Web and New Media : The Story of Digital Evolution
Throughout the history of humankind, media has gone through a lot of evolutions regarding communication, digital being the latest. With the advent of this new medium of ommunication arrived the web and new media whose rapid development has brought on a kind of global revolution never seen before.
What is New media:
New Media can be described as electronic communication, accessible through computer technology. Over the years, the web and new media have become the most popular medium for both advertising and networking. The principal difference between new media and traditional media is the former’s interactive nature.
Elements of New Media:
New media comprises interactive elements like online social platforms, forums and communities, blogs, emails and chats, Mobile apps, web advertisements, and a lot more. It’s the digital form of communication happening via devices such as desktops, laptops and mobile devices. As mentioned, new media is about both consumption of information as well as interaction with the same, and hence can be customized according to individual preferences. At the same time, it gives a lot more control to the transmitters of this information regarding the section of receivers it wants to cater to.
Navigation and Networking:
Navigation inside the virtual worlds through hypertexts and links has provided a lot more options and sources to the users, to gain the information they are trying to access. This facilitates individualistic and independent lifestyle choices furthermore. Also, these worlds have facilitated cultural globalization, where our interactions have become international, increasing collective intelligence and awareness. A global market has provided platforms for a huge range of talent and resources, through digital channels.
Simulation and Virtual Reality:
New Media has given the world a new 'reality that is distinctly different from the actual one in which we live. An endless flow of information, resources, and innumerable products, all customized according to our personal preferences show us a world made in accordance with our preferences. The latter is particularly true about social media sites, where ‘customized’ interactions and
networking might make people wary of their actual reality where such personalized features do not exist. This effect can be further witnessed in the virtual immersive experiences that simulation provides. Simulation can be experienced most obviously in computer games and virtual environments, dependent on algorithms. These algorithms set the parameters in the virtual worlds according to which events are unfolded.
That said, New media has provided humankind with incredible opportunities and it’s up to us about how we decide to use it.
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