What is New Media?

New media is the internet. Everything that happens on the internet can be a source of information. One of the biggest methods of sharing information is through blogs. Anyone can open an account and start blogging; all they need is a computer and an internet connection. Blogs can be a means of simply saying what you have to say, or it can be to communicate with others. In the article about the blog-encouraged drug bust, the pet shop owner "said a core group of seven people who met through the blog brought the case to the attention of the community board and met with the authorities." People from the streets came together to achieve a common goal-to get rid of annoying and dangerous people from their neighborhood.

Most blogs are probably started to let others know about something. Perez Hilton's blog led to the conclusion that "blogs about celebrities are becoming the new rage among celebrity gossip lovers." A blog can be about anything at all. Since you have a interest, it is likely that someone else will find it interesting as well.

Negative aspect of blogging is that bloggers don't always find proof that what they are talking about it true. People think that since it's "published" on the internet, it is true. However, professional bloggers most likely don't just make stuff up, they get proof to support whatever claim they are making. Since the medium is the internet, it is a lot easier to edit posts immediately and not have to print a retraction or edit on paper.

New media is using the good aspects of previous media and trying to not have any bad aspects itself. However that is not possible. Someone will still think that some blogs are too adult and should be blocked to kids, but kids will find a way around it if they want. With previous methods of media, parental control was more absolute (kids had to go out of their way to get access to things they weren't supposed to have). So I think that newspapers, magazines, and other hardcopy forms of media will remain in our lives until a new new media is developed.