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14Copyright © 2023 by Cherkas Global University
Published in the USA
International Journal of Media and Information Literacy Issued since 2016 E-ISSN 2500-106X 2023. 8(2): 257-268
DOI: 10.13187/ijmil.2023.2.257 https://ijmil.cherkasgu.press
Understanding Acceptance of New Media: An Empirical Evaluation of Students Undergoing Higher Education in Media Studies
Swati Agarwal a , *, Sharmila Kayal a, Nitesh Tripathi b, Sayak Pal c
a Adamas University, Kolkata, India b St. Xavier's University, Kolkata, India
c Symbiosis International University (Deemed University), Pune, India
Abstract
"Education liberates the intellect, unlocks the imagination and is fundamental for self-respect" is one of the principles to which UNESCO adheres to. The big leap taken by new media and the technological advancements rather have shaped the face of the world enabling globalization and interconnectedness. This ushers in the possibility to provide 'equal opportunities' and 'reduced inequality in terms of educational provisions. New media is partaking in increasing the reach of education to deprived and also helping in better facilitation and retention of knowledge. One migrating from the school to higher education has to adapt to new technology especially in media education. Absence of familiarity to new media might make it difficult to access to wider sphere of knowledge. This research aims to investigate the struggles to adapt to the use of intensive technology required for the media education. To attain the objectives of the research, a survey and focused group discussion are conducted among the student studying media at the undergraduate level. The data thus collected aids our understanding of the perceived usefulness of new media for education.
Keywords: media education, technological acceptance, new media, higher education, sustainable education.
1. Introduction
In an advanced society, education is recognised to be having two foremost functions, as recognised by Emile Durkheim. First it helps in transmitting the shared values of the society and secondly imparting skills and specialization of labour to individuals for the economy to progress. The contribution of education is commendable to promote innovative thinking and evolution of the society.
Education as a medium of social integration and social change
Education is regarded as a tool to empower an individual, providing the required development and triggers social change and transformation. However, education today is reduced to imbibing the values of competitiveness, consumerism and means to attain profession (Iyyappan, 2022; Patil, 2012). Education is regarded to preserve and disseminate 'whole culture' but it is the instrument to social change (Chakraborty et al., 2018). Ram Ahuja in his work Society in India concepts, Theories and Recent Trends illustrates that education is a major form of social action, educational institutions and education act as social agents. He says that the social groups that regulate education can communicate ideas that can reflect social change. Also, with respect to the changes in the society, educational system should also change, and adapt to the new conditions
* Corresponding author
E-mail addresses: swatiagch@gmail.com (S. Agarwal)
(Ahuja, 2005). A researcher studying the role of ICT in science education mentions there could me various uses of science education and the plethora of tools offered could be used to access and analyse the voluminous data that is available on the digital platform (McFarlane, Sakellariou, 2010). The new media has today intersected every possible sector in the contemporary world and therefore it becomes absolutely essential that its meaning and possibilities are researched and understood to gauge the situation worldwide (Siapera, 2017). The use of ICT in education can provide for a stimulating learning environment where learning can be greatly receptive and aid in the delivery of knowledge (Chakraborty et al., 2018). Functional theory stresses that the role of education is to meet the several needs of the society and the primary role is socialization, where a child learns and develops into an individual who learns to adhere to the values of the society. Secondly, education aims at social integration, which instils the common set of values and beliefs which is required for the society to operate coherently. The third function being 'social placement' which identifies the skill of an individual, which helps in division of labour and smooth functioning of the society. Lastly, social and cultural innovation and creative thinking is inspired by education leading to scientific inventions and development of the society.
