YouTube Instructional Videos

YouTube has created a new avenue for teaching by allowing users to post instructional videos such as the one imbedded here. Today, someone wanting to know how to do almost anything can search for a corresponding video. Well-made videos provide a very effective way to deliver educational material worldwide because of their ability to present information visually as well as orally or in text form. Unfortunately, so many videos are posted that someone searching for information may spend considerable time sifting through the bad ones before they discover the right one for them. Fortunately, someone looking for information has several opinions and alternatives to choose from all in the same place.

The selected video provides clear instructions in all three of the forms listed above and the video is of good quality, an important factor in determining whether someone will spend time watching it. While searching for this video, I encountered numerous similar videos of varying qualities; however, I also discovered several ways to accomplish the same task.  

Interactivity

Interactivity is not easily defined and as a result, several people have attempted to discuss the topic by using divisions, dimensions, or point systems. Jens F. Jensen, author of Interactivity: Tracking a New Concept in Media and Communication Studies, provides the example of Jan L. Bordewijk and Ben van Kaam’s matrix of interactivity. Their four divisions – transmission, conversation, consultation, and registration – are determined by whether the information is produced and distributed by the consumer or a central provider. In the matrix, the highest level of interactivity is represented by conversation – when the information production and distribution are controlled by the consumer, and the lowest level is referred to as transmission – when both aspects are controlled by a central provider.

Jensen also references the point system of Lutz Goertz which creates four dimensions of interactivity based on the ability to choose and modify information. When interactivity is assessed using this system, numbers zero through three or four are selected for each dimension in order to quantify the degree of interactivity. Scores of zero refer to a lack of choice or an inability to modify the information whereas threes and fours represent greater choice and opportunity for modification.

Ultimately, I feel that interactivity in terms of media simply refers to the ability of the user to have an impact on what they receive. Whether the impact is in the form of a choice or communication with the source, interactivity provides an alternative to the user receiving information chosen by the source at a time designated by the source with no possibility for feedback.

One of the main goals of new media is to increase interactivity in response to the inabilities of traditional media. DVRs are a great example of new media providing interactivity by offering choices which were impossible with their predecessor, the traditional TV. Before, users were only allowed to watch programs on TV at the times the networks aired them. Today, users can record the programs they like and watch them at their convenience. Blogs are an example of new media creating interactivity by granting the user greater ability to communicate with the source. Traditionally, newspaper readers desiring to make a comment to the writer of a story had to write the paper and hope their comment was included. With a blog, users can instantly comment on a story and can be assured that not only the writer, but also everyone that reads the blog, will see the comment. In addition, someone who comments on a blog is more likely to receive a response than someone who writes in to a newspaper. As new media continue to develop, users will gain an increased ability to have an impact and interactivity will continue to grow.

Check out: Jensen, Jens F., “Interactivity: Tracking a New Concept in Media and Communication Studies.”

http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:CVUsxW-xOwIJ:www.organicode.net/jenson.pdf+interactivity&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjDc5aasAb8BRUvCGWAQKdUd1ND_SjY1CuzGOg8_nyxV3YHCa17S9TM94uOOeCM_oYE7PHFxNi43ATSMiGw0tbxLPhpiqGPj5veKDrR9PjMhUuVCxk0O-svlZXDl_cm3F8wm02t&sig=AHIEtbTaZ_dphcXyhhw7e_VJ6l_yhbiL5Q

My Media Consumption

When assessing my media consumption, I decided to focus on four major groups, TV, Internet, Mobile, and Radio. I have also distinguished between my usage during the school year and my usage at home during breaks because in some cases it’s quite different. Robin Good provides some great national media usage statistics in her article Media Consumption Survey: How Americans Consume Media and What They Want from It. The article differentiates between Millennials (age 13-24), Xers (25-41), Baby Boomers (42-60) and Matures (61-75) and I happen to fall under the category of Millennials.


TV – When I’m at school, I consume less TV because of scheduling and other non-media opportunities available to me. Usually, I only watch an occasional sporting event on TV. When I’m at home, I consume significantly more TV because I use it for news, sports, and primetime programming. Robin Good points out that most people watching TV today use a DVR for time shifting purposes, something I take full advantage of at home, but that I cannot do at school. Additionally, the TV ratings company Nielsen reports that adults 18-24 watch 108 hours of TV a month, a statistic that resembles my usage at home, and adults 18-24 watch about 6 hours of time-shifted TV a month, a stat which resembles my usage at school.

