Old New Media Trends

Augmented Reality (AR)



Nothing new here. AR has been around in production technology in films including Roger Rabbit since 1988. Anytime you've seen the line of scrimmage appear in a televised football game or advertisements on the tarmac of your favorite NASCAR oval, you've AR at work.

The mobilization of this technology has opened up integrated application, linking users directly to their surroundings using the third screen instead of the first.

Near Field Communication (NFC)
Smart phones equipped with NFC can communicate with other devices in short proximity. What is communicated is limited only by the imagination. Current applications include ticketing, e-funding, electronic keys, identity, along with thousands of retail and service applications.

Any ticketed travel from public transportation to air travel can be managed through NFC in exchanging reservation, payment, secure identity, itinerary, and baggage handling, all with your mobile device. The same can access home security and your car. Set all your home settings and monitor activity via NFC and check the engine oil, air pressure, and set interior temps in your car, all accessed by your phone.

Pocketed Tech
The biggest trend, and as much as we're enamored with tablets (sniff), is where all these applications end up, in our pockets. Portability and usability are inextricably linked and until they're combined in packaging that fits on your ring finger, behind your ear or embedded in your shoulder, users and developers alike will be focused on the pocket.

New Media and Public Opinion

Pretty amazing. Instantaneous feedback gathered from data sources across the planet.

In the ol' media days, data wasn't so forth coming or immediately useful. If we didn't have the watchful eyes of the networks and programs like CBS's 60 Minutes we might still be driving our SUV's on Firestones, smoking Philip Morris products, and cladding our kids in A&F thongs, all public relations nightmares.

In 1994 one of my clients was a major pharmaceutical company on the cusp of introducing a new drug that took care of a common, ubiquitous malady. I produced media that instructed primary care physicians and pharmacists alike on prescription practices, drug interactions and side effects. This film was distributed nationwide in preparation for the drug's launch. Within a couple of weeks of the launch it was discovered that the drug had a lethal effect on a certain demographic of hyper-tensive individuals. Dozens died within minutes of taking samples.

The company's PR office called me in for an emergency meeting, briefed me on what was going on and asked for my recommendation, suggesting a rapid corporate response with a VNR (video news release). I suggested they take the product off the market. They indicated the losses were still within acceptable bounds.

The industry used to call this spin. See, public opinion is transactional, just like communication. It's going both ways simultaneously. While opinions are being expressed they are also being carefully crafted.

Gatekeeping     As a producer, I am a gatekeeper. I pour over miles of interview footage and b-roll and decide what's going to best tell the story as I understand and perceive it. As a videographer, I am a gatekeeper. What my frame may not include will never shape an opinion differently, my double negative prerogative as a photojournalist. As a curriculum developer, I am a gatekeeper. I can squelch scholars who don't agree with my politic, write in an entendre intended to polarize, or adhere to a hard line and insist you do the same if you want a good grade. I promise, under all three hats, I've never abused the privilege.

Agenda Setting     Abortion, gun control and gay marriage. Hmmm, must be a democrat in office.  Drill drill, drill, in God we trust, and gun control; sounds like the RNC. Party agenda-setting? Hardly. While researchers are still hard-pressed on ol' media influence on public agendas, one can't deny opinion shapers' influence on what we're paying attention to.  Watch The Insider.

Framing     While agenda setting and gatekeeping tell us what to consider, framing tells us how. Sarah Palin's PAC website took a fairly innocuous approach in how to consider certain reddish districts in the U.S. where Palin wanted health care bill-backing democrats taken out. You decide how the corresponding symbols determine the value of the politicians within those districts.

Now, I'm not intimating that this lead to the horrific demise of the shootings in Tucson, but I'm also not convinced that these are surveying registration marks.


New Media
So, what and how do new media tell us what and how to think?

Post your response under comments below.

Diffusion of Innovation

For you online students, we're talking about the idea of innovation diffusion. ReadWriteWeb has an interesting article about market trends that buck the system when it comes to applications.  

New Media Fidelity

The Medium is the Message is the Medium 


"War is never anything less than accelerated technological change. It begins when some notable disequilibrium among existing structures has been brought about by an inequality in rates of growth." 
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Marshall McLuhan, 1964, SIGNET BOOKS, New York 


"No society has ever known enough about its actions to have developed immunity to its new extensions or technologies.  Today we have begun to sense that art may be able to provide such immunity.
... The ability of the artist to sidestep the bully blow of new technology of any age, and to parry such violence with full awareness, is age-old."
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Marshall McLuhan, 1964, SIGNET BOOKS, New York 


"I expect to see the coming decades transform the planet into an art form; the new man, linked in a cosmic harmony that transcends time and space, will sensuously caress and mold and pattern every facet of the terrestrial artifact as if it were a work of art, and man himself will become an organic art form."
Playboy Magazine, March 1969.


