We are in an age where we interface with technology more than ever before.

iTunesU is a new way to access lectures and educational content.  Hear the media theorists and debaters rant about what's going on in the world of Media Studies

You can also visit education.podcasts.com to search their databases, handy when you're conducting independent research.

Businesses and media industries are now heavily leaning towards new media to promote their goods and services.  From viral videos/social network groups/Apps, RSS feeds and downloadable content.

Lets just take a deep breath and examine what students are using now and what you're granny used at your age instead of an ipod.  The tab on the left will talk through the major changes and shift in technological convergence.

The iplayer link below also allows you to browse numerous TV programmes and podcasts, another useful research tool:

WATCH/LISTEN NOW

BBC iPlayer | Podcasts

 

The letter 'i' has become synonymous with anything technological.  When Apple announced the arrival of the ipod, after the imac, most people declared loyalty to Apple and helped make it the most popular mp3 player (effectively what it was), but in doing so allowed the organisation to coin the term 'pod' to include common terms like 'podcasts'.  The 'i' phenomenon expanded to include things like the itouch, iteddy, iphone, iplayer and w'ii'.  This proves that branding has a significant impact on modern culture and society today.  Sadly Apple couldn't copyright the letter 'i' but has just patented multi-touch technology - this will have a significant impact on the next generation of home computers, netbooks and phones.

Developments in social media:

This slideshare tutorial talks about the global phenomenon Twitter and how you can get started and use it in learning and research.  You might also want to get savvy with the 'apps' phenomenon.  Find out about Twitter Terminology here, thanks to publishing talk.

Twitter tutorial

Social Media Timeline: 

Try using the internet archive website to see how these sites have evolved.  As with all businesses, some will cease and others will merge, consumed by conglomerates or rebranded.

Your challenge is to research what happened beyond 2006 - continue to map out this and see just how many other social network sites have appeared, merged and folded.  For further challenge, find out who owns these and map who bought out whom.

• Interesting Media timeline of 20th Century (Copyright Rama Hoetzlein 2009-10) Use this as a guide to perhaps create your own.  Alternatively, look at the CEMP timelines of industry, technology and people.

tags:  what is contemporary media, future of media, media archive, AS media, A2 Media, Home