The Simpsons says a lot about its production company. One of their values is family values which is present in all of their episodes. Even when in some episodes, the disequilibrium may suggest jeopardy within the family, the new equilibrium always shows the family back together happily.
The dominant reading is that the family is a conventional one, where the male is the breadwinner, the boy child is rebellious, the girl child is intelligent and an ‘angel’ and the mother stays at home and looks after her children.
A negotiated reading would be that there are gender challenges. Marge could be seen as a liberal independent woman and Homer is reliant on her, rather than her on him.
An oppositional reading is that the family are not happy at all, there is havoc all day long.
I agree with the dominant one.
Tuesday 26 April 2011
What is the effect of this violent scene on the audience?
This scene from Robocop shows an extreme explicit nature of fights. Usually the audience see a tiff amongst the hero and villain of a movie, however in this scene; the villain graphically shoots the hero’s hand off, followed by shots of blood from his arm. After this the villain laughs with his friends, suggesting that the shooting was humorous. This can lead to the audiences to make their own readings of the scene. They could either sympathise with the Hero and feel hatred towards the villain, or the audiences could laugh too. If the latter is the case, we could assume that violence has become desensitised, which can affect the viewers as they may feel that it is acceptable to horrifically kill someone. If that is the case, this may then go on to lead to the copycat theory, where the audiences may aspire to have power like the villain and go out and fight people. This has been a theory that people have studied in order to find a correlation between violent games and knife/gun crime.
Scenes like these can also make audiences view a ‘false’ world according to the cultivation theory. People may become so used to watching these sorts of scenes that they feel that events like that do take place in reality. This, then may lead to a realm of hyper reality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOkZIay0J00
Scenes like these can also make audiences view a ‘false’ world according to the cultivation theory. People may become so used to watching these sorts of scenes that they feel that events like that do take place in reality. This, then may lead to a realm of hyper reality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOkZIay0J00
To what extent has new and digital media given younger audiences the opportunities to shape their own media representations?
New and digital media has been able to empower its users. These users can produce their own texts (UGC) which enables them to put forward their own personal views and share them with people internationally. This has specifically been of good use to those a part of the younger audiences, who feel that they have been misrepresented within the media.
Facebook initially began in 2004 and was intended for the use of Harvard university students. Though it was intended for these people, the website was soon used by most of America and the phenomenon grew rapidly until it reached an international level. Facebook allows people to upload personal information, pictures and set up small virtual communities by creating pages which people can join if they feel they share things in common. This, rather than creating an isolated society as Sherry Turkle says, it can be argued that social networking sites actually allow people to socialize with people. By updating their statuses, the users of Facebook are able to represent their ‘true’ self, which can be seen as a more genuine representation.
Sites such as YouTube are also advantageous to younger users, as it gives them a chance to upload videos showing their talents. Like the current global star Justin Bieber who was founded on YouTube. He uploaded videos of himself singing, recorded at home and instantly people were able to view these videos comment, rate and subscribe. Subscriptions can be seen as a way of audiences appreciating the creator of the video.
Digital media has provided a foundation for users to build their own representations and challenge the dominant readings of themselves through the media.
Facebook initially began in 2004 and was intended for the use of Harvard university students. Though it was intended for these people, the website was soon used by most of America and the phenomenon grew rapidly until it reached an international level. Facebook allows people to upload personal information, pictures and set up small virtual communities by creating pages which people can join if they feel they share things in common. This, rather than creating an isolated society as Sherry Turkle says, it can be argued that social networking sites actually allow people to socialize with people. By updating their statuses, the users of Facebook are able to represent their ‘true’ self, which can be seen as a more genuine representation.
Sites such as YouTube are also advantageous to younger users, as it gives them a chance to upload videos showing their talents. Like the current global star Justin Bieber who was founded on YouTube. He uploaded videos of himself singing, recorded at home and instantly people were able to view these videos comment, rate and subscribe. Subscriptions can be seen as a way of audiences appreciating the creator of the video.
Digital media has provided a foundation for users to build their own representations and challenge the dominant readings of themselves through the media.
Monday 25 April 2011
Consider the view that the current representation of teenagers is simply ‘moral panic’.
Moral panics are issues that are repeatedly shown within the media, and make audiences/receivers worried about their safety. In the past moral panics have been affective and audiences do tend to take on hegemonic values that are of production companies and subconsciously stereotype certain groups of people and certain places. In recent years teenagers have in fact simply been represented as a ‘moral panic’.
