New communication technologies (NCTs) are one of the fastest growing forms of media in the 21st century. The internet is probably the most well-known example of NCT.
We are able to access information not just from other countries, but also on the go. Many things we could not do in the past, such as following foreign television dramas on the day they are aired and getting the latest global news have been made possible. Many people across the world are able to view videos on youtube, and the media makes use of this by uploading their own videos there. Many record labels or singers have their own youtube channels which garner thousands, even millions of views per video. Susan Boyle became famous in the UK for her performance on Britain's Got Talent. But it was through the media, traditional and NCTs, that she became globally known. A video of her rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' had 2.5 million views in the first 72 hours!
After those widely circulated news, I'm certain Susan Boyle is now poised to enter new markets outside of the UK with the release of her first studio album.
With the popularity of NCTs, many products have been created to cater to the huge market. iTunes sells songs online to attract consumers who prefer online shopping, Amazon and eBay among others are selling products online, all of which were unthinkable in the past when NCTs were not developed yet.
With the gadgets we have now, we are able to gain access to NCTs. Gone are the days when cellular phones were only for calling, now they can do so much more. In Singapore, almost everyone you meet has a cellular phone. And 90% of these phone are likely to be able to access the internet and/or receive updates on news, weather, etc.
We have become so used to being plugged into the latest news and technologies that our perception of what is considered basic has changed drastically from when the technology first came out. It has become cheaper to get the latest gadgets with all sorts of specifications that can support various kinds of technologies.
Take for example the iPhone/iTouch. It can surf the net, keep you connected on Facebook and Twitter, access the latest global news and act as a GPS system! With such specifications, perhaps one day even newspapers would not be printed at all, but online instead.
Traditional forms of media are slowly losing their hold on the world that once used to be dependent on paper and ink. But i do not foresee a sudden decline in print media, in Singapore at least.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Boyle
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what is the reason that you dont foresee a decline in print media in sinapore? please elaborate. (:
ReplyDeleteCall me old-fashioned but I still prefer more traditional communication technologies. Downloading of music into gadgets instead of buying CDs? Not really my cup of tea because there is always a probability that the gadgets may get spoilt (like what happen to my Ipod :( ) What if someday all NCTs go nuts? If we are so dependent on NCTs now and do not retain our "old" technologies, we would be as helpless as babies if that day ever comes.
ReplyDeleteLike what you wrote, I feel that we are still far off from becoming a society that is entirely dependent on NCTs. The internet & all other forms of electronic media have certainly made life more convenient, but newspapers, magazines, books & other forms of print media will still continue to appeal to the public.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is a biased opinion, but I prefer being able to hold something tangible (such as a newspaper or book) and reading it, than to read off a computer screen.
I agree that NCTs is a global phenomenon that is affecting everyone, especially the younger generation, what with being connected to their online social networks.
ReplyDeleteThis is largely happening in line with computing giants taking a leverage on cloud computing, where all our information such as emails, photos, documents can be accessed anytime and anywhere.
You mentioned NCTs but there is only 1 obvious example of it-internet. I am not sure if the other examples such as youtube, iphone etc are the other examples of NCTs but they seem to be hedged on your example of internet being a form of NCT.
ReplyDeleteonline is definitely the trend now but i think that the material possession of say books or comics is something that NCTs can never replace.
It is true that conventional methods such as Print is declining. But I have to say that advertisers would prefer Print than the Internet. Furthermore, many online news sites are replicas of their publications.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I also agree that many people have switched to online mediums. And that's quite sad. It definitely is more convenient and user-friendly, but let's hope that technology advancements would not be as quick as to let traditional media channels disappear.
as what chu yuan has mentioned, NCTs can be unstable, which is the main reason for companies' reservation to use it as their storage device.
ReplyDeletehowever, there have been recent news of bukit batok polyclinic, the first ever in singapore's polyclinic using electronic medical system to enter patient's medical history. This move has been delayed as people feel that there is a need for hardcopies when it comes to medical history; they will always be accessible whenever you need it, assuming proper storage and categorising in the compactors. Judging by this move, it has clearly shown us that the benefits of NCTs far surpass the potential problem it may cause, in the event of a system downtime.
