Blog Project

Blog Project

            The use of New Media has changed the way society has operated.  There always seems to be news related to New Media every day.  This text will include what I see as the top five positives with New Media, as well as the top five negatives with all of the New Media.

            New Media has made this so much easier and simpler.  It has even gotten to where people use it so much every day, that they wouldn’t be able to go a day without it.  The first positive i consider to be of New Media is freedom.  New media gives you the freedom to do just about anything from pretty much anywhere.  Let’s say you’re away from home and you have to pay a bill online.  There are now applications for your phone that give you the freedom to pay that bill while on vacation. (Paddock)  I feel that this is the best positive with all the New Media today.  The second positive has to be the simplicity of communication.  There are countless forms of New Media that allow you to connect with someone all over the world.  Not only does Facebook and twitter, but there are apps. that let you communicate with someone in another country for free.  One I use for myself is something called Viber. “Today, four out of five active internet users maintain at least one social media profile. Using these platforms, people talk about everything from what they ate last night to their favorite brand of clothing.”  (Leutkemeyer)  Communication really has changed since the emergence of new media; it is amazing how simple it is to stay in contact with someone, regardless of the distance between you.  This easy way of communication has actually benefited businesses and companies greatly.  It makes it so easy to reach customers and to get their word out. (Leutkemeyer)  Along with those positives, New Media makes news very accessible.  It can get the word out fast about a natural disaster, or it can keep people up to date with breaking news.  One of the best forms of new media that information travels fast through is Twitter.   Twitter may be known as one of the most prominent social media tools to hit the web. However, the social networking service may be useful for more than keeping in touch with friends and sharing information.  People use the tweet and retweet to not only keep in touch but it can save lives. For example, doctors in Japan used Twitter to reach chronically-ill patients in the wake of the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami, telling them where to go to get life-saving treatment after phone networks became unusable.  Patients needed help and drugs from doctors, but were unable to move due to the destruction.  Using the retweet they were able to let people know and here about their whereabouts.  "We directly contacted 60 patients and they re-tweeted to over 100. Some couldn't reach hospitals because they were living in disaster areas, so we took drugs to them using cars and, in one case, by helicopter." (Lies)  New media has much more than just these five positives.  Another is all the information available at your fingertips.  Information is all over the internet, on every piece of new media out there.  If you have a question, or are curious about a topic it is so simple to find the answer you’re looking for.  You could be anywhere at any time, all you have to do is look it up. All information is easily accessible.  All types of New Media are loaded with information, for example a relatively new website Reddit.  Reddit is full of different topics and categories, all of which are chalk full of information.  (Shaer)  If you think about it, the actually information is endless on all forms of new media.  This makes it easy for people of all ages to get answers to questions they have.  Weather they’re just curious or they have to write a paper for history class, information is limitless and news is ever changing.  There are many more pros that go along with New Media, however there are cons as well.  Many of the positives can also be negatives.

            The news media thrive on conflict. The lead story for most news programs is typically the most recent and extreme crime or disaster. Conflict attracts viewers, listeners, and readers to the media; the greater the conflict the greater the audience, and large audiences are imperative to the financial success of media outlets.  This is one of the worst parts of the expansion of New Media, because news is often misconstrued and played up to be larger than it really is. (The Mass Media)  It also depends on the opinions of the news station and people sharing the news.  Another topic that is not talked about too much is the fact that young kids and children use these forms of New Media every day.  They then in turn see what people expect and accept as right or wrong.  This can be a huge negative, if the kids feel they are not what are acceptable.  Young people are very influenced by New Media.  “It's no secret that media has had an increasingly negative impact on the way teenage girls measure their personal image and beauty standards. The sizes of supermodels and actresses often influence teenage girls to believe they have to be thin to exemplify beauty”. (Mokeyane)  Also to go along with how their appearance looks, kids see movies and TV shows that demonstrated behavior that’s not always acceptable.  Movies and television programs often show characters using drugs and alcohol and engaging in violent behaviors. At a developmental stage when teens seek greater freedom and independence, the glorification of drugs, alcohol, risky sexual and violent behaviors in the media make it challenging for teens to make responsible behavioral choices. (Mokeyane)  These forms of New Media have become so influential that many tests have been run of the effect of using said networks.  New research suggests that heavy social media use might be correlated to lower self-control, which marketing experts believe could lead to higher spending.  People often see something others have on the computer and then therefore want to have it.  (It might make you spend more money.)  Now on to something that has been proven and impacts people’s lives tremendously.  This would be addiction to a social media site.  There are actually people that cannot control themselves, and have to use that social network all the time.  People become so attached to seeing “likes” and comments that they literally cannot stop. (Bosker)              

Works Cited

Bosker, Bianca. The Myth Of Freedom From Facebook. 28 February 2014. 30 March 2014 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/28/facebook-whatsapp_n_4869452.html>.

It might make you spend more money. 2013. 30 March 2014 <http://www.rd.com/slideshows/negative-effects-of-social-media/>.

Leutkemeyer, Darcy. How Social Media Is Improving Communication In 2012 . 2012. 30 March 2014 <http://vivavisibilityblog.com/how-social-media-is-improving-communication-in-2012/>.

Lies, Elaine. Japan doctors used Twitter to save patient lives after quake. 13 May 2011. 30 March 2014 <http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/13/uk-japan-quake-twitter-idUSLNE74C01U20110513>.

Mokeyane, K. Nola. Media's Positive & Negative Influence on Teenagers. 2012. 30 March 2014 <http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/medias-positive-negative-influence-teenagers-10506.html>.

Paddock, Mark. The 5 Best and 5 Worst Things about Being a Social Media Manager. 8 October 2011. 30 March 2014 <http://socialmediatoday.com/mark-paddock/373101/5-best-and-5-worse-things-about-being-social-media-manager>.

Shaer, Matthew. Reddit in the Flesh. 8 July 2012. 30 March 2014 <http://nymag.com/news/features/reddit-2012-7/>.

The Mass Media. 2006. 30 March 2014 <http://11061106.tripod.com/id4.html>.