EFFECTS OF NEW MEDIA
By Kidendei Segereti

New media

Refers to the content available on demand through the internent accessible in any digital device. The new media contains interactive user feedback and creative participation. Before the emergence of the new media there was the use of traditional media which was printing and broadcasting.

Later there was an introduction of computer and internet whereby they connected the traditional media to work with their computer and that marked the beginning of new media. The new media came into use through the media convergence whereby it is the process by which traditional media is merged together with the new media technologies

Looking at social media, it is easy to see that there are some powerful forces driving changes across our cultural, our social and even our political landscape. Media technologies have made great impact on how we communicate personally and professionally. Technological convergence has accelerated the speed of media technologies. It is important that we understand the different new media technologies that are available today. This is because our lives have become dependent on them.

The positive impact of new media is:

New technologies have made our communication life easier than we ever imagined. Unlimited media is becoming less expensive for many people to purchase.

The internet has become the fastest growing and widely used medium, especially in the western world. Through the social media e-mails, face book,blog, twitter people communicate easily and fast without any boundaries.

Technological convergence has made it increasingly easier for employees to work from home or anywhere instead of always being physically present at a particular location.

Experts coming under pressure from new voices who are early adopters of new technology.

New organizations emerging to deal with the social, cultural and political changes.

There is struggle to revise the social and legal norms-especially in relation to intellectual property.

There is a struggle to revise the social and legal norms especially in relation to intellectual property

The concept of identity and community are transformed

New forms languages come into being.

Educators are pressured to prepare their students for the newly emerging world.

On the other hand new media technologies have created some challenges and made our lives more complicated than we imagined.

We have become consumed by these technologies that we have lost interpersonal communication among our family, friends and professional colleges. The person who watches television does not interact with anyone while watching television.