Week One: How Do I Perceive Digital Media? What are My Expectations?

When I think of digital media, my mind automatically goes to computers. I tend to focus on the Internet especially. It is absolutely astonishing to consider the exponential growth of the Internet over the past fifteen or so years. In no time at all, people will not remember an age without the convenience of the Google search engine, e-mail, video chats, and popular social-networking and video-sharing websites. Just as the words Facebook, iTunes, and YouTube have been added to our everyday vocabulary, I believe that the term digital media is on the verge of becoming a commonplace phrase. As the Internet continues to grow, digital media will become all the more important. Companies are utilizing the Internet to promote their products, and digital media artists are exactly what these companies need. Digital art, digital photos, and digital videos are used to advertise everything from clothing to airlines on the Internet, in print, and on T.V. Digital media artists specialize in web design, magazine layouts, logos, and billboards. They even specialize in digital animation and digital sound. Various computer programs are available to develop digital works. Adobe, for example, sells programs for movie editing, photo manipulation, and digital animation. I believe that digital media is a revolutionary force. It is transforming film, the music industry, the Internet, and advertising methods.

For months people having been asking me, "So, what's your major?" Honestly, I am reluctant to answer this question. When I respond, "Digital Media," I always feel compelled to follow my reply with some sort of explanation. I find that I can't respond without adding something in about advertising, graphic design, and computers. I understand that for many, myself included, the term digital media is unfamiliar. It is my hope that throughout this semester, I will come to a better understanding of what digital media is and the career opportunities that it presents. I expect to walk out of this class knowing whether or not Digital Media is the major for me. Last semester I took a class called Media Literacy. In that class, I was introduced to Photoshop and Illustrator. It is my hope that I become much more familiar with these programs during this semester. I expect that with a bit more practice and much more knowledge about the various tools available in these programs, I will produce digital artwork that I am proud of. I am also excited to work with InDesign, because I would really like to learn about designing layouts for magazines and web pages. Most of all, I expect to use this class as a creative outlet.