New media includes technologies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century, such as social networking sites, blogs, and video sharing sites. It has advanced cellular communications and is constantly evolving with interactivity as a distinctive feature. Online chat and Second Life introduced new online identities, while blogs and social networking sites expanded interactivity. However, combining different forms of new media into one source raises privacy concerns.
The term new media refers to various technologies that emerged or saw rapid growth on a global scale during the latter part of the 20th century and into the new millennium. Most people with an Internet connection are already aware of some of the main types of this media, which include social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as blogs and video sharing sites like YouTube. This type of media has also greatly advanced cellular communications over the past twenty years, through applications that connect with the Internet and other technologies. As new media is constantly evolving to connect to as many different platforms and people as possible, one of its most distinctive features is interactivity.
One of the earliest forms of new media that the general public became familiar with during the latter half of the 20th century was computer chat. Whether individually or within a chat room, online chat quickly evolved from a primarily text-based tool to one that also included audio-visual capabilities via applications such as webcams. Because of the anonymity afforded by the Internet, many people who engaged in online chatting began to piece together the narrative of their real life, posing online under a different name, age, gender, or occupation. Today, the notion of a new online identity first introduced in chat rooms has broadened to include visual recreation, via the popular web service Second Life. In Second Life, members can create their own 20D image, also known as an avatar, and interact with other members in a completely virtual world.
Blogs are another form of new media that have expanded our notions of levels of interactivity. The ability of bloggers or citizen journalists to post any text, photo or video that other Internet users might interact with was initially seen as a breakthrough in global communications. The problem, however, of locating blogs focused on particular topics of interest was eventually solved by social networking sites, which allowed people to keep up with their network of friends and organizations via a single website. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are also compatible with blogs, mobile phones and similar applications, allowing people to send and receive up-to-date information to a select group of users.
The hybridization of different types of media has given way to some privacy concerns in recent years. The ability to combine different forms of new media into one source, such as connecting to social networking, email, phone and web banking via a portable device, makes you more vulnerable to identity theft by hackers and spyware.
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