International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences.

ISSN 2250-3226 Volume 1, Number 1 (2011), pp. 7-14

© Research India Publications
http://www.ripublication.com

New Media Communication Technologies and its

Influence on Journalism

M. Rabindranath

Assistant Professor and Coordinator,

Department of Communication and Journalism,
Yogi Vemana University, Kadapa-516003, Andhra Pradesh, India

Introduction
Today, the Media world is experiencing a serious overhaul, a shift in paradigm. The
normal way in which people are accessing information, expressing views, forming
opinions is changing fast. The usual sources of information like Newspapers, Radio
and Television are getting replaced with new forms like Websites, blogs, pod casts,
social networking sites etc. Today apart from reading, listening and viewing, people
are also browsing, e-Mailing, chatting, networking in various innovative technological
applications of Internet. These new forms of interactive communication technologies
which evolved in the last part of the 20th century are termed as ‘New Media’. New
media is an emerging field of different forms of new generation electronic, digital,
computerized, networked information and communication systems made possible
through the applications of computer technology. The term is in relation to "old"
media forms, such as print newspapers and magazines, which are static
representations of text and graphics. (Wikipedia)
New Media can provide information, interaction between persons, groups,
organizations virtually anywhere in the world at a low and affordable cost. New
Media has evolved as an interconnected network of audio, video and electronic
communication that will blur the distinction between Interpersonal and Mass
communication. The new media are responsible for formation of virtual communities
and groups who have similar interests and ideologies there by changing the patterns of
human communication with expanding the interactivity by crossing physical
boundaries, religion and nationality.

The Rise of New Media

The quintessential characters of new media like interactivity, adaptability, portability
and convergence have added phenomenal pace to their growth and evolution. New
media makes possible on demand access to content anytime, anywhere, on any digital
device apart from giving interactive user feedback, on the content with other
information seekers. Another important feature of New Media is the
8 M. Rabindranath

"democratization" of information distribution and consumption of content. The new

media also aptly called as ‘Social media’ due to its inherent access to social
participation in creation and usage of information.
A survey conducted on 17,000 internet users in 2008 revealed that social media,
particularly blogs are becoming more important part of media consumption of an
Internet user than the traditional media channels and social media is turning to be a
global phenomenon. The increasing number of users and their dependence on Internet
and its applications also bears a testimony to the above fact.
There are 2,695,205 articles in English on Wikipedia contributed by 75,000 active
contributors, which are visited by 684,000,000 visitors in 2008. There are
133,000,000 blogs indexed by Technorati since 2002 which are read by 346,000,000
people globally and an average of 9, 00,000 blog posts are received in one day (com
Score March 2008). There are 200,000,000 active users of Face book with
100,000,000 users logging on at least once every day in 170 countries / territories in
35 different languages. It is also estimated that there are an average of 100 friends for
every face book user. The number of users of Internet and its applications are
increasing at an exponential pace. (www. mathewingram.com) In India there are
approximately 50 Million internet users and around 400 Million mobile users.

The New Media as Information Source

The Internet is already considered as an option in searching for news and information
regardless of time relevance, article length and topic complexity. Journalists are now
recognizing the role of the new media for the actual news sourcing. The new media
technologies like Internet based e-Mail and Social networking sites like Orkut,
Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter etc. have become a preferred form of social
communication. The same trend is also visible in India. The India Online Landscape
Report 2010, a comprehensive estimate of Internet user-ship in urban and rural India
based on the estimates of a land survey conducted between April 2010 to May 2010,
among 259,341 individuals from 37,024 households in 100 cities and over 20,396
households in 1,040 villages spread across all the 4 regions of the country reveals that
the number of people using Internet for various functions like communication,
information, recreation etc is increasing.
Thus new media can transform human capacities and relationships. Today the
effects of new media technologies are evident in all forms and fields of human
activity and very aptly the present age is referred as an ‘Era of New Media’. The
communication world has witnessed many incidents and instances where the New
Media have triumphed in various fronts like political, social, education, medical and
economics. The recent 18 days people protests in Egypt saw the evolution of new
form of communication i.e. “Speak to tweet”. When all forms of communication
including Internet went down in Egypt, Google announced a way to keep up the
tweets from Egypt. It launched the ‘speak to tweet’ service which allowed people to
call phone numbers, leave a voice mail and the message was sent out to tweet under
the hash tag # Egypt. This type of innovation of new communication technologies
made the protests to be aptly termed as “Revolution 2.0”.
New Media Communication Technologies 9

