FAQ: What Is Digital Media?
Digital media helps professionals communicate information to the public using technology and the internet. It's useful for enhancing web platforms, creating video chat applications, creating advertisements and communicating on social media sites. If you're looking for an innovative and creative career in technology, you may want to consider a role in digital media. In this article, we define digital media, explain why it's important, examine which industries use it and review answers to common questions about digital media.
What is digital media?
Digital media involves the creation of audio, video, websites, social media and applications using technology such as the internet and electronics. Electronic devices can help design, update and transmit digital media. Some examples of digital media include:
Social networking platforms
Web pages
Mobile apps
Video animationsWhy is digital media important?
Digital media is important because it enables businesses, consumers and digital media professionals to connect and communicate with audiences from anywhere. It also reduces the need for print material, which may promote eco-friendly practices. Digital media can help with:
Converting paper documents to digital documents to store large amounts of information
Traveling and mapping using GPS technology
Providing entertainment such as online games or videos
Improving brand awareness
Making educational resources more accessible to users
Which industries use digital media?
Digital media is useful in many types of businesses. Here are some examples of industries that use digital media:
Education: School systems may use interactive digital media tools to post lessons online, share school news on their website and incorporate videos or images in lesson plans.
Finance: Banks can use digital media to allow users to access their bank accounts through banking applications, schedule billing transactions and make online payments.
Food and beverage: Restaurants can use digital media to permit users to place online orders for food delivery, make reservations and display their food menu on web platforms.
Health care: The health care industry uses digital media through mobile applications that allow patients to access their health records and refill prescriptions, schedule appointments and receive health care services using video chats.
Journalism: Journalism professionals may use digital media platforms to share news updates and record and edit video content.
What career opportunities can you pursue in digital media?
While careers in digital media are incredibly varied, here are just a few examples:
Video game developer
Video game developers create software that integrates creative ideas into gameplay for video game console systems, smart technology and phone applications. They're responsible for making the game functional and ensuring it operates properly on different devices such as a computer, phone or gaming system. Video game developers write code to specify how a game controller or keyboard can affect gameplay. They also use code to design characters and enable the characters to perform specific actions such as walking, interacting with other players and following a storyline.
Digital media specialist
Digital media specialists are professionals who plan custom digital media campaigns for their clients. Their duties may include working with digital marketers to help businesses design an attractive online brand. They may also act as a consultant for other digital media professionals or businesses to help them develop and implement digital content strategies.
Website developers
Web developers create websites and other internet applications by applying their programming expertise. They often have proficient knowledge in programming languages such as Java and HTML to build out websites and maintain them for clients. Web developers use coding strategies to secure websites and identify bugs in the system. They may also ensure the site is functional and optimized for different technology devices and web browsers.
Graphic designer
Graphic designers create digital images and diverse typefaces or typography to visually express ideas or concepts. They often use design software to draw images and create website layouts. They might also use their design skills to create online advertisements, infographics for blogs and social media platforms. They frequently collaborate with business professionals to create media that is consistent with the company brand and improve a user's experience with the company's digital media content
Digital marketer
Digital marketers implement their creativity and knowledge of digital marketing trends, social media and search engine optimization to develop marketing strategies and raise brand awareness.
They often use research and analysis to form conclusions about campaign results and revise their strategies depending on the needs of an organization or client. Sometimes digital media marketers will work with other digital media professionals such as photographers or SEO specialists to develop and implement new strategies for an online marketing campaign
What are some examples of digital media content?
Here are some examples of the types of content that digital media professionals may work with:
Photography
Many businesses may use photography as organic content for their websites, social media platforms and email newsletters. Effective photography uses quality equipment and tools such as professional cameras, lenses and digital image editing software. Photographs can serve as an engaging visual story for followers or media users to help them relate to your brand values. Photographs can also demonstrate the quality of your products or services. Some types of digital marketing photography include:
Stock photography
Product photography
Event photography
Social media
Social media platforms allow users to communicate with other individuals online. Social media is a valuable digital media tool for many organizations looking to expand their brand awareness and recognition. It can be helpful for reaching new consumers and maintaining current consumers using engaging written and visual content. Social media may incorporate other digital media content such as video, photography and graphic design.
Digital advertising
Digital advertising is a type of marketing that incorporates digital content in online ad campaigns. You may find digital advertisements on websites, streaming services and social media platforms. Creating digital advertisements can give a business the opportunity to communicate with its target audience regarding its products and promotions while using persuasive digital media content.
What are digital media skills?
Digital media skills are useful while performing job duties specific to digital media such as creating content, developing marketing strategies and working with other professionals. It's beneficial to enhance your digital media skills while preparing for a career in the industry. Here are some examples of digital media skills:
Communication
Businesses may use digital media to communicate ideas during employee meetings by using visual aids such as slide presentations, graphs or charts. Communication skills in digital media may help a business connect to their customers online and illustrate their ideas using digital content. Written communication is also useful while creating content for social media posts, blog articles and advertisements.
Search engine optimization
Companies that use digital media often rely on SEO to help their digital media content reach. increase user traffic to their websites to market their products or services. Effective SEO can prompt consumers to make purchases as well. Successful search engine optimization skills include conducting industry research and analysis, performing SEO audits for websites and understanding how to research and implement keywords in web content to increase optimization.
Creativity
Creativity is an important skill for digital media professionals since it allows them to develop original and engaging strategies for an organization's digital media content. Digital media professionals can use creative skills to design attractive user interfaces for mobile phones and computers, develop online ordering systems for general merchandise stores to improve customer experience and promote brand awareness on digital media platforms.
Do you need a degree to pursue a digital media career?
Most careers in this industry require a bachelor's degree or at least a high school diploma or equivalent. It's a good idea to research any specific careers you're interested in so you can identify their specific educational requirements.
You may be able to enhance your digital media knowledge by completing online learning courses instead of completing a degree program. This can help demonstrate your potential for success as a digital media professional. Some online coursework you can take to improve your skills includes principles of design, introduction to photography, computer programming or graphic design.
What is the salary of a digital media specialist?
Because there are many specialties and niches for digital media professionals, salaries can vary. For example, the average national salary for social media specialists is $41,971 per year.
A digital marketer may earn $57,729 annually, while a web developer can earn $70,738 per year.
The need for these digital media occupations might rise because a variety of industries may increase their use of the internet and electronic devices to maintain competitiveness in their market and develop new strategies for workplace efficiency.
