Family and friends everyday lives Essay

Write an essay describing how new media technologies affect you, your family and friends everyday lives. The media world is constantly changing as a result of new developments in technology. Therefore the media industry is dependant upon highly sophisticated technology, which can be used to influence and inform groups of people all around the world. It has been suggested that we live in a world that is ‘media saturated’ as it dominates our lives. This in effect is true as media is a central part of our lives, it can be used to deliver us news as well as a source of entertainment, and this is why media can be so influential. The internet is one of the most fast developing new media technologies, enabling users to contact people all over the world to shop, chat, play games, download music and information, send e-mails and keep up with current affairs. The Internet was developed in America in the 1960s and was introduced in the 1990s in Britain. Originally this technology was introduced as a way of bringing people all over the world closer together, enabling them to communicate with one another simultaneously, giving its name the ‘medium of the future’. It is constantly being developed to suit peoples’ needs, for example broadband internet offers faster connection and makes downloading easy, effortless and not so time consuming as it used to be. Many radio stations have recognised that people may wish to listen whilst ‘surfing’ the Net, so have incorporated a ‘live airplay’ programme on their websites so that it is possible to listen to the radio via a computer rather than the conventional radio device. Many websites also offer a service where downloading music is free, this means that many people can save large amounts of money on buying CDs and can obtain the latest music singles and albums from the comfort of their own home. Home shopping is also increasing due to Internet services allowing consumers to purchase a range of goods via the Internet using their credit/debit cards as a method of payment. The advantage of this is that the busy shopping atmosphere is avoided and time is saved, this is also the case in online banking systems where cardholders can view bank statements, credit details and communicate with their bank via email. The only problem with these systems is that credit card details are given out over the Internet and may be obtained by other companies or Internet users, meaning the risk of credit card fraud is higher. However, a select few internet based companies have introduced a card which can be used like a ‘top-up’ card bought for mobile telephones, in the sense that a card is issued to the internet shopper so that they are able to go a top-up point and pay for a certain amount of money to be put on their card, which can then be used to purchase goods from the internet. Not only is this a safer option, it is also more convenient for younger customers who are not yet eligible for a credit card. Due to improved media technologies, it is now possible to access the Internet through digital television sets and mobile WAP compatible telephones. This means information, entertainment and news can be displayed without the use of a computer. Revision websites make learning a more interactive experience for students, as well as being a useful alternative to other methods of learning such as flashcards. Students can also test themselves and the website can mark their answers, giving them a score to see how effective the revision has been. Other websites such as ‘lastminute. com’ allow holidays, rental cars and other goods to be bought at the ‘last minute’ at a reduced rate. This means considerable savings can be made and purchasing goods or booking holidays is made simple and easy. Another convenience of the Internet is that ‘Chat Rooms’ allow people to talk to various people all over the world and if desired become involved in group discussions. This can mean young people can meet and talk to people of their own age group and interests and exchange thoughts and ideas. Obviously as you cannot see the person you are communicating with, you cannot be sure that they are telling the truth about their age, gender etc which also means this may cause an increase of illegal groups operating in chat rooms, such as paedophiles who abuse the internet. This may affect many families in different ways for example, if a parent feels that their child may not be safe to talk to people on the Internet they may limit the child’s use or filter the system so that they cannot access the chat rooms. If a teenager arranges to meet up with a person that they believe to be of the same age group as themselves, to discover that they are not the person they described themselves to be on the internet, they may face serious problems such as stalking. This can lead to anxiety problems and distrust for some people as well as being a major worry for all parents. Instant messaging services (MSN etc) allow users to be informed when friends or other named people on their contact list are online and lets them automatically begin a conversation without needing to log onto a chat room. Voice conversations can also be made using these facilities. Email enables Internet users to send a succession of ‘letters’ around the world to various people within seconds, as they are delivered instantly. Not only does this save time and money as the service is free, but it means messages can be sent and received instantly rather than waiting days, or even weeks for a letter to be delivered by post. Many people find this an excellent way of keeping in contact with relatives and friends, particularly those who live a long distance away. The only social problem that has been recognised by researchers is that emailing has begun to discourage people from writing letters, therefore making us more computer literate but less inclined to keep up good standards of writing skills.