Emerging Media

Headline: How changes in the communication infrastructure influence our social and cultural practices over time and in turn what new skills must we to develop to effectively engage with these new practices.

Focus Keyword: Changes, communication, social, cultural, practice, skill, learn, effective.

Seo Key Terms: Changes, skill, communication, change, practice, society, culture, practices, skills.

Meta Description: This work researches the topic of how the changes which take place in the communication industry and foundation have an impact on our social and cultural practices as a whole. The evolution of the communication industry in turn requires the mastering of new skills and practices which are discussed in detail in order to maintain relevancy and compete in the business landscape which are discussed further in this paper.

Change and Development

The constant need for development and evolution influences the changes which take place in the communication infrastructure. These changes shape and reshape fundamental social and culture practices over time. It is through the constant state of change and need for evolution that the development of social and cultural practices are shaped through the changes which take place in the communication infrastructure. The changes which take place, in turn, require us to adapt and engage with the new technologies and require us to learn new skills and strategies. The receptibility of human intelligence has increased the speed and efficiency of individuals to communicate as well as translate messages to the media which are received by the public. The innovations and evolution of technology and digital media have made it essential for businesses to understand their audience in order to successfully engage with their audience in a successful manner. The communications field has increased and grown rapidly through the years. Technology is more advanced than it has ever been in the past. The new skills and strategies we must learn to effectively engage with these new practices include becoming more aware and engaged with the audience and their needs and wants as well as keeping them informed. Change in Communication

Change in communication is important to understand as the trends are constantly going through a state of change and it is important to update and adapt with the changes taking place in order to engage and have a successful platform. William L. Wonderly, Ray Kurzweil and Jeff Goins analyze the issues involving the individual and the evolving technological and digital age. Wonderly’s Article Review entitled “Insights From Alvin Toffler’s ‘Future Shock’”discusses“The Change in Communication”and “The Problem of Transience” as occurring topics within his article. Every individual’s own sense of reality is discussed by Toffler. The problem of transience is explained by Toffler as, “Each person’s model of reality, while different in certain features from that of other persons, is largely cultural rather than personal. And with cultural changes, ‘that individual must turn over his own stock of images at a rate that some way correlates with that pace of change. His model must be updated’” (156. 3). Toffler discusses the change in communication as making communication and dissemination to to the public faster than ever before. “People are thus becoming conditioned to a faster intake of information than ever before. Through the media, information is presented to the person in as concentrated a form as possible, short of completely overloading the channel of the person’s receptivity” (4).

Target Audience

Meaningful change and innovation is characterized by an individual’s ability to develop a form of communication. This is both effective and efficient when reaching your audiences on a micro as well as on a global scale. William L. Wonderly’s Article “Review on Insights From Alvin Toffler’s ‘Future Shock’” discusses the issues of “The Change in Communication” and the importance of relating to the target audience and keeping up with his or her pace of change. “Each person’s model of reality, while different in certain features from that of other persons, is largely cultural rather than personal. And with cultural changes, ‘that individual must turn over his own stock of images at a rate that some way correlates with that pace of change. His model must be updated’” (156,3).

Mass Media and Consumer Dependency

As the changes continue in the communication infrastructure, it is important to remain focused on the audience’s wants and behavior in order to create successful messages with which to reach your target demographic. William L. Wonderly’s Article Review discusses the nature of meaningful change an innovation in his work, ‘Insights From Alvin Toffler’s ‘Future Shock.’Wonderly highlights the importance of using strategies and tactics in technology in order to engage the consumer. Keeping informed and up to date regarding with the latest technology trends is significant in understanding how technology is used to communicate with audiences. Wonderly discusses the trend of individuals becoming less and less receptive to the media as it has been a practice to consume massive amounts of information in a short amount of time and it is also readily available. “People are thus becoming conditioned to a faster intake of information than ever before. Through the media, information is presented to the person in as concentrated a form as possible, short of completely overloading the channel of the person’s receptivity” (4).

Literacy and Mass Media

In order to maintain a successful platform it is essential to understand the literacy behind the technologies used. Each online platform, whether it is an online blogging site or a website, requires a certain level of knowledge regarding the strategies and techniques used in search engine optimization when creating and maintaining a successful platform. Jeff Goins discusses the significance behind change as well as the importance to adapt in the digital world. The digital world is moving forward and requires constant monitoring of SEO optimizations in order to remain relevant and successful in the digital world.