Fidelity within a relationship or citizenship, if you happen to be French, invokes a passionate loyalty to partner or country. The simplified iteration, Fi, has evolved as it's been applied to technology. Hi-Fi, one of its earliest iterations was an indication of advanced audio reproduction, a wider band width, paired and separated resulted in greater frequency response, or greater fidelity, or function. The difference in sound was remarkable. 


It's latest iteration, WiFi, is a buzz term any converged individual searches out while vacationing abroad, a wireless port, a new frequency response in way that engages our devices and allows communication.


McLuhan postulated and spoke our earliest thoughts on the fidelity of media, its function on us within all the contexts, and in some respects his notions are prophetic in the context of new media. 


Let's bring all that together in the heading of this topic; new media fidelity. What we're talking about is functionalism, the idea that society can't function without the media and that media exist to serve the needs of society. 


Surveillance and the Fourth Estate     Combined we call it citizen journalism with the web as its medium, but its functionality transcends the three w's in redefining the Internet (why do we capitalize this?) to bring the world to us versus finding the world on the web. Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and the antiquated email and texting give us an eye on what's going on. 


Interpretation     There's an interesting notion that raw media, images mostly, need some form of interpretation until they can be correlated with what we might already know, or our frame of reference. This creates all kinds of noise depending on the filters involved with the interpreter, the photographer, the producer, the censurer, the parent. One of my favorite interpreters is Jon Stewart with The Daily Show. 


Values Transmission and Socialization     The medium is the message. When Sam disregards his own life to follow Frodo on his quest we have an inferred value of fidelity, and not just the inference, we see it played out, living, with consequences and rewards that audiences experience vicariously.  


Entertainment     From self-expression to billion dollar budget blockbusters, new media channels access and frees audiences from the anchors of what they used to consider high fidelity. HD-TV has become portable, five-channel surround sound personal, and music finds me when I want to listen.

The Third Screen

From Geek to Chic: a decade of smartphone evolution


First Generation     Cell phones functioned in service areas divided into cells serviced by transmitting antennas. As the caller moved from one cell to the next the signal for the call is handed from one antenna to the next. Bell labs developed this system, the Advanced Mobile Phone System, in 1986. The system went offline in 2008. If you've ever dropped a call it's due to roaming into a dark area, space that is not covered by a transmitter, or an area that is geologically restrictive of receiving a signal. This is the reason you cant get cell service in the Virgin River Gorge.

Second Generation   Cell phone transmissions went digital shrinking the data stream to increase network capacities, more users being able to make more calls. A common standard for second generation phones evolved called GSM (Global Systems for Mobile communication). Capitalism intervened with proprietary competing standards in the United States that were not compatible with each other or GSM. Second generation technology enable SMS, or text messaging.

Third Generation 3G   Streaming more compressed data faster introduced the third generation of mobile technology, known to celliphiles as 3G. More and faster means email and web surfing, albeit at snails' pace compared to speed rates on the second screen. The high connection speeds enabled streaming of radio and television content to 3G handsets, a significant shift in the channels paradigm.

4G TNBT   4G opens the flow of data information with peak download speeds at 100 million bits per second for fast traveling mobile communication such as trains and cars, and one billion bits per second for low mobility communication such as pedestrians and stationary users. The 4G system is expected to provide comprehensive and secure all IP based mobile broadband solutions to smartphones, laptop wireless modems and other mobile devices. 


This speed and band width make it possible for ultra broadband internet access, and to stream HD television and video conferencing along with multi-player video games, including those where the gaming virtual physical context is superimposed on real-world physical contexts through heads-up displays.

The Fourth Screen

The predecessor to the iPad was this instrument, the Newton, a joint venture between Apple and Sharp, a personal digital assistant described as a handheld communications assistant that managed data, and allowed a limited input of information. What it turned into was a frustrating and short-lived appliance that made you look like you knew what your were doing.

The achilles heel of this device was its handwriting recognition software touted to streamline the way the user took notes during meetings or classes. It worked if you had the impeccable script of a school marm, not to mention that if you're left handed, the Newton would all but slap your hand with a ruler.

Enter the iPad Touch concept, the earliest version that never made it to market pictured here. This was slated for release at Mac World in 2008, but didn't make it to market for a number of reasons, whetting the appetite among Macphiles for a device that promised connectivity for email and Internet access, as well as a platform for entertainment. It was Apple's iPod that paved the way along with the iPhone for the iPad's tablet market domination of 95 percent, according to Strategy Analytics.  