Knife crime, teenage pregnancy and ‘dumbing down’ are only a few of the issues revolving around teenagers these days. The worst of the three is knife crime which is dominantly associated with young black teenagers. This makes the audience fear this group of people, and stereotype them due to some knife related crimes associated with their race. We must also take into consideration the owners of these media texts, and their production values. The news must be bias, however with a great number of knife crimes relating to males of the black race, it is inevitable that the audience fear this group.
Other issues such as teenage pregnancy has also seen a rapid increase, despite the government making laws where the pill was made legal. Teenage pregnancies have mostly been presented though documentaries, which follow the lives of these young mums. These reality documentaries enable the audiences to perceive a oppositional reading of the issue. Where the dominant reading would be that teenage pregnancy is caused due to irresponsible behaviour and that the mothers are immature, some of the mothers they follow suggest a oppositional reading that some mothers plan the pregnancy and are rather mature.
However, regardless of these oppositional readings, predominantly, the representation of teenagers is that they are indeed a moral panic. The males are represented as ‘gangsters’ and ‘thugs’ according to the news associated with them, and the women are increasingly represented as promiscuous individuals.
Knife crime, teenage pregnancy and ‘dumbing down’ are only a few of the issues revolving around teenagers these days. The worst of the three is knife crime which is dominantly associated with young black teenagers. This makes the audience fear this group of people, and stereotype them due to some knife related crimes associated with their race. We must also take into consideration the owners of these media texts, and their production values. The news must be bias, however with a great number of knife crimes relating to males of the black race, it is inevitable that the audience fear this group.
Other issues such as teenage pregnancy has also seen a rapid increase, despite the government making laws where the pill was made legal. Teenage pregnancies have mostly been presented though documentaries, which follow the lives of these young mums. These reality documentaries enable the audiences to perceive a oppositional reading of the issue. Where the dominant reading would be that teenage pregnancy is caused due to irresponsible behaviour and that the mothers are immature, some of the mothers they follow suggest a oppositional reading that some mothers plan the pregnancy and are rather mature.
However, regardless of these oppositional readings, predominantly, the representation of teenagers is that they are indeed a moral panic. The males are represented as ‘gangsters’ and ‘thugs’ according to the news associated with them, and the women are increasingly represented as promiscuous individuals.
Compare and contract the representation of teenagers in the two texts.
The portrayal of teenagers within the Bully trailer is predominantly negative. The young male protagonist of the text wears an un-tucked shirt and says “I’m just trying to fit in” connoting that teenagers stereotypically try to fit in with colleagues and prefer to be part of the mainstream. Within the montage we see the subject causing havoc and with the long shots of the setting (private school) the audiences are able to take on the dominant reading, that ALL teenagers are troublesome. However the trailer suggests that teenagers conform to stereotypes in order to try and make friends, who also conform to these stereotypes.
The opening credit of skins introduces all the important characters of the show, by using specific shots that show them doing something that forms their personality. Within the fast montage there are several shots of people kissing, smoking and partying, all which are portrayed to be negative within the media. There is also a shot of two females, even though they debut in many soaps, the idea same sex relationships is still frowned upon. These sexual shots also provide sexual gratifications for their primary audiences, which are teenagers themselves.
The opening credit of skins introduces all the important characters of the show, by using specific shots that show them doing something that forms their personality. Within the fast montage there are several shots of people kissing, smoking and partying, all which are portrayed to be negative within the media. There is also a shot of two females, even though they debut in many soaps, the idea same sex relationships is still frowned upon. These sexual shots also provide sexual gratifications for their primary audiences, which are teenagers themselves.
Wednesday 6 April 2011
"Media representations favour those with power at the expense of those without”. To what Extent do you think this statement is true?
Media representations are initially how certain people, genders and race are represented in the media. Through the cultivation theory, we can see that when we are repeatedly exposed to the same text/representations, as audiences we tend to accept that these representations are true, and soon enough they become our expectations of specific people. The elite are predominantly in control of the media and consume most of it and therefore are able to ‘inject’ their hegemonic values through the hypodermic needle theory. Inevitably, this suggests that the media do in fact favour those with power at the expense of those without.
