Digitalization and New Media Landscape

The article presents the phenomena of new communication technologies. It exposes the role of social media (Web 2.0) and sketches some global trends within the field of new media. It further outlines basic characteristics of traditional mass communication and consumption of media products, and as a counter-part presents interactive nature of a new media and the phenomena of user-generated media contents. The main focus of the article is the process of digitalization and its influence on important social system: media industry and production. Digitalization and growth of social media have challenged the news industry, so the latter has to adjust its media production to the rising power of independent publishers on social media platforms, as well as to users, which became publishers themselves, the so-called prosumers. The process of multimedia production is described through various types of inclusion promised in the technological formats. This article also highlights the transformed “intimacy” of new media cultures, which presents further evidence of new, unstable, and to some respect blurring divisions between the public and private spheres of communication. Several positive and negative consequences of digitalization on media landscape are enumerated. There are problems concerning transparency, accountability and professionalism of media production. Digital media has speed up the process of media production, journalists are faced with lack of time. Journalists as multitasking professionals are becaming the norm. The article exposes social activities manifested on social media (networks). Social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, are becoming news platforms for spreading information and news among users. Moreover, social media has become a powerful tool for publishers and journalists, as it enables them to augment or to keep their audience. Since social networks are usually used to accomplish interpersonal rather than professional goals, there is a risk of misperception of communication acts performed by journalists via social networks. Interaction via social networks is usually more personal, interactive, collaborative, but these characteristics are quite different from normative ideals, attributed to quality journalism.The article concludes with the question about possible solutions concerning further development of normative conceptions of journalism.