This smashing success is due in no small part to the device's usability. Once the paradigm of navigating the iPad is understood, operating it is very intuitive. It ships with iTunes and YouTube connectivity and management along with powerful IP access using Wi-Fi. The current version lacks ethernet and USB ports, staying true to the intent of the device, mobile access.

Thousands of applications have been developed from gaming to productivity to increase the iPad's usability. The latest 4.2 version of its software allows multi-tasking and wireless printing via Bluetooth.   

New Media Convergence - Rubric

Outcomes:

• Assess implications and trends of new media applications;
• Navigate the new technologies marketplace and identify heavy hitters and developing influences;
• Analyze market and user impacts from new media applications.

Point Value: 400

Activity Description
This activity focuses on the third and fourth screens' impact on traditional and new media. Traditional media includes publications (book and magazines), newspapers, recorded music, radio, film and home video, and television. New media includes the Internet and video games. 


Select a traditional medium, research and evaluate how that particular medium has adapted to the usability (transparency) and adaptability (personification) of your chosen new media application. 


Using Survey Monkey research how much and often your medium is accessed via new media applications. This can be done by linking the survey to Facebook pages or blogs where device users can take the survey and provide data for your study. Substantiate your quantifiable findings with industry research relating to your application. 


With your research in hand, recommend devices for the best exploitation of your media and offer a critical analysis on what might be done differently within the device's operating system to make the application more transparent. 


Present your findings on the assigned date to the class. 

Rubric

1. You selected a traditional medium for evaluation and research. 25 Points

Below Expectation (0-13) Satisfactory (14-20) Exemplary (20-25)

2. You defined how your medium is adapted to the usability and the adaptability of via new media devices.
100 Points

Below Expectation (0-33) Satisfactory (32-74) Exemplary (75-100)

3.  You researched how much and often your medium is accessed via new media applications using social media to access a research pool and substantiated your quantifiable findings with industry research relating to your application. 200 Points

Below Expectation (0-85) Satisfactory (86-150) Exemplary (151-200)

4.  You recommended devices for the best exploitation of your media and offered a critical analysis on what might be done differently within the device's operating system to make the application more transparent. 

50 Points

Below Expectation (0-22) Satisfactory (23-39) Exemplary (40-50)

5. You presented your findings in an integrated presentation for the rest of the class and submitted your research for publication on this site. 25 Points

Below Expectation (0-13) Satisfactory (14-20) Exemplary (20-25)

Syllabus - Course Description, Goal and Outcomes

This advanced course is designed for majors in the New Media track to survey new developments and applications in converged media. Curriculum is constructive, guiding students to seek out, use, and evaluate developing technologies focused on communicating, entertaining and informing. Students will use established rubrics from COMM 2500 to evaluate new applications and their impacts on existing paradigms such as publishing and broadcasting.


New media applications and technologies change the communication landscape on a daily basis and impact how audiences receive, share and archive information. The goal of this course is staying current with that landscape, or at least developing the ability to do so, an imperative competency for graduates in the New Media track.


Students can reach this goal through regular attendance and participation and by these outcomes:

1.      Assess implications and trends of new media applications;

2.      Navigate the new technologies marketplace and identify heavy hitters and developing influences;

3.      Analyze market and user impacts from new media applications.

Syllabus - Item Pool and Course Requirements

New Media Convergence - Presentation 
This group activity focuses on the third and fourth screens' impact on traditional and new media. Traditional media includes publications (book and magazines), newspapers, recorded music, radio, film and home video, and television. New media includes the Internet and video games. Your group will research and evaluate how your particular medium (print, radio, TV, film) has adapted to the transparency and personification of their chosen new media application. Research how much and often your medium is accessed via new media applications, recommend devices for the best exploitation of your media and offer a critical analysis on what might be done differently within the device's operating system to make the application more transparent. 

Best Device - Published Blog
Now that you're quickly becoming a new media guru, friends, family and people you don't even know will be asking for advice on what's the best new gadget (smart phone or tablet) for them. To prepare for this end you will identify a set of consumer values based on the needs of your client (corporate, finance, medical, communication), review the range of devices available specific to those needs and make a recommendation. 


