New Media Defined

I'd venture this observation about defining new media; any device that responds to the user versus the user responding to the device may be considered new media. I say may be because I'm somewhat non-committal. Add to that idea that new media function digitally (old hat, almost passe anymore), interactive, social, asynchronous, multi-media, narrow-casted. A couple of words here that stand some explanation:

Interactive     For some reason I think of Dancing with the Stars, though I've never willingly watched a show. Like American Idol, the show becomes interactive when the audience gets to vote for their favorites via texting or logging on to the show's website. Not my idea of interactive, but it falls under the definition. My iPad on the other hand is very interactive. I've told it what I want to know on a daily basis, and it willingly gathers all the information and briefs me when I feel like about what's going on the world.

Home appliances are joining the fray of interactivity, from fridges to dryers. The fridge you see here will let you know via your smartphone if desired temperatures are not being maintained. It's also connected to a satellite providing real-time weather forecasts, displays recipes and has a cute little polar bear that keeps you updated on temperatures. Developing applications include inventorying the items stored in the fridge, including expiration dates and remaining quantities and will alert the user via smartphone to pick up some milk on the way home.


Social     Facebook. 'Nuff said.

Asynchronous     This deals with the temporal context. Like I wrote above, my iPad is asynchronous when it provides information and TV episodes when I want to see them, not when the TV Guide says I can see them.  This is also called time shifting. If you're using TiVo to record a program you can watch at a different time, you are being asynchronous. As fancy as this sounds, this really isn't something you'd put on a resume.

Narrowcasting     This is targeting content to smaller audiences. iTunes is a wonderful example. Log on and activate iTune's Genius and the next thing you know it's suggesting tunes you might enjoy based on the artist and genre of music to which you are currently listening.


Illiteracing     Id like to add one of my own, a new word I made up that describes what typing on my iPad has done to me. See, iPad knows when Im writing a couple of words that might be contracted and it throws in that pesky little  ' when it sees words like cant, wont, Id, youre, and wouldnt. Youre noticing as you read this that my iMac doesnt.