Belk Research

New media is a less traditional version of media resulting from the digitization of almost everything. Compared to its predecessor, new media is instantaneous, interactive, and universally accessible. The largest aspect of new media is social media. It’s role in today’s media environment presents an interesting paradox. On one hand, social media is rather limiting. It is incredibly easy to tailor one’s online experience to their personal beliefs and perspective. At the same time, social media presents the opportunity to connect with the world at large. To say that new media allows for one but the not the other would be incorrect.

In Sherman Alexie’s poem “The Facebook Sonnet” Alexie brings up a controversy, over all social media because it absorbs society into the depths of dark unknowns and prevents physical face to face communication. Even though Facebook allows people to stay up to date with friends, whether they be new or deep-rooted, the platform tears its users away from substantial social interaction with others. People can connect to the world by the click of the mouse and know what is going on at any given time. Social media requires ones everlasting attention, and the addiction is almost comparable to that of a cigarette, one cannot give it up and is always thinking about when one can check it again. People become so caught up in trying to perceive what everyone else is doing, they forget that they have a reality to live and fail to maintain real relationships. “The Facebook Sonnet” belittles the social media platform by emphasizing how obsessed society is with making themselves look perfect for the screen. One is either gripping to their past or obsessing over the present.

This is what the contemporary self wants”. The rhetorical question is used to draw in his readers, which he then explains what technology is doing before he answers the question himself. He speaks upon technology and social-networking sites such as; a camera, computer, Twitter, and Facebook. He claims that being connected, and being seen through technology is how we become real to ourselves. “If not to the

The rapid expansion of technological advancement is engulfing our culture. The author of IRL Fetish, Nathan Jurgenson argues that people have a weird interest in the world of offline. Technological advances are leading people into the realm of online, but Jurgenson also realizes the glorification of movement to offline. People who believe online world is destroying the real-life connection and many writers lament, “Writer after writer laments the loss of a sense of disconnection, of boredom (now redeemed as a respite from anxious info-cravings) …” (Jurgenson 127). People who are saying technological advances is removing people from the real-life so they think they can create a world where online does not exist. This new movement is educating the world that phone must be put away and boast about being offline. In IRL Fetish by Nathan Jurgenson, the author illustrates the practice of fetishizing of the offline world creates a misrepresentation of online and the offline world.

The use of technology has catalyzed society into an era that is increasingly interconnected yet impersonal at the same time. Despite technology’s endless list of assets, many fail to acknowledge its shortcomings when mentioning what is lost as a result of using it. Although in “Great to Watch” by Maggie Nelson, she is not afraid to share her skepticism of technology, as well as the role it plays in desensitizing individuals on a day-to-day basis. The internet is an invaluable resource to many because it is a public domain for sharing ideas, opinions, and knowledge that any and everyone can have access to. In a sense, it does not restrict what someone may see or do, and this can either be a good thing or a bad thing. The booming use of new media

Social media has become one of the greatest developments of human technology history. In today’s society, human are surrounding by the social media and wireless devices. In Shannon Matesky’s spoken word poem “MySpace”, the poet explains “physical contact is more important than our number of contacts” (Matesky). According to the poet, Shannon Matesky successfully redefines the word “Myspace” from a formal definition of “the distance from other people or things that a person needs in order to remain comfortable” (Merriam-Webster), to an operational definition of the contact created on the social media. People now forget how to stay with face-to-face relationship, social media become the new way of communication. “We can’t deal with the face-to-face so we let technology replace the space that people are supposed to fill”(Matesky), said Matesky, we are losing the ability to connect each individual face to face, and socially connection has been taking over through social media by using technologic device. Shannon Matesky has successfully redefined the actual meaning of “Myspace” from the distance between two to the space one’s create on the social media. MySpace no longer refers to distance between two, but to

The article “I’m So Totally, Digitally, Close To You (Brave New World of Digital Intimacy)” (2002) is written by Clive Thompson, who is also a blogger and columnist. The author aims to explain the users’ attraction of Facebook, Twitter and other forms of “incessant online contact” through his text. Since social networking has become a nearly ubiquitous aspect of human contemporary life, Thomson has effectively illustrated the invasion of the social media into human daily lives, how people are commanded by it. He later goes on to explore the benefits of social networking sites and a few challenges of the usage assumptions.

