What is New Media and what is its impact on me as a journalist?
Prince Monna
Personally, my definition for new media is just that: New Media. In other words new media is for me any new ways of dispensing information which are aided and influenced by the recent proliferation in technological advancements. The latest forms of which is Digital and electronic communications forms, particularly the internet and the World Wide Web.
According to newpeoplemedia.org, these new forms of mass communication developed by society always tend to be given the label “new”. To further substantiate their claim they further argue that in years past it was radio, television, cable TV, satellite TV, but nowadays the term tends to be used primarily to talk about emerging digital/electronic communications forms, particularly the internet and the World Wide Web.
Using digital media and computer technology to create innovative and interactive instructional and presentation materials for delivery via CD, DVD and the Internet is as far as I am concerned descriptive of “New Media”. Never before has such achievements been made in the history of the media and information dissemination than now.
www.cmp.unt.edu/glossary.htm
For me “New Media” is indeed symbolic and of course truly representitative of a new tidal wave of media and technological change that has and is still happening paralleled with the on going changes in technology. According to Martin Lister, the newness of new media is in part real, in the sense that these media did not exist before now.(New media: A critical introduction: ed. Martin Lister).
According to Lister some so-called critics of new media often, substantially deny that there have been some change at all, either in the media or in the culture to which they form a part. Such critical accounts, Lister further argues do frequently stress the continuity in economic interests, political imperatives, and cultural values that drive the new as much as the old. They seek to show that the preoccupation with media’s difference, with the way that it outstrips and parts company with our old, passive, analogue media is an ideological trick, a myth, writes Martin Lister.
They argue that new media can largely be revealed as the latest twist in capitalisms ruthless ingenuity for ripping us off with seductive commodities and the false promise of a better life.
Having out lined the definition of new media and of course the historical trends it took for new to change, it now becomes very crucial that I say how much of an impact these changes have on me as a journalist. New media and all the changes that have happened are very influential in how information will be disseminated from now on. However, for me to make it as a journalist in this era I must embrace the changes that new media has brought for the journalism trade and also make use of the advantages of provided by this changes in media.
Also it should be noted that with the advent of new media especially the internet and the World Wide Web, journalism will be affected and those that keeps up with the technology are the only ones who will make it in this trade.
Wireless Technologies - Economic Advantages for Africa
Prince T. Monna1
According to
the term
is generally used for mobile IT equipment. It encompasses cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDA's), and wireless networking. In other words wireless technology comprises a network system that functions to connect people especially business people who do business while on the move to their offices and or customers and associates through Wireless Networking Network.
So, what are Wireless Networking Networks:In order to understand the meaning of wireless networking and ultimately how they function, it is very important to first give a brief definition of
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According to
Computer networking is generally concerned with communication between computer systems. This communication can therefore be defined as “the scientific and engineering discipline used to make this happen”.
Furthermore it must be noted that this communication between computers or any other IT equipment capable of wireless communication involves in most cases, at the least, two computers separated by a short distance (e.g. via Bluetooth) or thousands of miles (e.g. via the Internet). Computer networking is therefore sometimes considered to be a form of telecommunications. Thus Wireless networks can therefore “be referred to as telephone or computer networks that use specific technology as their carrier or physical layer”
.
Wireless networking is, according to
a process of providing a connection to a DSL service through a wireless router so as to provide a convenient way to connect a small number of wired and any number of wireless computers. They further say that this process of routing information through a wireless router is beneficial because through it the integration of wireless connections to these computers, sharing or exchanging multimedia information and data can be done without the hassle or nuisance of cables. Thus ultimately Communication between these two mediums is further enabled by the use of “standard network protocols and any technology which does this perform wireless networking”.
According to
Intoweb Wireless LANS are the most popular for wireless networking and has fuelled emerging industries such as IEEE 802.11 offering solutions and applications in the impossible event of wireless networking.
Now it becomes very crucial for easy understanding of wireless technology that I give a few types of wireless networking systems for illustration purposes. Two dominant types of wireless networking can be found. These include:
1. Ad-Hoc or Peer to Peer Networking:this type of network comprises a number of computers each with wireless networking interface cards that functions to aid with direct communication among every wireless enabled computer. Printers and files are shared this way. Access to wired LAN resources is not enabled unless one of the computers acts as a bridge to the wired LAN using special software for the process of "bridging" (see
Intoweb
2. Access Points: some wireless networks use access points (also referred to as base stations). Access points act as hubs as they provide connectivity for wireless computers. According to Intoweb, Wireless LANS are connected to wired LANS and hereby allowing access to LAN resources by wireless computers and these LAN resources can include existing Internet connectivity or file servers. “Two kinds of access points exist namely dedicated hardware access points and software access points” (Intoweb).
Hardware access points include examples such as Apple's Airport Base Station and offers support for a number of wireless features. Software access points run according to the specifications of ad-hoc wireless networks and offer support for features not included in hardware solutions, but may also not include those wireless features required by the 802.11 standard (Intoweb).
"Roaming"Communication between wireless enabled systems functions through a process called roaming. In other words through a process by which computers can send information from one access point to another through a wireless medium often a blue-tooth or through internet. A steady network is ensured with the incorporation of hardware and software. Communication through wireless technology is often very safe for the user, because it is initialized by passwords and secret pin code to function.
So, What does this mean for South Africa?South Africa has a fast developing and a very stable and promising economy. With the advent of globalisation and in the interest of global markets accessibility, South African businesses and businessmen ought to be techno-literate and techno-savvy. Participation into global markets would often mean that business people are mostly on the move and scarcely in their offices. However, the office still has and must run efficiently or else the purpose for global business meetings is defeated. Now to be able to juggle these two balls at the same time, South Africa and African businesses needs wireless technology to aid their day to day running of their business from anywhere in the world.
Through internet connectivity this is then made possible but internet can be slow and information slippage can happen. Thus a better means of communication like broadband and other video conferencing systems becomes very useful to South African businessmen who do business on the road.
Personally, my definition for new media is just that: New Media. In other words new media is for me any new ways of dispensing information which are aided and influenced by the recent proliferation in technological advancements. The latest forms of which is Digital and electronic communications forms, particularly the internet and the World Wide Web. 
