions of institutional and closed opportunities.

Ane thing is very clear9 New *edia is e&periencing the growing pains of ;the 4ild 4est.< New *edia itself is neutral new technology evolving all the time. "t is up to the user as to whether it is good or #ad.

4onclusion+ rhetorical 5uestions of potential (o much of what defines new media is su#tle, unrestricted, and not standardi=ed. -ut is that good or #ad) 8ust what determines the information and communication traffic across mo#ile phones, fi#er optic wires, and online encyclopedias) 4here is new media really going, and are we, as users, constructing the destination or are we #lindingly falling into its clutches through necessities and paradigms)

>erhaps the potential of new media is a function of its intermediate development and our social, political, and economic transition within and outside of it. @ither way, it remains to #e seen whether or not it really is up to us to define the digital frontier. Kegardless, new media and new media communications is continually evolving and as a result, its definitions evolves as well.