Old vs. New

There are many ways to distinguish the difference between old media and new media. One way is by seeing if the media is static or dynamic. If the media is static than it is old media and if it is dynamic than the media is new media. The reason old media is static is because old media is never constantly changing like new media. What makes media new media is the fact that the users are able to manipulate the content in some way by either editing the content or adding comments. For example film is considered old media and youtube videos is considered new media. Film can't be manipulated by the user and youtube videos are able to be manipulated by the user or add comments about the videos.

Another way to distinguish the difference between old media and new media is usually by seeing what kind of communication there is between the media content and the user. In old media there is only a one way communication meaning that the user can't interact or has no way to get in touch with the creator of the media. In new media there is always a two way communication where the user can always get in contact with the creator of the media and also has some say about the media. For example magazines had a one way communication with their readers in which the journalist write the content and the readers read it. The reader had no say or could not write their comments about the content. But now the new media version of magazines, ezines, allows the readers to post comments about the content they read.

Also if the media is a combination of other medias than it is considered new media. Old media is always separated from other medias. For example television is considered old media because it is a stand alone media technology. But now television shows are now being seen in the internet on different websites such as hulu. Which is why hulu is considered a new media technology. Hulu is a combination of television and forums where viewers could post comments about they are seeing.