Conclusion

The rising of the media age have somewhat revolutionise the human capacity. With the growing scene of social media and gadgets such as the iPad and iPhone, it has empowered the human race into the next frontier of human development. Now, it’s not only a two way street but it’s the global phenomenon that is being the talk of the century now. Simply to say that people don’t only communicate to just one peer but they are connected to the world via the internet. This is only just the beginning of the tech age; the rest is yet to come. And when it comes, we will be taken aback as more surprises are coming our way and what was just a dream, now, a reality.  

The iPad Times

As more and more people are adopting the iPad to read their newspapers, the existence of the traditional printed ones are far from becoming obsolete. Look at it this way, the disadvantages of a traditional printed paper is that it lacks features, your hands tends to get dirty after reading where it could be harmful to your health if you don’t wash your hands, it’s a hassle to be carrying it around, it gets blown away when a strong wind comes along and lastly it cost more money to buy it. Now, reading newspapers on the iPad is way more cooler than anybody can think of, it is so cool that it gets a 70 year-old women to try it. And it works! The thing about this transition is that, it does not only let you read it as it is, but it also helps you to relate what you’ve just read to people that you know via twitter and facebook. Streams of videos, audio clips, high definition pictures and inter-linkage to other sites are all the features that you’ll get from reading your newspaper on an iPad. According to Hess (2011), the transition is some sort beyond expectations that when newspaper are now going on iPad, it just give you more than then you bargain for and it’s amazing.

Figure 1: iPad-only-newspaper

Rupert Murdoch got it right when he invested a sum of $30 million in formatting the iPad-only newspaper. It’s pure genius! Rupert Murdoch is old enough to be my grandfather but when something is just too good appears, you have to take advantage on it, and he certainly did. Now, I’m not sure about those who claimed that they don’t prefer reading it on an iPad or the traditional printed ones or both for that matter, but one thing’s certain is that you have to give it a try before you comment on something. Waldman (2011), adds that reading newspapers from an iPad can better the chances of remembering what you’ve read and it creates better empowerment for most readers.

References

Hess, A., (2011). iPad 2 Fully Loaded. IN: Wiley Publishing.

Waldman, S., (2011). The information needs of communities: The changing media landscape in a broadband age. NSW: Prentice Hall.

Was it an honest mistake?

                       Figure 1: Media Prima

Media Prima is arguably one of the biggest players in the media industry. And don’t tell me that being in the industry for so long, you don’t know what is or what is not suppose to be broadcasted. A series of advertisements that were aired on television during the Ramadan period was being criticised heavily for being racist in nature. But what was more surprising is that the ads have been aired for a couple of days before it was asked to be pulled out. So, it simply means that, when the ads were given the green light to be aired, it simply passed the authorities and advertising experts? It couldn’t be right? I’m sure there’s something wrong here. According to Phillips (1997), most of advertisements that are aired on television, must surpassed a panel of judges and must also be approved by the local ministry before viewers can actually see it. This is not a rare case, it has happened before, but aren’t we supposed to learn from mistakes and not repeat it? I supposed this might indeed be a so call “honest mistake” whereby a broadcast company intentionally creates a series of advertisements and broadcast it for a short period of time to gained attention or rather to sprout tension from the public. Because if you have asked me, this does not really involved races at all but rather the religion. A Chinese man may as well be Chinese by race but he could be a Muslim by religion.

Having that said, I’m sure there’s a reason why the ads were made and aired. I believe there were mentions of inappropriate behaviour in past seasons Ramadan or Chinese New Year or Deepavali. So, something needs to be done and also in a proper way so that no one will be hurt for long. According to Spence (2005), he mentioned that people tend react harshly towards inappropriate advertisements but reconsider that thought after a period of time. So, to be honest, I really hope that was what Media Prima was trying to do here. Which is an “honest mistake” to make people to consider.

References

Phillips, M, J., (1997). Ethics and manipulation in advertising: answering a flawed indictment. CT: Greenwood Publishing Group Inc.

Spence, E., (2005). Advertising Ethics. NY: Prentice Hall.

The Wonders of Videos

          Figure 1: Video in Media Website

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but a single video clip narrates a story from beginning to the end for you. It’s nothing new when media websites are turning to videos to capture on-going or the very latest of news, is in-fact becoming a trend to do so. Long gone were the days where the used of just words in news that describes all sorts of story and drama, that captured our sole attention of the current and the latest. Now days, the used of words have been trimmed down to the minimal and pictures are just too stagnant and may not interpret the news properly. But the insertion of a single video says it all. I mean why not? When it can create a greater impact, instil awareness, makes remembering better and increases attention span, it’s no wonder they are a big hit for most media websites. According to Minasian (2010), an insertion of video in news websites will not only spur intensity but it also creates an atmosphere whereby the news is ‘alive’. These days, with the large social media scene mushrooming around the internet, people can get or rather watch the latest news on their smart phones, iPads or laptops and spread the news around by facebook or tweeting, so that more people will come to know of it.

If it’s up to Dennis & Kinney (2000), they will be in favour of the Media Richness Theory to support the arguments made above. This theory determines the choice of medium used will equal positive responses and feedbacks. To support this theory, the video medium have not only generated positive responses from the public and netizens but also attracted investors to invest in their sites due to the heavy traffic activity. This is how most media websites leverage on monetization apart from their allocated capitals.

References

Minasian, B., (2010). The Power of Choice. US: Trafford Publishing.

Dennis, A, R., & Kinney, S, T., (2000). Testing media richness theory in the new media. Information system research journal. Vol.9, No.3.

The Future of Textbooks Teachings

As cutting-edge technology has impacted the human race in many ways, the e-textbooks will certainly be legendary change when it comes to classroom teachings. Just imagine going to class with nothing accept for your iPads and in it, contains a few volumes of textbooks and notes for your daily lectures and tutorials, this is indeed the learning experience of the future. Carbonara (2005), once said that learning should not be in any permanent forms but instead altered to greater capacity. This is precisely true, when technology is changing all the time and the emergence of social media is making a scene at the moment, no wonder people are leaving their traditional medium and turning to the internet for mostly everything these days. Carbonara (2005) also added that, once a greater capacity has been developed, we shall leverage on it to make our learning experience greater.

                      Figure 1: E-Textbook

      Figure 2: E-Textbook on iPad

The e-textbook is literally a futuristic replacement for the printed textbook copy. Its innovative features will definitely make learning an exciting process for many. As compared to printed textbooks, the frequent updates on your e-textbook will save you a lot on buying a new edition printed textbook that cost hundreds of Ringgit. The insertion of video links and audio files that would lead you to youtube and iTunes will generate better understanding of a topic learned. And what’s more fascinating, is that, the feature of an active engagement tool which allows students to communicate not only with their peers but people around the world that has the same e-textbook via the internet. This is by far a rare encounter where education does not only limit itself in the classroom but a global classroom where students can make one-on-one exchanges with other students from around the world that are taking the same subject. In theory, the e-textbook is been supported by Rogers Theory on Compatibility. In Rogers (2003) theory, it explains that compatibility in the technological e-textbook transformation from the printed copy is that the changed has seen to be consistent with the existing values, past experiences and needs of potential adopters. Simply put, the e-textbook is a remake of the printed copy with futuristic features added to embrace a new learning experience while maintaining its core modules and content so that it will be user friendly for people who want a change.      

References

Carbonara, D, D., (2005). Technology Literacy Applications in the Learning Environments. PA: Idea Group Inc.

Sahin, I., (2006). Detailed Review of Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory And Educational Technology-Related Studies Based on Rogers’ Theory. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology. April 2006: Vol.5, Iss.2.