Is the new media really new?

No, not all forms of new media are really new. They are an extension of already existing methods of communication, employing ways that are cheap and customizable.

 

Is the experience of virtual community really different from real community?

Yes. Let us understand it both in terms of asynchronous as well as synchronous presence.

Texting on messenger, whatsapp or Telegram are asynchronous, meaning that the amount of attention that is required to attend to other person is limited.

Video Calling, Virtual Reality etc are synchronous, meaning that immersion is easier.

In both the terms of synchronosity as well as asynchronosity, the experience of Virtual community is different from real community.

Asynchronosity provides a windows for people to act differently from what they would have in real situations. They seek attention in nonsensical ways, use emojis that hide their real feeling, act cool but are rather not in person.

Synchronosity on the other hand has enabled people to try out even deeper and joyful experiences like messenger’s live filters during video call and reactions and comments on facebook during live videos.

Thus in almost all methods of new media, the experience of virtual community is really different from real community.

— Mayank Shubhankar (140205020)