What is new media and why is it importnt?

After many hours of classroom conversations, readings and research, I feel that I can say with certainty that new media relates to the computer and all it's many parts. The computer is the housing in which messages are communicated far and wide, from person to person and nation to nation. The introduction of the personal computer into the homes of people everywhere has changed how we relay information. Once knowledge, wisdom and/or information was bound in books, newspapers, magazines and even the minds of individuals, the digital age has begun to eleviate the need for these forms of old media as sole means of communication. The use of chatrooms, webpages, email etc. have changed the way we communicate and do business.

This is the age of the big "WOW." Information is now made available to more people than ever before. You and I can access the same webpage, read the same information at the same time but in two different countries. Companies can now expand their markets. For example, The New York Times isn't just for New Yorkers anymore. Once upon a time, if you were trendy and wanted to be up on the news in Gotham, you would have to wait 3 days to receive your copy of the Times. Today, at the same time that the paper hits the stands, the information hits or maybe has already hit the website. This new digitized world has caused us to rethink how we manipulate information. We are now exploring the option turning books into interactive play, ways of creating digitized works of art. We are actually considering the computer geeks as artist!! What a thought.

While this new world brings us thoughts of ease, simplicity and convenience, it also brings with it fear and doubt. The world may very well be changing too fast. We are already having trouble keeping up with the rapid pace of change. Our categories, truths and established ways of thinking are being challenged daily. New rules are being made, challenged and destroyed just to start all over again. A great divide is coming into being. The division of the literate and the illiterate (computer literacy that is). Unfortunately for every Scarlett O'Hara in turmoil saying "Where shall I go, What shall I do?" there are many more Rhett Butler's saying "Frankly my darling, I don't give a damn!" We must begin to ask ourselves, what will happen to those who have fallen behind. What will become of them in their ignorance. We now must discuss things like access, ethics and privacy in a much more determined fashion. So that our lives might remain somewhat private. We must determine who should have access to computers and how we will make them accessible. Who can have access to certain information and who is the author of that information. What information can be trusted and what information should be censored. Will our fear of the unknown create a generation of Luddites fighting tooth and nail to prevent a computer revolution. Will our lack of awareness and ability to process all information cause us to inadvertently allow mad scientist to create a world that doesn't respect human life anymore. To sum it all up, this new media has created many, many more questions that must be answered. The new media is great and wonderful but it's also awesome and fearful.