New Media's Impact: 2016

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Education is the Key!

How technology and new media has reshaped our society is amazing to say the least. You cannot do anything in today’s society without knowing something about the different technologies that are out there. It is used in every position that is out there nowadays. As the technologies have evolved, it has impacted how different jobs are completed. It could be as simple as making someone’s job easier or, in some cases, replaces the person on the job completely.

With these constant changes, it is important that everyone is moving with the changes and not fighting against them. Schools realize the need for these changes and especially the need to embrace these changes. It would be an injustice to children if this weren’t the case. The changes have made it possible for children to excel in different areas. It has created more opportunities and industries throughout the world. This is why it is so important that children are exposed to these changes in media and technology as early and quickly as possible.

Learning the new technologies is never enough. These is a time and place for the use. It is vital that everyone that is going to be using these understand that. When Justine Sacco made those tweets on her personal account, she had no idea what kind of backlash was going to occur. The important aspect of her story is that it is not singular. It has happen more often than people think. The difference is that it is not put out into the media unless one of the parties is fighting against the outcome that occurred.

The greatest improvement that can ever take place is education. It is through education that individuals are able to learn what is happening and how to use these advancements to their advantage. Many of the new technologies that are out there don’t have an education plan with them. People are learning on their own on how to use them. Creating a way for individuals to learn how to use these advancements effectively will be a huge impact.

The beginning place for this education is with children. They are growing up in a society that is always connected. It is not like in the early years of the industrial era where telegrams were the quickest way to get in touch with someone or get information out. It used to take days, weeks, and sometimes, months for information to get out. Today, when something happens, there is something on the internet within minutes if not seconds. It’s vital to teach children that just because something is reported doesn’t mean that the information is not going to change or contradict itself. We are living in an age of immediate gratification so the cost of that is that information is not always correct.

Continuing the education throughout someone’s educational career is important. With the changes always coming, the education needs to change with it. This includes education in elementary, middle, and high school all the way up to college. Education in the workplace is also on that list now since you want to make sure that your employees are using the different social media sites correctly. You don’t want an employee posting that your company is going to make a huge announcement about something before it actually occurs. Or post videos of something that puts the company in a bad light.

The only way to improve and more forward with the technological changes is through education and training. It sounds very simple but there are many components to this. The need to have people trained is a necessity in today’s society. The more that people use these technologies the more we need to be educated on how to use them. Ignoring the changes is not going to solve anything. Living in denial of the changes will do nothing but keep both people and groups or companies behind the curveball of where society is going to.

References:

Beavis, C. (2013). Young people, new media and education: Participation and possibilities. Social Alternatives, 32(2), 39-44. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1447217988?accountid=3783

Blanchfield, P. (2015). Twitter's outrage machine should be stopped. but justine sacco is the wrong poster child. Washington: WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1658053147?accountid=3783

Carter, Bill (2013, April 17). The F.B.I. Criticizes the News Media After Several Mistaken Reports of an Arrest. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/business/media/fbi-criticizes-false-reports-of-a-bombing-arrest.html?_r=1

Cook, M. (2015). Social media add twist to modern marketing: Basics still apply despite the march of tech advancement. Arkansas Business, 32(11), 14.

Mashhadi, S. Q. (2014, February 23). Impacts of social media in society. Technology Times, 5(8). Retrieved from http://bi.galegroup.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/essentials/article/GALE|A359595620?u=nhc_main&sid=summon&userGroup=nhc_main

Olorunnisola, A. A., & Martin, B. L. (2013). Influences of media on social movements: Problematizing hyperbolic inferences about impacts. Telematics and Informatics, 30(3), 275. doi:10.1016/j.tele.2012.02.005

Parikh, M. (2012). Technology and young children. YC Young Children, 67(3), 10-11. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1019288795?accountid=3783

SPJ code of ethics. (2014, September 6). Society of Professional Journalists. Retrieved from: http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp

Svatosová, V. (2012). Social media such as the phenomenon of modern business. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 6(4), 1-23. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1315304118?accountid=3783

Tolic, M. (2011). Media culture and media education in modern school. World Journal of Education, 1(2), 89-n/a. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1030090914?accountid=3783

Washkuch, F. (2014, 02). Sacco tweet scandal a lesson for young PR professionals. PRweek, 17, 22. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1511913392?accountid=3783

Youmans, W. L., & York, J. C. (2012). Social media and the activist toolkit: User agreements, corporate interests, and the information infrastructure of modern social movements. Journal of Communication, 62(2), 315-329. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01636.x

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Movements Keep Moving

Technology has helped in many times of social movements and charities that have been seen over the years. New media and technology has created ways for groups to get the attention that they need. It helps them show the world what is happening but society also expects to see this. It is expected nowadays that things are made available. Social media is a lifeline for many people and groups. The impact can be both positive and negative depending on what is being posted.

The negative is what is heard about more and more. Terror groups use social media and the different technologies to connect with more people. They are able to grow their members by spreading their information to as many people as possible. It is this global expansion that they are able to cause even greater impacts (Mashhadi 2014).

Like with many things, the negative will always overshadow the good. It goes back to that old saying “it’s like a train wreck… you just can’t look away.” Although you never want to encourage the negative, it cannot and should never be ignored but used to help in the prevention of crime and negative impacts. The new technological advancements have opened another avenue that society and law enforcement needs to look at.

The positive social movements that have been able to use the advancements are increasing more and more. Social media and the different technologies that are out there are helping them get the attention that they need. Movements like the ones that were seen in Egypt is a prime example of how these advancements helped.

The positive influences should still be something that people are aware of. It is through social media that individuals were able to gain assistance. More charitable groups have been able to gain attention by their social media pages than ever before. They do not rely on just advertising or charity events anymore. Social media and the different technologies have been able to help these groups gain the attention needed to raise more awareness and funds for their cause.

Society expects that the new technologies that are out there are going to have both positive and negative effects. Just because it is expected does not mean that it’s always good. Social movements and charities are dependent on these to get the attention that they need.

References:

Technology Impact on Our Children and Their Education

With all the different advancements in technology impacting the media, it’s important that it is brought up in schools. Children today have been impacted more and more with these advancements. They are introduced and influenced by these advancements earlier and earlier. Without the proper education, they would not be taught how to protect themselves.

In the beginning, children were being allow access to everything that was out there. No one knew any better as to what they were being exposed to since it was not brought to light right away. It was not until after tragedies that it was acknowledged that there needed to be some education. It was determined that education about these technologies was the best line of defense to protect them.

The access to the internet and the different technologies have increased more and more over the years. Young people that have this access is at 90%, up from 65% in 2006 and 79% in 2009 (Beavis 2013). The impact of this access is astonishing so this is why it is important that children are educated. It has been used to help advance their educations but also open them to dangers.

Advancements in education have been at the assistance of the new technology that is out there. Educators need to embrace these changes and advancements. They need to keep up with the changes that are taking place. At the same time, limiting the usage is something that needs to be set early on. Both educators and parents need to make sure that there are limits created for children. Technology cannot be the answer for everything but it cannot be ignored.

New media and technology has a growing influence on children. There is not a child in the world today that does not know what the internet is or the different technologies that are out there. In some instances, it is the children that know about these technologies before adults. When they are ahead of what is happening with technology, adults need to make sure that they are learning as well. Without adult supervision in these new technologies, children are going to be subjected to harm. These technologies in education will help protect students.

References:

Parikh, M. (2012). Technology and young children. YC Young Children, 67(3), 10-11. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1019288795?accountid=3783