Massive technological changes over the past decade have created
new opportunities for freedom of expression and information.
Technological development has led the media to both expand and
retract. Digital transmission has resulted in more and cheaper
opportunities for broadcasters and greater choice for media consumers.
Media organisations now disseminate information through a multitude
of platforms in order to fulfill their audiences. The media has had to
diversify how it delivers content, the speed of its delivery, and take
account of information increasingly originating from non-media
authors. Some media organisations have responded by owning large
shares of the media landscape and such mergence in the sector can
lead to concerns over diversity and plurality. With more opportunities
comes more competition and media organisations quickly grow or
fail. The new concept of ‘citizen journalism’ has developed to identify
bloggers, social media users and other ‘non-professional’ information
sources. Traditional media organisations no longer serve as gatekeepers
and information has been democratised. With two billion people now
online, the internet has become the public space of the 21st Century.
We have all witnessed the power that this surge in connectivity can
have in shaping society and holding governments accountable. New media empowers individuals around the world to share information
and express opinions in ways unimaginable just ten years ago.