New media as an object of sociological study

• Main Author: K. V. Zhurbenko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Publishing House "Grani" 2016-06-01
• Series: Granì
• Subjects: інформаційне суспільство; соціальна комунікація; мережеве суспільство; комунікаційні технології; масова комунікація; взаємодія
• Online Access: https://grani.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/411
• ISSN: 2077-1800; 2413-8738

In the present article the author analyzes the New Media as the factor of the emergence of a fundamentally new culture of communication in modern society. To determine the New Media as a term the author analyzed the interpretations that exist in contemporary sociological literature. Moreover, the author suggests her own definition of «New Media». As a result the author gives methodological research of New and traditional («Old») Media and considers the main benefits of the global network in comparison with traditional media. The author found that there are a number of theoretical concepts to describe the type of society that is transformed under the influence of the mass use of modern communication technologies. The benefit of this study is the research of the social nature of the New Media. Moreover, the author has revealed that New Media technologies have affected even on traditional printed and electronic media, and it led to the formation of new types of social interaction. The author analyzes the key characteristics of the New Media, such as interactivity, individualization, multimedia and the lack of intermediaries. The author researched the key principles of modern communication technologies, which have the greatest impact on the nature of social interaction. Consequently, it was found that New Media can play a key role in political communication. The author found that the political structures, parties and leaders are becoming more active «newsmakers» – the creators of the news. At the same time they become their carriers, which contribute to the conversion of New Media in the factor of transformation of political actor role characteristics. So, the author came to the conclusion that today the relationship between New Media and politics arises because the media are dependent on political information and politicians are directly dependent on the media. The author also analyzed the impact of the Internet and New Media on the process of changing of the working person portrait in the world and the growth of multi­ethnicity and multiculturalism.