In a world of new technologies, new consumer demands, new products and new communication strategies, it's only fitting that new media takes center-stage. Along with it comes a wealth of new opportunities and promising career options.
"New media" can perhaps be best understood in two ways: first and foremost, it is the media that result from the process through which traditional media (photographs, text, audio, television) are rendered into numerical or digital forms. Secondly new media includes new formats for communicating (i.e., web sites, webcasts, interactive games, graphic designs, CD-ROMs, and so on).
In material terms, new media includes conventional media (printed texts, televised images, print images, radio) that have been digitized and in many cases, combined. The most obvious example is the World Wide Web. It's combination of digital designs, text and image, interactive features, customization tools, etc. all work to create an innovative and dynamic media format. Other new media formats include DVD multimedia, technology-assisted presentation (i.e., PowerPoint), "talking books" or e-books, e-zines, chat rooms, digital TV, cyber-commerce, Webcasts, digital special effects, digital video, MIDI music production, electronic publishing and interactive points of contact (such as museum kiosks) and much, much more.
Traditional media have also been changed by digitization. Some television programs, for example, now include streaming text and they often borrow interactivity capabilities from the Web. Journalism has been changed dramatically with more and more people turning to the sites such as CNN and local news websites for timely updates on news stories and to obtain breaking news from around the world. New media has had the power to instantly connect people worldwide in a way they've never been connected before.
One of the most important components of new media is the actual content. Successful messages are those that are actually "heard" from amongst the clutter of cyberspace and any other number of channels through which we receive information each day. Strategic communication messages, quality presentation and appropriate delivery channels are all required to produce effective new media results. New media workers work on the cutting-edge of what's fresh and exciting, creating an interactive mix of all of new media's components: text, photography, graphics, animation, video and sound.
The demand for creators and communicators - artists, educators, animators, designers, digital cinematographers, writers and business people - who use digital technologies to deliver information to people in new ways, has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. For those with the proper acumen in a mix of creative and technical areas, the opportunities are endless. Companies are increasingly moving to e-commerce strategies and tactics to stay competitive and are in need of talented "ideas" people who can help them achieve their goals in increasing web site traffic, customizing the experiences of site visitors, and calling them to act in ways that can impact the business' bottom line.
If you wish to move into a career in new media, some key skills to cultivate include:
1) The ability to gather, process, and communicate information on the Internet
2) An ability to identify appropriate technologies to accomplish a specific communication need using the Web and other online delivery systems and resources
3) An ability to edit content for websites
4) An ability to apply sophisticated technical strategies for writing, editing, and producing basic websites
5) An understanding of how visual aesthetics and language work together - how image-based communication differs from and interrelates with text based communication
6) An understanding of the technical and practical necessities (planning, budgeting, scripting) of moving a project from idea to completion
People who hire new media workers seek the skills and aptitudes that will make them valuable members of their team. Portfolios are the calling card of the new media job seeker. Traditional portfolios have always contained photos, slides, artwork, and tear sheets that demonstrate a person's ability to design a variety of media elements. This can still be very effective for the aspiring new media employee, but as technology has evolved so too has our understanding of what constitutes a portfolio. Modern "digital" portfolios can be best presented via a computer disk or CD-ROM containing websites, animations or other effects. This will dynamically demonstrate program design skills and display work samples. Some job seekers also use demo tapes to display work in animation or motion video.
No one can be certain of what the future will bring, but for careers in new media the outlook is especially bright. There is vast potential for anyone hoping to move into this arena if they have the right creativity and vision.
