A Study on Communication and Writing in the New Media Era

Min, Chun-gi

Korean Journal of General Education 2015;9(1):181-212.
Published online March 30, 2015.

Chun-gi Min

뉴미디어 시대의 소통과 글쓰기에 대하여

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the theoretical basis necessary for developing courses of communication and writing appropriate to the New Media era. Thereby the starting point is the position that the higher education institutions should provide the learners with the opportunity to learn and practice communication and writing through the New Media in order to improve digital and media literacy. As a result of the research, the following can be summarized. Firstly, this study demonstrated the characteristics of the New Media in terms of communication. Modern society offers the condition in which any information or opinion can be sent and received through New Media. Therefore, it is needed to consider this situation in designing the curriculum or course for the education of communication and writing. Secondly, communication modes are reviewed drawing on Flusser’s terminology of discourse and dialogue. While old Media contributed to one-way communication implemented by discourses, New Media enable people to use the dialogue in which the participants can be interactive. Although the discourse of amphitheater-form structure is relatively democratic, it should be changed in oder to form the field of genuine discours based on the dialogue of net-form structure. Lastly, writing in the New Media era is discussed in the insight of thinking expression, historical awareness, and digital rhetoric. Even in the digital society, writing is still important to develop the human thinking competence and necessary to improve the historical condition. Furthermore, students should understand and can make use the digital rhetoric because the rhetorical convention could be different from that of the traditional writing convention. For those reasons, the writing education at the Korean universities should try to reform the content and method for making suitable to the society in which the mutual communication is possible through the New Media. In addition, it is recommended that further studies are conducted to develop writing courses which can be used in the classrooms.

Key Words: New Media Era, Digital Literacy, Digital Communication, Digital Writing, Digital Rhetoric