Fran Molloy's Background
At the moment, Fran Molloy is connected to the Sydney campuses of NYU and Fairfax Media. She works as a journalist, independent editor, and copywriter for a number of prestigious publications, such as the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC online, and many others. Molloy, who is highly involved worldwide, also teaches global views and environmental journalism at the NYU Sydney Campus. Additionally, she has taught at the University of NSW, the Australian College of Journalism, the NSW Writers Centre, Southern Cross University Lismore, and UTS.
Molloy's Lecture on 'Media and Technology'
Below is the description of one of the Molloy's lectures about 'media and technology' that she gave in NYU Sydney campus in February, 2017.
Media and Technology
Media includes all the channels that help in disseminating any kind of information across the length and breadth of a specified situation. At the same time, recent advancements in technology are directly proportional to the communication strategies. Media facilitated journalism, and the times when there were a few media channels through which limited information could be conveyed are gone. It is one of the exciting fields presently with much responsibility towards humanity. Today, the media landscape has drastically changed, making almost every person accountable for the information as creators or consumers.
Digitization and Media
Furthermore, every aspect of media is getting influenced by digitization. It is all around; digitalization is evident in spreading the news or libraries with digital content and online maps. It enormously reduces physical space for storage and makes data access more instant. Any needed information can be accessed through the Internet and new media devices compatible with the digital format. In the given circumstances, the global village concept reveals the advancements driven by information and technological (ICT) at the push of a button. In terms of specific platforms, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn are among the social media common people can use to articulate their ideas. In this context, the concept of convergence culture by Henry Jenkins applies to both media and technology (Jenkins, 71). Such a trend describes the facilitation for instant and interactive communications platforms with greater impact. The above-discussed podiums could be effectively used by journalists for initiating a change. It is because journalism is all about changing the world better or at least starting the process.
Collaborative Work and Technology
Collaborative work is another dimension that technology offers. It means that a journalist can start an online campaign regarding an environmental issue corresponding to a specific region. Since the internet penetrates through almost all the regional boundaries of the world, "it can have a bigger impact on the world environment" (Molloy at NYU Sydney). Also, the information will reach more and more people, and thus, there is much potential for active participation.
Eco-Friendly Technology
Finally, it is important for the technology to be eco-friendly, meaning that almost all its assets and services should not damage the very existence of humanity in any way. Broadly speaking, the media industry is accountable to devote some time to the issues that correspond to the environment and ensure a sustainable future. To achieve this, environmental journalism as writing about contemporary environmental issues is important. It includes learning, knowing, and observing problems related to the environment by journalists to present them before the stakeholders in a very simple manner. Thus, there is a need for professional journalists to be innovative and present every issue as a 'creative interpretation of actuality' (McLuhan, 35).
Work Cited
Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press, 2006. Print. P 69- 73
McLuhan, Marshall, Quentin Fiore, and Jerome Agel. The Medium Is the Massage. New York: Bantam Books, 1967. Print. P 35-39
Molloy, Fran. Media and technology. Lecture at NYU Sydney Campus, Feburary, 2017
