Literacy means to have knowledge and/or proficiency in a certain area or topic. As we are presented with more and more technologies. Our knowledge about how and when to use them has expanded too. Therefore we have developed theories and methods to communicate and persuade using new media. As Eyman writes, “Digital media’s peculiar nature challenges traditional categories” (Eyman 51). As we take part on the world wide web we need to adapt and properly analyze digital texts according to the proper context and our culture.

New media has certain characteristics to be able to define it as a media. Similar to the practice of rhetoric, there are certain qualities that need to be met to make sure that persuasion is successful. As Eyman explains, new media is “an object of study that is subject to rhetorical theory and principles” ( Eyman 55). Some scholars have established methods and practices that make up new media, like Packer and Jordan’s approach. Even when these characteristics are overlooked by the user, they are there and these ensure that we experience digital literacy and rhetoric. These characteristics, according to Packer and Jordan (Eyman 54), are:

• Integration
• Interactivity
• Hypermedia
• Immersion
• Narrativity

These features are found in social media. For example, while browsing Instagram. This social media application in which we post pictures, videos and edit them is an example of how the characteristics of Parker and Jordan apply.

Where can we find these characteristics?

Integration

Besides being able to edit pictures and videos, in this app you can add a caption where the creator has freedom to use words or emojis to communicate with their followers. There is also the option to add a geotag to show where the picture was taken. Additionally, the use of hashtags help the creator’s post to reach a wider audience. Bringing together these and more tools that instagram offers the creator can merge all these formats to persuade the audience.

Interactivity

The same characteristics that were mentioned in the “integration” section can be used to manipulate and affect the experience of this media. The creator can add any geotag and edit the picture in any way that they want to communicate or persuade their audience. There is no way to ensure that the geotag or the editing tools stick to reality. Therefore the creator can interact with the app and the audience by making them participate in the reality that the creator is trying to convince the audience.

Hypermedia

With the added functionality to buy merchandise in the app, most of the time there are links that redirect the audience to a different app or website. Other times they redirect you to other social media in which the creator also takes part, such as their tik tok or youtube account.

Immersion

As new updates are added to the app, now there is the possibility to post 360 pictures or videos that makes the user experience a three dimensional environment. Additionally, there are also 3D audios that the user can listen to to enhance their experience while browning the app.

Narrativity

Each of the posts that the creators make on Instagram follow a certain aesthetic. You can find the post on your timeline and it may not look like much, however if the user goes to the creator’s profile then they can see that the creator is providing the audience with a narrative.

These characteristics are applied to the new media as long as the media is digital. Without digital technology, new media literacy would not be possible. Additionally, people are going to experience new media texts differently. These texts are going to be interpreted

Evolution of media

When we discuss media, we should take into consideration how we view traditional and new media. How do we respond to text on a screen and printed text? J. D. Applen has an answer for us, he explains that “Our responses to writing and graphics on computer screens can be linked to the way that we have responded to oral discourse, as opposed to print in books” (Applen 7). Media has evolved in a way in which we have different reactions to depending on where we read a text. Oral discourse has always been around. It has influenced how we decide to express our thoughts. We need our oral language skills to learn how to read and write. It is a representation of speech. An important connection between writing and speaking is vocabulary. The speaker needs previous knowledge in oral language to be able to get the meaning from a written text. Therefore, when we write or read, these skills become an extension of our oral language.

Differences between new media and traditional literacies

There are key differences between these two media. For example, traditional literacies follow a strict order no matter what. You read the text from left to right and top to bottom. Meanwhile, in a website, the reader decides how to engage with the text. Especially since a website offers pictures and hyperlinks where the author feels like it’s needed. This leads to the lack of order that a website offers to make sense, not all the information in it needs to be tied together to make sense. Unlike, in traditional printed works where the information is captured in a specific order to convey meaning.

Additionally, there is little to none change on the font, such as: type, size or color in printed texts. However, in a website the text becomes unfixed and it becomes interactive so the reader has the ability to change it to whatever fits their needs. This way, the reader experiences the text in a different way far from printed texts where “Everyone had to “enjoy the same goods”” (Applen 9). The awareness of how the texts look in a website is important, since it can bring individuality to how the reader experiences. This is something that cannot be done in traditional literacies since they only have one format. Digital texts offer more alternatives to experience reading in a more comfortable way.

Future of Media

The evolution of the media will keep advancing.It is crucial to understand the changes that new technologies bring to the way we communicate. It can allow us for better direct communication and interactions. As websites are constantly creating new bodies of information, so does the dynamic of persuasion. Applen explains that “The binary information… are separate new media objects that can be used, but not modified, to construct the whole of a Web site” (Applen 8). These modules that make up the web are connected to one another. Specifically with the help of hyperlinks. With a simple click you can be redirected to another image, site, or module. While these other modules cannot be changed they are important during the development process of a website since they contribute to the context of it. Additionally these modules can be reused. They do not have to be used in the same way but more than once they can appear in another site even if this was not their intention.

As new technologies are developed we need to adapt to them to continue communicating. Evolution has transformed the way we approach communication and appreciate our world. Identifying new methods of when we discuss the evolution of media, we should consider how we view and react to traditional and new media. We have developed theories about what to expect from digital texts and how it is and will affect our communication.