Who do we distinguish new media from old media?

What is meant by old media?

Old media are forms of communication where information is dispersed by means of analog or cable television, cinema, radio, newspaper, magazine or book and dispersed selectively to the public only after being approved by a source that has the right to edit the content. A response could only be transmitted after a time lapse and at the judgment and editing by whosoever is the owner of the means of that particular form. This would cause its content to be directly influenced by those whose agenda it served for political or monetary purposes within a given geographical area. The timing of release could also be controlled and would therefore further enable the manipulation of the content of a message that would have the possibility of changing the outcome of events where public opinion and outcry may influence a change in laws or public policy in a society.

When this is compared to a new media form it is slow and confined. It is a notable control of public opinion and individual thought where the expression of information is supposedly guaranteed by the first amendment of the US Constitution. It should be noted that although total censorship is damaging to our system I believe in the necessity for the safeguards of a policing entity to filter content harmful to minors and malicious security content with old and new media forums.

What is New Media?

New Media can be viewed as a complete opposite to these older methods. With the ability of individuals to post and broadcast their personal thoughts online via venues such as blogs, social communities and wikis, direct and cheaply on the internet, information and individual opinion is no longer controlled by those who previously held sway because of monetary dominance or political influence.

The best way to illustrate the differences is to list them comparing their benefits or shortcomings so that the change from old to new media is understood how these changes affect us.

	Form	Description	Pros vs Cons
1a	Old	Analog/Cable Television	Subject to network approval, Forced advertising, Limited to geographical signal
1b	New	Internet	Limited control on subject matter, Forced programming, Limited advertising, Unlimited by location
		Tivo	Controlled advertising, Program control
		On Demand Television	Program control
		YouTube, Etc.	Whatever you can find
2a	Old	Radio	Analog signal, subject to station programming, location limitation
2b	New	Sirius, XM Radio	Digital signal, subject to station programming, satellite transmission
		YouTube, Etc.	Whatever you can find
3a	Old	Cinema	Geographical release, theatre cost, public viewing
3b	New	Online movies	At will viewing, low cost, private viewing
		DVD	At will viewing, low cost, private viewing
		YouTube, Etc.	Whatever you can find
4a	Old	Music: Vinyl, CD, Stereo	Equipment cost, media cost
4b	New	Music: Itunes, Rhapsody, YouTube	Whatever you can find you can own at little or no cost and alter
5a	Old	Newspaper, Magazine, Books	Paper media subject to deterioration, editorial control, nice to own something tangible
5b	New	Wikis, Blogs, Kindle, Online resources	Eternal data, individual opinion and editorial control, subject to equipment failure