A student’s theoretical perspective
The
newest phase of the Internet, Web 2.0, is inherently all about constructing and
developing relationships. Relationships, mediated by communication
technologies, are the most important platform for companies, organizations and
individuals to invest in. It is not the motivation of advancing technologies
that drive the online consumer culture, but the motivation of networking people
across the world. The idea of a boundary-less transnational world has proven
itself possible online and everyone wants to be a part of it. I have chosen
specifically to focus on New Media and the era of Web 2.0 technologies because
these terms encompass important theories of the digital era, which I hope to
address in this blog.
Defined by Wiki, ‘new media’ is
defined as the “on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital
device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation, and
community formation around the media content”. Web 2.0 is specific to the
Internet and is used to define the network of collaboration among online
communities. Marketing is no more just billboards, posters and 30 second
television advertisements. The opportunities that are possible with new media presents
a whole new dimension to the world of marketing. For the purpose of this blog,
I will be specifically focusing on social media, one of the most prominent and
successful new media technologies, and its capabilities to expand brand awareness
and successfully reach a desired target audience.
Communication theorist Ronald E.Rice, characterizes new media as communication technologies that enable the
interactivity between one user and another, as well as the interactivity
between the user and content information. What has changed is the type of
relationship, from the “one-to-many” model of traditional mass communication to
the “many-to-many” model of contemporary mass communication. An example of new
media with Web 2.0 technology is citizen journalism, like the Singaporean
website “STOMP”. STOMP is recognized as Singapore’s number one social
networking and leading citizen-journalism website with user-generated material.
Social media networking has attributed to its success and popularity because it
enables citizens to come together to interact and share information online and
offline.
STOMP integrates the online and
offline content to connect with Singaporeans. Just like any successful website,
STOMP encourages its readers to connect with them through other social networks
like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. One section, titled “Singapore Seen”, is a
wall where citizens can post random and interesting photos or videos of
Singapore sights. The tagline of the section reads, “You generate the content. You
write the reports. You take the photos. You shoot the videos.” Citizens can
then view and comment on these pictorials, either agreeing or criticizing them.
This is the democratization of new media online, where everyone can attain the
role to create, publish, distribute and consume information. STOMP has dramatically changed the way public news is shared and exchanged.
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