New Forms of Media Publishing

(Image source: Blogger's own)

Mention the phrase "new media" and the first thing that comes to mind is online publishing. Be it blogs, online news, social networking sites or even YouTube, these are just some of the forms of media publishing that we are exposed to every day. The newest trends regarding communication in a new media ecosystem include online journalism, vlogs and social networking sites.

Journalism is the most rapidly evolving segment in a “mixed media” of traditional newspapers and broadcast stations combined with a “new media” of online journalists (Salcito, 2009). Citizen journalism, especially, has been hailed as the latest innovation in 21st century journalism (Burns, 2008), where ordinary people report news from their perspectives and give their opinions on current affairs.

(Source: CartoonStock, 2010)

Besides journalism, the ongoing fad among the online community are social networking sites (i.e. Facebook and Twitter) and vlogs (i.e. YouTube). There is so much information available to us these days, in various forms of mass media, that ‘it has to be handled visually because verbal is no longer adequate’ (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006). The emergence of new media has opened up a whole dimension for freedom of expression and speech, as well as spreading the concept of democracy and political awareness. For example, during the March 2008 Malaysian general election, political parties used traditional print and broadcast media along with new media such as blogs and videos posted on YouTube to spread their propaganda to the public.


(Source: YouTube, 2008)

Social networking sites play an important role in the daily lives of Internet users too. In fact, the number of Facebook users in Malaysia surpassed the one million mark in March 2009, making it the top social network in Malaysia (greyREview, 2009). People use social networking to keep in touch with friends and family, exchange news, play games, meet new people and generally be a part of the global community.

(Source: Soleen Strategies, 2007)

References and Bibliography:

1. Burns, A 2008, 'Select Issues with New Media Theories of Citizen Journalism', M/C Journal, vol 11, no. 1, viewed 15 April 2010, http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/30
2. Kress, G & van Leeuwen, T 2006, ‘Chapter 1: The semiotic landscape: language and visual communication’, Reading Images, 2nd edn, Routledge, New York.
   
3. Salcito, K 2009, New Media Trends, Journalism Ethics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, viewed 15 April 2010, http://www.journalismethics.ca/online_journalism_ethics/new_media_trends.htm
4. Snapshot of Social Networking in Malaysia 2009, GreyReview, viewed 15 April 2010, http://www.greyreview.com/2009/07/28/snapshot-of-social-networking-in-malaysia/