Advancement of new media in contemporary society
Since the arrival of the internet, it has become a supreme factor in bringing a change and convenience to the lives of the people and it has made information transmission quite easier than ever before. The different purposes which communication serve are now fulfilled through diverse modes, and much more swiftly than the traditional media. The word new media itself explains that the 'new mode' provides 'new experience', the newness of the media is what differentiates it from the original or traditional. The term 'new' gleans the characteristics 'innovation', interactivity and technology. The new media is different from the traditional media and it also follows the social development model apart from gathering the audience's attention with its newness and innovative substance (Natale, 2017; Yujie et al. 2022). The author describes the three facets of new media -technological, socio-cultural and environmental. One of the ideologies perceives new media as only a new technology which aims to seek sustainable growth of communication, the other thought sees new media as bringing socio-cultural development. Also, it can also be a tool to cause for the sustainable development of environment. New media can be considered as a unified form which is the consolidation of all different types of media in a single form where various ideas and ideologies are amalgamated into one. New media governs every sphere of the earth as the new technologies fuel the growth of every sector and helps the expansion of education, business, entertainment, advertising, science, finance, etc. The new media contributes to the evolution of every activity of the human. New media comprises the use of computers and other technological innovations and in media practices digital technology are directed to engage audiences. The characteristics of the new media is interestingly indicated in this research paper (Adnan, Yaacob 2021; Morton et.al, 2017).
The world population has increased to 7.99 billion, 68.6 percent of which are mobile phone users and 63.5 percent are internet users and 4.7 billion (59.3 percent) being active social media users in 2022. Also, it is expected that social media users are currently growing at a rate of 6 new users every single second. The data suggests that two-thirds of the world's population has access to a mobile phone and the amount of unique mobile phone users has hiked to 5.48 billion recently. The global internet user on an average consumes 6 hours and 37 minutes online each day (Hootsuite). The new media adds endless opportunities. This 'information society, a large amount of information is exchanged by people and a huge content is created by users and disseminated from a variety of sources (Natale, 2017; Yujie et al. 2022). As per the EY-FICCI report 2022, the research conducted on the state of media in India says that the new media is the second largest segment which grew by INR 68 billion through 2021 and as displayed in the figure below, we can witness a steady increase in the segment of digital media.
The progression of education and trends worldwide
The World Bank considers education as a basic human right which can cause development of oneself and the society. Education is that tool which has the potential to unlock wide possibilities and reduce inequalities around the world which ensure a good standard of life. It could help a person rise above the existing injustices and provide a better-quality life and help diminish gender inequality, poverty and aim for 'peace, health and stability'. The World Bank also sees education as an instrument which promotes 'social cohesion' 'inclusion'; it is a great contributor to employment and 'long term economic growth'. The World Bank suggests making investments in education should be done to tackle problems of poverty and 'learning poverty'. The World Band and UNESCO
Institute of Statistics have prepared the 'Learning Poverty Indicator, which is based on the measure of 10-year-old children's ability to read and write, to understand the status of education in different areas. The pandemic has severely hit the Sustainable Development Goal 'Education for all' and affected the mental health of the children thereby the world has witnessed an increase in child labour, child marriage, violence on children (Allen et al., 2018). The youth has lost many opportunities to increase their capital and skills which is the reason for the poor economic condition and rising unemployment.
2500 2000 ™
1500
1000 ■
500 0
2019 2020 2021 2024E CAGFt 20212024
■ Radio 31 14 16 21 9%
■ Music 15 15 19 28 15%
■ Out of Home media 39 16 20 38 25%
■ Live events 83 27 32 74 32%
■ Animation and VFX 95 53 83 180 29%
■ Filmed Entertainment 191 72 93 212 32%
■ Online Gaming 65 79 101 153 15%
■ Print 296 190 227 251 3%
■ Digital Media 221 235 303 537 21%
■ Television 787 685 720 826 5%
1 Television I Online Gaming I Live events 1 Radio
1 Digital Media ■ Print
Filmed Entertainment »Animation and VFX I Out of Home media ■ Music
Fig. 1. Growth of sectors of media from 2019-2022 (Source: EY-FICCI 2022 report of media and entertainment sector)
A 'highly skilled workforce' having received higher education is a criterion for modernization and growth, the higher educational institutions not only equip them with skills, jobs and higher salaries but with improved behaviour and sense of civic engrossment. There are more than 200 million people who are receiving higher education in the world and as per World Bank Group reports, people having higher educational degree receive double the income as their counterparts. The World Banks says that as the youth population is dwindling the demand for unrivalled tertiary education continues to swell. The global economy desires a skilled workforce and thus the countries all over the world are continuously reforming their higher educational practices. The Human Development Index is the composite index which combines the score of life expectancy, education development and economic growth which are basically the significant zones of the development of a human life. The Human Development Report titled 'Uncertain times, unsettled lives, shaping our future in a transforming world' published by the United Nations Development Programme primarily talks about the major strategies and movements centred around development issues. Life expectancy index, education index and GNI index together form the Human Development Index. From the above graph it can be realized the steadily growing HDI dropped for two years in a row in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic that hit the world.
