Characteristics of New Media

New Media can be defined as anything after technology came into play. While studying new media there are six main characteristics that we can use to break down the main parts of what new media is.

These statistics are based on the book New Media, A critical Introduction, Second Edition. The book was published in 2003, but these characteristics still stand strong today.

It is important to know the base of media and what makes it what it is. It is something that is changing constantly and at a really fast pace. So you need to know how to keep up with all the changes.

The first characteristic is “Digital”.

Traditional media was mostly something you could touch. When transferring media or sending out information it was done in a physical way. But the digital characteristic of new media changed that. Traditional media used an analogue system. So everything was physically stored.

The first main change is that media data was transformed. Instead of being a physical thing it became binary codes.

Binary codes let people use the data easily. Data was now an output and an input. Everything we see on the internet is made up of binary codes. Everything sent through technology is sent through binary codes.

An example we could use to see the difference is newspaper archives. Today there are online sources that have links to all the past articles. Before new media came into place, traditional media had a different way of storing things. Each industry had physical archives stored into books. If you wanted to access something from an old newspaper you would have to go to the warehouse it was kept at, and ask for the specific article. Then you would have to look for it through stacks and stacks of old newspapers!

Today there are links that make it easier for us to find things right away. We can allow get this information from anywhere in the world. We don’t need to go to a specific place and ask for someone to pull out old books, we can do it from our personal devices at home.

The next characteristic is interactivity. This means that communication changed from being one-way to being two-way. It is a main value in new media. It shows how the people who receive information are engaged with what they are seeing.

People today, comment on news, share things they find interesting, and post their own things on a daily basis. News articles can be found with a comment section for people to debate the article. Companies even have a better way of gaining customer feedback through instant online sources.

Hypertextual is also a characteristic of media. It has to do with using hypertexts which are links embedded into text that can take you to different links or sources. It is a great tool that people use to link things together. For the users it makes finding information much more easier. While on a website there can be a link that says “for more information click here” so the user will automatically be taken to a place that offers what they are looking for.

Networked is a characteristic of new media. This is the “network” of people through the internet. The way that things are linked together, and the people involved in the process all fall under the networked characteristic.

New media manages to take people into a more virtual world. The 5^th characteristic is “virtual”. So it shows a world created by the consumer engagement. People are involved virtually, as opposed to only being on the receiving end before.

The final characteristic is simulation. There are real life simulations that will throw people into an imitation of a real life situation. Any car racing games or flight simulations are examples. This allows people to have the experience of what it is like to drive a car or fly a plane without actually being in a car or a plane. Today many people use this as practice depending on their profession.

Traditional Media to "New" Media to Digital Media

Over the years media have gone through many changes. There are three main eras that we can categorize media in over the years: Traditional media, “New” Media, and Digital Media.

Traditional Media is anything before the year 1990. It is when newspapers and other forms of print media took over the media industry. What media did during that period to deliver news to the public was broadcast.

There were not many channels available for people to categorize their audience based on specific targets. So the main tactic was to broadcast to everyone.

The main channels used were Television, Radio, and Print media. Those were the main ways that traditional media used to broadcast information out to the public.

Because of the lack of two-way communication, their main content delivery style was to “push” their information onto the audience. The receivers didn’t have much choice over the information that they would receive. Which is also why the consumers had few choices when it came to choosing what to pay attention to.

During the era, there was a slow and steady pace of growth that traditional media went through.

Following traditional media, during the 90s, media “evolved” into new media. It was when the internet started to be more commonly used, and technology started to evolve the way that media was used.

The delivery techniques went from a general broadcast to a narrowcast. This is because of the growing choices that consumers had. As opposed to having few choices, they now had many.

New Media also used a push strategy onto their audience because of the way that they would send out their information. Their main channels were cable TV and radio, satellite radio, and specialty magazines.

New media grew at an accelerated pace, which is faster than the rate that traditional media grew at.

