"What is the scope of new media?"
New media encompasses a wide range of areas we can ever imagine, from the entertainment
industry, advertising campaign strategies, news reporting, to art practices.
"How does technology effect communication in our days?"
We can hardly think of communication today without the use of technology. With the
advancement of technology, people now are able to communicate across the world within a
short period of time. Beyond the restrictions of time and distance, technology also allows us to
transfer large amounts of data from one point to another within the cyber space, which was
something unimaginable only a few decades ago. And this data is our gateway to information
and knowledge based on which our view of and relationship with the world is shaped. This data
also provide us the tools to produce further information and knowledge, which in turn is a
tremendous contribution to the humanities if used properly and with good intentions. For
instance, the social media has acquired a crucial role in citizen journalism. Anyone can be part of
the news gathering and reporting process by using a smartphone with camera and video
recording features. And through personal social media accounts, individuals can post the latest
news about a major event even to which professional journalists might not even have access.
And this social media posting, let’s say it’s about a major natural disaster, might be able to
generate international attention and support much more quickly than traditional media.
"How will the digitized media continue?"
It’s hard to tell how the digitized media will continue to evolve. As we have witnessed in the
past two to three decades, digital technology, especially the internet, has drastically
transformed the way people interact in unpredicted ways. For example, the Arab Spring, Occupy
Wall Street, and other recent global movements around the globe are testimonies of the
potential of new media in allowing citizen participation and generating collective action for
social change. The internet and social media in this respect offer ordinary citizens the access and
means to media practice, which traditionally only the ruling elites can have access to. As we see
in these events, it’s often the youths and marginalized social groups who use online platforms to
make their voices heard. According to the latest statistics, about half of the world’s population
has access to the internet. If half of the world’s population has been able to generate such
transformation in terms of media practice in a matter of a few decades, then imagine what
would happen when the other half of the world’s population is also connected to the internet.
"What do you foresee as the future of media?"
As I mentioned, new media technology has offered new ways in which ordinary citizens can
also become media producers. Say, YouTube for example, literally anyone can have a YouTube
channel and become an expert or star, even a 10-year-old video game player. The media today
is also much more user-based, which means that user interactivity is a key component in the
new forms of media. In this respect, the emergent new media platforms will also be
accompanied by more sophisticated regulations aiming at addressing the issues concerning
media production, consumption, and participation, which can include content regulations,
taxation, privacy, intellectual property, employment law, free speech, and so on. Since the
internet has played an important role as an alternative platform for people to contribute and
receive alternative information, which is something they wouldn’t have been able to do with
formal media institutions, more advanced media regulation would also mean more restrictions
on these alternative media platforms. It is true that new media technology would open the door
to more dynamic and democratic ways of media practice, but at the same time, the structure
and forces of capitalist politics and economy will also seek ways to shape the media so that it
functions in such a way that it sustains the existing order. In my view, the media landscape in
the foreseeable future would be similar to what we have observed with “traditional” media; on
the one hand, new media technologies and platforms will continue to emerge based on users’
demand for a more democratic media environment, on the other hand, new regulations will be
formulated to ensure that media practices are conducted to serve the interest of the existing
economic and political systems. In other words, the future of media will continue to be a
struggle between these two forces in finding a balance that would work for both.
