New Media Technologies

The world is getting smaller and smaller as we all have the potential now to become one linked global population. New media technologies are allowing us to stay in touch with each other wherever we are with mobile accessibility and like-minded individuals are able to create forums and communities online. Whether this inter-linking will ultimately prove to be a boon or a drawback to our culture has yet to be determined. However, these new technologies are prolific and growing exponentially.

One such medium is YouTube®, a website created for the sharing of videos for various purposes. When YouTube first appeared, its purpose was as a stage for those amateurs out there who had created a single, often quirky piece of entertainment. Many were home movies, bloopers, or little vignettes created by individuals simply for the sake of having a little fun and exhibiting some creativity. As digital video cameras have become more and more affordable, there has been a boon of creative video producers, many providing quality product. A New York Times article reveals, “Nearly two-thirds of all video views in the United States occur on YouTube, according to the measurement firm Nielsen. In March 2009, the site had more than 90 million visitors, 10 times as many as the next biggest site” (“YouTube,” 2009, April 17). There have been videos of varying genres produced upon the site, from simplistic love stories and dramas to seemingly large-scale productions. Some videographers have even caught the eye of more professional production entities and have acquired traditional business opportunities as a result. More and more, videographers with real skills have been exhibiting some topnotch material, frequently funny and entertaining, yet often more serious material with a message can be seen. There have been some quality animated political satires, for instance, like "Blair and Bush Don’t Give a Damn" by ToddAmos (screen name) (2006).


A much more professional site for serious filmmakers is Vimeo® is an online community of working videographers who have created extremely high-quality content and who share technical and artistic tips as well as referrals. It is a platform for exhibiting one’s work as many of the projects shown upon the site are shorts (fewer than ten minutes long) and are of no real commercial value other than as a showcase for one’s work. Some of these projects are practice for the videographers in perfecting certain techniques, or just for the satisfaction of completing a project in which they have much pride. The majority of these creative individuals, like Vincent Laforet (“Vincent Laforet’s Blog,” 2010), are very successful in their respective areas of specialty.
Members have the opportunity to join individual groups that focus on certain genres, techniques or some other specific focal point. These members also use Vimeo as a networking opportunity, and often collaborate on projects. As video has now become a digital format (many Network television shows are now “shot” on digital video), the cameras have become much more affordable. Many now are of HD quality, and so the videographers can quickly produce professional-grade content. This is an excellent site as members of this community can post and view high-quality videos.

Social Networks like MySpace®, Twitter® and Facebook® have become everyday visited sites for most people in this country. Begun as a simple social networking venue, MySpace was a rudimentary platform for individuals to post information about themselves and reach out to strangers and friends alike. Because of the competition from Facebook, it has now become much more. It is inundated with sponsored media content such as film and television advertisements, and even features videos as well. It now refers to itself as Social Entertainment.

The much more popular Facebook has become the social network environment, and many individuals make several appearances there every day. A recent TG News article reports, “According to reports, Facebook has managed to claim the Internet's top spot as most popular site online, finally pulling ahead of the long reigning champion, Google. Facebook, a site that launched only six short years ago, has quickly ascended to number one with over 500 million users” (Leavitt, 2010, December 31). Here people can search out friends, like long-lost childhood acquaintances, and stay in touch with groups of individuals. Many visitors feel compelled to share the details of the minutia of their lives, believing that it is of utmost interest to their group.

Twitter is a message board of sorts. It is an environment in which celebrities, as well as everyday people, can post what is on their minds, and happening in their lives. Unfortunately, there is no screening process, and so anyone with a computer can tell the world about what he or she thinks about any topic at all. Sadly, a horrible amount of self-indulgent posted content must often be waded through to discover any worthwhile content.

Finally, an extremely valuable “new” media technology is Skype®. Though it has been available since 2003 (Keyes, n.d., para.3), the use of Skype has been increasing considerably within the last two years. It is a very affordable means of communicating in both an audio and visual format, providing virtual real-time transmission of voice and video. Used by most military personnel stationed overseas as their primary means of communicating with family, it has caught on with the general public and used in many households. Cost for the audio/video equipment and software is negligible, and so may soon become like cable television, present in the majority of American homes. In May of 2010, Skype was added as an integrated function of the Nokia® N900 mobile phone, allowing its use from virtually anywhere with a minimum 3G-enabled device (Miller, 2010, December 30).

The world is indeed shrinking and shrinking. If we so choose, we can remain in virtually constant contact with thousands upon thousands of others. However, what about the quality of that communication? Does electronic “bonding” create improved relationships, or only superficial ones? Perhaps we should instead focus upon improving the interpersonal relationships that are important to us before we attempt to create tenuous, long-distance ones with strangers. Perhaps this would create a better, if shrinking world.


References

Keyes, B. (n.d.). The history of Skype. Retrieved December 13, 2010, from
http://www.ehow.com/about_5206541_history-skype.html

Laforet, V. (2010). Vincent Laforet's blog [Website]. Retrieved
December 20, 2010, from http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/

Leavitt, L. (2010). Facebook surpasses Google as the internet’s top dog. TG Daily. Retrieved from http://www.tgdaily.com/business-and-law-features/53317- facebook-surpasses-google-as-the-internets-top-dog

Miller, M. (2010). Did you know the Nokia N900 had Skype video calling 7 months ago? [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.zdnet.com/blog/cell-phones/did-you-know-the-nokia-n900-had-skype-video-calling-7-months-ago/5197

No author. (2009, April 17). YouTube [Newsgroup message]. Retrieved from The New
York Times: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/business/companies/youtube/
index.html

Toddamos. (2006, October 19). Blair & Bush "Don't give a damn" [Video file].
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi0m3F7Dm3c&feature=related