Media

One area that I think merits further discussion is mass media and, in particular, the effect that changes in mass media are having on the way we communicate and our lifestyles. The predominant media in the past has been non-interactive broadcast media, like radio and television. These media are mainly passive. They have had a huge impact on society by exposing the population to information that might otherwise be hard to access and also by influencing the culture. The Internet has provided many types of new media and communication. People can now modify and participate in media. Individuals can re-mix music, post-video, write blogs and comment on news articles. Individuals are having greater influence on media and culture. Also, media like text messaging, social networking, alerts and Twitter are leading to a more connected society, but the pace is much faster and the depth and trustworthiness of the content is affected. In contrast to past broadcast media, I think the Internet allows for more individualism and diversity of ideas (but that includes bad ideas too and can spread rumors, gossip etc. as well as useful information).