What's New about 'New Media'?

The book chapter What's New about 'New Media'? by Terry Flew, which is one of the final readings for this semester, proved to be useful in my assignment research.

It addresses some important points about the social and cultural context of technology use and its impact; something I believe is crucial to consider when writing about how my chosen subculture engages with digital media.


Digital media is defined as "forms of media content that combine and integrate data, text, sound and images of all kinds; are stored in digital formats; and are increasingly distributed through networks such as those based upon broadband fibre-optic cables, satellites, and microwaves transmission systems." (p. 10).

This definition illustrates the incredible range of opportunities to communicate with one another and exchange information. On the internet for example, subcultural members can interact via message forums, video channels like youtube and social networking and media sharing sites like Myspace.

Given that groups of Emos enjoy socialising in public areas (e.g. the Queen Street Mall), the Internet provides an alternative environment where they can interact not only with local subcultural members, but on a global level also.


Flew's chaper cites the results of a study by Ryder and Wilson (1995) which found a range of affoardances of the Internet, which I believe allows the Emo subculture to thrive online (p 16):

1. Freedom and personal control: unprecedented access to information from multiple sources, and opportunities for free expression.

2. Cultural forms and status: possible barriers to participation based upon gender, age, race, nationality disability or economic status being less relevant in online environments.

4. Hypertext web structure: ability to access multiple and interconnected information sources.

6. Dynamic information: online information sources are current and timely.

7. Intimacy and locality: possiblity of 'safe' communicative and other relationships conducted online and over distances.


I have been exploring several websites that are centred on the Emo subculture, and in a future entry I will provide examples from these sites which relate to the above points.


Other key issues discussed in this chapter are 'virtual reality', virtual communities and virtual identities.

Of particular relevance to my assignment is virtual communities. Howard Rheingld is cited as defining these communities as 'social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions [using the Internet] long enough, with sufficient human feeling to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace' (p. 26).

These virtual spaces and their modes of participation are thought to reinvigorate sense of community-building and citizen participation in public life. This statement reinforces my argument that the Emo subculture has crossed the boundary from 'real life' into cybespace, as subcultural members are able to freely interact with eachother through online networks as well as face-to-face.