Evolution of 'new' media.

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The advancement of technology has transformed dramatically in the 21st centaury and affects every aspect of our everyday lives. With the comparison of a South African example of ‘traditional’ and ‘new’ media products, in the form of the print and the on-line news providers of the ‘Mail & Guardian’ news product, this essay seeks to evaluate the implications of the development of ‘new’ media, and its affects on the likes of ‘traditional’ news products.

Before delving into the issue of the impact that ‘new’ media has on ‘traditional’ media, it is important to define these two terms. ‘Traditional ‘ media is commonly seen in the form of radio, television and print (newspapers). Each are separate entities and are independent of each other. They do not rely on each other for existence and do not influence each other in any way. As the term, ‘traditional’ media, is an incredibly broad term, it is difficult to give a precise definition for it. Rather, it is in contrast to the concept of ‘new’ media that a fitting definition for the term ‘traditional’ media is formed. Print media, in the form of the “Mail & Guardian” newspaper, is a South African example of ‘traditional’ media.

The term ‘new’ media refers to the forms of media content that “combine and integrate data, text, sound and images of all kinds”(Flew, 2003: 10). The on-line news provider, “Mail & Guardian, is a South African example of ‘new’ media. The website incorporates images, texts and sounds-all of which are separate medium-and brings them together under one roof. This bringing together of various medium to form one entity is known as “convergence” (Dessaucer, 2004: 123). It is this idea of convergence of various media, which defines the term ‘new’ media.

Unlike the print edition of the “Mail & Guardian”, the on-line version offers a broad range of modifications to its ‘traditional’ counterpart. Rather than being printed on paper, news articles of the on-line news provider are presented in digital form. This is a seemingly obvious observation, however, it highlights the evolution of ‘traditional’ media into the more popular form of ‘new’ media. There is also a noticeable difference between ‘traditional’ and ‘new’ media in that rather then flipping through pages of undesirable texts and articles, the reader of on-line news sites actively selects the articles that they wish to read by effortlessly clicking a mouse. Furthermore, on-line news providers provide more than merely news articles. Through features called ‘hyperlinks’, readers can be transported to various other websites such as sports, music sites and even virtual gambling (Flew, 2003). Hence on-line news providers extend beyond the realms of merely providing news, but rather as technology continues to develop, and the boundaries of one website and another become blurred, they begin to assume a more all-rounded focus. Online news services allow the reader the luxury of setting a specific section of the news as the front page, opposed to ‘traditional’ media, where the content of the front page, is dictated by the editor. Among the many other advantages generated by ‘new’ media is that it allows for articles to be reported in “real time and updated often” (Dessaucer, 2004: 123). Most print media are usually printed twice a day. In the case of the print form of the “Mail & Guardian”, it is only printed once a week. Hence, if a news story breaks after the paper has been printed, readers are required to wait a full week to get its take on the matter. In the case of a reader missing a week’s edition of the newspaper, they will find much difficulty in trying to retrieve it. With the advancement of technology, the “Mail & Guardian” online caters for issues such as these. ‘New’ media allows for storage of information without causing cluttering-as would be found in the storing of old newspapers. By creating archives where readers can actually retrieve past information, the issue of loosing out on a weeks worth of news is eliminated. The “Mail & Guardian” online, has the ability, unlike that of ‘traditional’ print media, to updated and edit its stories as often as required. So, readers of online news services are kept up to date on breaking news, in real time, as opposed to the readers of the print version of the “Mail & Guardian”, who receive breaking news a week after it actually occurs. Here again the advantages of ‘new’ media are highlighted.

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The likes of ‘traditional’ print media are also limited by space, resulting in the actual content to be limited. Thus in ‘traditional’ print media, only selected articles feature in the news. On the other hand, ‘new’ media, in the form of on-line articles, tend to contain more in-depth articles, as well as provide additional information on related topics in the form of “layered journalism” (Dessaucer, 2004: 125). This idea of “layered journalism”, utilizes the feature of “hyperlinks” (Flew, 2003: 15). As explained earlier, “hyperlinks” provide the reader with “links to other related information, including past stories, multimedia features and links ...

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