Culture and the Internet: Trends Emerging Between Media on the Internet

Adam Weichel

Trends are emerging on the Internet in how media such as movies, radio, and television manifest themselves. What is emerging out of this is an Internet culture for each specific medium. However, the similarities in the manifestations of the media are in fact quite striking. The Internet provides the user with the opportunity to access a wide variety of information on the various media covered in this study. The first basic type of information available is general news concerning movies, radio, and television. Secondly, the Internet provides listings for movies, television, and radio stations. Thirdly, there are various mailing lists for individuals interested in each type of medium. Fourth, movies, radio, and television provide the opportunity for the user to access interactive material. Movie and television Internet sites have clips, and radio sites provide radio broadcasts. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Internet provides the user with the opportunity to interact with other users and share common interests. This interaction occurs in the form of chat rooms and newsgroups.

To begin with, let's examine how the medium of film manifests on the Internet. Many Internet sites concerning film provide the user with general news and film listings. Hollywood.com is an excellent example of this and a link is provided below. Hollywood.com lists movie news, has feature articles, and guide articles to assist the user. The site also has a Movie Talk menu, which provides interviews with celebrities. Internet sites concerning specific films usually include previews for the movie. With the previews, the user can determine whether he or she is interested in viewing the movie at the theatre and spending eight to ten dollars. I have provided a link to the Star Wars home page and you can watch a preview to the new Star Wars movie coming out in a few months. Many Internet sites also provide the opportunity for fans to interact with one another. This is done through chat rooms and newsgroups. I have a link to Dejanews below which lists forums for movie newsgroups. Dejanews also provides ratings for each news group, which saves the user time by not having to look for the best newsgroups available. This is done on a confidence scale, which ranges anywhere from one to five.

Television manifests itself on the Internet in much the same way that film does. Internet sites devoted to television usually provide general news and television listings. Ultimate TV is an excellent example of this and a link is provided below. Ultimate TV lists television news, provides research links, and provides information concerning the television industry. In many ways, Ultimate TV is very similar to Hollywood.com. Internet sites devoted to specific television shows usually have clips from previous shows. This is an interesting interactive feature for those who are really devoted to specific television shows and do not get enough with regular television programming. I have provided a link to ertv.com below and you can watch several clips from previous ER episodes. Ertv.com is similar to the Star Wars homepage in many ways. Many Internet sites devoted to television also provide the opportunity for fans to interact with one another. This is done through chat rooms and news groups just as it is with movies. I have a link to Dejanews below which lists forums for television newsgroups. It has the same rating scale as the forum for movie newsgroups. Ultimate TV also has an "Interact" link, which provides several chat rooms for users to interact with other fans.

Radio, although slightly different from film and television, does manifest itself on the Internet in a very similar fashion. Many radio Internet sites provide general news and radio station listings. Radio on the Internet is an excellent example of this and a link is provided below. Radio on the Internet provides links to several different radio stations in a host of countries. It also has a section that discusses what is new in the radio world and feature articles. Radio on the Internet is similar to Ultimate TV and Hollywood.com. All of the sites provide general news and list either movies, television shows, or radio stations. I have also included a link to Infoseek below and the directory topics provide links to different types of radio interests anywhere from sports to music.

Many radio Internet sites also provide the user with the opportunity to actually listen to radio broadcasts. Radio on the Internet serves this function and is very similar to the Star Wars home page and ertv.com because all of them provide interactive viewing or listening. Just as with film and television Internet sites, radio sites allow Internet users to interact with one another. This is done through chat rooms and newsgroups. I have included a link to Dejanews below which lists forums for radio newsgroups.

The last link I have provided below is to Liszt. It is a mailing list directory and users can search for mailing lists on the three types of media explored here. It is just another way for users to access information and interact with one another.

Film, television, and radio are manifesting themselves on the Internet in very similar fashions. The Internet culture that exists in each of these three separate media is virtually identical. They provide information and allow for user interaction. All of the Internet sites bring people together in a way that could not have been done in the past.

Here are the links for each respective medium: film, radio, and television in order. There is also a Liszt mailing list directory link as well. I hope you enjory the links.

Infoseek - Directory Topics provide links to various types of radio listening interests

Dejanews - Lists newsgroups for radio discussion

Radio on the Internet - Listen to radio stations from around the world

Ultimate TV - Television news and information

Dejanews - Lists newsgroups for television

ertv.com - View clips from the television show ER

Liszt - Entry point to search for mailing lists for movies, radio, and television

me if you have any questions.