There are a total of 1043 universities in the country, some are privately owned and some are government aided, and the graph indicates the growth of these institutions in the last 5 years. There has been a steady increase in the number of public and private universities in the last few years from 2015 to 2020 from 329 sate public university to 386, as well as the number of state private universities has risen from 197 in 2015 to 327 in 2020. The Higher Education report: Vision 2047 published by FICCI - EY reiterates there have been many 'structural and policy changes', but in order to adapt to the recent trends in education worldwide India should benefit from upcoming opportunities. The report also underlines the existing trends of the higher education system like New Education Policy 2020, demand for digital skills and non-conventional courses, upsurge in use of technology and virtual learning, aid from educational technology providers to educational institutions, advancement in the gross enrolment ratio. The University Grants Commission has taken many steps for it like in 2016, UGC introduced Swayam MOOC courses, it has approved online degree programs across 38 universities in India and the number of these approved online programs have crossed 350. The FICCI report also emphasized the need of student-centricity which aims to focus on the needs of the students for their holistic development, and research and innovation which would foster economic growth, skill development, international recognition.
The new media can help proliferation of education as well as prove an aid to its reception. According to the India Report on Digital Education, published by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, there are various efforts undertaken by the Government to improve the status of digital education in the country and one of them is 'Alumni's Effort' in Kerela. This programme aimed at providing a collective social effort by the alumni to make available digital classes to everyone. This guaranteed digital access and education through the 'All-inclusive learning model' and also helped visually challenged with special audio books and classes which impart knowledge in sign language. Also, classes were equipped with hearing aids to supplement the learning process. In Telangana, the government initiated a chatting system for learning and assessment which proved to be an excellent medium of reaching students online. In Gujarat, 'mobile learning vans' were made available to assist as computer labs so that the students can utilize them and gain practical knowledge. The Tamil Nadu government adopted practices like learning through local cable television, sharing study materials through pen drive, pdf, ppt, audio-visuals, door to door learning in areas where no internet is available. The nation commits to provide education for all and to embark on such ideals, the Government of India has embarked on 'PM eVidya' as a part of the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Programme which is ambitious of unifying and providing multi-mode access to education. The fragment which is dedicated to digital is 'Diksha' which deals with digital infrastructure for digital content creation in about 32 languages.
2. Materials and methods
In research conducted by Schaik and Teo in 2009 to study the technological acceptance among pre service school teachers to establish the attitude of the users towards adopting computers and their perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. The study concluded that these have influence on the behavioural intention. Also, they employed two factors like the subjective norm and facilitating conditions and the research proved that though the subjective norms did not have any effect on the perceive ease of use but the facilitating conditions do exert a considerable amount of impact. The framework of the Innovation of Diffusion theory adopted by Venkatesh in 2009 asserts relative advantage, ease of use, image, visibility, compatibility, demonstrable result and voluntariness of use as the core constructs which lead to the adaptation of an innovation or individual technology acceptance. The degree to which an innovation is perceived as easy to use, advantageous, compatible and is visibly being used in the society the more it is easily embraced by individuals. A researcher trying to understand the user acceptance for web-based learning found corelation between a user's web-based efficiency and use of the internet. The theory developed derives that the higher an individual uses the web, more will be his intention to use the web. While providing instructions related to technology focus should be placed on the attitude of the learner towards the use of technology (Liaw, 2001).