Twitter appears to be one of the most discussed by communications professionals

at this time. The free social-networking service allows short messages to be sent to
and received by self-designated followers using a computer and Internet connection or
a mobile device with an Internet connection. Also, unlike Face book, Twitter’s
primary users are adults who are aged from 35 to 49. According to Paul Farhi
“Twitter attracts the sort of people that media people should love - those who are
interested in, and engaged with, the news”
The information about the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008 broke first on Twitter.
According to Neha Viswanathan, a former Regional Editor for Southeast Asia and a
volunteer at Global Voices, people were sending in messages about what they were
hearing about the attacks in Twitter. There were at least five or six blogs from people
who were trapped and who were very close to what happened.” Thus the new media is
providing power to connect, inform and mobilize and act as a catalyst for facilitating
the formation for more intimate and content specific communities. It is facilitating
communication not only with the outside world when all the traditional forms have
failed but is also becoming a preferred mode for advocacy and active communication.
Hence a surge in organized ‘citizen activism’ is seen where in the technology is able
to build human infrastructure in the form of powerful online communities.

Impact of New Media Technologies on Current Journalism Practices

Mainstream news organizations recognize the fact that the Internet has the strength to
disseminate news and information in an instant. With just few clicks, many are now
able to take hold of current news without having to wait for prime-time newscasts in
their television sets. As a result, numerous mainstream news organizations have
already engaged in what we call web journalism, which is journalism in the Internet.
It has become the extension of corporate news organizations to meet the demands of
today’s audience character.
The technological advancements that the modern society is characterized at
present makes the people living today to experience and two things in the most
efficient and effective way. The world has changed since the introduction of the
computer technology and other communication innovations that time and space
barriers have long been overcome in the need for individuals to get connected. Some
time ago the fields of communications and the matters of mass media as a field of
study were largely confined to the schools of journalism. But now the rise in interest
to study this from outside that area stems mostly from the advances in technology,
where the changes of modern living has solidified the image of our world as one big
global community, where virtually everyone can be easily and quickly reached. This
is why most researchers have taken up the mettle in understanding the new media, its
functions, and impact it makes in changing the matters pertaining to society, the least
of which is that of public opinion.
The introduction of the Internet in the field of mass media has resulted to popular
academic researches on its effects on the message consumption using the traditional
modes of mass communication. The increase in the message consumption through the
Internet has greatly influenced the decline in the use of traditional mass
10 M. Rabindranath

communication media such as the print, radio and television. Online news users
increased in number which likewise resulted to the decreasing use of TV, newspaper
and magazines as sources of news updates and current events. According to Loechner
Newspapers are losing grounds to a generation of consumers embracing digital and
mobile alternatives. Loechner also found that there is a media shift from traditional
forms like newspapers, magazines to digital sources. Young adults of the age group
from 18 to 24 viewed Internet as more important source than TV. Desire for speedy
news latest information was the intent behind this age group to prefer Internet as a
source for news rather than traditional forms. This trend signifies that the people
today are not bothered about who is writing the news, who is publishing the news and
its authenticity and credibility. The news source credibility which plays a significant
role in traditional form is not important in New Media forms.
The Pew perception survey conducted by the Pew research centre puts forth some
very important details. Public assessment of news organization’s accuracy and
credibility are found to be lowest in decades. Internet is evolving as one of the major
source of National and International news apart from Print and Television. Today new
forms of Journalism are emerging like Online Journalism, Citizen Journalism etc. The
entire paradigm of Journalism by content is shifting towards the “Social Journalism”-
which is defined as journalism by intent. Social journalism is a combination of social
media and journalism. According to Woody Lewis “a social journalist can be defined
as a person with a premeditated Watchdog role, who uses Social media to
communicate and collaborate with readers. Crowd dynamics shape the social
journalist stories more than editors”. The goal of social journalism is to build a
community through engagement. In a way social networks are the new editorial page,
rich with opinions and ideas. (Lavrusik)
Many journalists and investors believe the Internet is an important new mass
medium. This is evident and supported by the fact that more than 200 million people
who are using the Internet service for communication and search purposes. Different
industries have engaged the Internet in their operations in order to provide efficient
and effective services to the public and this holds true not just among business
institutions but also in the public and government domains. With more than 13 million
Internet links and websites, traditional media functions have likewise adopted this
new medium. Adding to the synergy and dynamics of virtual activities of multimedia
in its ability to combine and animate texts and pictures that characterizes the print and
broadcast media resulting to a blurred distinction of these mass communication
channels making readers and viewers more active in their responses to the information
provided to them.