Internet – When I’m at home, I consume slightly less Internet because I consume more TV there. I use the Internet for news (as well as TV), searching, and social networking on Facebook. When I’m at school, I consume more Internet because I use it for news, searching, social networking, and to watch TV shows online that I can’t watch live on TV. Even though I use Facebook less than other Millennials, I use the Internet for news more than others. Nielsen reports that adults 18-24 use the Internet for 26 hours a month, which describes my usage at home or at school, and spend about 5 hours a month watching video online, which describes my usage at school.

Mobile – Whether I’m at home or school, I use my mobile phone significantly less than other Millennials. The main reason for the discrepancy is that I do not have an all-in-one smart phone. This aspect eliminates about half of the normal consumption because I cannot use my phone for Internet or TV purposes. Other than making phone calls and taking pictures and video, I only use my mobile phone for texting, and overall, I send significantly fewer messages than other Millennials. Robin Good reports that “46% of Millennials embrace their cell phones as an entertainment device,” which is not the case with me, but the article also states that 84% of Millennials send text messages, which is true for me.

Radio – Whether I’m at home or school, I consume less radio than other Millennials, with one special exception. I generally only listen to the radio when I’m in my car or on rare occasions during the day and I tune in for music rather than for information. The special exception in my case centers on the fact that I’m a station manager for a radio station. By virtue of my position, I end up listening to more radio than I would otherwise choose to.

Check out: Good, Robin. “Media Consumption Survey: How Americans Consume Media and What They Want from It.”

http://www.masternewmedia.org/media/media-analysis/DeLoitte-US-media-survey-2007-usage-and-preferences-20070928.htm

Check out: Nielsen, “A2/M2 Three Screen Report, Volume 5, 2nd Quarter 2009.”

http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/ThreeScreenReport_US_2Q09REV.pdf

What is New Media?

Welcome! I plan to explore the realm of new media, something I’ve already begun simply by creating this blog, and I encourage you to leave your own comments on the issues presented.


I am a senior at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas working towards a Bachelor of Arts in Radio/TV Communications. I am the Station Manager for KSAU 90.1 FM at SFASU and I serve as the Chair of the Student Council at the Wesley Foundation Student Ministry. In addition, I am a Student Instructor for a section of SFA 101, a course designed to assist freshmen with the transition to college. When not in school, I live in Houston, Texas where I continue to serve as a worship technician at my church. I am an Eagle Scout, member of the National Broadcasting Society, and I recently interned with Cox Media Group Houston, where I worked with the producer of the 93Q Morning Zoo and the Production Director.

New media, ironically, is most easily described by discussing old media, technology that already exists, but remains relatively new. Items such as the iPhone and Blackberry and websites such as YouTube and Facebook can all be considered new media, despite the fact that they have each been around for several years. The key to understanding new media lies in comparing it to traditional media such as radio, TV, newspapers, and magazines. A more abstract discussion could include potential new mediums which have yet to be created or which have not yet become widely used and accepted by the public. My working definition for new media is: recently developed or potential technology which improves upon traditional media by broadening the abilities of the user.

New media is often not accepted at first because of initial high cost to the user and because people don’t understand the need for it when they’ve been getting along with their old media just fine. Baron Dennis suggests in From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies that new technologies also threaten the business of former technologies, further delaying their widespread acceptance. Over time, new media becomes automatically accepted as some begin to understand its potential while others live without knowledge of its predecessor. At that point, the new media becomes traditional and is soon replaced by the next innovation.

New media often lead to a loss of personal contact in communication and consequently, the ability of the receiver to fully understand the tone and scope of the sender’s message is diminished. Similarly, there are many aspects of traditional media that, by their very nature, new media cannot provide. Dennis gives the example of Samuel Morse’s aversion to Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone. Morse realized that unlike with a telegraph, a telephone could not provide physical documentation of the communication taking place. Unlike watching TV, when a user searches for videos on YouTube, they cannot be assured of their quality or appropriateness. The key to the success of a new medium is expressed in my working definition. The new media must be able to improve upon the traditional media by giving the user more abilities, such as instant access to news on an iPhone. These new abilities must outweigh the negative aspects of the new technology in order for the medium to gain acceptance. Ultimately, Dennis points out that fraudulent use of new media becomes more of a concern as they become more established. This, in turn, helps fuel the need for the creation of new media.



Check out: Dennis, Baron. “From Pencils to Pixels: The Stages of Literacy Technologies” in Passions, Pedagogies and 21st Century Technologies, 1999.

http://www.english.illinois.edu/-people-/faculty/debaron/essays/pencils.htm