Goins’article entitled ‘The Idiot-proof Basics of Writing SEO Pages’,states search engine optimization offer strategies and techniques which help improve blogging and creating blog posts in the digital world in order to stay relevant and connected. Goins states to first choose an SEO keyword or phrase which will appear in the SEO results page. Goins discusses the significance of writing a good title and includes instructions to aim to keep it under 60 characters. Goins states the importance of including keywords to appear in the URL address, and to mention the keyword “…early in the page. Try to include it within the first sentence or two. The earlier you mention it, the better.” In order to increase the number of visitors to your website or page, Goins suggests that linking other pages to the website as it will attract additional communities to your website. Goins additionally states the importance of linking other websites to your page. It important to understand how to apply digital literacy to your site as well as how to adapt the needed strategies and skills to properly negotiate both in an effective and efficient manner.

Psychological Response

With the development in technology and media its rate of change and fast pace nature is a concept which makes many very unsettled. Change is an unsettling concept/ Individuals as a whole are fearful of change and correlate the concept of the rate of change with fear. Change implies the advent of new situations and in turn new challenges which will arise for which we are not prepared or with which we have not previously dealt. The discussion board from Module 2 entitled discussed this topic. Eleanor Lara examined how change is uncomfortable and unfamiliar in her post entitled,“Your Kid’s Phone is not like a Cigarette.” Change causes individuals to fear for this reason. Through time, change requires us to adapt and requires our use of previous knowledge which we have acquired through our years of living as well as to require us include new forms of techniques and strategies which we may not have previously tried. A certain level of discomfort is required with change.

Rhys Schueren on the Module 2 discussion board entitled, “Critique on Belshaw’s Eight Essential Elements,” stated that change additionally implies a loss of control. The discomfort and unsettling feeling individuals have toward change is due to our level of comfort to custom and routine. Humanity has a whole as developed a certain level of routine to which we have become accustomed. As a society we have adapted customs and traditions as well as other habits which we have made custom. When we are faced with the unfamiliar or not second nature it can become overwhelming or difficult to embrace change. We cannot avoid change, as it is inevitable.

Digital Literacy and Navigation

Answering the question of how your digital platform impacts or effects your target audience is a significant question to answer when creating your website as well as maintaining it. Understanding your target audience as well as what they are looking for is essential as well as how to properly navigate through your website in order to implement your consumers’ preferences. David S. White and Alison Le Cornu discuss in their article entitled, “Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement” the strategies we must acquire to use and to negotiate the developing digital world. It is important to create a site which has a clear mission. Answering the question of the purpose of your site is essential for the success of your platform and receiving the maximum amount of views or engagements with your platform. White and Cornu state the importance of creating a unique site which stands out from the competition, “Both ‘place’ and ‘tool’ have the capacity to incorporate motivation. Questions such as: ‘What am I going there for?’, ‘What am I hoping to achieve?’, ‘Which place best serves my purpose?’, ‘How long do I intend to stay?’, ‘Have I got the skills that I need?’ and ‘Am I happy to be on my own, or would I prefer to be in company?’” (7). The article discusses the issue of creating unique questions as to what individuals should be looking for when they navigate to your site.

Digital Literacy and The Consumer

Each consumer varies depending on how they consume or process their information that is communicated by the media, it is important to adapt and apply the techniques and skills required to successfully communicate in a digital age. Understanding the target audience is essential in order to create a successful digital media platform and successfully utilize technology in the digital age. Tibor Koltay discusses in his article “Media literacy and the literacies: media literacy, information literacy, digital literacy” the importance of understanding the significance and structure of each platform. Koltay states, “…[it is important to be] concerned with developing an informed and critical understanding of the nature of the mass media, the techniques used by them, and the impact of these techniques. It is education that aims to increase students’ understanding and enjoyment of how the media work, how they produce meaning, how they are organized, and how they construct reality. Media literacy also aims to provide students with the ability to create media products” (3). Koltay states how each platform uses different techniques and strategies from one another, creating different sensations for the viewer.

Relevancy and Mass Media

In order to negotiate properly as well as effectively and efficiently in the digital media environment, individuals must stay relevant with current trends. Tzu-Bin Lin, Jen-Yi Li, Feng Deng and Ling Lee discuss in their article, “Understanding New Media Literacy: An Explorative Theoretical Framework” the importance to apply the most recent media strategies in order to navigate both effectively and efficiently. “Second, Individuals’ gradual desire/tendency to share their ideas with others also facilitates the emergence of Web 2.0. As Lim and Nekmat (2008) argued, ‘media consumers today tend to enjoy various avenues by which they can produce and share content’” (p. 260). The affordability of new media today allows media consumers to input their own values into existing media content, making their voices heard. Web 2.0 technologies serves as an example for individuals to freely share and discuss their own viewpoints with others.

