New Media is described as a generic term for the many different forms of electronic communication that are made possible through the use of computer technology. The term is in relation to “old” media forms, such as print newspapers and magazines, which are static representations of text and graphics. New media includes:
- Web sites
- streaming audio and video
- chat rooms
- online communities
- Web advertising
- DVD and CD-ROM media
- virtual reality environments
- integration of digital data with the telephone, such as Internet telephony
- digital cameras
- mobile computing
Use of the term new media implies that the data communication is happening between desktop and laptop computers and handhelds, such as PDAs, and the media they take data from, such as compact discs and floppy disks (New Media, 2010).
New technologies lead to new media platforms and styles. As new forms gain a greater audience share, the debate grows more intense about whether practitioners of the new media honour the time-honoured professional standards that separate journalism from the gossip sheets (Vaina, 2007).
On the other hand, online journalism is the electronic medium to deliver message while mainstream media use print medium to deliver message. The speed and anonymity provided by the internet can play fast and loose with journalistic ethics. The internet has created a fourth kind of journalism next to radio, television and print journalism. Online journalists have received little or no attention from researchers, perhaps because few, pure online journalistic efforts, compared to the wealth of trivia, entertainment, personal communications and pornography. These bedfellows make adherence to an ethical code all the more necessary particularly in a time when public trust in journalism (Yeshua, 2000).
There is no denying that absolute freedom of the new media would bring harm to social harmony. The new media as described above has become a vital part in societies’ life. The world is growing faster by the pace accordingly with the rhythm of the growing of new media. However, the lack of supervision and over excess over the new media will only bring destruction towards the social harmony. Absolute freedom of new media describes the lack of supervision or the more suitable word is gatekeeper.
According to Shoemaker (2010), gatekeeper is he or she who decides what information is to be disseminated to the public and what information is not to be disseminated. Different journalists may make different decisions, though research suggests that assessments of newsworthiness are broadly consistent and result in comparable judgements about what should pass through the gate. Without the gatekeeper, the society will start to think that they are given permanent access of writing basically anything that they want using the new media which will only lead to chaos and riot if the content of the writing include anything that biased, unethical, slander, rumours and gossips. The receiver of the new media will get confused and start to question the integrity and validity of the new media.
Without any barrier when it comes to absolute freedom of new media, chaos and riot will jeopardize social harmony. The society will throw uproar and rage towards the irresponsible the new media. Basically, with the new media, the society has the perception that anything can be made to the public without any filtration. Some information should never be leaked into the media as the content of it might had been altered by irresponsible people who only have the demining purpose of creating rage in the society.
However, the new media can be very useful and very interesting. You can’t beat the Internet for finding things fast and for accessing a great diversity of views on a great variety of subjects. Just keep this in mind: Caveat lector (Reader beware). Don’t believe everything you read, and don’t judge a Web site by its appearance alone. A flashy site about a medical topic, for instance, could be a marketing tool for a company promoting its products. Try to find out who’s behind the information. Similarly, look behind and between the words posted on blogs and in online discussion groups. Is the author trying to promote his own ends or be insightful and helpful? Try to verify the same information elsewhere. This is particularly important if the information is at odds with your previous understanding or if you intend to use it for critical purposes such as an important health, family, or business decision. Librarians can be particularly helpful here (Goldsborough, 2005).
References
Goldsborough, R (2005), New Versus Old Media. Retrieved on September 13, 2010 from http://www.infotoday.com/linkup/lud101505-goldsborough.shtml
New Media, (2010), New Media. Retrieved on September 13, 2010 from http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/N/new_media.html
Old Media, (2010), Old Media, New Media. Retrieved on September 13, 2010 from http://www.aginc.net/media.htm
Shoemaker, P. (2001), “Individual and Routine Forces in Gatekeeping”. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly. Vol. 78, p. 233-246.
Vaina, D (2007). New Media versus Old Media. Retrieved on September 13. 2010 from
Yeshua, D. & Deuze, M. (2000). Online Journalist Face New Ethical Dilemmas: Report from the Netherlands. Amsterdam: ASCoR.
