Analyzing New Media

With the new media age of social networking sites, blogs, and the internet it has become very evident that media as we used to know it is drastically changing. It used to be that the encoder (a newspaper or TV news network) would be the primary source of information for the public. This source was held accountable for what they said to their audience so therefore they were a trustworthy and reliable resource.

The people who work in newsrooms are professionals who have real experience and an education in their field, so therefore they are sure to get there facts correct and portray them in the right way. In this age the encoder had a very large audience and the public were generally well informed.

The issue today is that with all of the social networks and blogs on the internet virtually anyone has the power to broadcast what they believe, regardless if it is based on fact. Today we are the encoder and we are able to publish what we say through blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Unfortunately, this is dangerous because now an amateur who could be biased, wrong, or just unprofessional has the power to broadcast whatever they want to the worldwide audience. In this article they discuss the similar issue about how journalism can possibly survive the internet age while still having lasting quality.