Abstinence - Response Blog or Facebook Entry
Can you do it? Go 48 continuous hours device free. During your techno-fast write with an old-fashioned utensil such as a pen, pencil or charcoal how you managed two entire days without your smart phone, your iPad, your iPod, your MP3 player, your laptop, PC or Mac. Traditional media are permissible as long as you adhere to the spirit of this experiment. For example, if you want to listen to Maroon 5, you'll need to have the CD. Extra credit if you have the LP. After you've endured the 48-hour device-free break, transfer your written observations to your blog or your Facebook wall for your peers to read. Provide an analysis of how often you thought of or actually turned to use your new media device, symptoms of withdrawal, and if you fell off the wagon, justify what was a stake enough for you to compromise twenty percent of your grade.

AppReview - Daily Primer
Each class session will open with an AppReview, an evaluation and recommendation of your favorite applications for both smart phones and tablets. 

Syllabus - Course Policies and Resources

Qualification

As an upper division core class for the Bachelor of Communication degree, you need to achieve a C+ or higher as the grade outcome of this class for it to count towards your degree requirements.

Final Exam

The final exam for this class is May 2nd at 12:30 p.m.

Missing Class

Two absences and your evaluation drops one whole grade. Four absences results in administrative withdrawal or if after the withdraw deadline, failing the course. There is no such thing as an excused absence. You show up or you don’t. The drop date this semester is March 4.

Plagiarism and Cheating

Plagiarism is the use of another source’s words, ideas or statistics without their permission and/or proper citation. Anyone who plagiarizes material in my class will receive a grade of zero on that assignment. Anyone found cheating on term assessments will fail the test, though I also reserve the right to assign you an “F” for the course and/or refer you to our chair for further sanctions. If you submit a falsified electronic document that I cannot open, you will fail the assignment. Please keep in mind that one can be expelled from the college for academic dishonesty.

Also see Academic dishonesty / Academic integrity policy.

Electronic Devices

Calling or texting will not be tolerated in class. First interruption infraction and you're buying everyone pizza and sodas the next meeting. Second infraction and you're buying everyone lunch at Cafe Rio. Lap tops, tablets and smart phones are encouraged for use in class discussion and research.

Submission of Assignments

Any work for this class that is to be submitted by means other than online will be submitted via email as a PDF document. This ensures I can open your document and verify contents regardless of platform. No other format will be accepted. Format your submissions in the subject line with the course number, assignment, and your name. If I were submitting the first assignment for COMM4330, my subject line would read:

COMM4330, Assignment 1, Young.

Likewise, if you email me a link to your work on your blog, please format the subject line in the same manner. 

Assignments are due the date indicated on the course schedule on this web site. I don't accept late work nor do I accept technical excuses like a crashed computer or an email glitch. Papers are due by the beginning of class. Work containing typographical and grammatical errors will be returned without evaluation. Proof your work. The college provides a free service for students desiring additional assistance with their writing assignments. The Writing Center is located in the Browning Building. Call Barbara Turnbow at 652-7743 for information.

Email Communication

Important class and college information will be sent to your D-mail account. All DSC students are automatically assigned a D-mail email account. Click and select D-mail for complete instructions. You will be held accountable for information sent to your D-mail, so please check it often.

Hostility

I reserve the right to remove any student from this class and/or program based on documentable breech of citizenship such as sexual harassment, hostile environment, discrimination based on race, religion, gender and/or sexual preference, plagiarism, misrepresentation, and/or malicious gossip.

Withdrawal and Drop Deadlines

Please consult the semester schedule for withdrawal and reimbursement deadlines. You will be charged a $10 fee for dropping this class.

Late Work and Missing Tests

Should you miss an assessment due to medical reasons, you must provide documentation that states you were otherwise occupied at the time or in the general vicinity of class time. All excused absences must be presented right after the absence, and will be verified. I will determine what is excused. Any missed exams will only be made up with appropriate excused documentation.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a medical, psychological or a learning difference and requesting reasonable academic accommodations due to this disability, you must provide an official request of accommodation to your professor(s) from the Disability Resource Center within the first two weeks of the beginning of classes. Students are to contact the center on the main campus to follow through with, and receive assistance in the documentation process to determine the appropriate accommodations related to their disability.

You may call (435) 652-7516 for an appointment and further information regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 per Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The office is located in the Student Services Center, Room #201 of the Edith Whitehead Building.

Library and Literacy Contacts

Dianne Hirning is the librarian over Communication resources. She is your resource and guide for research within this discipline. You can reach her at hirning@dixie.edu and by phone at 652-7720.

Resources:

* Library - http://library.dixie.edu

* Writing Center - http://new.dixie.edu/english/dsc_writing_center.php

* Testing Center - http://new.dixie.edu/testing

* Tutoring Center - http://dsc.dixie.edu/tutoring/