Media Narrative
...nger can one control a city’s media by owning the printing press. Technology has also made newspaper production easier. Journalists for print publications may have space limitations, but when their stories are distributed online, they often have room for sidebars and extra copy. Most magazines are produced digitally using image and word processing software. Technology has made it possible to offer higher quality graphics and wider distribution. Now, countless magazines offer digital editions available on the Wed. Historically, media technologies have taken many years to go through stages of development, introduction, adoption, and wide acceptance. The current media technology has exploded in less than a decade and is continuing through development with no end in sight rather than growing to maturity. The effects of the improvement of technology occur both on the presentation of the media product and on the production of media. Production involves a series of processes: acquiring, processing, distributing, and storing information. Digital technology is currently used in each of these processes regardless of the media of the finished product. Internet technology has a far greater impact on mass media than just adding the Internet as another media outlet. It fundamentally changes the ways all media are produced, formatted, distributed, and used. No type of media exists in isolation; rather, each incorporates features of new technology and adapts to the new landscape that technology brings forth. For instance, a magazine can publish slightly different versions of the same magazine tailored to specific regions of the country. The New York Times can be distributed the same day it is published in Seattle. Further, news can be immediately disseminated around the globe, as it is happening. The biggest difference between traditional and new media is interactivity. Interactivity allows feedback to enter the system at every stage in the communication process, from acquiring and processing to storing and distributing. Some television programming recently has included interactive segments in which viewers are invited to “vote” their opinions regarding program subject. For instance, a segment covering a criminal trial may ask viewers to cast votes on the program’s Web site throughout the story. As more of the story unfolds, viewers also have the ability to change their original votes. The results are published real-time on the program, which shows how the opinions change as the story progresses. There are implications to both program formatting and content, as well as the shaping of public opinion and the direction of communication. As more and more feedback is incorporated into the media product, the flow of information changes from one way to multi-directional. Internet technology makes this model of communication possible. Another example, the instant messaging program is wildly used. It allows people to send messages, photos, and files instantly, go face-to-face with web camera, or message a friend’s cell phone, and send animated greeting cards for special occasions. It is faster than e-mail and best of all is that it is free. A lot of broadcasting programs interact with the audiences through the Web. Recently lots of broadcasts has aired shows in which viewers are invited to share their reactions to a program while it is on the air, and audiences post the opinions votes on the web site as they are being tabulated by the computer. This aspect of technology is the beginning of a truly interactive experience for the viewer. It has the potential of ...