Fig. 2. User Technological Acceptance model proposed by Schaik and Teo (Schaik, Teo, 2009)
The following are the objectives selected for the research work: to study the technological proficiency of the learners of the media course, to understand the hurdles they face while adapting to media technology. A questionnaire was created and a survey was conducted among the learners (n = 126) of media education to understand their reception of technology related to media, a group discussion among the undergraduate learners of media was conducted and analyzed to gain detailed insights to achieve the objectives. Theoretical Framework - Davis' Technological Acceptance model discusses that the adoption of a new technology is facilitated by the attitude of the user, the way the user perceives the technology and how useful the technology is considered by the individual. Also, the perception of the user regarding the ease of the technology also affects the adoption process.
3. Discussion
A researcher in Coexistence and creativity: screen media education in the age of artificial intelligence content generators maintain the positive role of artificial intelligence in media education and that new technology could prove to be beneficial for studies that focus on creativity. The use of artificial intelligence could facilitate employment opportunities and open wider avenues for media students and help them access diverse information and improve their media production skills. It could be a tool which can widen their horizon and connect them with the development happening worldwide and sharpen their creative skills enabling them to get employment. This research ascertains that such artificial intelligence tools can help connect the gap that exists between the theory and practical study for subjects that are more oriented towards the creative. It becomes easy for the student to articulate and ideate his imagination into something concrete. With the help of exploratory research, groups are formed of media students and they are asked to determine the nature of the creative work shown to them by answering a few questions. It can be understood from this research work that similarly such a procedure should be adopted for the academic assessment of the projects of the creative fields (Bender, 2023).
In the research article Digital technology adaptation and initiatives: a systematic review of teaching and learning during COVID-19 systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted on literature on the adaptation of new media. This study prepares four magnitudes of the adaptation of new technology which are economic; psychological; social and teaching, learning and assessment. This work also suggests the establishment of policies which enable the teachers to engage with the technology which is required for online learning and interacting with the new media. The technological challenges such as availability of device, internet connection and electricity are issues which have to solved for better adoption of new media (Zhou et al., 2023).
It is asserted that the technology gets accepted by individuals if the users accept that particular technology and involving the use of machine learning, this study attempts to give an insight into the technological acceptance model. The 'machine learning algorithms' which were generated emphasized the validation of the previous studies that user's acceptance helps the adoption of new technology (Chung et al., 2023).
Mensah et al. in 2023 conducted research and attempted to find the different elements that affect the e-learning experience and intention to use the e-learning platforms of undergraduates for entrepreneurial activities, which stumbled upon key factors like social influence which does facilitates the process of e-learning by motivating a user (Mensah et al., 2023).
During the Covid 19 pandemic there was a sudden rise in the usage of new media technologies and it hugely affected the educational sector. The education sector adopted various technologies to carry on the education of the huge population enrolled in programmes. In order to find the user perception of Zoom a questionnaire was distributed to test the Technological Adoption Model. The results successfully established connections between the variables of the model. The study suggested ways in which Zoom as a tool could be beneficial for distance education (Ly et al., 2023).
In the research conducted to pursuit the importance of digital education designed a survey to assess the competence of the infrastructure and academic curricula in Albania. In the research article The Need for Digital Education in the Teaching Profession: A Path Toward Using the European Digital Competence Framework in Albania, they attempted to analyse the necessity for learning digital methods in education and the difficulties the teachers encounter due to lack in training of digital technology and poor infrastructure. The results of this research confirmed that digital aid is required for better impartment of education when 82 % of the respondents of the survey opined that it was essential for them to equip them with skills of the digital. A majority of the respondents claimed that lack of necessary equipment and internet connection are hindrances to the growth of the digital. This study hinted at investing huge capital in digitization of learning systems by the educational institutions. Such policies should be made that emphasize the creation of digital networks that provide training to the teachers and learners and enhance their digital knowledge (Migo, Cungu, 2022).
