Over the last few years the growth in the impact of Digital Media on our everyday lives has been phenomenal. It is a term we have got used to hearing almost on a daily basis, but what exactly does it mean? In this article we will have a look at the definition of digital media, and examine the different types of products that come under this description.

Without getting too hung up on the technicalities, all electronic media represented by digital codes is referred to as digital media. Information of various kinds is broken down into a series of zeros and 1s so that it can be interpreted by computers. Common examples of digital media that you will be familiar with can be broken down for simplicity into 4 main groups audio (sound files), visual (video and picture files), written information (eBooks, Word Files, Excel Files etc) and data (such as computer software).

The written information form of digital media products is probably the most widespread. Any document that can be read or interpreted fits this category. The usual ones are spreadsheets, word documents, power point files and eBooks in the form of PDF files. These files can be examined and studied by anyone who can read. Data files are the codes that make up the executable programs that we know as software. Unless you are a programmer the raw program file would not make any sense to you, but your PC will convert them to a format you can understand.

The most common type of audio file is of course the music file, in mp3 format. This has revolutionized how and where we listen to music. We can download an mp3 file from the internet, play it on our PCs, burn it to a CD or transfer it to out Ipod or Smartphone. Visual still images in the form of photos and moving images in the form of video make up the fourth group. Anyone can take a picture or video with their camera, transfer it to their computer and send it via email around the world.

Of course there are many more products that would fit the description of digital media web sites, graphic designs, the list is endless. What these products all have in common though is that their portability (you can store a whole book or music collection in a tiny device in your pocket) and their ability to be transferred via email, data stick or CD to another computer. Truly a revolution and without the digital technology none of this would be possible!