What is New Media?

I know what "new" means and I'm well familiar with the "media", nevertheless when I heard of "New Media", I did not have the slightest clue what it meant. Could it be because I'm challenged, intellectually...? I wouldn't put it past me.

So... I had to find out what New Media was, especially for my class. I did a little research and turns out it's something I live and breathe everyday. The emergence of new technology in the world of Media. That's what it really means! (My ''aha'' moment)

Think of new technology that's part of New Media, and the first thing that comes to mind is the Internet. Also, manipulable software like Adobe Photoshop, social networking websites as in Facebook (I'm so guilty of the term "facebook junkie"), and compressible gadgets like laptops & pda phones.

So.. how important is the Internet to New Media? Starting from allowing greater flexibility in working hours and locations, banking online, ordering pizza, buying stocks, reading the hottest celeb gossips, doing research, getting firsthand information, sending emails, paying bills, finding love on match.com, and the list just goes on and on about the possible usage of the Internet. Undoubtedly, it is THE most important part of the New Media. Period.

And why is the new media replacing/ enhancing the old media? As Melissa Gery in her article "Celebrity Blogs: The impact of New Media" says, "I think that this is important because it allows new voices to be heard and challenges the established media outlets to compete and raise their levels of coverage." She also says, "Accuracy is extremely important in publishing in traditional media like newspapers and new media like blogs. A writer wants to be accurate and avoid potential lawsuits at all costs. Bloggers seek to write the truth and if they make a mistake, they are able to correct it immediately. This is an advantage that bloggers have over more traditional mainstream media outlets in which a retraction of a story may take days."

Lastly, how is new media replacing/ enhancing the old media? The sales for movie rental stores and cable companies are going down as more consumers are turning to youtube.com to watch their fave shows, and other websites for movies. Less consumers are buying magazines & newspaper as the information is easily accessible on the Internet. The article by Michael Wilson, "Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid" is an interesting piece of article that is a good example of how the new media is enhancing the old media. It talks about bloggers on BayRidgeTalk.com, who observed more than a few suspicious activities in the neighborhood, and complained at the local precinct which eventually led to the arrest of three suspects. Wish we could solve more crimes with blogs like these!