A publication studying the effect of simulations, news videos on news literacy of students found that learning with technology have high potential especially when it comes to education teenagers with small audio-visual messages (Smith, De Los Santos, 2022).
In the research study titled, Using Educational Digital Storytelling to Enhance Multilingual Students Writing Skills in Higher Education, the researcher addressed the issues of less interaction classrooms and low digital knowledge and conducted a semi-experimental study to popularize a more comprehensive process of education use digital storytelling methods to form improved educational practices (Meletiadou, 2022).
A researcher suggests in Technology Acceptance Model (TAM): A Bibliometric Analysis from Inception that TAM has great applications in education and this was confirmed by a systematic literature review of various research work over the years. Also, the studies concentrating on TAM has gained momentum after Covid - 19 which opens up huge avenues of research (Gupta et al., 2022).
The article discusses about the process in which the new media also tend to turn mature and old, and how communication systems change with the new media becoming old. This research studies the pattern of use of the media by people and suggests that the different media which people have used during their early lives has a considerable effect on how they will be using the new technology and new emerging media (Loos, Ivan, 2022).
Byundyugova, Babikova and Elena Kornienko in their research paper have inferred users who initially had a low interest but regarded the innovation involved having high value gained a lot of interest gradually, whereas the learners who responded as highly motivated individuals and who had contemplated the innovation as useful were quite contented with the innovative technique (Byundyugova et al., 2021).
In research conducted to assess the media competence of students it was found that the contact and information criteria are very important i.e., individuals should keep in contact with different media and update themselves with information. In order to be a media literate, the individual should also be able to analyse the content of the media (Levitskaya, Fedorov, 2021).
The work The role of affect and mood management in selective exposure to media messages discusses about the theory that selection of media can happen due to the impetus or effect that that media has on a certain audience. It predicts that the audience will select that media which has a significant effect on them (Zheng et al., 2021).
Thirusellvan Vandeyar in The academic turn: Social media in higher education discusses utilization of the ICT in higher educational institutions through interviews, observation of classroom environment and pedagogy. It is recommended in the research to adopt social media and other related technology to improve teaching learning (Vandeyar, 2020).
In a publication in 2020 the researchers deliberate on the propositions of Paulo Freire's methodology of liberal pedagogy and the effect it has had major changes on the humanities. It also
argues that communication and connections as non-formal ways of education can bring out social transformation (Suzina et al., 2020).
The research work studies the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and virtual reality and how these are affecting the academic process. The work says that the knowledge that the students earn at the undergraduate and postgraduate level are all based on inquiry and here the new media acts as a huge element in the delivery of information and knowledge with immersive experience which aids in the retention of knowledge (Dooley et al., 2020).
A research work in England found that the use of i-pads was quite useful in making youngsters learn about the theatre where they could easily learn through the audio-visual medium and its ability to connect with others which makes the experience amusing at the same time (Burnett et al., 2019).
A research study conducted by H. Crompton and D. Burke say that the number of mobile users has expanded in the last few years among the youth suggesting a greater usage of new technology among the learners enrolled in education institutes (Crompton, Burke, 2018).
Also, another research found evidence that mobile instant messaging can be an aid in education (Tang, Hew, 2017).
The technological development model put forward by Williams asserts that a new technology is always accompanied by a revolution in the society and its advent ushers many changes which poses a challenge at that time and it takes some time to take a decision for the acceptance or rejection of the innovation so as to determine the usefulness of the innovation (Freedman, 2002; Williams, 1974).
The new paradigm created by the alternative mass mediums and connects peers which can be easily accessed as today there is good quality content which can be accessed through the digital means and available are networks which can operate at a very increased pace. The easy availability of the internet has made this possible and this has given birth to an entirely new paradigm which enables access to a diverse digital content at a very high speed (Berkeley, 2009).