A good example would be that computerised datas will never go missing as long as you backup periodically. however, hardcopies do, under mishandling of medical documents or wrongly filed dockets. The room for error will be significant if we are talking about thousands of patients' dockets. Sometimes, the docket itself may not even be located when filed wrongly. However, this can was easily solved using a computerised system. Just a I/c number alone gives you all the information doctors has ever entered.
http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20091009-172674.html
ReplyDeletesorry, missed out the link.
I agree that with the proliferation of the use of digital gadgets, communications now is very much differ to the past decades. However, I believe human being human will still prefer the traditional way ie to have the sense of touch. Certain information may be by sight only but quite a lot will be sight and touch. The digital gadget will not completely replace the traditional media.
ReplyDeleteI am a traditionalist. I will read first from th digital gadget. Howver, if the article is of interest, I will print and kept it for reference. I will also print is pdf. and keep it inmy file should I need to refer later.
ReplyDeleteOf course, surely there are pros and cons to NCTs and traditional technologies ya? But there's no doubt that the world is now revolving NCTs. Everywhere you go, Blackberry/iPhone is on the go.
ReplyDeleteTraditional technologies may appeal more to like retirees? Our parents who don't use the net (i'm sure there are parents like that. For my parents, they prefer newspapers rather than the net. In fact, they hate NCTs. They think it's not necessary.) No doubt that the net uploads new faster than newspaper. NCTs and traditional technologies appeals to different target groups, apparently.
I think that another reason for the decline of print media is due to the rising concerns about the environment. While the usage of Internet also contributes to pollution (electricity!), print media uses tons of paper, ink, and delivery methods which result in a lot of pollution. Some might argue that the newspaper industry produces a high amount of wastage, thus the papers should just shift online. The opposing party might argue that a certain part of any culture will be lost with the disappearance of newspapers.
ReplyDeleteFrom the point of view of the newspaper company, it might also be more viable to shift to an online paper, as it cuts down on operational costs. An increase in profits is always welcome, isn't it? What do you think? :)
Zhihan
I think that the basis of the advertisements merely revolve around the 5 senses of the human being, in either resolving to reach out to one of the five, or merely a combination of a few senses. But recently, advertisements have gone out beyond the five senses, and seem to have found a sixth sense;feelings. It is merely the usage of advertisements that give the viewer an emotional attachment to the advertisements, through the usage of the 5 senses. For example in the advertisements for Britain's Got Talent, many of them showed sneak previews of Susan Boyle walking up to the stage and it seemed like they were mocking her, but soon as she started to sing, the music in the background started picking up, etc, and suddenly you notice your hair standing on end. THAT, is advertisement.
ReplyDelete"Cap-and-Trade Global, Warming Bill is a Scam, Expert Reveal." according to The Washington Post, the energy bill imposed was a scam for profit-making between certain companies and reward certain kinds of pollution, while not cutting CO2 emission. A similar act was discovered in Europe which in reverse caused the emission level to rise fast than in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThus, I find the methods and approach of the government towards this issue is confusing and contradictory. Laws and regulations should be implemented with more careful planning and considerations for the environment. Besides, these implementations should be checked by the National Environmental Agencies on a regular and thorough basis.
i feel that NCTs will eventually take over most forms of traditional media. however, to do so, it first has to come up with a stable hardware as well as reliable software. its also important to note that with the internet, it gives ppl with low capital a chance to set up their businesses as they no longer have to worry about money to pay for the rent as well as for the staff manning the shop.
ReplyDeleteIt really is about how we use technology. After all, everything we use is a double edged sword. For example, we burn fossil fuel and coal to power up powerplants. As a result, the environment suffers. If used the right way, NCT will benifit the majority.
ReplyDeleteNCTs will never replace traditional media. Advertisers can effectively select media that reaches their target audience, especially with repeated exposures. On the other hand, NCTs tend to be flashes that sometimes will never get noticed.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting viewpoint. Counter-argument?
ReplyDelete