After the new media era there was a revolution in media. After the year 2000 technology advanced and set a new path for the way that we communicate. This especially Affected the way that media work.

New media revolutionized to digital media in every way possible.

Digital media were able to target their audience because of the many channels that they could use. Consumers had endless options when it came to information consumption.

Unlike the previous eras, traditional media and new media, digital media had a different way of delivering their content. Because of the new infinite options and ways to reach people, instead of “pushing” their information onto people they pulled it. This means that they attracted the consumers to come to them.

Digital media grows at a rapid pace. This is obvious because it started in the year 2000 and now 15 years later there have been huge revelations in the media!

Each era also has great examples of companies that were able to make use of them.

During the traditional era there were companies like Time Warner, CBS and Disney. These companies made use of TV, Radio, and Print Media and were able to send out information successfully to the public.

Each of these companies is still well respected today and has a huge influence on the media world. This is proof that companies adapted during the evolution to revolution of media.

During the new Media era, there was HBO, Comcast and Primedia.

And finally, the digital media era has Google and Yahoo as great examples.

The first thing that we do when we want to search something is use google for instant information.

It can also be seen how each media form or channel has transitioned from one era to the next. Everything had to adapt to survive the changes. There are radio channels that became television specialties. Many newspapers now have online sources.

At the rate that media is changing it is a wonder to see what will happen next.

Hungry seal caught trying to steal fish from indoor market

People were in a shock after seeing that huge seal jumping out of the ocean running and jumping in the market. He was trying his luck this time at an indoor market to get himself fish. People were terrified when the seal showed up in the shop. The CCTV footage shows that the deal went in the market through the automatic doors and Searched a bag that was dropped on the floor by a horrified customer. When he realized the bag was filled with food he turned around and went back in the water. "Matt" a worker at the market mentioned that this seal was like a customer at the market and has been around this place for about six years. He also added that he is like a "little dog hanging around the fish market".

A swarm of bees turned British town black

The town of Farnham in Surrey was emerged with a bee swarm that literally appeared out of nowhere. Everyone stopped their cars and stood still for the 15 minute incident.

The bees swarmed the streets. People remained in their vehicles during the swarm. Pedestrians fled indoors for protection from the sudden swarm. There were millions of bees going down the High Street. Everyone on the streets were going crazy and running around. Bees were everywhere. People didn't believe it was real. Many said it was bizarre.

Dr. Sameh Abdallah give seminar to CLC students

The main message that Dr. Sameh Abdallah wanted to deliver during his seminar was 10 tips you need to become a journalist. I honestly think he was good overall. The way he was speaking was understandable, friendly, and carefree and this let people understand and pay attention to him more. Because of his way of speaking I think he managed to successfully deliver his message. I don’t really have an interest in becoming a journalist, so his message didn’t really leave an impact on me.

At the very start he stated that he does not like sitting down while speaking, got up and started right away. There was no indication that he will begin talking about tips on becoming a journalism; which was nice because it made the overall seminar inviting. He ended on a more serious note while maintaining his friendly demeanor.

While he was speaking, he used both Arabic and English. I am used to hearing people speak with both languages in everyday conversation, my classes, and even in the movies I watch, so the situation of his use of multiple languages did not bother me. I thought it was appropriate due to the fact that he was talking to a group of college students in a way that was friendly. It was as if he was one of us while directing us towards becoming journalists. His English and his Arabic were both very good. He did not use any jargon and was able to communicate successfully with the room. The only expression that stuck with me was when he kept on repeating “international standards of professionalism or go home” and continued to use the “or go home” expression at the end of any example that went against being a good journalist. The use of the expression was nice, until he started to overuse it. Once he said, “go home”, for the fiftieth time, it was irritating.