During the 1950s there was a rise in ‘raw portrayals’ of the British public, and this was the first time that society had seen issues about ‘real people’ on their TV screens. Before this, entertainment programs where mostly of the comedy genre, dramas about real life only started to rise after the Second World War. This was because the public had seen the devastation the war had caused first hand. Also during the war, the government who were the elite weren’t supported as much beforehand. Shows such as Coronation Street during the 1960s conformed to the issues that societies were facing, they also had the typical British accent rather than the posh accent people were used to hearing. Although most of these representations of the general public were negative, as they were shown to live in working class environments and they faced problems with money, they were also liberating. People preferred to see what other people like them were facing, it was a sense of escapism from their own problems.
However their liberating aspects didn’t make it favour those who aren’t the elitist. The raw portrayals of society still portrayed the flaws of those who aren’t apart of the elite.
During the 1950s there was a rise in ‘raw portrayals’ of the British public, and this was the first time that society had seen issues about ‘real people’ on their TV screens. Before this, entertainment programs where mostly of the comedy genre, dramas about real life only started to rise after the Second World War. This was because the public had seen the devastation the war had caused first hand. Also during the war, the government who were the elite weren’t supported as much beforehand. Shows such as Coronation Street during the 1960s conformed to the issues that societies were facing, they also had the typical British accent rather than the posh accent people were used to hearing. Although most of these representations of the general public were negative, as they were shown to live in working class environments and they faced problems with money, they were also liberating. People preferred to see what other people like them were facing, it was a sense of escapism from their own problems.
However their liberating aspects didn’t make it favour those who aren’t the elitist. The raw portrayals of society still portrayed the flaws of those who aren’t apart of the elite.
Tuesday 5 April 2011
There are always concerns about new technology. In your view, what are the possible benefits and problems attached to social networking?
Social networking sites, in recent years have become increasingly popular. It could be argued that social networking sites connect people and creates virtual societies which enable people to feel included rather than excluded. However a stronger and more concerning argument is that the more popular sites such as Facebook are isolating people and ‘dumbing down’ its users.
Social networking sites such as MSN Messenger, Twitter and Facebook, are sites that people use in order to stay connected to one another. This makes it easier for people to talk to one another. In 2009 Twitter recorded that there were 2.7 million tweets being made every day. Status updates on Facebook and tweets on Twitter, creates a sense of freedom of speech, as people are allowed to express their views about anything they want openly. Also sites such as Twitter, which is popular for its celebrity users, somewhat abolishes the hierarchy of the elitist at the top and the general public at the bottom, as people of all backgrounds and lifestyles could sign up to become a part of the network.
Facebook was created in 2004 by a Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg. The site was initially created for Harvard students to make them connect to one another however; this website was then used by students from a wide range of universities, including those from other countries. Rapidly the number of Facebook users increased and now there are more than 400,000 users just in America. With people connecting via the web, people have willingly decided to segregate themselves from the rest of the world. Sherry Turkle, a theorist said: “Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber- reality is a poor imitation of the real world”. This supports the idea that in fact, social networking sites do rather isolate people which, this fades away the physical interaction people used to have.
Social networking sites such as MSN Messenger, Twitter and Facebook, are sites that people use in order to stay connected to one another. This makes it easier for people to talk to one another. In 2009 Twitter recorded that there were 2.7 million tweets being made every day. Status updates on Facebook and tweets on Twitter, creates a sense of freedom of speech, as people are allowed to express their views about anything they want openly. Also sites such as Twitter, which is popular for its celebrity users, somewhat abolishes the hierarchy of the elitist at the top and the general public at the bottom, as people of all backgrounds and lifestyles could sign up to become a part of the network.
Facebook was created in 2004 by a Harvard student named Mark Zuckerberg. The site was initially created for Harvard students to make them connect to one another however; this website was then used by students from a wide range of universities, including those from other countries. Rapidly the number of Facebook users increased and now there are more than 400,000 users just in America. With people connecting via the web, people have willingly decided to segregate themselves from the rest of the world. Sherry Turkle, a theorist said: “Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber- reality is a poor imitation of the real world”. This supports the idea that in fact, social networking sites do rather isolate people which, this fades away the physical interaction people used to have.
