New media? Help, please!

Good evening, all!

Heather, here. I’m an analyst in the Advertising department at the Statesman. While my degree is in advertising from Texas State, the work I do is more on the business side than creative. Put simply, I play with numbers and make spreadsheets pretty all day.

For me, new media is any technological advancement (whether it be current, or slightly less than) affecting communication that I don’t yet understand . . . which includes most things these days. Lately I feel that I’m not as technologically savvy as I should be. I work in a traditional media environment, so I feel like my exposure to new technology is limited. While the paper does have an amazing assortment of online products for readers and advertisers, I feel like I’m definitely falling behind the herd in the rush to play with all the new toys.

iPhone? MacBook? Eeeeek!! I’m clueless. And don’t even get me started on the whole BluRay business. It doesn’t matter how many times the nice man at Best Buy explains it to me. I just don’t get it. If you can give it to me in layman’s terms (and it doesn’t include an example of how the porn industry dictates video technology), I’m all ears!!

As for the reading, what struck me most was something simple Negroponte said in the handout. “Computing is not about computers anymore . . . it’s about living.” Talk about a true statement. I cannot function at school, home, or work without my laptop or desktop. So I’m certain now that I definitely need to know more about new media!