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New media services are not entirely new, but they offer digital content delivery and audience interaction. They include video sharing, content management, and social networking. New media enhances communication, creates virtual communities, and has implications for global communication and security.
The term “new media” predictably suggests that there has been a shift from previous standards of information communication and distribution to improved models. Certainly this is true, but only in part. To clarify, new media services are not really new in the sense that the written or spoken word is still needed to convey information. However, in contrast to traditional media, such as a television news or newspaper, the content is delivered in digital form, which provides the potential for interaction between members of the viewing audience. In short, this means that new media is a two-way street in terms of network capacity, as opposed to a static one-way production.
There are many different types of new media services available today provided by a variety of companies and consultancies. These include services to facilitate video and file sharing, content management, news feeds, role-playing games and other forms of interactive entertainment. New media services also target the commercial and marketing industries as well as the government sector. For example, new media services allow such entities to distribute and collect relevant information through the distribution of news, video conferences, online advertising campaigns, polls, surveys, etc.
Clearly, the dawn of new media has many implications. First, there is a further distinction between digital technologies and earlier analog models in relation to global communication. Not only do new media services offer the opportunity to comment, discuss and share information in real time, but they also engage a greater volume of viewers without having to contend with geographic barriers. In other words, news travels fast when it happens, how it happens, no matter where it happens.
New media services offer additional benefits over traditional media venues. For example, the advent of online chat rooms, discussion forums, and instant messaging features has created virtual communities that span the Internet and the world. These features allow people with common interests to locate and connect with each other regardless of where they live or work. Furthermore, new media equally enhances the experience of those who might otherwise find it difficult to attend such events, such as those with hearing or speech impairments.
A significant development in new media services is the advancement of social networking. Various online spaces have emerged that provide an outlet for individuals and business enterprises to establish, organize and track their contacts in a virtual environment. Since users of such services often make further connections by being “introduced” through existing contacts, networking becomes self-replicating simply based on the viral nature of the process.
Finally, new media services play an important role in more mundane matters, such as international security. Unfortunately, terrorist organizations sometimes use new media to distribute information to members and further their cause. Furthermore, new media has also given rise to new methods of theft and intrusion, which are aptly dubbed cybercrimes. However, intelligence agencies around the world continue to work diligently to detect, intercept and prevent such incidents.
