My New Media Class - So Far

What have I learned during almost two months of attending my new media class?
First of all, now I can distinguish between old and new media. I understand that the new media is a result of digitalization of information. Recent development of computer technology transformed old media into different form. For example, most of the old newspapers and magazines now are available online in a digital form. Almost every newspaper has its own blog. Development of internet technology made blogging a popular form of journalism. Blogging is easy. You do not need to have a special education or license to post your own blogs. Blogging in its turn influence the old media. For example, Melissa Gerry, in her article about celebrity blogs, states that some celebrity blogs are “so innovative and revolutionary in their approach” that they impact the old media market.
What would new media be without the internet? Internet is a biggest phenomenon in the digital world. It is a powerful net that does not know borders. It transfer information with a speed almost as fast as a speed of light. Finally, it is cheap. Only with help of the internet people can communicate fast, cheap, and with comfort. They do not even have to leave their homes, no matter how big is a distance between them. As a result we have a new media tool like social networking. It has its own pluses but as Frank Langfitt notices in “Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting”, if you need to build a stronger relationship with people there is no substitute for a telephone.
Though telephone itself is not quite the same telephone as it used to be. For example, our cell phones represent a convergence of different technologies: photo camera, music player, internet, etc. Convergence takes place in different spheres. Thus, the article “Gadgets at Work: The Blurring Boundary between Consumer and Corporate Technologies” discusses how the same technology is used by corporations and consumers at the same time. Another article, “Mix, Match, and Mutate” talks about convergence of software. They give an example of Amazon, which now includes software from Google, Yahoo and others.
Media, which is all about communication, when combined with the internet power became a new media, which we are study in our new media class and enjoy in our everyday life.