Communicating the correct message and at the correct time are the most important functions of any organization. At the current times, when Companies are finally going global, it is important that they communicate right messages and signals to the global audience. Until recently, the traditional forms of media were the ones that dominated the communication world. But now, with the development of new media tools, the business world has become more swift, smooth and stylish.
I was always of the thought that change is the only permanent phenomenon. I believed that organizations should move with time towards cost effective and customer friendly ways of information dissemination. That is why; my initial thought during the beginning of the course was that different types of new media act as a very significant communication tool for an organization. My observation is that a company that sticks with traditional forms of media compared to new media will critically hurt themselves from a financial, sales and customer service aspect.
In order to keep up with the dynamic business world, I believe that every company should modernize and innovate themselves. This means they should go for the adoption of new media technologies in their business. This adoption will help businesses to increase their customer numbers, sales, and also to achieve goals much quicker. There are overall implications of new media tools for the efficiency enhancement of an organization given the benefits they can derive in all sectors. I am not devoid of this knowledge and thus have been a huge supporter of new media technology. The course has changed my thoughts in a certain way, but in the right direction.
Currently, from being the supporter, I have now grown as an advocate of the use of new media technology. I still hold a similar opinion as to what I thought of new media technology when I first started the class. Attending the lectures has further confirmed my thoughts, beliefs, and proved the validity of my opinion.
It was not just one topic or area that got me interested in deeply understanding the media technology concepts. There were many different factors that we covered, which established my opinion on new media technologies. The first factor and most important was the expenses involved in the utilization of new media. New media technology allows businesses to reach individuals, promote, advertise and gain feedback, etc. all for much less than it would with traditional methods. Traditional methods such as advertising in periodicals, focus groups, billboards, mail, commercials, etc. all cost money. New media technologies such as email, social media, blogs, etc. cost a minimal or nil to initiate for the Company and use of the services by the customers.
Another factor that influenced my decision was the ability to communicate with and reach out to more people compared to the audience reach of traditional forms of media. This is possible because new media forms usually involve the internet and this attribute gives you the ability to reach a mass amount of people for advertising, promoting, feedback, etc. The third factor that played a role in my affirmation was the simplicity and effectiveness of new media. New media allows you to do more things and at a quicker pace and in a more simplistic way. From what we spoke about in class, it seems like organizations preform much more efficiently when they use new media (New Media Toolkit, 2014).
The various factors that are affected by the new media technology tools available in the Information Technology world include the leadership styles that have changed, the awareness of new media tools understanding, Trainings and practical use of new media tools, Impact of diverse backgrounds and cultural influences on the adoption of new media, Regulatory, social, ethical obligations of an organization, Investments and commitments necessary to support new media use, Organizational threats present with the use of new media communication and the opportunities for growth and expansion from the use of such media.
Traditional leaders have become obsolete for modern organizations. Modern managers are more focused on understanding how to reach the global audience and each of them, using local persuasion measures. Even the traditional leaders have changed their formats of functioning as the world has become more digitized and functional in the virtual world. The leadership styles have also significantly changed. Leaders are now more efficient and relaxed because they know that with the application of new media technology tools, they can reach larger global audiences with minimal efforts and resources. The followers of the information being flown about the organization has increased, increasing the transparency of internal and external Company affiliates and thus, making the leaders more responsible and considerate in performing their duties.
It is said that the customers available on the platforms of new media technology constitute a large majority of population and this large pool of potential customers is a market that every organization needs to target. The awareness on the scale and nature of the customers that we have will let us plan in advance for all actions that we intend to launch our products and services. The techniques of marketing are hugely dependent on the nature and medium of exposure of the customers in question. New media tools are a good way to assess and analyze the recent trends and future possibilities of different marketing and other techniques that can be applied.