New Media Effects on Journalism - Citizen Journalism

New media is challenging the funding sources of old media. This leaves many
newspapers with less financial resources. Financing serious journalism then becomes
a major problem. The Internet is rapidly replacing old media as the world’s most
dominant source of information, analysis and commentary. More and more journalism
is moving online. Mass media is a term used to denote, as a class, that section of the
New Media Communication Technologies 11

media specifically conceived and designed to reach a very large audience (typically at
least as large as the whole population of a nation). The term public media has a
similar meaning: it is the sum of the public mass distributors of news and
entertainment and other information: the newspapers, television and radio
broadcasting, book publishers, and suchlike. To this the Internet, pod casting,
blogging, etc. were added recently. All of these public media sources have better
informed the general public of what is going on in the world today. Some traditional
public broadcasters are turning to these new areas to reach more people quickly.
These methods of communication reach a greater number of people faster than
traditional communication. Such things as pod casting and blogging give people an
opportunity to express themselves in ways that can only be done with such
technology. The mass-media audience can form a mass society with special
characteristics, notably atomization and lack of social connections, which render it
especially susceptible to the influence of modern mass-media techniques such as
advertising and propaganda. Whereas the new media users can form well knitted
virtual communities in which new forms of advertising like online advertising and net
advertising are evolving which target the large virtual communities.
There is the proliferation of newspapers and radio stations across the country
currently. Some of these newspapers could be accessed through their websites. Online
newspapers and blog sites are also emerging. The existence of many radio stations
across the country has come alongside with the wide spread availability of mobile
phones. Some of these companies are offering internet services to their subscribers.
These developments have brought greater participation of the citizenry in the process
of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information thus
enhancing the practice of citizen journalism.
Today, media is characterized by vibrant and people-oriented practice. In this
vein, comes in what has now been regarded as “phone-in” for ongoing democratic
discourses. With the emergence of the cellular phone facilities and almost the ‘death’
of the land-line telephone systems, citizens are able to contribute to radio programs
and mobile phone users are able to contribute photos of live scenes of events to media
organizations even at amateur levels. The media and accompanying practices have
benefited a lot from new media technologies and practice. And this has in turn
impacted a lot on the new approach to citizen journalism, wherein the people report
their own news about themselves from their own communities; using available simple
media technologies such as hand cameras, mobile phones and internet blogging. With
the use of mobile phones for example, photos and voice recordings that had been
hitherto unavailable, are now used as actualities in TV and radio broadcasts, often
supplied by citizens who may not have had any substantial and professional media
training. With the new media technologies and the involvement of citizens to report
their own news in their own way and about events in their communities, one would
say that the news is everywhere and that there is nowhere to hide.
One great impact of the new media/citizen journalism is the timeliness and
relevance of news, while quality and content have improved immensely. The rapid
growth in information communication technology has broken the earlier world. Now
to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the governance process as there
12 M. Rabindranath