Social media is increasingly getting popular due to its ability to deliver information and enhance the image of a brand through social media participation. It can be utilized as a platform for sharing information as it is user friendly, and popular with the new generation and instant connection (Scherer et al., 2019).
4. Results
A survey was conducted among the students undergoing media course in order to understand their attitude towards adapting to new media technology. The students were asked about the job-related skills they learnt and which software they were acquainted. It was also attempted to find how comfortable they are with the various skills they should learn as a part of their study of media which are important for acquiring a job in the media industry. The respondents were undergraduates of media course, 1st year (25 %), 2nd year (23.3 %), 3rd year (51.7 %) out of which -female (68.3 %) and males (30 %) with 21.7 % responding as having proficiency in technology others having very low proficiency (78.4 %).
Adaptation to technology
Hurdles to adapt to higher education Hurdles to adapt to media technology
Fig. 3. Data explaining the different hurdles faced while adapting to technology and the skills acquired
The above graph explains the various reasons because of which the respondents faced initial hurdles adapting to technology, (55 %) indicated little knowledge of media as a subject. However, (33.3 %) students emphasized less awareness of technology prior joining the media and some (31.7 %) claimed that they couldn't adjust with exposure to the plethora of software, and (5 %) respondents claimed that they did not face any hindrance as they were proficient in technology beforehand. As seen in the graph 53.3 % of the respondents did not receive enough hands-on training, 28 % did not own the device, 25 % stated absence of technical know-how. Others specified the lack of sufficient interaction with the teachers, less clarity in understanding the knowledge. They were asked about the skills acquired and the respondents indicated editing (40 %), equipment operation (41 %), (45 %) designing (newspapers, graphics, etc), communication skills (42 %) and (42 %) broadcasting (online, live shows, television, social media), research (27 %), animation (10 %), website development and coding (3 %) were the abilities acquired. Apart from classes they referred to books (1.7 %) while the others responded referring to Pdf (100 %), Ppt (31.7 %), online documents (68.3 %), website (43.3 %), video (46.7 %), audio files (28.3 %) and online lectures (43.3 %).
As can be understood from the above graph, there are very few respondents who found it very difficult to be proficient in the above-mentioned skills. However, most of them became easily proficient in the skills which are necessary like emailing, browsing internet, creating a webpage/website, handling media related software/equipment, search for course related materials and being able to download material in relevant format from the internet. The above graph shows the ease with which they are able to execute the mentioned tasks on a 5 Likert scale ranging from very easy to very difficult.
Adaptation to technology in Media Studies
Verv Easv
Verv Difficult
20 %
1 35 °Â
1 5% 0%
40 %
Fig. 4. Ease of adapting to new technology
Proficiency 111 technology
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
Brow s e Internet -^^»Create own webpageAvebsite ^^^ Create powerpoint presentation Media related softwares Media related equipment ^^^Search for course related material on the Internet ^^^SavsDownload material in relevant/suitable format from the Internet
Fig. 5. Proficiency in learning various technology related skills
Analysis of the Focussed Group Discussion
From 'no digital' to 'only digital' - The focussed group discussion which was conducted among the students undergoing under graduation course in media revealed that the students feel that before the pandemic no mobile phones were allowed in class, there was no digital technology that could be used in class, in exams but after the pandemic people finally accepted the digital and opened doors to accepting technology. A participant said, "after the pandemic it was a compulsion to use of digitized ways otherwise the education and future of millions would be in complete ruins."
