Modern and Post Modernism

Glen Creeber has analysed and examined the modern and post modern media through schools, theories and methodologies. Modernism refers to the early start of industry evolution which began at the end of the nineteenth century. During this time The Frankfurt School perceived the media as a standardised product and they believed that audiences passively consume the media. According to Adorno, who is involved in the school, he believes consumers crave 'standardised' culture products because they seem to validate lives that are themselves standardised. 

Post modernism refers to the changes that happened after the industry evolution. Post modernism includes the change in consumer culture and interactivity. Audience have began to create and control their own personal identity online. Harley calls this 'DIY Citizenship'. Consumers have began pick and choose how they wanted to represent themselves but also choosing what to discard and reject. This allows individuals to decide how they are defined "...rather than simply having to stick to the narrow and limited number of choices that once defined the past." (Hartley, 1999: 177–85). With this level of active participation, consumers become the producers as well as the receivers of New Media. Another example of power moving into consumers hands is 'Citizen Journalism'. Consumers become self made journalists as they write their own blogs, post comments online and share videos on topics of the days. 

These are positive examples as consumers are more involved with the media and can express their opinions. However, post modernism in New Media also has its disdvantages. For example, as the Internet is becoming increasing popular, people are relying on it more especially for communication. Face to face communication is being effected as people would rather email or message each other. "As more and more virtual communities come into being so some critics argue that real relationships and communities are being neglected; the one-to-one human contact on which civilization was based becoming increasingly redundant." (see Lister et al. 2003: 180–81). The Internet has also been accused of narrowing people's choices and it is encouraging them to be involved with unimportant media products such as low quality television programmes. 

In a media saturated world, the distinction between media and reality is becoming more unclear. What is represented in the media, consumers are treating as reality. Sean Cubitt believes that what is represented in the digital world is aesthetically different from what is provided by analogue. New Media represent audiences glossy images and limitless communication however "technological utopianism might suggest that New Media will automatically improve our world for the better, but our future well-being clearly lies in how and what we do with the choices we now have on offer." (Creeber, 2009 .p7)

Bibliography:


Creeber, G. 2009. DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) 

In the world of media convergence

"In the world of media convergence, every important story gets told, every brand gets sold and every consumer gets courted across multiple media platforms." 

Convergence refers to the way media is being produced and consumed. Jenkins (2008) believes that content is being distributed across multiple media platforms and consumers are actively controlling convergence. Old mediums are not going to 'die out' during the technology shift but instead they have been adapting and interacting between platforms. For example, Radio is seen as an 'old media' but its content can be spread into new technologies, allowing consumers to listen to the radio on their iPod. This is the content from one medium being distributed to another. Henry Jenkins argues against the theory that media mediums are developing and emerging together, bringing the same functions within different devices. It is becoming difficult to tell the differences between platforms if they are uniting into one digital form.

Consumers play a key role in convergence as they are the ones controlling what is being consumed.  "Each of us contructs our own personal mythology from bits and fragments of information we have extracted from ongoing flow of media around us and transformed into resources through which we make sense of our everyday lives." (Jenkins, 2008, p3). We decide what media we want, when, where and on what format. New media technologies are becoming more relevant in everyday life and people are using them daily. If consumers want to watch any film without going to the cinema, they can do so on their laptops in their bedrooms. Mobile phones are not only being used for making phone calls, but also for internet, games, photographs and videos.

Media convergence is overall the interaction between old and new media platforms. New media technologies are helping the old along. For example, radio and television channels now have internet websites where viewers can catch up on past shows and listen live on their laptops and phones. Convergence is constantly evolving and we don't know what will happen in the future. However with consumers controlling convergence, maybe we do. Convergence does not happen within the technologies themselves, but in the minds of the consumers influencing popular and media culture.


Source:

Jenkins, H. (2008). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide Revised. NYU Press.