are alternative ways of publicizing news and information. People now have the
opportunity to respond in time to what they see, hear and read in the main stream
media as mobile phones and internet services have placed the power of reporting in
the hands of the public. It has created a window of opportunity for the exercise of the
freedom of expression as well as the right to participate. The subjects of discussion
are no longer limited. Anything could be texted around or viewed on the internet.
On the flipside, the new media has given way to the flow of news and information
that is lacking in quality and content. Propaganda messages which sometimes lack
substance are sent through mobile phones and internet. This questions the objectivity
of citizen journalists / citizen journalism. Despite some of the criticisms advanced
against citizen journalism, it has greatly enhanced the development of the media. The
increase of new media has not only opened up the flow of information but also
enhanced the active participation of the audience on what goes around. It has
therefore become imperative for the journalists to include citizen journalism as a
practice in their profession.
Now there is a level playing field created through the online world of journalism.
Journalists have no privilege over citizens or news. Although there is so much more
information and resources provided by the Internet this could be counterintuitive.
Journalists may spend hours wading through vast amount of information to find the
relevant material. Suddenly the skill of filtering information in a crowded domain
takes on added importance. It is a large competitive space and being first with the
story may override publications standards of accuracy.
Use of Social Media apart from creating a user generated content on the web
creates conversations, encourages opinions, views, discussions thereby creating a
chain of likeminded communities. These conversations have become the main reason
for people to use internet as a source of news on a regular basis. As people do not
want to simply be fed information, but they also want to find and share it with others
as well as connect directly with sources and writers instead of getting through
hierarchy of a news organisation. People want control over the information and want
to connect with it. News Media has allowed individuals by giving them a method to
express opinion and interact with the world. With the knowledge of New Media tools
anybody can publish ideas at a relatively nonexistent price. Major Media outlets try to
place their journalists at key places, but cannot be omnipresent. But an individual
today if present on the site of action or incident can directly go online and publish the
story without ever thinking about to say it to news organisation. New Media are a
route to connect with the people directly; hence it is journalism with partnership.
(Skoler).

The Danger of Internet’s Fast News Delivery

Unlike the Internet, the news media are subject to certain standard procedures and
rules. These include consideration of ethical standards, responsible practice of
profession, respective rules and regulation imposed by networks, the media laws and
other special considerations depending on the story or issue being covered. These
things show that the news media or news organizations are acting within the bounds
New Media Communication Technologies 13

of certain mechanisms, which are meant to safeguard transparency and to uphold

responsible journalism. While the Internet has the advantage of fast news delivery, it
cannot fully guarantee the veracity of the news in an instant most especially to those
sites that do not really serve as extensions of news organizations.
As we see it, the traditional news gathering of journalists remains to be
unchallenged in terms of truthfulness and professionalism. The main thing that seems
to worry news networks is the way the Internet is able to diffuse information at the
fastest rate, which can make them as “the second option” next to the Internet. The
changes brought about by the innovations in communication technology greatly
affected the practice of journalism. The practice in the discipline of news writing
cannot be separated in the modern context and the environment of the society that
characterizes the world.
As information transfers quickly on the Internet it can be very easy for
disinformation to be spread. Breaking news stories are now produced online. If
information is incorrect then there are not enough checks and balances to stop the
flow of this misinformed news. Giving consumers the ability to publish more
information through internet isn’t good news for everyone, as multiple problems may
emerge from it. First many blog posts are opinion oriented rather than news oriented,
i.e. most blogs do not offer journalistically reported news content. Thus a true form of
investigation, unearthing the facts is lost out. As most writers of the blogs focus on
‘what interests them rather than what interests public.’ (Haltz)
New media has challenged journalism as a profession. New media has changed
the media environment. The priority of old media has declined and it is forced to
adapt the changes. Online journalism has taken on greater importance. Blogs have
freed many journalists from old media constraints. The Internet has also become a
fantastic resource that can aid journalists in research and filing of reports. New media
has aided journalists with improved technology. The new media systems of
communication have redefined the traditional concept of news. They have speeded up
the information collection, presentation and publication methods. The concepts of
gate keeping and editorial supremacy are no longer a part of the new media systems.
New types like Social and Citizen Journalism, Participatory Journalism, Activist
Journalism are evolving in which the information sources have more freedom of
expression. The new media forms do not have the power to substitute the traditional
forms of journalism, but can certainly assist and complement the traditional forms in
dissemination of information. Thus Traditional media is forced to adopt the new
media technology for its own development.

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14 M. Rabindranath

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