Consider the view that the current press treatment of teenagers is simply another “moral panic”
The current press has covered a lot of news about today’s teenagers, and most of the news which involves them is about teenagers committing crimes and having bad behaviour towards other members of society. This is increasingly shown over the past few years and with repeated representations of teenagers being in ‘gangs’, society tend to accept the fact that this is a moral panic which is affecting the nation. However, as the news is altered according to the production company, it could be argued that the news presents hegemonic values by contrasting the middle/working class representations to those of the elite. Although the rate of knife crime and gun crime amongst teenagers has increased, the news heavily emphasis on the fact that they are ’teenagers’. The dominant reading of these news bulletins is that teenagers cause havoc and are a threat to our nation. With repeated representations of these teenagers, the audiences of the news become passive and the hypodermic needle theory suggest that the production companies are able to inject their values into the audiences, which shapes their views and opinions on certain topics. The idea that today’s teenagers are dangerous therefore becomes a moral panic.
Compare and contrast the two texts, with particular reference to the representation of teenagers.
Text one, the metro newspaper headlines ‘The YouTube gangsters’ in a bold white font against a black background, which highlights the headline. Also as YouTube is a website that is a phenomenon and is used by almost everyone on a global scale, the story is more identifiable to the readers. The main adjective used to describe the teenagers is ‘gangsters’ which connotes crime, bad behaviour and violence. This makes the readers of the metro to view teenagers as barbaric groups of people who are becoming more of a danger for society.
The image of the gun is captioned with “threat: A revolver favoured by London’s gangs”, by saying that the gun is a threat and as they associate the teenagers with the gun, the metro is trying to represent teenagers as a threat. However it is not all teenagers, predominantly, their portrayals of teenagers being wild and criminals are of the males. There is also a secondary image on the front cover, of a black male holding a gun near his face. Therefore the representation of black males is negative and they are seen as the main ‘gangsters’. In the introduction, the teenagers are said to be ‘thugs’ and ‘armed’. Though the newspaper is trying to inform their readers about the issue of teenage crime, they are also conforming to the reader’s stereotypical expectations by inferring that most of these gangsters are black teen males.
In contrast to this, the daily mail article represents teenagers to still be a concern but rather than just targeting the black males, the primary image on the article is of a group of white teenagers. This is an alternative representation of teenagers compared to that of the metro, as the daily mail is collectively suggesting that most if not all teenagers of other ethnic groups are thugs and gangsters. The article also explains that teenagers are yobs rather than gangsters, which makes them, seem like a nuisance rather than criminals.
The image of the gun is captioned with “threat: A revolver favoured by London’s gangs”, by saying that the gun is a threat and as they associate the teenagers with the gun, the metro is trying to represent teenagers as a threat. However it is not all teenagers, predominantly, their portrayals of teenagers being wild and criminals are of the males. There is also a secondary image on the front cover, of a black male holding a gun near his face. Therefore the representation of black males is negative and they are seen as the main ‘gangsters’. In the introduction, the teenagers are said to be ‘thugs’ and ‘armed’. Though the newspaper is trying to inform their readers about the issue of teenage crime, they are also conforming to the reader’s stereotypical expectations by inferring that most of these gangsters are black teen males.
In contrast to this, the daily mail article represents teenagers to still be a concern but rather than just targeting the black males, the primary image on the article is of a group of white teenagers. This is an alternative representation of teenagers compared to that of the metro, as the daily mail is collectively suggesting that most if not all teenagers of other ethnic groups are thugs and gangsters. The article also explains that teenagers are yobs rather than gangsters, which makes them, seem like a nuisance rather than criminals.
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Did the washing machine change the world more than the internet?
The washing machine was one of the most revolutionary inventions to be made some may argue, whereas others tend to support the idea that the internet plays a huge part in our lives and we deem to depend on it more than anything. Both arguments are valid and valued, however it was the washing machine which seems to me, to be more of a significant invention as it was a way to liberate women.
The internet is revolutionary, and society do depend on it a great amount. The internet has provided us with knowledge and we carry out most of our tasks by researching on them first using the internet. However all this information originated from books, and there is no reason to why we can’t go back and rely on books to source us the information. We largely use the internet just to stay in contact with people, which we could do via face to face, letters and even the phone. “For most people, its effect is more about keeping in touch with friends and looking up things here and there. Economists have found very little evidence that since the internet revolution productivity has grown.”
Before the 1940’s women were bound to the kitchen work, they were there to serve their husband, feed their children and do the entire household work. The washing machine enabled any member of the house to simply put their piece of clothing in the washing machine and it was no longer just the woman’s job. “As women have become active in the labour market they have acquired a different status at home – they can credibly threaten their partners that if they don't treat them well they will leave them and make an independent living”. The washing machine cleans our clothes and we still depend on it after so long, it is something that changed the whole world. And something that third world countires would be better off with rather than the internet.
