Com3704 ASSIGNMENT 2

Table of content: Page: Introduction………………………………………………………….3 3.1 New Media……………………………………………………….4 3.2 Characteristics of online media……………………………...4 3.3 Tradition Media………………………………………………….5 SOURCES CONSULTED……………………………………………6 Introduction: We will be discussing new media and the 6 characteristics of new media as well as the traditional media. Furthermore, we will look at the impact of traditional media. QUESTION 3: 3.1 New Media New media is defined by Croteau and Hoynes (cited in Lesame, Mbatha, & Sindane 2003a:302) as media that ―are in the middle of a communication process, specifically in-between the sender and the receiver of a message. New media is digital media as it allows for two-way communication that is both interactive as well as instantaneous. New media are also seen as the integration of technology and communication in the information dissemination fields. A better way to understand new media is to equate newness with what has been recently developed. For example, television. Television is new media compared to radio and newspapers. An even new media than television is the internet. People do not watch television anymore because we now have the internet (Youtube, Netflix and other online streaming platforms). 3.2 Characteristics of online media: Digitality Choi (2005) highlighted two crucial aspects of digital media: firstly, all the information is processed using binary code (2012:10); and secondly, digital technology is concerned with ―online economy‖ (Lesame, Sindane and Potgieter 2012:10). Digital media is also differentiated from analog technology, the former, is considered to be high bandwidth; new; and fast; while analog technology is considered to be low bandwidth; slow; and old digitalisation.