Working in New Media; Disintegrating Boundaries

Myths and stereotypes shroud the ever-evolving career marketplace surrounding new media. Certain key elements persist: that to work in new media, one must expect "long hours, requirements to ‘keep up’ and stay up-to-date in a field that is changing rapidly, and the financial and emotional pressures of managing job/workflow insecurity." (Gill, 2007) 

Nonetheless, for those individuals with the flexibility, perseverance and tenacity, the world of new media offers a shiny, two-edged sword - the disintegration of geographical boundaries. With the advanced state of connectivity in our highly networked world, comes the opportunity for individuals to work from their homes, and even participate in projects that are taking place on the other side of the globe. Take Kelly Chapman for instance, who works in new media, film and television, and was able to contribute to the British television series of Spooks, while residing in Australia.

Click here to find out more about Kelly Chapman

Of course, with these opportunities come fierce competition for work and outsourcing (Castells, 1999).  However, there are certain individuals that benefit regardless, as opportunities are presented to them to participate in fields that they were previously restricted from. For example, ABC Open offers positions in regional areas of Australia, concerning multi-platform storytelling. People living in rural areas, who are interested in journalism, photography and or film would previously have limited chances to work within these fields, but as geographical boundaries disappear, new opportunities take their place.  

Click here to find out more about ABC Open

References

ABC Open "ABC Open; What's your story?" Accessed April 18, 2011. http://open.abc.net.au/

Castells, M. (1999). "An Introduction to the Information Age" in The Media Reader: Continuity & Transformation. Edited by Hugh Mackay and Tim O'Sullivan, London: Sage: 398-410

Chapman, K. "Kelly Chapman: Putting Great Stories On Screen" Accessed April 18, 2011. http://www.kellychapman.com.au/KELLY.html

Gill, R. (2007). "Informality is the New Black" In Technobohemians or the new Cybertariat? New Media work in Amsterdam a decade after the web. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures: 24-30 & 38-43.

New Media, Health and Well-Being

One of the detrimental possibilities regarding online mediation of health and well-being information, is the chance for the less discerning individual to be mis-informed, or incorrectly diagnosed. There is even: 

 ...panic about the potential for the web to produce an 

 ‘epidemic of misinformation’ among lay people.

  (Lewis, 2006)

The concern is not only for innocent misuse, but for illegal misuse by people seeking to acquire prescription drugs for pleasure purposes. Studies have shown that there are web sites  which are outside of our country's legal jurisdiction and can supply such drugs online, (Barrat, J. and Nielsen, M. 2009). These are some of the negative concerns facing online mediation of health information.


However, there are definitely positive outcomes to accessing health resources on the Internet. For example, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago. She lived over 1, 200 km from the nearest hospital that was equipped for breast cancer surgery and radiation treatment. The local town being small, only limited information and support was available. In cases like these, having the chance to research and connect with other people online is absolutely invaluable. So, as the possibilities increase for the individual to be responsible for learning about their own health, so too do the risks. But they don't outweigh the value of the positive benefits. Therefore, while online resources concerning health and well-being require regulation and monitoring, they must still be made available.

References:


Barrat, J. and Nielsen, M. 2009. "Prescription Drug Misuse: is technology friend or foe?" Drug and Alcohol Review, 28 (1): 81-86. 


Lewis, T. 2006. "Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria?" Media, Culture and Society, 28 (4): 521-539.


Youtube. "A Tale of Two e-Patients; Pecha Kucha" Accessed April 11, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ebdGR3IZp8&feature=related

Connecting me with the "REAL" world...or not?

Does new media enhance our realities or distort them? While social media, including mobile phones, connect us more than ever, perhaps they invite us into a parallel universe; one that is not shared by all.


Have you seen The Truman Show (Dir. Peter Weir, 1998)? The film centres around a character who is unaware that his entire life and world is actually a popular reality television show. Mark Deuze uses this film as a metaphor:

"We are now all living inside our very own Truman Show... a world characterized by pervasive and ubiquitous media that we are constantly and concurrently deeply immersed in, that we are the stars of, and that dominate and shape all aspects of our everyday life." (2011)

What about those that live in relative isolation from the saturation of modern social media? Even within Australia, mobile phone usage is more limited than it seems. Bell states that over 80% of our population owns a cell phone therefore "meaning that almost all citizens have some form of access to one." (2006)  But if you look at a map of mobile phone coverage in Australia (see below map of Telstra coverage - the most extensive coverage in Australia) you will notice that the rural population of Australia has limited access to the mobile network. 

Source: http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/coverage/state.html

But if you believe that social media can lead to distorted or fragmented reality, then is this lack of connectivity detrimental to isolated regions of outback australia, or is it a preservation of a fading reality? 


References


Bell, G. (2006). The Age of the Thumb: a Cultural Reading of Mobile Technologies from Asia. Knowledge, Technology, & Policy, Summer 2006, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 41-57. 


Deuze, M. (2011). Media Life. In Media, Culture & Society, Volume 33, issue 1, pp. 137-148. 


Telstra corporation Limited. "State Coverage Maps." http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/coverage/state.html Accessed April 3 2011.


Youtube. "The Truman Show; HQ Trailer" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkZM2oWcleM&feature=related Accessed April 3 2011.

The Truman Show Trailer