New Media and Me

What interests me most about new media is simply the fact that it is quickly becoming more pertinent and popular because of our increasingly technologically-oriented lives. I am a supporter of all the technological advances we have made, so I enjoy exploring all of them, whether they are video games, smart devices, or new ways of being creative.

As for composing new media, I have a little experience with it. In high school I created a website for a Physics project, but I chose that medium simply in an attempt to be different from the rest of the class. I was also required to maintain a website that tracked my achievements and goals. In addition, I have a profile on a social media-like website called Wattpad through which users can read and write whatever they like–in my case, fan fiction. I have been a member for over 6 years, read hundreds of stories, and written quite a few of my own.

However, I have never written a blog, news article, or podcast. I have not experienced virtual reality, and I have not participated in discussion boards besides the ones required in my classes. I also try not to engage with typical social media too much, so my Facebook and Instagram accounts have very little activity and exist mainly for scholarship purposes or to connect with on-campus clubs. I have a LinkedIn account and I do my best to keep it updated, but in my current stage of life I rarely use it.

I am currently contemplating a Computer Science minor, which is part of the reason I am interested in this class. Having the knowledge to both write new media content and be able to code it would be very exciting. Keeping this in mind, throughout this class I hope to gain a better understanding of what exactly new media is and the benefits it holds in comparison to writing regular stories, articles, novels, or other more “traditional” mediums of writing.