Digital media Flashcards
Categories of new media
Extension of existing forms of media:
- For example, newspapers can now be viewed online as well as on paper
- Also television can be accessed through satellite which means that a larger amount of information can be shown
New forms of platform:
- E.g. Laptops, phones and tablets
- These allow apps to help people communicate at ease
- These new platforms are highly individualised so they can be adapted to specific needs
Global Village
- There is an increase in the amount of communication which doesn’t involve face-to-face contact
- The world is becoming a smaller place which is also known as the global village
- Allows for people to maintain relationships and create relationships with those that share similar interests
Virtual communities:
- Social network of individuals who create an online community
- These communities are becoming more complex and very realistic
- People can share interests and create new identities
- E.g. Online chat rooms, social networks
Carter:
- Looked at how digital forms of communication are used to create and maintain relationships
- Conducted research of the virtual community ‘Cybercity’
- Found that people in Cybercity are investing the same effort into online relationships as in-person relationships
- People often continue these online relationships offline
- Cyberspace becomes increasingly embedded in people’s everyday lives
Boellstorff
- Second life
- Second life is one of the biggest virtual worlds, people buy property and create communities
- Looked at how virtual worlds can change ideas about identity and society
Issues with virtual worlds:
- Little regulation of online worlds
- Prostitution has occurred on second life
- Raises questions about the moral regulation of online communication and ways to regulate behaviour
How do social networks shape communication
- Rapid increase in digital technology has led to different forms of social networks
- Many people now form all types of relationships online:
- Friendship groups
- Work networks
- Family networks
- Romantic relationships
Social networks in employment:
- Globalisation has changed the way that employment works
- People rely on the internet for work relationships and finding new hobs
- Now if people don’t have access to digital forms of communication they are at a major disadvantage
Networked global society:
- Focus is now on information as a result of new forms of communication
- Those who can access information, create networks, this gives greater employability status
- Having connections with people at a global level lead to material rewards like social capital
- E.g. LinkedIn
Castells
- Network society
- Supports the Marxist viewpoint
- Moving from an industrial to an information age where digital communication is now key
- Communication tech allows instant global connections and removes barriers of time and distance
- Networks are more effective which makes power decentralized and based in business
- People with skills are included but those without are excluded and have limited social mobility
Media convergence
- The way that a range of different forms of information can be delivered in one format.
- E.g. Videos, text and images can be accessed through one website
- Also refers to the way social media platforms can communicate to each other and share contacts
- Led to the convergence of cultural ideas becoming global which explains why western capitalist ideas have become dominant across the media
Boyle
- Explains how digitalisation has allowed media convergence
- Separate forms of media can now be accessed through one device
- E.g. Your phone has access to TV, radio and films.
Big data:
- Big data refers to the large data sets that may be analysed digitally and non-digitally to reveal patterns and trends related to behaviour and interactions.
Big data: Volume, velocity, variety, variability, complexity
Volume = Information is now sored online about online communications, purchases which produce large amounts of data that can be stored for infinite amounts of time. Also unstructured data comes from. Social media, due to digital stores of information it has become less expensive to store information.
Velocity: Big data is coming in very quickly and must be dealt with
Variety: Data comes in structured (Numerical data bases) and unstructured formats (documents, email, video)
Variability: Data flow can be inconsistent. For example, a trending idea in social media suddenly becomes popular. Unstructured data can be more challenging to manage.
Complexity: Today’s data comes from multiple sources. It is difficult to analyse and correlate relationships between different platforms.
Social media
- Any form of digitally based platform for making and developing social networks.
- Most known example is Facebook, within six years of it being set up there was 500,000,000 users
- Social media has qualities of postmodern society as it allowed users to personalise their page and show individualism
Social media statistics
2.4 billion Instagram users at the end of 2024
As of January 2025. There are over 1.1 billion LinkedIn member accounts worldwide
Instagram is one of the fastest emerging social media sites