Social Media and the Community

Change impacts the way emerging media is used for individuals to buy, sell, promote and consume goods and services as well as ideas. The article written by Kevin Roose in The New York Times, entitled “How Facebook’s Data Sharing Went From Feature to Bug” discusses the ability of social media sites such as Facebook, Bumble and Tinder to connect individuals through their online format. Roose states, “Later popular games like Farmville arrived, and apps like Tinder and Spotify began allowing their users to log in using their Facebook credentials. In some ways, it was a fair trade. Facebook got to weave itself more deeply into users’ internet habits, and the outside app developers retained access to a big audience and valuable data about their users” (2). The article examines the history of Facebook and how it led to the creation of additional social media applications which created a larger online community of people sharing their personal data online.

Inflation and Mass Media

With the progression of time we are also able to witness a progression and shift in pricing, the economy and how mass media are affected by the changes in communication. In Module 5, Shelby Ehret discusses in her post entitled ‘Spotify Emerging Media Technology’ where she examines the developing and evolving strategies and algorithms used for the music listening applications, specifically, Spotify. Jim Rutenberg’s article, “At Cannes, the Great Gusher of Content Comes With Warning Signs,” examines developing music applications including Spotify which began as an alternative music application for individuals to turn to instead of other competing music listening applications such as Pandora. Rutenberg stated in the article, “Its algorithms do an uncanny job of tailoring its music streams for individual users. But it has done an even better job at taking the next step, and subtly drawing them out of their own bubbles by introducing new music they might not have tried on their own.”

Online Behavior and Mass Media

With the constant changes and updates in technology we are becoming more advanced than ever before. We are more equipped and technologically informed than ever before. Online profiles are shown to tell alot about a person. What individuals share online or have previously shared online can be predicted down to their demographics, psychographics and can help businesses build an image of their ideal consumer. Michael Kosinski, David Stillwell and Thore Graepel address the question of how emerging media and technology changes the way we purchase, sell, promote as well as consume goods, services and ideas in their article, “Private traits and attributes are predictable from digital records of human behavior..” Kosinski et al. discusses how the actions and behavior of an individual’s online presence can be used to predict their sexual orientation, political views, personality traits, intelligence, happiness, gender, and age range as well as other personal attributes. “The analysis presented is based on a dataset of over 58,000 volunteers who provided their Facebook Likes, detailed demographic profiles, and the results of several psychometric tests” (5802). Kosinski et al. states the conclusion of the study is that our online presence influences our daily lives. Kosinski et al. state, “Individual traits and attributes can be predicted to a high degree of accuracy based on records of users’ Likes” (5804) in the section entitled, “Predictive Power of Like.”

Personal Data and Privacy

The creation of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram which allow individuals to share in activities such as “Liking” creates a community based platform which is both engaging and connecting to individuals all over the world. Jennifer Golbeck discusses in her Ted Talk, entitled, “Your social media ‘likes’ expose more than you think,” how emerging media and technology influences the way we buy, sell, promote and consume goods. Goldbeck states Facebook has created a platform for individuals to use where they are able to create an online persona with limited technical knowledge or skill needed. Social media sites such as Facebook allow for a community of sharing, which has allowed individuals to share their personal data online at the click of a button. In the Ted Talk, Golbeck states, “It turns out things like viral videos or Facebook likes or other information spreads in exactly the same way that diseases spread through social networks.” Facebook continues to uphold their responsibility to protect the data of the community they serve as the community continues to grow each day.

Social Media Exposure

Social media applications and sites reveal our preferences and our dislikes. It is a beneficial tool and strategy for businesses to analyze and see to what their target audience is responding. In Module 5 on the discussion board, Jacqueline Burgee discusses the importance of hidden attributes with which we can concur through our social media activity in her post entitled, “Expose More Than you Think.” Burgee cites Jennifer Goldbeck’s Ted Talk on Social Media Exposure. In the Ted Talk, Goldbeck discusses both the strategies and tactics which computer scientists use to create the models that help predict the hidden attributes and reveal the hidden characteristics about a person which may not present upon the surface. Burgee additionally compares the difficult concept of sharing posts online with the fear of your personal data being used. With the rate of change it is important to understand the significance of personal data and privacy especially when it has to do with the personal data of the individual. Individuals as well as businesses must be able to apply the proper strategies and tactics to protect their personal data for their for maximum protection. The presenter of the Ted Talk, Goldbeck, compares the act of liking a post on social media sites such as Facebook to a consumer and product relationship. “Goldbeck summed up the entire purpose of Facebook by stating ‘Users of Facebook aren’t customers, they’re the product.’”

