Researching New Media

Media access happens to be at the center stage of all debate on the digital divide. Most of the discussion however, focuses on technological access to the exclusion of content access. Bucy and Newhagen’s (2003) elaboration of the differences between content access and technological access provides a new forum for policy discussion and understanding media access. The issue of media access then, becomes a question of “cognitive access” as much as technological access. Bucy and Newhagen’s (2003) collection of edited essays also draws attention to the fact that there are a plethora factors spanning psychological, cultural and social dimensions that may act as barriers to media access. As Lievrouw, (2003) points out these studies lay an important groundwork for further research but they do not say much about media access per se or how it works (p.271). New media researchers are still grappling with the complex interplay of the three dimensions and their role in access to media. The important question therefore, is does there exist a hierarchical or a synergistic relationship between these psycho-social-cultural dimensions? Considering it was feasible to remove the psychological, social, or cultural barriers to media access, would the removal of these barriers level-the-playing field for all users of media? Another important point that Lievrouw (2003) raises is that most of the discussion on media access has been viewed through the lens of barriers as opposed to factors that promote access but he does not describe what those factors are that promote media access.

Despite the debate on media access, the number of people online has been growing with 70% of Americans being online in December 2006 (http://www.pewinternet.org/trends/Internet_Adoption_4.26.07.pdf). New media have become so embedded in the social lives that they have come to mediate various spheres of social life including political, economic, and cultural life. In the collection of essays edited by Howard and Jones in Society Online, the emphasis is on the different uses of Internet and its effect. These independent research projects has exposed me to different research methods used in investigating people’s use and motives of the Internet but it has not introduced me to research methods that are uniquely suitable for conducting online research.

Readings from this class has however, forced me to critically think and evaluate issues concerning the use of new media and children and the impact of copyright and regulation through the works of Lessig’s “Free Culture.” It is scary and frightening to see how the copyright laws seem to favor the powerful and how its interpretation changes on the Internet. The copyright laws seems especially inordinately powerful in the case of music industry granting them with power to control the distribution of music on the Internet. Another great advantage that I derived from this class is, learning to use blogs to post comments; however, it is unfortunate that we did not get a chance to visit second life. It was with trepidation that I started using bogs but once I started posting on it, I enjoyed posting on it and will most likely set up another blog soon. In addition, I felt that readings from this class provided me with new insights into the black box of the Internet technology. Earlier for me, only the output/information coming out of new media system mattered. The readings exposed me to the structure of the technology and how even that can be used to manipulate information. Now I have a much better understanding of how even technology structure can massage information at the behest of the technologically well-informed users. In sum, readings from this course have rounded my learning of Internet technology and policy and have successfully helped me to loosen my inhibitions in using Internet technology.

Finally, I would like to draw the attention of this class to a fact that in my opinion has not been addressed suitably in any of the discussion about the Internet. The focus on the Internet (the means to information) is so much that the Internet (means) has become an end in itself. The effort to get everyone on the information superhighway (or expressway!) has blinded most to the ultimate destination. The debate is all about how to get everyone to the information highways not really focusing on where the destination is. Where do we want the online society to head? Is there a common destination? It is all very well to think of getting everyone on the information highway. Is information just valuable for information sake or information in context is valuable? How much information is too much information? What are the downsides of human information overload or does something like human information overload even exist? I would like to have answers to some of these questions and I am hoping we can have a productive debate on that in class.