Breaking shackles of traditional learning process - Educational system has undergone complete transformation from the traditional way of teaching and learning. A participant reiterated, "education with the help of internet has reached far and wide. The internet has cause advancement of education and caused it to flourish. It has certainly broken down the traditional mentoring process and interaction among students and teachers. With the help of new media one can develop a better understanding with the teachers, whatever we need to discuss and need help in. It is much easier to approach the teachers with the help of WhatsApp". Because at a point time, everyone had to resort to using internet, and had to get large amount of internet data or Wi-Fi in order to access notes as it was a necessity. A participant adds, "We got to learn the nuances of how to use the internet and that has made us a little bit smarter of how we do things now. Also, with online education, things were little haywire as it happened within a small time, so there were some cons as well. But if we look at the larger picture the technology has proved to be a boon for acting as a medium of instruction during dark times".
Challenges of adapting to new media technology - There can be many hassles of adapting to a new technology and it is not always easy to take the leap, one may encounter numerous try and error while learning the new software which form an imperative part of media education.
A participant said, "Before we did not have so much exposure to different software (4), but in order to complete our media course, we have to learn photo editing/video editing/animation software, which are little difficult for a person who is not adept with technology. Also, for those who do not have adequate devices like laptop and computer cannot practice sufficiently (3). We need to own a device with all these software, so in order to be proficient with these." Yet another respondent stated, "Personally, if you ask me, I did not face such issues, but yes, I have seen many of my classmates coping up with such issues. Many students live in villages, and they don't have such financial condition to be able to afford such costly devices like camera, video recorder (5).
The students who can financially afford such devices always have an edge over the others. Whereas the others suffer." In agreement a participant reiterated, "Many students could not afford
the costly Wi-Fi connection at home. It may not appear costly to us, but in their family, it is an added burden, extra expense. And yes, media equipment is costly. Not everyone can afford it. As it is, media education is expensive in itself. I belong to a family where I can easily help myself to these benefits. But not everyone has that opportunity. Not everyone is technologically proficient. Not everyone comes from school where they have been given good IT education." Also, they added that adapting to new technology was still easy but the problem they faced was with bugs which were there in technology. A student explained, "sometimes you upload a file but it doesn't get uploaded and many other problems which happen, where it is just the fault of the system, but we suffer for it." A participant well versed with technology said, "One thing which I feel, is that I was pro in using technology so I could adjust easily, but it's very difficult to adapt to things in the online mode for the youngsters, for the primary children especially."
Benefits of using technology in the media education - The benefits of using technology are many as mentioned in the above-mentioned sections, and also necessary when it comes to media education. As one of the participants articulated, "It is much easier to approach the teachers with the help of WhatsApp". Also, editing, equipment operation, designing (newspapers, graphics, etc), broadcasting (online, live shows, television, social media), animation, website development and coding, such knowledge is a part of media education and learners need to be adept at it.
A participant stated that learning 'camera handling' and 'editing' with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Cut Pro bagged a lucrative internship in the 2nd year of under graduate degree. Yet another participant was able to gather fame as an Instagram influencer and worked with bag brands for being skilful at digital marketing. A few participants were able to work as content writers as they gathered skills of blogging and search engine optimization. They were proficient in creating content (writing) and designing blogs.
Outcome of education - Also, highlighting the cons of technology a participant said, "We don't get to imbibe the knowledge we were learning in online education, because when a person is not serious about his online exam, there is no outcome."
5. Conclusion
The respondents claimed that because of little knowledge of media as a subject they faced problems, the other reasons being language issues, information overload, vast syllabus. Many of them were proficient with technology before joining the graduation programme in media and hence, they took little time to adjust and learn the new software/hardware related to the media course. A high majority of people revealed that adoption to technology related to the media was not difficult, and they did not perceive the technology required to be difficult before using it. The learners mostly, were quite confident and claimed as they are the young generation, they are quite adept with new technology and learning a new media tool. They also were of the opinion that it was absolutely necessary for them to use the tools as there was no other option and they had to continue their education, and for this they had to adjust to the new technology, which would provide them vocation, skills and employment. The various skills which were newly learnt in the course were editing, equipment operation, designing newspapers, graphics, broadcasting (online, live shows, television), animation, website development. The focussed group discussion noted that absence of devices poses a hurdle to quick learning of technology.
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