Exhibit Explores Social Media’s Growing Role in Journalism
On Friday, April 27, the Newseum will open the HP New Media Gallery, an innovative, interactive experience that uses the latest technology to allow visitors to step into a multidimensional social network, demonstrating new media’s powerful impact on our world. The 2,500-square-foot gallery is the first permanent addition to the museum since its grand opening in 2008.
“The rapid rise of new media is changing ways that news is generated, reported and absorbed by the public,” said Jim Duff, CEO of the Newseum. “The HP New Media Gallery will help Newseum visitors understand, in a fun and engaging way, how social networks and mobile devices have fundamentally altered the journalism landscape.”
The HP New Media Gallery blends the latest in digital technology with the Newseum’s critically acclaimed multimedia expertise to place visitors at the center of the news revolution.
“As a world leader in technology development, we are excited to be part of such an innovative, engaging exhibit at the Newseum,” said Carlos Montalvo, HP’s vice president of innovation programs. “The cutting-edge HP products on display in the New Media Gallery illustrate how technology can help create new forms of communication and information sharing, which is reshaping our news media and society.”
The gallery features five groundbreaking interactive experiences and a multiscreen video presentation that illustrate the evolution and progression of global media. Live Twitter feeds fill touch-screen monitors and connect visitors with trending news stories.
As visitors enter the gallery, they are directed to the “Check-In” area, where they can post photos of themselves to screens in the gallery and comment on events of the day. At two 11-foot-wide interactive touch walls, visitors are encouraged to explore dozens of important news events and viral videos, including the first Twitter reports of the 2008 China earthquake and the Facebook posts that fueled the Egyptian revolution in 2011.
In the “Choose the News” area, visitors can flip through the latest news stories and build custom news pages, then publish them to a large video wall. The “Game Zone” features motion-tracking technology that allows visitors to use hand gestures to test their knowledge of social media.
Also on April 27, the Newseum will launch newmedia.newseum.org, where visitors can download their gallery photos and custom-made news pages, participate in daily polls and comment on news events as they happen.
The HP New Media Gallery was made possible with support from the Hewlett-Packard Company. HP became a Newseum Founding Partner in 2010. The HP New Media Gallery features several futuristic technologies from HP, including HP Slate 500 tablet computers, HP VantagePoint touch walls and an HP Photon Engine solution, which create an immersive, high-touch experience for Newseum visitors.