His overall body language was good because he did not stand stiffly while speaking. His hand gestures were natural and flowed nicely. I did not notice any excessive overuse of gestures. His movement was too much. I did not like his need to personally interact with the audience and get very close to people. In addition to his excessive interaction, I would have preferred that he maintain his movements within a certain area that everyone could see him at, instead of circulating the room. At one point he stood off to the left side of the room, and from where I was sitting I could no longer see him. His voice was strong, and his volume was loud, which was great. I was seated in the last row and could hear him clearly. In both English and Arabic his intonation of the words were clear and precise.

He had short presentation with the points written on each slide. There was no information under the headlines. It was effective because of his use of the visual aids. He did not have any aids that he relied on, and his explanation of each point made up for the lack of information on each slide.

Only a few people asked questions. He did answer all of them, including the girl that asked several questions at a time. Regarding her, he was more open to answering he questions directly because her voice was loud. There were others I could not hear, and he yelled at them to speak loudly because “all journalists need to have loud voices”. By doing so, I think he scared other people and that is why not many questions were asked.

Jeremy Clarkson's tweet sparks rumor from top gear group

Jeremy Clarkson's posted a picture of a sports car with a film crew in its background made tweeters figure out that Top group host are working on a new car show. In this picture is a Yellow Chevrolet Corvette on a race track. People are in the back holding cameras as they are film crews. The tweet on the picture says: "I took this today" only. Some tweeters thought that this picture has been taken while filming for a video. Clarkson is the paper car reviewer and has continued writing for Top Gear.

Pootshi = Life

Pootshi is not a just a dog to me. He is my life partner. I call him my best friend, i call him my buddy, my brother, my husband, my soul mate, my everything. Life was never going to be the same without my Pootshi.

I received my pootshi on the 13th of November 2012 as a birthday gift from a friend of mine. It was my first year in college here in Egypt. He surprised me in a cafe, hiding pootshi in a jacket, because it was raining like hell in Alexandria.

This was literally the best surprise that ever happened to me. I loved him from the first day. Yes this might seem cheesy but come on I'm not talking about a guy I'm talking about a dog here. I knew that finally my life was complete with pootshi.

I live alone and that's why I feel that pootshi really filled my life. Without him I would go crazy. He always makes a sound and that's what keeps me safe. Knowing that someone is with me even if it is just a dog.

But the thing is, and maybe nobody will understand, pootshi to me isn't just a dog. No No, I already mentioned what he is to me and the most important thing and what he really is to me is that he is my SON. Pootshi is human. Pootshi is life.

I can’t go a day without him. Messing up and screwing my house are his habits. I come back every day to finding that pootshi has ruined something new at home. But to me, I do not care, as long as I have got him.

He is my shoulder to cry on and for real and I promise he understands me more than ANYONE. I speak to him more than I do with my friends and I trust him more than anybody else.

Pootshi isn't like any dog and eats dry food or like canned dog food. Nah pootshi eats hot dog, pizza, shawerma, basically anything we eat he doesn't mind eating at all he actually doesn't eat dog food he only eats food we eat. And when I'm sitting with my family or friends on the table, and we are eating, he wants to be sitting with us eating the same food. Why would he eat something not as tasty as ours? He even eats nuts and chips with me. Oh, and I did find him eating my makeup a few times.

He is such a smart and funny dog. And that's what I love about him. Whenever he sees anyone he is always all excited and happy and jumps so high where he can reach your face from excitement. Everybody loves pootshi so much. Whenever somebody comes over pootshi is the first one to greet them at the door with a great big welcome.

When I need someone I always go to pootshi without thinking. Yes I know he doesn't answer me, but I know and I'm sure he understands. He knows when am sad, he knows when I'm sick. He understands me. His eyes speak. When I cry, he licks my tears off face to tell me not to cry. He even makes sounds and might as well cry with me without knowing what is wrong. He feels me. I know that till the day I die, I will never love someone as much as I love this dog. He really means too much to me. I wish humans were as close to dogs and knew how to be loyal and faithful as dogs are to us.