In the history of communication
In the history of communication, there are mainly two blocks. One concerns itself with writing and printing while the other one is all about the invention of telegraphy and technical media (Kittler, 1996). The 21st Century is mostly centered on the latter and enjoys numerous opportunities in the global, borderless realms. As it were, "I am able to share my picture today to thousands of friends through the tap of a smartphone while my mother rarely had the opportunity to share her pictures except through tedious methods such as mail". In this, web 2.0, creative consumers, social media are able to interact through convergence to the benefit of consumers as well as firms.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 can be defined as the infrastructure which is able to create a social phenomenon of collective media while at the same time enabling the establishment of consumer-generated content. Web 2.0 falls under the technical media and telegraphy block of communication. According to (Gungor et al, 2011), technical media does not make use of the workaday language. Instead, it utilizes physical processes which makes it faster and efficient especially in the contemporary world. The old framework consisted of mainly telegraphy. Through the concepts that revolved around telegraphy, individuals were only able to send messages. Moreover, the invention of the telephone came as a relief to many with regards to the simplification of communication. More advancements in this sector came, and it saw the arrival of the gramophone as well as film which made it possible to store pictures and other media. However, a faster means to share the media was still a challenge. Looking at the present age, web 2.0 and related concepts have been able to shift value production from the firm to the consumer, power form the firm to the consumer and finally shift the activity to the web from the desktop.
Creative consumers
Creative consumers are regarded as the locus of value in web 2.0. In this, (Berthon et al, 2012) states that it is the consumers who are sources of the value-added content to firms in the social sites. The creative consumers have a network of friends, and this brings value to the new media era. Although the marketplace regards social media as UGC (user-generated content), it is the distinction between the media and the consumers that leads to the creation of value. In this, sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter could only be regarded as the vehicles that carry content. Besides, the content created by creative consumers and their networks leads to brand promotion for specific brands. Content such as pictures, audio, and digital advertisements can be shared globally in a short period of time. The consumers are able to achieve a sense of belonging to the various brands. In addition, it is in line with the definition of social media. (Berthon et al, 2012) state that it is a collection of internet platforms that are built on the technological and ideological axioms of web 2.0 which consequently allows for the creation and exchange of user/consumer-generated data. On this note, an interview with my mother involved how various media was shared in her age. It is ideal to state that her age was the old media age that was characterized by the telephone and gramophone. She stated that unlike the present where one can literally send media over long distances in a short span of time, during her age, it would take a physical picture ages to reach a specific destination. Moreover, she stated that her age was dominated by the writing block of communication. Several publications were able to gain popularity in her age. As such, there lacked an integration of the available tools to bring forth efficiency and value to the consumers.
Through convergence
Through convergence, creative consumers, social media and web 2.0 are able to integrate and bring forth the value. As such, web 2.0 is able to transform the media monologues into social media dialogues easily. (Allen, 2017) refers to convergence as the process in which industries, technologies as well as individuals merge and integrate through communication networks or computing. This way, organizations are able to engage in marketing strategies that are more consumer-centered. Information can, therefore, be relayed to many in highly accessible channels.
New media
It is also ideal to note that new media, which in this case is defined by web 2.0, social media and creative consumers, is made up of 3 elements. (Siapera, 2017) state that these elements are the tools that enable and extend the ability to communicate, tools that facilitate communication practices and activities and finally tools that account for social arrangements and organizations. A critical understanding of this by individuals as well as firms could come in handy in activities like marketing. Moreover, five axioms should be considered by the market strategists both on the local and global scales. The axioms have close linkages to how creative consumers and the social media arises (Berthon et al, 2012). They also help to comprehend how content is generated and shared in the social platforms for the purposes of marketing. These are: The social media is subject to the government, culture, and technology of a specific nation, The actions of the creative consumers are tied to the government, technology, and culture of a specific nation, Local events rarely remain local in the era of social media, Macro issues are likely to be interpreted locally and Technology will tend to be historically dependent.
Conclusion
It is evident that communication has been able to evolve in a great way. This is specifically to the block of telegraphy and technical media. Ancient tools such as telephone lines and the gramophone could not serve the interests of the consumer as well as organizations. However, with the rise of the 21st tools expressed by web 2.0, social media and creative consumers, there has been a transformation and progress in the way people and organizations interact. Through processes such as convergence, modern day tools bring value to all the stakeholders.
References
Allen, M. (2017). Web 2.0: An argument against convergence. In Media Convergence and Deconvergence (pp. 177-196). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Berthon, P. R., Pitt, L. F., Plangger, K., " Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy. Business horizons, 55(3), 261-271.
Gungor, V. C., Sahin, D., Kocak, T., Ergut, S., Buccella, C., Cecati, C., " Hancke, G. P. (2011). Smart grid technologies: Communication technologies and standards. IEEE transactions on Industrial informatics, 7(4), 529-539.
Kittler, F. (1996). The history of communication media. Ctheory, 7-30.
Siapera, E. (2017). Understanding new media. Sage.
Appendix
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Old Media New Media
Time lags, lack of integration Time efficient, high level of
Integration, flexibility
Convergence, Communication transformation with regards to the arrival of the Internet.
