What is Digital Media

Digital media is any kind of media which can be processed, analysed, stored and distributed by electronic digital machines or devices. It is used by people and institutions for all kind of things such as entertainment, video games, information sharing etc.

Types of Digital Media

There are three types of digital media.

• Owned Media: All digital assets that you or a business own, have, or are in control of are referred to as owned media. Blogging platforms, websites, and social media platforms are examples of owned media. Your online visibility can be enhanced and a brand’s visibility can be increased by the quantity of digital media you hold. Also, having a strong online presence may expand the brand’s credibility and client base.
• Earned Media: Earned media includes information that is promoted through social media, word-of-mouth, endorsements, and other channels. In essence, it’s self-promotion from your customers. As an illustration, you might receive media if a customer commends your services on social media. This consumer obviously thought highly enough of your offerings to promote them to others. You have no influence over what others say about your company, its goods, or services, unlike owned media.
• Paid Media: In paid media, a business purchases exposure. The ultimate objective is to attract a larger audience and encourage visitors to return to a website or point of sale. PPC, or pay-per-click marketing, is one of the most widely used strategies. The advertiser will only charge you for this type of digital media if a viewer clicks on the link. Pay-per-impression advertising is an option; you are charged a price each time a specific number of people view an advertisement. There are paid media possibilities available on social media platforms

Examples of Digital Media

Some examples of Digital Media are as follows:

• Audio: Digital Audio can be packaged in many different formats, but MP3 is the most common. There are many digital audio services like music streaming, radio stations, podcasts, audiobooks etc.
• Video: This refers to videos recorded, transmitted, and stored digitally. This includes short videos to long films. There are many platforms to stream different types of videos like TikTok for short videos, Netflix for streaming movies etc.
• Photos: Film was once used to manually create photographs. The majority of modern cameras now are digital, which means that image data is saved in computers as 1s and 0s and is then ready to be displayed on screens or printed using imaging software.
• Social Media: social media includes websites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc that allow users to communicate with one another through text posts, photographs, and videos.
• Augmented Reality: This kind of digital media integrates the real and virtual environments. For example, using a digital twin of a building to study the structural plans.
• Virtual Reality: This form of digital media allows you to experience virtually generated environments, sense colours, sounds, and other auditory and visual elements.
• Written Content: Written Content includes eBooks, blogs, e newspaper, digital magazine, journals etc.

Prominent Digital Media Companies

With the rise of digital media, there has been rise in companies in tech spare. Some of the company has grown exponentially with this rise and now are giants in tech sphere. Some of the prominent digital media companies are:

• Google: Google was founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It has revolutionised internet through its search engine and has grown into the biggest search engine in the world. It also owns email service Gmail and video streaming platform YouTube which is also the biggest video streaming platform in the world.
• Meta: formerly named Facebook, Inc was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. It is the biggest social media company in the world with over 3.74 billion monthly active users across all its platform. It owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger.
• Apple: Founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the company was initially focused on developing and selling personal computers. The first product Apple I was released in 1976. In 1984, Apple released the Macintosh computer, which was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a graphical user interface. In the late 1990s, Apple began to focus on consumer electronics and released products such as the iPod and the iPhone smartphone. In recent years, Apple has continued to release new products such as the Apple Watch and Home Pod speaker. Today, Apple is one of the world’s most valuable company in the world.
• Netflix: Netflix was launched in 1997 as an online based movie rental service, where people can order DVDs and have them delivered to their home. It has now changed to online video streaming platform with thousands of contents available to watch in various languages. Some of its shows has been worldwide hit like stranger’s things, Money Heist, Squid Games etc.
• Amazon: Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos from his garage in Bellevue, Washington. It is world’s largest online retailer and marketplace. It is also a significant force in cloud computing service through AWS. It is also a big player in live streaming service through Twitch and video streaming through prime videos. It is considered as one of the most influential economic and cultural force in the world.

Career Opportunities

Digital media includes a wide range of platforms, products, and industries. As a result, the employment market and income potential for professions in digital media vary depending on the industry, location, work history, and education, but the future is generally positive.

• Graphic Designer

Graphic designers create digital illustrations that convey information, from company logos to movie posters and much more. They frequently make graphics and construct website layouts using design tools. Also, they could produce infographics for blogs and social media sites and online marketing. To produce media that is consistent with the company brand and enhance a user’s interaction with the firm’s digital media material, they typically work together with business professionals.

• Video Game Developer

A video game designer develops software that incorporates original concepts into games for gaming consoles, mobile devices, and apps for smart technology. They make that the game is still playable and functions properly across a variety of platforms. These experts also develop characters, produce animations, and make sure that every component follows the plot.

• Web Developer

Websites and other web-based applications are made by web designers using their graphic design talents. They have expertise with coding and programming in languages like CSS, HTML, or Java. Using pre-existing themes or frameworks like WordPress or Squarespace, web developers assist businesses with updating their websites or creating new websites from scratch. They ensure that websites run properly and look attractive on a variety of devices.