Research Project: Personalization in the New Media Age

Hi everyone, welcome to my blog, where I’ll discuss all things related to my CIS 3810 Principles of New Media course.

My focus for our research project will be the evolution of personalization in new media, which has changed the nature of mass communication. Whereas the tenets of media used to be static: tuning into AM/FM radio, flipping through TV channels, picking up a newspaper, new media adapts to our individual needs. Emergency alerts are sent by text, TV is delivered directly to consumers online based on their viewing interests, and the frontpage of our newspaper is now a homepage that has personalized news, stock quotes, and weather by zip code. That’s not to mention the explosion of social media, or the collaboration by anonymous users in disparate parts of the globe. The trend is only accelerating, with users volunteering less and less information, and sophisticated technology such as machine learning capable of making “cognitive” decisions about we want to see. With more and more media out there, how relevant information is sifted through and delivered to us is of great interest to me, and I hope to share what I learn with you.