New Forms of Media Publishing

Mass media together and technology are both constantly evolving each day. Communicating with each other in society has change remarkably with new media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, online new sources and many others. Naughton (2006) stated that audiences were passive and uncreative in the past caused by the lack of interactive tools and publication limitations. Users are now able to actively search for information and interact online with news website in terms of interactivity (Salcito, 2009). Blogging allows every user to be a journalist online and because of this, publication opportunities have increased.

The Malaysian Insider, one of the example of new forms of media that contribute to new alternative news sources, provides different points of view compared to the mainstream press. Blogs such as limkitsiang.com also suggest opinions on current affairs with less censorship and more freedom of expression. Naugthon (2006) concludes that the relationship between blogging and conventional print journalism is symbiotic. Lickerman (2010) argues that although the new social media sites like Facebook and Twitter connects people more, there is a huge difference as compared to interacting with people physically. Furthermore, messages sent electronically deliver emotions poorly. Hence, virtual communication cannot replace the role of face-to-face communication.

I would like to stress that we must always think twice before publishing something over the Internet. We must also learn to use freedom of speech online with responsibility. One bad example would be the case of Wee Meng Chee or also know as Namewee in YouTube that made headlines in 2007 in Malaysia for posting up a controversial music video of "Negarakuku", ridiculing the national anthem. In 2010, he made a comeback video titled "F*** Racism Malaysia Nah" that was deemed seditious and was taken down due to public disapproval. He then faced risks of being arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) and his citizenship got revoked. Therefore, the use of freedom of speech should always come with responsibility.

Reference

1. Lickerman, A 2010, Costs of communication on email, Facebook and Twitter, Kevinmd, viewed 17 May 2012, <http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/07/costs-communication-email-facebook-twitter.html>
2. Naughton, J 2006, Blogging and the emerging media ecosystem, viewed 16 May 2012, <http://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/discussion/blogging.pdf>
3. Salcito, K 2009, New media trends, Center for journalism ethics, viewed 16 May 2012, <http://www.journalismethics.ca/online_journalism_ethics/new_media_trends.htm>