The use of new media tools can also be in terms of trainings that we can conduct for the global and local audiences that can be accessed with these media. The trainings maybe in the form of imparting information regarding the methods of use or other functions related to that product or service. The practical use of new media could also be an option where we can actually carry out feedbacks, surveys and questionnaires regarding what can be exploited with the implications of the product or service at hand. The other practical implications of the new media tools that are available in the Information technology world currently are, using media tools to explore the way other competitors are promoting their products and services, analyzing the recent trends in the lifestyles of our immediate targeted customers, taking feedbacks and live feeds on the quality and service satisfaction that our product provides and also in deciding which media, whether traditional or modern is useful in actually marketing the product correctly.
Along with the new media tools’ effects on customers, also a reverse action is the effects of the nature and details of the customers on the new media tools. There is a great impact of diverse backgrounds and cultural influences on the adoption of new media. People tend to interpret the messages they get in terms of the predefined perceptions that they have. Similar is in the case of social media or to be broader, new media tools. The customers may not necessarily be broad minded regarding the products and services that we offer or the quality of such utilities provided. It is in the hands of the owner to project the right attributes and in the right way. In order to achieve the set objectives, a proper assessment of the target customer and the nature of media that we are going to use, should be the first task that the marketer has to carry out.
Since, any form of communication is a two way process, there are certain obligations that a company is bound to perform, which is in terms of regulatory, social, ethical obligations of an organization. In pursuing the obligations of the organization towards the company affiliates and the external community, what is important is to be acquainted with the overall sentiments of the target market and then pitching in new ideas to introduce a new product or to transform the image of an existing product, which needs further marketing. Facebook, Twitter and other tools are inclusive of customers from all backgrounds, tastes and preferences. So, the message should flow in a way that it creates the same meaning evenly for that diverse range of customers, in order to avoid the chaos that can be created because of multiple misinterpretations.
Though the use of new media tools has significantly increased in the recent decades, there is still a long way to go. The media tools can be further exploited in terms of financial resources, human resources and many more. Many global companies are still operating with the traditional media tools, depriving them of full opportunities to explore their total markets. The investment of Companies in new media tools is a must as it increases their competency and also digs out new areas of further investments. Also, there are many obligations and responsibilities that a Company needs to follow, so that the media is not misused in any way. This is where organizational commitment comes into play (King, C., & King, C. 2011). The investment in new media tools should exist not just in terms of the financial resources that needs to be poured in, but also in terms of the commitments that needs to flow from all parts of the organization.
All these efforts are to be employed to save the organization from the possible threats of the new media communication. The threats may include misinterpretation of the Company brand along with large costs investment compared to the returns obtained. The threats are however a controllable constraint as they are subject to proactive and reactive fluctuations from time to time. Despite some of the threats that exist, there are indefinite opportunities of growth and expansion for such media (uncp.edu, 2014). The opportunities include the huge potential market that the Internet holds and the numerous ways in which this global market can be exploited. The new media tools also provide innovative ways to project their products and services. It may also provide new ides of a whole new product or service. Other additional implication may be the use of these tools to obtain feedback from the target customers.
Thus, new media tools have grown as an integral part of modern organizations. These enterprises should now focus on utilizing these tools to exploit full benefits from their applications.
References
Curtis, A. (2013). New Media communication technologies. Retrieved from http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/NewMediaCommunicationTechnologies.html
King, C., & King, C. (2011). 22 Hot New Social Media Tools Worth Exploring |. Social Media Examiner. Retrieved 20 November 2014, from http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/22-hot-new-social-media-tools-worth-exploring/
New Media Toolkit,. (2014). New Media Toolkit. Retrieved 20 November 2014, from http://newmediatoolkit.org/
Ploof, R. (2009). Read this first: The executive's guide to new media - from blogs to social networks. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.com.
Projectlooksharp.org,. (2014). Project Look Sharp :: K-12 & Higher Ed. Media Literacy Lesson Plans :: Ithaca College. Retrieved 20 November 2014, from http://www.projectlooksharp.org/?action=youth_technologies
