New media is a broad and vague term that encompasses any media that is new/current and delivered digitally. The newness of new media is everlasting. The media that was deemed new in the 1960s (educational broadcasting, filmstrips, transparencies) now seem old and outdated. Likewise, the media that is current or new today will become older in the future. In my life, social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc are all forms of new media. When I first downloaded instagram in 2013, it had only been launched a few years prior and was one of the most current forms of social media. Earlier platforms including MySpace, which was once the most visited social media site in the world, had become irrelevant and most young people have never used or heard of it. Over the past decade, Instagram has grown in popularity, but newer platforms such as TikTok have taken over. I’ve noticed that Instagram has been evolving into a platform designed for influencers and businesses to thrive, rather than the average person. I wonder, as new media keeps emerging, what Instagram will be like in the next few decades and will it still be as popular?
I think you bring up a really good question about Instagram. It reminds me of a conversation I had with my grandparents about IPhones where we were discussing their old flip-phones and how difficult the buttons were. This came up in relation to their recent update in IPhones that removed the button to the slide mechanism. I remember my grandfather saying that this change felt familiar to the experience of switching from a flip-phone to a touchscreen because while it was easier to use the touchscreen, he had gotten used to the flip phone. With Instagram, I think it is similar as we never know what it could change or morph into in the coming years as no one could have predicted the advancements we’ve made in cell phones in a simple ten years or so. This shift from user friendly purposes to more business and advertising is definitely telling of where apps like Instagram are shifting, but we truly have no way of predicting what will come next.
You raise a very interesting question about capitalism and monetization as drivers of new media change and innovation. How much might monetization influence media development, cultural norms and identity formation?
I agree with your definition of new media as “any media that is new/current and delivered digitally.” I also agree with your take on Instagram. Instagram has definitely changed over the years since its creation in 2010. Over the course of a decade, this media platform has strived to remain relevant with todays new social media platforms like TikTok by continuously adapting. Instagram’s “reels” and shopping option are a prime example of the new additions to the app that you are referring to when you mention how it caters to businesses now. Even the app logo has changed from its detailed design of an old camera to a simplistic, modernized version.
I also ask myself often “what Instagram will be like in the next few decades and will it still be as popular?”. I’ve had it for a while now as well and it’s very interesting to see how it’s evolved over the years. Not just with Instagram but with modern social media as a whole.
I agree that the newness of new media is everlasting. Media platforms are always changing or updating and what once was deemed to be popular could go out of style in an instant. I also have noticed the shift in Instagram as time goes on. It was once a place for just sharing photos with friends and it is now a platform where people can profit from a business. It is interesting to think that if Instagram continues down this path if there will be a new app for just social media purposes and not business purposes.
I find your statement about Instagram to be very eye-opening. The idea that this app has now become a place that benefits influencers and other companies more than it benefits normal users is something I fully agree with. Instagram’s initial purpose of being a space where people could share photos with their families and friends has definitely been lost amongst all of the advertising being done. The influencer/marketing side of Instagram is now beginning to outshine its original design and principles. I am also interested to see what will happen to instagram in the future. Maybe it will end up being replaced by another up and coming app. However, only time will tell.
I completely agree with the things you are saying and I really like the question you are asking here. Social media cites are constantly competing with each other. You mentioned that MySpace used to be a very popular app but it lost a lot of its attention. This is because other apps were creating new things in order to make their app seem more interesting and high tech. Instagram does a great job of this. They are constantly making new updates such as adding stories to their feed, or making an explore page that allows for people to see all of the things that interest them pop up on their personal feed. If instagram continues to be making changes constantly I think it could continue to be popular in the future. However, it is hard to keep up and eventually I think it’s inevitable that Instagram will run out of new ideas.