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Digital Media Communication – COM 563 Spring, 2009
Instructors Dr. David Dewberry, Dr. Barry Janes and Dr. Yun Xia Department of Communication and Journalism janes@rider.edu and yxia@rider.edu Office: FA239, 241, 243 Office hours: M/W, 1:10 to 2:40 p.m. (Dr. Xia), M/W 11:30 to 12:30 & 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. (Dr. Janes)
Course Description This course will look at the digital technologies that make up the new world of “digital convergence.” This course will also help students to develop necessary digital media production skills and use them critically to solve media development problems. The course will examine the effects of digital media convergence on psychological life, on industry, and on communities local and global through a variety of theories and paradigms.
Course Objectives • To gain an understanding of the evolution of digital media technology • To be able to discuss the effects of the use and adoption of digital media technologies on society, policy, ethics, and culture • To develop skills in assessing the utilization of digital media technology • To understand the convergence and disparity between different kinds of digital media • To develop the ability to use various digital media shareware technologies in media production
Class Meetings The class meets each Tuesday night. Readings should be read prior to the class meeting assigned. This course emphasizes on understanding and analysis of digital media communication theories and concepts as well as hands-on digital media production experience. A typical class period will consist of discussion of the day’s topic, group presentation, lab demonstration, and critique of each other’s production.
Texts for the Course Digital Convergence Digital convergence is the latest step in the evolution of communication. This communication process is motivated by the combination of technology, social change, culture & media ownership. People – as both consumers and producers – drive convergence to meet their social and cultural needs.

Saturday, February 2, 2008

MIcrosoft & Google Control the Internet?

Microsoft Makes $44B Play for Yahoo

Consolidation Critic Warns Against Google/Microsoft Duopoly, Urges FTC to Avert Internet Consolidation

By Glen Dickson & John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/1/2008 3:34:00 PM

In a move to better compete in Internet-search and related businesses against the growing colossus that is Google, software giant Microsoft made a cash-and-stock bid for Internet portal Yahoo.

YahooIn a letter to Yahoo’s board of directors, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmerdeclared that the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo would deliver“maximum value” to shareholders of both companies and provide better service to their customers.“While online-advertising growth continues, there are significant benefits of scale in advertising-platform economics, in capital costs for search-index build-out and in research and development, making this a time of industry consolidation and convergence,” Ballmer wrote. “Today, the market is increasingly dominated by one player that is consolidating its dominance through acquisition. Together, Microsoft and Yahoo can offer a credible alternative for consumers, advertisers and publishers.”

Ballmer is obviously referring to Google, as its $3.1 billion acquisition of display-advertising firm DoubleClick was approved by the FTC in late December.

The announcement troubled Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, who has been pushing the Federal Trade Commission to pay closer attention to the merging of Internet media, arguing that it is the next consolidation battleground. "Today's proposed acquisition, if consummated, will create a powerful interactive Internet duopoly in online media," he said in an e-mailed statement. "Google and Microsoft will have inordinate power to shape the online-communications marketplace, including journalism, entertainment and advertising. The once most potentially democratic of all mediums -- the Net -- is being shaped by the same powerful forces that consolidated the 'older' media of broadcasting and newspapers."

© 2008, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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