New media

New media refers to digital and interactive forms of information and communication that emerged in the later part of the 20th century. The term encompasses media encoded and accessed digitally, such as the internet, websites, computer multimedia, video games, CD-ROMs, and DVDs.

Defining qualities of new media include:

Digitization - Conversion of text, images, sound into binary data
Interconnectivity - Linked, networked content
Interactivity - Responsive user controls and input
Virtuality - Simulated environments and objects
Hypertext/hypermedia - Nonlinear, linked content
Convergence - Blending of media, data, devices

New media allowed more democratized production and publishing compared to mass media like print, TV, and film. It transformed communications, information access, entertainment, art, and society. However, it also disrupted older media models and raised new issues like privacy, censorship, and intellectual property.

Pioneers of new media include Marshall McLuhan, Douglas Engelbart, Theodor Nelson, and Brenda Laurel. The field continues to rapidly evolve with newer technologies like social media, mobile devices, and virtual/augmented reality.