New media technologies today are radically challenging the mainstream media. The new media now has allow people to connect with others in a more open public sphere. We can now share our feelings, thoughts and views and even voice up our opinions and experiences to everyone through the new media. The newest forms of media publishing include Facebook, Twitter, Youtube as well as online newspaper.
(Source: Google 2010)
YouTube is one of the famous and successful new media in this 21st century. It is an example of Video Blog(Vlog) where communities are able to share videos with each other online. Youtube is one of the fastest growing media nowadays. According to Plunkett (2006), in UK, the users of Youtube increased by 500% in first six months of 2006. It is such a huge amount that it successfully beat the other social networking sites such as Facebook and My Space. The reason why Youtube is so famous is because it provides users with wide range of video and easy browsing feature for free (Why YouTube Works, 2006). For instance, people can easily watch the video of a Singapore director, Jack Neo explaning his scandal anytime in youtube. This strongly beats the mainstream media where they will only showing this Jack Neo's video in a particular time during reporting the news.
(Source: Google 2007)
(Source: Google 2010)
Besides that, Twitter and Facebook are also the famous new form of publishing in this era. Twitter and Facebook allow people to sent information and receive updates through internet. Facebook too allow people to share their personal stuffs such as, personal information and pictures with the other users. According to Munk (2009), the news of Michael Jackson's death was first released on Twitter right before it was confirmed by the mainstream media news. This proves that Twitter is faster than the mainstream media in publishing news and the news published from Twitter are credible.
(Source: Google 2009)
In addition, alternative online newspaper is now altered the roles of journalism. Malaysiakini would be the best example. Malaysiakini is an online newspaper. It is an independent media which provides alternative source of political issues (Nadarajah, 2000). Comparing to the mainstream media, this new media allows people to voice up their opinion. There are also many rules that journalists have to obey when it comes to publishing in the mainstream media, which cause most of the news or true stories had been filtered. People switched from mainstream media to Malaysiakini to look for more information as mainstream media have the limits in publishing news. The new media has more freedom of speech comparing with the mainstream media. However, this altered the role or journalism and communications in a way of people will know be knowing what the truth is as two different media are reporting the same issues but with different views.
References:
- Munk, S 2009, Michael Jackson death covered first by Twitter, crashes server, Electricpig.co.uk, viewed 16th April 2010, <http://www.electricpig.co.uk/2009/06/26/michael-jackson-death-covered-first-by-twitter-crashes-servers//>.
- Nadarajah, M 2000, Malaysiakini: Malaysian Daily on the Dotcom Path to Democracy, Media Forum, viewed 16th April 2010, <http://www.cameco.org/mediaforum_pdf/mf3_4006.pdf>.
- Plunkett, J 2006, The rise and rise of YouTube, viewed 16th April 2010, <http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2006/sep/14/media.newmedia>.
- Why YouTube Works 2006, online, viewed 16th April 2010, <http://www.unsoughtinput.com/index.php/2006/08/21/why-youtube-works/>.
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