Creativity

Creativity is not new. It has always existed in people's minds. There have always been storytellers, artists, musicians, dreamers. But creativity been limited by medium. But not anymore. The technological advances in new media has created an explosion of creative expression. New media has allowed creativity to run rampant in all aspects of life.


For instance, the digitizing of music has allowed for "mash-ups," a digital mixing of two separate songs. A good example of this is the mash-up of Jay Z's "The Black Album" with The Beatles "The White Album." The offspring was cleverly titled "The Grey Album." Another example is Jay Z's and Linkin Park's collaboration called "Collision Course." "Mashups find new uses for current digital technology, a new iteration of the cause-and-effect relationship behind almost every change in pop-music aesthetics."
(Read more http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/01/10/050110crmu_music#ixzz1qTy8o0Ca)

New Media has also allowed for creativity in the areas of photography and videography. Sites like Flickr and Tumblr allow anyone to upload pictures to the internet. Professional and amateur photographers alike are scouring the globe to find inspiring images. Creativity in movies has exploded thanks to digital effects. Movies like "300," "Avatar," and "Inception" were all inspired by imagination, but were brought to life by the breakthrough's in technology and new media. Sites like Youtube allow anyone to post videos of whatever they want. Sometimes posting Youtube videos can even get you rich (ahem Justin Bieber). 

Businesses are not immune from new media either. For businesses, the internet has allowed for online conferencing making meetings more efficient than ever. Virtual Worlds like Second Life have allowed for virtual meetings and team-building exercises. Companies can now look to social networking sites for inspiration from customers. 

Technology companies have been the most active in relying on others to innovate for them. This is in large part because the Internet lets people exchange ideas easily and rapidly with large groups, and computing tools let people design new products cheaply...Lego started a site called Design byME, where fans can use Lego design software to create their own models. Lego then sells the designs, effectively offloading the design cost to fans.

(Read more http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/technology/internet/26twitter.html)


Educational institutions use new media to find creative ways to teach. For instance, online courses (like this one) are partly or completely online, giving students and professors scheduling flexibility. Many Universities offer virtual campuses on Second Life where students can walk around, meet, and take online classes. Youtube let's professors record lectures and go over important concepts.

Finally, print (old media) has transformed into digital content (new media). Now magazines have digital versions of their issues that can be read on electronic devices. Sometimes these digital issues offer innovative content like video clips and interactive games. Advertisers in these magazines can create interactive content and provide direct links to their website.

Creativity has always been there. It's not new. It's just that technology has allowed people to flex their creative muscles. New media has allowed people to show their photographs and their musicality. It has allowed businesses to grow and be more efficient. It has allowed students and teachers to explore a new way of teaching and learning. Creativity is endless and new media is just starting to catch up with the human imagination.