Quinn expresses a fundamental concern with the validity and objectivity of journalism with the coming of the digital age, and the increasing role that digital/information technology plays in media that reports or represents reality. Quinn begins his 2004 paper with the mention of the transition of non-digital/traditional photography into mainly digital photography with respect to journalism. More than just the changing of the photographic platform and format, Quinn notes the role that computer software that specializes in photographic manipulation in journalism. Early on, he contends, "Technical advancement has helped photojournalism be more effective in may ways, but has also created ethical challenges in making deception expeditious and less transparent." (Quinn, 2004, 1) The article explores this ethical quandary. Digital technology, photographic software, and digital manipulation are tightly integrated into modern photojournalism, among many other industries and fields. Quinn challenges readers to consider and explore the ethics of photographic manipulation and the implications upon perception. He presents the digital manipulation as having a positive and use; furthermore, that at this point in history and in the profession of photojournalism, it is unavoidable. Quinn clearly additionally presents the issue as loaded with negative ethical implications and

The burgeoning literature on digital ethnography and its processes of collecting information requires attention especially how social networking sites are integrated into everyday lives of participants (Hine, 2015; Markham, 2013; Murthy, 2011; Numerato, 2015; Postill & Pink, 2012; Ulmer & Cohen, 2016). It is important to critically evaluate digital methods throughout the study and to be cognizant of routines, movements and social relations in and between the online and offline worlds (Markham, 2013). While some scholars see the online world as just another context where social phenomena occur it is important to be critical of the process and mindful of ethical issues (Markham, 2013; Numerato, 2015; Postill & Pink, 2012).

Although many argue that social media is an easier way to interact with others and that it has the ability to improve relationships by keeping those that are far apart together through technology, social media can also cause people to further distance themselves and it can also have a negative impact on relationships. There has been many studies that proves that technology harms our relationships and how one interacts with other in social situations. Many people use technology as a way to escape the real world. Even though social media can be used in a positive way, it can also be used negatively. Before technology was as developed as it is in today’s society, people had different realities; separation between work life and personal life.

Furthermore, the “selfie” or digital image seeks to represent a moment of time or fun that does not prove to be an authentic representation of one self. Moreover, it can be eluded from the text that self portraits are the art and the selfie or “digital” image is the human need. The text elaborates this ideology, stating “…digital photography has

The author Andrew Leonard has said "We've offered up every detail of our lives to advertiser manipulation, voluntarily embraced a panopticonic existence of constant surveillance, and supinely allowed a bunch of techno-utopian Silicon Valley companies to guide and shape our behavior."(Leonard). In this review the author agrees with Silverman about being under constant surveillance, he also agrees with Silverman that we should constantly be alert about the data that we put on social media as in this statement "Silverman is correct: It is critical that we monitor and understand the consequences of "the data-ization of the digital self." "(Leonard). Andrew does not agree with Silverman on the point "Photos become less about memorializing a moment than communicating the reality of that moment to others,"(Silverman, 55). Andres says that “Before social media, you could argue that the modern world specialized in tearing us apart, in atomizing the relationships that once bound societies together. Now we've got something that helps lace the grand tapestry back together. This is not a bad thing” (Leonard). In a way Andrew finds something good in Social

The written word,now a weapon, is now digitized and feed through media. “A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon.” (Bradbury 58). Not only have books become a media revolution so has social interaction. Social media allows for connections formerly unheard. “The problem, they say, is that we spend so much time maintaining superficial connections online that we aren’t dedicating enough time or effort to cultivating deeper real-life relationships.”(WSJ). This avenue of socialization allows for discretion of the true life and person of the poster. “And even worse, the human condition is beginning to devolve. We have become addicted to the vanity of social media unable to expose our lives to the world.”(Green). This media based socialization can overtake the lives of many. “When you add it all up, the average American spends more than 10 hours a day plugged into some form of media.”(Synder). Making the human race even more technology

Ito’s 2008 study on the presence of media in the lives of young people further elaborates on this: “In both friendship-driven and interest-driven online activity, youth create and navigate new forms of expression and rules for social behavior. In the process, young people acquire various forms of technical and media literacy by exploring new interests, tinkering, and ‘messing around’ with new forms of social media” (Iko). Social media strengthens interactions amongst the entire population, even allowing citizens of less fortunate countries to participate in discussions varying widely in topic. Information is more readily available than ever before.

“… what are we recording? We use and produce digital texts and data in our work. We communicate via email. Individuals maintain blogs and websites, create podcasts, and post on social networking sites. Our lives are being captured in digital texts, electronic calendars, email, instant messaging, SMS (short message service, that is, cellphone-based texting). Artists are experimenting with digital art. With digital cameras, people are taking more pictures than ever, most of which end up on personal hard drives. Research suggests we seldom throw materials away” (Van House and Churchill, 2008: 300). These contemporary practices have implications for both individual and collective memory’s production.