Sharing and the Psychology of Online Dating

In the developing and ever changing landscape of the digital age the amount of data which is shared online freely and at the touch of a button has impacted the human psychosis, especially in terms of the romantic and dating world. Eli J. Finkel et. al. discusses in his article entitled, “Online Dating: A Critical Analysis From the Perspective of Psychological Science” the psychology behind a online dating as well as comparing and contrasting it to that of conventional dating. Individuals have access to and are able to create profiles for themselves through web page profiles. This development has allowed individuals to create and build a persona as well as communicate with one another which has encouraged individuals to engage in online dating as well as online matchmaking opportunities. The creation of online web profiles makes online dating entirely unique comapared to conventional dating. These profiles provide information about the individual, “Web pages that provide information about potential partners—that users can browse. Because many sites have thousands, sometimes millions, of users, online dating offers access to a larger number of potential partners that anybody could have access to in the offline world” (6). In the world of online dating it is important that individuals remember to remain vigilant in order to successfully navigate the world of online dating as well as navigate through the mass media and online news. It is important individuals continue to remain mindful of their behavior online and how their content could be being perceived by others online. It is important to have a purpose with your message and understand why you are sharing what you are sharing and understand the audience to whom you are speaking. The messages which get communicated to the public are important to understand, especially in today’s world where messages can easily be shared instantly.

When looking at how communication is used to facilitate messages to the general public, technology has played a major role in disseminating information to the public and reaching a wide audience with a message. However, although computers and technology have made a crucial impact on the digital revolution, it is evident that humans and the human brain have the best facilities to recognize patterns and qualitative impact. Jonathan Shaw addresses the question of the major technological trends which will impact the way individuals communicate with one another in his article “Why ‘Big Data’ is a Big Deal.” Shaw address the quantitative effect that mass media and technology have had on society. “The revolution lies in improved statistical and computational methods, not in the exponential growth of storage or even computational capacity.” (2). Shaw compares the human capability to find patterns and compares it to that of computers, stating that humans have a better capacity to find patterns. “New ways of linking datasets have played a large role in generating new insights. And creative approaches to visualizing data–humans are far better than computers at seeing patterns–frequently proves integral to the process of creating knowledge.” (2).

Future Predictions

With the growing trend of technology becoming more advanced and more equipped with information and upgrades we continue to push the boundaries as to what can be done. The article, “One Giant Step for a Chess-Playing Machine” by Steven Strogatz addresses the question of the major technological trends which will shape the next decade. Strogatz discusses how these developments will impact the way individuals are able to communicate. Strogatz discusses the machine-learning algorithm known as AlphaZero. He explains AlphaZero as a machine which was created to master the basic knowledge of chess in order to compete against opponents.“Most unnerving was that AlphaZero seemed to express insight. It played like no computer ever has, intuitively and beautifully, with a romantic, attacking style. It played gambits and took risks.” (2). The article continued to discuss the attack method of AlphaZero in further detail, “In some games it paralyzed Stockfish and toyed with it. While conducting its attack in Game 10, AlphaZero retreated its queen into the corner of the board on its own side.”(2).

Development and Evolution of Machines

The advance development created over time have not only impacted how the mass media is able to communicate its message to the public, but also has socioeconomic influences in regard to our society. Andrew (Andy) McAfee and Erik Brynjolffson discuss in their interview, “MIT Sloan Expert Series” the question of the major technological trends which will shape the next decade and how we communicate. In the interview, the authors highlight their insights of each of their books. Rebecca Knight hosts the authors who discuss their new book, Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing our Digital Future. The book is a sequel to their bestseller The Second Machine Age and is highlighted as a must-read and a guide to success in the digital economy. They explain how the digital world has an impact on the economy, including the macro economy as well as how it is affecting businesses and organizations. Knight asks, “Your last book, The Second Machine Age, was about how the digital technology is transforming our work and our lives. Is this one a follow up to that?” Brynjolffson “I wouldn’t call it a sequel, but it is very much inspired by a lot of the same big forces. We think we are in one of the very early stages of a real revolution that is happening in our economy, driven by digital technology. Part of that is the way it is affecting the macroeconomy, but another aspect, is how it is affecting businesses and organizations.”

Singularity

Ray Kurzweil challenges changes in his discussion entitled, ‘The Law of Accelerating Returns’where Kurzweil discusses human intelligence as well as the concept of Singularity. “Most importantly, it is my view that the intelligence that will emerge will continue to represent the human civilization, which is already a human-machine civilization. This will be the next step in evolution, the next high level paradigm shift.” Kurzweil states it is human intelligence which inspires the greatest and most meaningful change and innovation. He also discusses and defines the importance of Singularity. This law discusses the point at which intelligence and machines would become one. The article states, “To put the concept of Singularity into perspective, let’s explore the history of the word itself. Singularity is a familiar word meaning a unique event with profound implications. In mathematics, the term implies infinity, the explosion of value that occurs when dividing a constant by a number that gets closer and closer to zero.”

Work Cited

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