Essay on Contemporary media

The development of contemporary media contributes to consistent changes in the society and life of people. In this respect, Chapter 7: New Media Landscape focuses on the development of the new media landscape but the chapter still needs some additions, whereas some materials have to be changed.

Additions

First of all, it is important to dwell upon material that has to be added to the chapter. In this respect, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the author should provide more detailed information on social networks and develop this topic in details. To put it more precisely, today, social networks emerge rapidly, whereas the author discusses Twitter only in the context of the development of new media. In such a situation, the author seems to underestimate the significance of social networking as a new medium. In fact, the author should expand social networking to reveal the full extent to which this phenomenon affects the life of the contemporary society. Social networking is not a mere media innovation but this is a new social trend, a new form of social relations, which changes the life of contemporary people stimulating the emergence of new social relations. Therefore, the chapter should include the detailed analysis of social networking as a new media and social phenomenon. At this point, Twitter is a good point to start with but other social networks are worth consideration along with their impact on the life of the society and each individual because social networks has already become deeply integrated in the life of the contemporary society.

Deletions

At the same time, some parts of the chapter could be deleted. For instance, the online domination should be deleted. Instead this problem should be discussed more specifically in other parts of the chapter, such as games, online commerce, messaging, and others. In fact, online domination may be an important part of the chapter but the author could distribute this material throughout the chapter to show practical issues related to the online domination. This part of the chapter does not need to be distinguished among other material in a separate part of Chapter 7. The deletion of this part would make the chapter more logically correct and focus on specific issues without distracting the attention of readers on issues, which may be presented in other parts of the chapter in terms of examples, being integrated in other parts of the chapter.

Modifications

Some parts of the chapter need consistent modification. In this respect, it is possible to single out some parts which could be more extensive. For instance, Games part should be more extensive because online games need the detailed analysis of possible and actual threats that games impose on users. What is meant here is the fact that online games may have a negative impact on users, affecting their self-perception and personal development. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that online games may be particularly influential in relation to children because children are in the course of their personal development and they cannot always distinguish reality from a game and they may have difficulties with the adequate perception of what is good and what is wrong. However, the author apparently underestimates risks and threats associated with online games and analyzes them as the new media. Instead, the author should conduct the detailed analysis of this problem and the impact of games on users, especially children (Chomsky, 95). In fact, it is even possible to suggest to single out a separate part in the chapter titled Online games and children to show the impact of online games on children.

In this regard, the analysis of online commerce made by the author in Chapter 7 also needs more detailed analysis. In fact, in the part dedicated to online commerce, the author needs to add more information on actual threats and methods of their prevention. In actuality, online commerce growth rapidly and, today, online commerce has already started to challenge conventional commerce. However, the rise of online commerce is associated with a number of problems and threats, such as the risk of identity theft, information breaches, and other illegal computer crimes (Bagdikian, 199). In addition, there is a problem of the lack of legal regulation of online commerce. Nevertheless, the author still omits the discussion of the aforementioned issues in Chapter 7, although the author discusses the development of e-commerce. Therefore, the author should introduce more detailed analysis of online commerce, threats online commerce is or may be facing, and suggest possible solutions to give insight toward understanding of the further development of online commerce in the future.

Conclusion

Thus, taking into account all above mentioned, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that Chapter 7 presents interesting and extensive analysis of the new media landscape but still the chapter needs certain improvements suggested above. Adding some elements, deletion of others and modification of existing materials can make the chapter more accurate and mirror the full extent to which new media landscape has progressed.