Media Technologies
Being able
to effectively communicate, whether in the professional or personal environment
has changed significantly over the years.
The days of writing a letter with an important message and having it
delivered to the intended party are long gone; in fact these days, information
is able to get to the recipient in nearly the blink of an eye. The change is due to technological advances
in our society. It’s the reason why
we’ll never miss the big game. It’s the
reason why precious family photos will never be lost. It’s the reason why we can almost go an
entire week without having cash on us and still be able to pay for
everything. It’s technology, and when
used to communicate, our overall capabilities have been enhanced. We’ll discuss four different enhancements in
particular: email, social networking, blogging, and text messaging. To do this we’ll examine communication as a
dinner table with each element being a particular course. Ultimately, readers will be able to determine
the positive impact each course has on our communication capabilities.
Email: This is probably the most common type of
media technology because of the fact that it is used in and outside the home as
well as in the workplace. Many people have their own personal email address and
nearly every company has an email account.
Additionally, employees of various companies are given a company email
address in order to accomplish official business. The problem with email in the workplace is
that it became “forced incorporated” before many people understood what its
overall purpose was (Knox, 2006). Email
has officially substituted for making personal contact with people. In fact with email, people can get a message
to others in a different country instantly.
The fact is email is often the primary method of communication. In the military, many of our duties went
“electronic.” From training to
evaluations, almost everything is done by email. There are rarely any documents signed by hand
anymore; everything is accomplished digitally and then emailed. Social networking requires having an email
address in order to set up an account.
Most smartphones require setting up an account in order to have access
to all the phone’s features. For
example, in order to do anything on the iPhone other than make calls and send
text messages, one has to have an email address in order to access the iTunes
store or iCloud. In order to have a
Netflix account, one has to use their email address to not only create an
account but also log in to watch movies.
So what does email bring to the table?
Email is like the major side dish, like potatoes, or macaroni and
cheese. It’s not the main course;
however, the meal wouldn’t be complete without it.
Social
Networking: Facebook, Twitter, etc. Social networking is one of the most popular
media technologies available today. It’s
not uncommon to find someone with a twitter account; at least 3 out of five
people have the Facebook app on their cell phone. Their uses are mainly to maintain some type
of contact with other Facebook/twitter friends.
They help connect each user to the rest of the world. For example, many news and sports networks
have ways to connect to their audience through Facebook and twitter. At times, on ESPN broadcasts, various
athletes will “tweet” about whatever the particular topic is. Many companies use social networking for
advertising; in fact twitter gets 90% of its revenue from U.S. advertisers
(Copeland, 2012). Additionally, social
networking is prominent in the business community. LinkedIn is the world’s largest business
related social network. Its main use is
professional networking and within the past 10 years, over 2 million companies
have LinkedIn company pages.
Furthermore, all fortune 500 executives are registered LinkedIn
members. There are also over 300,000
domains that have a LinkedIn share button, and it has been reported that over
15 percent of site views are from mobile phone apps (LinkedIn). So what does social networking bring to the
table? Because of the multiple functions
of social networking, it almost functions as the casserole that has all the
meat, vegetables, and rice. Ultimately,
social networking has so many features to it and it even involves two other features
discussed in this paper; email and blogging.
Blog: People
are always looking for information on the internet and blogs often contained
the information we’re looking for.
Like social networking, many
corporations are putting their money into blogs for advertising. Blogs have the ability to allow companies to
advertise with various other internet partners.
For example, ESPN blogs may contain advertisements for tickets or even
apparel. The big thing about blogs is
that they are eye catching and attention grabbing. Blogs capture the elements of balance, color,
small details, clarity and emphasis, remarkability, and functionality (Martin, 2011). Each of these elements allows viewers of the
blog to be attracted to what the blog is actually talking about. What does blogging bring to the table? Blogs are like the table décor that makes the
entire meal look attractive but still has important uses necessary for the meal
(dinner napkins, crystal drink glasses, plates, etc.)
Text
Messaging: Texting has become nearly
automatic for almost everyone who carries a cell phone. Texting introduces the convenience of getting
a quick message to the receiver without spending time sending an email or
making a phone call. What does text
messaging bring to the table? Text
messaging is like the convenient kitchen table that everyone eats at for
breakfast. For the on-the-go family that
rarely eats in the dining room, the kitchen table still creates an environment
for communication; however with more convenience.
References
Copeland, D. (2012, Februrary 1). Twitter,
LinkedIn Will See Slower Revenue Growth. Retrieved Februrary 16, 2012, from
Social Networking Watch: http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/all_social_networking_statistics/
Knox, J. (2006, January 23). Email
in the Workplace: Employees Perceive Email Differently than Employers.
Retrieved Februrary 16, 2012, from Orange: a student journal of technical
communication: http://orange.eserver.org/issues/5-1/knox.html
(n.d.). Retrieved Februrary 16, 2012, from LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/
Copeland, D. (2012, Februrary 1). Twitter, LinkedIn Will
See Slower Revenue Growth. Retrieved Februrary 16, 2012, from Social
Networking Watch:
http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/all_social_networking_statistics/
Martin, M. (2011, June 26). 7 Elements to Make Your Blog
Look Great. Retrieved Februrary 10, 2012, from Pro Blog Design:
http://www.problogdesign.com/design/7-elements-to-make-your-blog-look-great/
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