Digital media is any digital media that are encoded electronically in machine readable formats. Digital media includes such media as photographs, images, sounds, video, web pages, software programs, and interactive software. Digital media is frequently stored on computers. This computer system can be configured to record media as it is being used or to save the media and recall it later. Digital media may be transmitted, displayed, and interpreted electronically or using a combination of electronic and traditional media.
In today’s world everything from text and images, to videos and games, to e-mail and instant messages, can be shared across various networking platforms. This new media has given users the ability to share their personal experiences on a personalized basis. Social networking websites such as MySpace and Facebook are examples of digital media.
While new media is certainly not copyrighted, the content that people post online is not. Just as in traditional media, certain rights may be granted for the purposes of copyrighting creative works. When posting content to a website, it is necessary to have a copyright notice placed somewhere on or near the content. If the original copyright holder is not able to be found, a generic copyright can be used. When posting content to social networking sites, it is important to remember that although the social media user owns the copyright to their content, they are typically not the only party with rights to control what can be posted. For example, YouTube requires that all videos include a copyright statement before they can be uploaded to the site.
As with any other medium, digital media allows users to form professional relationships through blogging, participating in discussions online, and/or connecting with others through discussion forums. Blogging is a form of digital media that facilitates social interaction because comments are visible to all who are viewing the blog. On the other hand, video blogs enable users to post short segments of video and view the interaction that occurs between them and others. While video blogs may seem similar to podcasts, they are slightly different because a blogger does not need to have their voiceover involved in a video blog; they simply choose to participate in the conversation.
Video games are another type of digital media that has greatly increased in popularity over the past several years. While games were once only available on specialized gaming consoles, there is no reason why players cannot play video games on computers, phones, tablets, and other digital media devices. Gamers are creating social hubs online where they share tips, strategies, stories, and any other type of communication through video games.
All forms of Digital media allow people to communicate with each other in a variety of ways. Digital devices allow for the transmission of audio and video. The growth of the internet has led to the development of the world wide web, which allows for mass distribution of content. Digital media is commonly referred to as electronic media, because it is transmitted electronically and its contents can be accessed by anyone with access to the internet. Digital media is rapidly growing and has the ability to transform the way we watch, listen, and experience media and communication.