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Prompt: What are some key differences between what we would today refer to as new media and the media that preceded it?

When creating the Padlet journal, develop one Padlet and upload new posts each week. Name the posts according to the week. You can arrange the format however you like (Wall, Columns, Grid, Table, Stream, etc.).

Do not create a new Padlet for each week. You will max out your free account.

When you share the link, ensure your Padlet is public. When you select Share, there will be an option to change it to public. Private is the default.

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One of the biggest shifts from “old” to “new” media is interactivity. Traditional media—think newspapers, radio, and broadcast TV—were essentially one-way channels. Audiences consumed whatever was delivered, with little chance to respond or reshape the content that was  (Flew & Smith, 2021). New media, by contrast, thrives on two-way engagement. I see this every day on my phone: when I post a short clip of highlights from soccer, my teammates instantly comment, remix it, or even stitch their own highlights into the thread. This kind of real-time feedback loop wasn’t possible in the era of fixed TV schedules or next-day print.

Another key difference is convergence. Whereas legacy media operated in distinct silos (print, audio, and video), new media blurs these lines into digital platforms that handle text, images, video, and live streams simultaneously (Flew & Smith, 2021). A great example is how I follow class announcements: instead of reading a bulletin board on campus, I get a push notification, click to view a video summary, and reply with a voice memo or whatever it may be—all from the same app. That seamless mix of formats is what defines new media.

Finally, user-generated content has taken over the media scene. In the past, gatekeepers (editors, producers) decided what made it on air or in print; now, anyone with a phone can be a creator (Flew & Smith, 2021). I recently tried filming a 1-minute explainer video for my COMS 201 class. Instead of waiting for the campus TV crew (my group members at the time), I wrote, shot, and edited it myself—and had it up in a couple of hours. That DIY spirit embodies what new media is all about and that anyone can add to it.

Sources used:

Flew, T., & Smith, R. (2021). New media: An introduction (4th Canadian ed.). Oxford University Press.

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We have seen some key differences between today's version of new media and the new media from older days. Recently we have seen a rise in companies converging and expanding into new fields. For example, telecommunications companies, such as Rogers, started their journey back in the 1960s. Since then, it has been involved in industries such as cable, internet, and media. It is one of the largest Canadian wireless carriers and, since 2004, has owned 100 percent of the Blue Jays. They’ve done this under different names, but all under their ownership.

“Newness” can also refer to something in the past that has gained a new form over time. For example, calling. It started off as needing to get a friend's landline number, chatting for hours, then realizing you were in deep trouble when the phone bill came in the mail. Later, at the click of a button, you could not only hear who you’re talking to, but see them too. It seems as though we weren’t content with that, these recent years, features like screen sharing have been added. When I lived away from home and my mom needed help with something technology-wise, I was able to share my screen and show her. When I had problems getting into a school drive at SAIT, I was able to hop on a call with some classmates so they would show me how exactly they signed in. It feels as though you have someone over your shoulder, telling you what to click, write or do to fix a certain problem.

Citations

Gasher, Mike, and Andrew McIntosh. “Media Convergence in Canada (Plain-Language Summary) | the Canadian Encyclopedia.” Media Convergence in Canada (Plain-Language Summary), The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2023, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/media-convergence-in-canada-plain-language-summary.

Communications, Rogers. “Rogers Becomes Majority Owner of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment​.” About Rogers, 2 July 2025, about.rogers.com/news-ideas/rogers-becomes-majority-owner-of-maple-leaf-sports-entertainment/.

Business Model, Canvas. “What Is Brief History of Rogers Communications Company?” CANVAS, SWOT, PESTEL & BCG Matrix Editable Templates for Startups, Canvas Business Model, 27 June 2025, canvasbusinessmodel.com/blogs/brief-history/rogers-communications-brief-history?srsltid=AfmBOopAfcCE5dD67BHyIeG-Y4HGzcTCA_dp36BdR4Oj80MKH5HbSBqD.

