What distinguishes new media from old is mainly wide access to simple publishing tools, and the resulting digitisation of content. New media has revolutionised the way we process and receive news, and even challenged notions of authority insofar as virtually anyone can now publish content. News is published as quickly as it surfaces, and powerful social bookmarking and aggregation services mean that anyone can heard. 

New Media has changed the way we think about media, with advances in technology making access to content possible on-demand, on any digital device. The fallout of the new media explosion is that users are feeding back into systems, forming communities around media content, and participating creatively themselves. New media has blurred the line between those who create, and those who consume content.

In this lively discussion, the panel debates the pros and cons of new media, including the disappearance of tactile formats, the function of 'gatekeepers', the increasingly narrow gap between producers and audiences, and the positives and negatives of living in a culture that is always 'on'.

The Panel:

Matt Locke is the creator of Storythings, and from 2001-'07, he was Head of Innovation for BBC New Media. Matt co-founded BBC Backstage and the BBC’s Innovation Labs, and has worked as Commissioning Editor for Education at Channel 4. In 2010, Matt was listed in both Broadcast Magazine’s ‘Hot 100′ and Wired Magazine’s ‘Wired 100′.

Paul Morley is a journalist, author, and musician, who has written for publications including NME, The Observer, The Financial Times and Arena Homme Plus. He is a regular contributor to BBC 2's Review Show, and writes and presents documentaries for BBC4, BBC Radio 2, and BBC Radio 4. His books include a meditation on suicide (Nothing), and a biography of the group Joy Division (Joy Division: Piece by Piece: Writing About Joy Division 1977-2007)

Clare Reddington is director of iShed, a subsidiary of Watershed and The Pervasive Media Studio - Watershed’s multi-disciplinary research lab. Clare is a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council Advisory Board, Theatre Bristol, Capsule and Hide&Seek, and has featured in Wired magazine's 100 people who shape the Wired world in 2010.

The panel was chaired by Ihor Holubizky, an art and cultural historian, musician, and composer. Ihor has held curatorial positions in Canada and Australia, and is currently the Senior Curator for the McMaster Museum of Art, at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. 

McLuhan's Message is a Watershed Project in partnership with the Digital Cultures Research Centre at the University of West of England. Curated by Simon Poulter.

Posted on Thu 6 Oct 2011.

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