What Is New Media?

First, I'd like to draw attention to one article that we had to read for class today, the one title "Brooklyn Blog Helps Lead to Drug Raid.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/26/nyregion/26bayridge.html?_r=1

This is very close to my neighborhood and I still spend a lot of time in Bay Ridge so I think it's pretty amazing how a blog lead to the arrest of these crackheads. It's hard to get the police to do anything without filing tons of complaints that are often ignored just because there is a lack of community effort. People in the area generally keep to themselves so when there is a disturbance like this, it takes a lot to complain and put yourself in the spotlight. This is a great example of how blogs created a new outlet for people that need anonymity. It also brought people together and allowed them as well as the police to see that this was a problem for the whole community. Strength in numbers people!

Moving on...with new media we have so many tools to get our voices heard. Journalism is no longer closed off to those with degrees and newspaper jobs. The internet, blogging sites, youtube, places that give you the capacity to post your opinions, IReport, online magazine and newspapers all represent new media.

The internet is crucial to new media because it gives people what they want, when they want it, instantly. We have the ability to watch videos and news from all around the world, or report on things we see. People can create news whenever they want and the internet is a tool for transmitting it.

New media is replacing old media in many ways...magazines and papers are folding for one. Sure the economy is to blame in large part but people are finding their information more readily online. Sometimes it's just more convenient than going out and buying a paper. On the other hand it's enhancing it too, giving publications the opportunity to broaden what they cover. CNN even uses IReport to get video content and many of these are reported by everday people. It's faster than sending a reporter. With new media people have access to more information, and come on, Youtube is also pretty awesome. It's enhanced entertainment ten-fold.