Destined for change.

How often do you change your mobile phone? 
We change them constantly for the 'cool' new updated versions but imagine if it just stayed the same. Imagine if Apple finally decided to say no to having any more updates to the iPhone or iPad. It is only natural to want improvements but how far can they go? 

Our media technologies have changed consistently for years allowing new generations to not know a life without mobile phones or Facebook. Imagine if we had the opportunity to venture back in time, back to where internet wasn't even known to the public. Of course, we would have our mobile phones on us as we are never apart. Imagine the questions that would be asked. 
"What is that?" 
"Google? Who is google?"
If this question was asked today we'd presume they had been living in a cave for the last 20 years but if we didn't have these new technologies what would we do? 

The first print newspaper was carved in stone and metal in 59BC and today our technology has converged into one tiny computer we place in our pockets. Smart phones hold everything from music to photos, internet to television, weather to bank accounts. Media has changed, and so have we. Those who lived before the smart phone, before regular internet access have had to adapt into the world of digital technology. 

If media was inevitably going to change there would be more face to face communication but no SMS. We would not have online profiles but the people we talk to would know our likes and dislikes through conversation. 
But the question is, would we actually want to be without it? 

'Heraclitus of Ephesus' is known for his plea on change in the universe, this has relevance to the media for, media is continuously changing. Adjustments to the universe, humans, environment will happen inevitably, and seen as we just keep wanting more, it seems media will simply change.

"By studying the communication system as a whole, we will see that new media do not arise spontaneously and independently - they emerge gradually from the metamorphosis of old media" - Fidler, 1997 

Mediamorphosis is a term used to explain media change from old to new. Mobile phone services were introduced in 1946, and have developed rapidly since. Mobile phones have decreased in size yet increased in power with much more technical abilities. We even have phones that talk to us. So without this change, we would still be walking about with bricks - They did not have the Facebook app either.

          

                              
Today, our mobile phones have 
Texting, calling, camera, internet, social networking apps, games, music player, radio, news, banking, payments, Bluetooth  a light, e reader, GPS... We have everything in one, so surely media change is a positive idea. However; as we become old, technology becomes new. 
Will technology take over? 

The concept convergence also created media change. Convergence is defined as 'the interlinking of computing communication networks and media content' - Flew. T, 2008. Convergence is split between four categories. 
Technological convergence - Old phone, Cassette player  = iPhone
Institutional convergence - traditional and new services converge towards the same networks and to use  consumer devices for purposes such as telephony, television or personal computing.
Professional convergence - Being able to manage all in one connection to each other.
Cultural convergence - We are a global village  people around the world will read, eat, watch and know the same as other cultures. Example; Disney, Mcdonalds, Coca Cola

Hypermedia - "computer applications that present multiple media using hypertextual organisation" - Bolter and Grusin, 1999

Digitization - "makes media files; highly amenable for manipulation by a computer" - Wide, 2000

Interconnectivity - "Capacity to easily connect interactions across different networks" Flew T, 2008

The media is always changing, and will inevitably change due to our consistency to spend, want and thirst for more technology developments.
WE WANT MORE!

http://j113-onlinejournalism.blogspot.co.uk/2007/06/mediamorphosis.html

How to..Create a great academic blog

It all started with a blog...

During my first digital culture seminar we were given our first assessment task. This is to create an academic blog in which we must post on a regular basis. They must be accurately written about what we learn and achieve in our seminars and lectures. Our first class was to understand about blogs, get to know the style and particular ways they are written and designed.  

What makes a great blog?

• Presentation – the layout of a blog is important as it catches attention of readers therefore they are more likely to read it. Colour could make the blog look more attractive, however depending on the blog topic pastel colours may look better than vibrant. For example; We would not want to have bold background images of celebrities for a blog for lectures to read, would we?
• Consistency – Must be consistent with a blog it is more likely to be frequently followed. If it is a fashion blog, posts must be regular as fashion trends change consistently.
• Validity and Reliable resources – We need the truth! Academically a blog should be our own work however, other sources such as; the Internet, books, quotes can be used for referencing as long as they are valid.
• Target audience – Depending on the blog type, a target audience is always required.
•  Is it Interesting? – When reading a blog, whether it is about animals, fashion or digital culture lectures making it interesting will entice readers. Do not be afraid to ask questions to get the reader thinking, it will help persuade them to continue reading. A unique blog gives something different for people to follow.
• Images – having photographs or animations also contribute to making a blog great.
• Titles – having a title will lead readers in the right direction. If there is no title, the audience would not know if they even wanted to read it.
• Advertising – Do you want people to read the blog? One way to obtain readers is to advertise the blog. Twitter and other social networking is an easy example of advertising a blog.

A few other attributes to create a great blog would be that it is easy to read and understand, the word content is not too much but enough, a clear and simple layout, and a passion for the content if it is something of interest.

Academically, blogs consist of different types of information; however they are still created in similar ways to ordinary personal blogs. The information will be more precise and formal in comparison to other bloggers that use (#hashtags) to display their content or feeling.

Links provide access to where the writer got their information from. Linking particular words to websites makes the blog more interesting. 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2012/jul/12/blogging-for-minority-subjects-and-academics

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/26-tips-for-writing-great-blog-posts/