A new series starts this week on News Public Trust- www.newspublictrust.com:
Various perspectives of students of Liberia’s state owned University on How the New Media/Digital Media Has Changed The Way They And Others Communicate.
With the coming of the Internet few decades ago,the New Media or Digital Media have come, which is fast-moving and has “changed the nature of social life”.
“Software is enabling users to find not just products but potential dates through online dating services like Match.com. Through search engines and other online resources, the internet has made social life both more convenient and more exposed.” Ref. LIVING IN THE INFORMATION AGE-a new media reader, page 115 2nd Edition, www.wadsworth.com
Today, the digital media has penetrated every corner of the globe.
What is the situation like in the West African country of Liberia, where the popularity of the New Media is said to be growing by the day?
EPISODE #1
It Creates A space That We Share Everything On Our Minds
By Rosetta Fardolo
Digital culture has turned our everyday lives in a different way. It has restructured the way we communications, and landed us to a point where we choose the internet as a preferable means of communicating.
Almost everything we do, we use the Internet to call friends, buying goods, posting memories with a friend, sending a picture over and instantly messaging.
According to media scholars, before the convergence of multimedia, we could not easily keep up with the news, if you would want, it will be just limited which was mostly transmitted through local radio stations. Newsletters came out in black and white. Sadly, it used to be after a day the news occurred.
But today, a click or two is enough to read your local paper and any news source from anywhere in the world, updated up to the minute.
Digital Media today allows us to instantly reach families far away. It creates a space that we share everything on our minds through texts and audios anytime and anywhere.
Several Liberians have been sharing their experiences on this new way of communicating.
Mrs. Victoria Payne ssays,” It has make it more convenient than before… during those days, people could omit your messages, especially when the recipient of the message is not lettered, the reader of the message could possibly not have delivered well the message. But today, even if our recipient understands and speaks a local vernacular, you can deliver your message well using a mobile phone call.”
For Miss Boalia Solanke: “There used to be no urgency in written communications because, letters used to be transported on vehicle before reaching its destination. At times, it gets lost or damaged. But now, the accessibility of mobile phones is one of the major change digital media has changed the way we communicate.”
Digital media has really changed our daily lives. It has indeed changed the way we communicate, our banking and financing and our civic participation.
“For the way we communicate, it has make it faster, clicker and more convenient. People get their messages quickly disseminated through social platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and social platforms in a twinkling of an eye, it reaches more than a thousand viewers,” says Faith C. Smith.
Sanctus Solomon thinks social media has done wonders. “In terms of disadvantages, Social media has created a space where everyone can post anything at time. Besides, it has given everyone the access to screen live videos without considering the effects it may have on viewers.”
“However,” Sanctus adds, “it has so many advantages such as: social interaction and empowers people, gives people a voice, increases civic participation like opinions poll, flexibility for workers and employers, and even online learning that is being practiced at the University of Liberia.”
Indeed, this is a new digital culture that has taken off with storm.