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To understand the key differences between old and new media, it is important to understand what makes the media "new". The main aspects of new media are digitalization and convergence. Digitization is defined as the process of converting information into a digital format (Yasar, 2023), e.g. scanning documents to convert them into pdf's, listening to music, and taking a photo of an image. Consequently, digitization has enabled convergence, which is the process by which media industries, services, and technologies merge (Flew and Terry, 2011).  A prominent example of convergence in Canada would be Quebecor Inc. This media outlet produces and distributes content through magazines, newspapers, book publishing and through television. Furthermore, Quebecor Inc. provides wireless phone networks, cable, Internet services, and music distribution and retailing. Not only that, but they also develop video games (Gasher, 2011). Quebecor Inc. was not always like this as it used to be considered old media. The company started with Pierre Péladeau when he acquired a small neighborhood newspaper in 1950. Quebecor Inc. was officially founded in 1965, when the company was engaged in newspaper publishing (Potter, 2006). The transition from old to new media is seen in how companies used to focus on one form of media into new various digitized forms of media

Moreover, another important factor that needs to be taken into consideration is interactivity. Old media focused on the idea that information or communication travels from a producer to a consumer. For example, a publisher gathers information in the form of a newspaper, a book, or a magazine, then it is distributed and consumed by those who purchase the content. In contrast, regarding new media, consumers consume media and produce and redistribute it as well. Providing free labor to media companies by sharing videos, reels, and posts with others. Consumers now do not want to simply consume; they want to interact and be a part of it.

Sources:

Flew, T., Smith, R. (2021). New Media: An Introduction (4th Canadian ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved July 4, 2025.

Gasher, M., McIntosh, A. (2011). Media Convergence in Canada. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 4, 2025, from  https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/media-convergence

Potter, J. (2006). Quebecor Inc. The Canadian Encyclopedia.

Retrieved July 4, 2025, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/quebecor-inc#:~:text=The%20company%20started%20in%201950,Journal%20de%20Quebec%20in%201967.

Yasar, K. (2023). Definition: Digitization. TechTarget. Retrieved July 4, 2025, from https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/digitization

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In chapter one of Flew & Smith's (2021) New Media: An Introduction, new media is defined as the convergence of computing and information technology, communication networks, content and digitized media, which work together to produce dense digital media (Flew & Smith, 2021, pg. 2).

The media that preceded new media, which we now refer to as old media, includes cinema, telephony, radio, television, newspapers, and magazines. Most of this old media included a one-way transmission of information.

Unlike old media in which only one-way transmission of information was possible through cinema, radio, television, and newspapers, new media allows its audiences to voice their opinions, express their beliefs, and share their creativity.

New media is a doorway for the expression and sharing of individuality through digital technologies. For example, new media involves YouTube, which has a comment section for users to share their thoughts about a song, or to recommend another similar song to users skimming through the comment section. This type of inclusivity towards the audiences is prevalent in the age of new media but was non-existent with older media.

While telephony permitted communication between individuals over the phone, its’ use was limited in comparison to the modern mobile phone, which includes advanced features such as Facetime, in which you can see the other person on the line live through your phone’s camera screen.

In our first lecture, we discussed interactivity as a key feature of new media. Interactivity, as defined in our lecture slides, includes “creation, aggregation/curation, commenting, replying, forwarding, saving, etc.” (Mulvey, 2025). In new media, we have the freedom of recording ourselves through online media platforms such as Instagram to share our views regarding a political event, or to point out bias presented in a recent news report watched on television. This video can reach a wide audience, which in turn can shift public opinion by drawing attention to the types of narratives produced through old media, as chapter one reads, “New media takes the power of the mass media to aggregate large groups and takes the ability of interactive media to involve participants and blends these as never before” (Flew and Smith, 2021, pg. 6). New media, which gives users the freedom to share their opinions without the constraint of a media company, can shift public opinion and produce societal change that can object to types of messages produced through forms of old media. In this way, new media is depicted as influential in shaping public perception and opinion. Old media did not permit this type of objection to the messages it produces, which therefore highlights how new media eradicated the limits of old media. New media gives every one of us a platform, no matter our age or education, and it gives us a chance to contribute to societal change.

References:

Flew, T. & Smith, R. (2021). New media: An introduction. (4th Canadian edition). Oxford University Press.

Mulvey (2025). COMS 203 New Media - July 3. D2L.