The key to new and emergent media—the “new” part—is that new media tools have an interactive form and collaborative content that can be modified by users. The data that the user creates by interacting with the tool translates into a form that the user can see in real time, like a comment published on a blog, a paragraph edited on wikipedia, a tag on a website, or a modification to an avatar.
In most cases, interactive media require users to join the service by creating a username—that is, take on a virtual persona within that site—in order to interact with that tool. Sites like Facebook and Vimeo essentially create a network of users, each with specific modifications to their profile. These media are interactive tools, but they’re not necessarily collaborative.
New Media exist on a sliding scale, based on the level of collaboration they allow and whether or not they’re used for that purpose. Youtube, for example, is interactive in an asynchronous way, because it allows users to leave comments and create video responses, rate the material, and the content can be ripped from the site and reused. It is not designed to promote collaboration among users for any specific goal, but it can be used for that purpose—and in that case, it’s being used as a new medium.
Some tools are built to be both interactive and collaborative, and two of the most cited examples are Wikipedia and MMORPG like Second Life. Wikipedia relies on the contributions of editors to manipulate a body of online content in real time. Second Life allows users to build an alternate existence within an online community.
How are New Media different from Email, Google search, and ‘old’ media?
So, if you’re using email to collaborate with a colleague, is that new media? Not really. Email is often a way to create confusion and keep a record of it. And essentially, the content is not malleable or collaborative—unless you’re using something like Google docs or Zoho.
These tools are basically a broadcast of content that in itself doesn’t allow the viewer to modify anything. The exchange is limited to input-output: the user sends an email, types in a search term, or clicks to a new channel, and the user gets back content that is immutable—without another tool.
New media are different because the user’s input immediately creates new content that incorporates the tool’s parameters, pre-existing content, and the user’s contribution, all in one place.
Why are New Media so Important?
New media are incredibly good at organizing input from multiple sources, so they plug into the collective intelligence of the millions of contributing users who create and modify a body of content. This concept works for collaborative tools like Wikipedia and Second Life, and it contributes to the creative force driving wikis, blogs, message boards and forums.
Non-Profit organizations benefit from new media because these tools create opportunities for collaboration, promote problem solving, and generate useful data. Many NPOs are dedicated to solving a need, and new media offer an avenue to stay abreast of that need and connect with communities and individuals who would benefit from services, as well as advocates, donors, and volunteers.
There is a lot more to discuss in terms of how we define new media, how to use it, and how to measure its impact, but maybe this is a good place to start. Let me know what additions or changes you have for this working definition by posting your comments below, or by visiting this wiki!
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