The internet is revolutionary, and society do depend on it a great amount. The internet has provided us with knowledge and we carry out most of our tasks by researching on them first using the internet. However all this information originated from books, and there is no reason to why we can’t go back and rely on books to source us the information. We largely use the internet just to stay in contact with people, which we could do via face to face, letters and even the phone. “For most people, its effect is more about keeping in touch with friends and looking up things here and there. Economists have found very little evidence that since the internet revolution productivity has grown.”
Before the 1940’s women were bound to the kitchen work, they were there to serve their husband, feed their children and do the entire household work. The washing machine enabled any member of the house to simply put their piece of clothing in the washing machine and it was no longer just the woman’s job. “As women have become active in the labour market they have acquired a different status at home – they can credibly threaten their partners that if they don't treat them well they will leave them and make an independent living”. The washing machine cleans our clothes and we still depend on it after so long, it is something that changed the whole world. And something that third world countires would be better off with rather than the internet.
It has been said that media representations often reflect the social and political concerns of the age in which they are created.
Media representations often play upon the stereotypes which society tend to accept as the representations neutralise over time due to people being exposed to the same thing over and over again.
Women were always perceived as the object of desire, which stays at home and cooks. However with the rise of feminism during the 1950s and 1960s, women had gained liberating rights which then went on to change their stereotypical image to the angel/whore. The femme fatale character was introduced in the 1950s, as women became more ‘masculine’ by taking on the ‘male’ jobs as the men went to war. In double indemnity the femme fatale is portrayed as an evil woman through the use of low key lighting, and as she holds a cigar in most scenes she is presented as a powerful woman as she holds her ‘phallus’. Her tempting attitude, alongside the smoke from the cigarette forms an enigma around her and makes her seem mysterious and more sexual. Overall, women were presented to be luring predators. The rise of feminism was heavily driven by the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1961 which gave females more sexual freedom, it also allowed them not to bound to motherhood until they are ready for it. This also conformed to some of the issues the public were facing as the rate of back alley abortions.
However post feminism portrayals of women tended to represent women as people who self objectify themselves. To some extent this could be considered to be correct, however this can also be a negative representation of women as it still portrays them to overly sexual. Due to the dependence women have on the contraceptive pill, alongside the legal age that the government has put on when people are allowed to have intercourse, teenage pregnancy has soared. Underage and pregnant follows the lives of teenagers who face different problems during pregnancy, whether that be due to their age, of that the father of the child is no longer in the picture. Personal interviews with the pregnant teenagers allow the viewers to understand that sometimes it is very hard for these mothers. Juno was released in 2007 and the protagonist was a 16 year old mother to be. Stereotypically we would expect pregnant teenagers to consist of those from ethnic minority groups; however Juno is from a respectable white background. This enabled viewers to understand that underage mothers can be from various backgrounds. However in the end of Juno, she puts her baby up for adoption and no longer has to deal with the issues she would have faced with motherhood. In reality most of these girls are forced to keep their babies and give up their whole lives for them.
Women were always perceived as the object of desire, which stays at home and cooks. However with the rise of feminism during the 1950s and 1960s, women had gained liberating rights which then went on to change their stereotypical image to the angel/whore. The femme fatale character was introduced in the 1950s, as women became more ‘masculine’ by taking on the ‘male’ jobs as the men went to war. In double indemnity the femme fatale is portrayed as an evil woman through the use of low key lighting, and as she holds a cigar in most scenes she is presented as a powerful woman as she holds her ‘phallus’. Her tempting attitude, alongside the smoke from the cigarette forms an enigma around her and makes her seem mysterious and more sexual. Overall, women were presented to be luring predators. The rise of feminism was heavily driven by the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1961 which gave females more sexual freedom, it also allowed them not to bound to motherhood until they are ready for it. This also conformed to some of the issues the public were facing as the rate of back alley abortions.
However post feminism portrayals of women tended to represent women as people who self objectify themselves. To some extent this could be considered to be correct, however this can also be a negative representation of women as it still portrays them to overly sexual. Due to the dependence women have on the contraceptive pill, alongside the legal age that the government has put on when people are allowed to have intercourse, teenage pregnancy has soared. Underage and pregnant follows the lives of teenagers who face different problems during pregnancy, whether that be due to their age, of that the father of the child is no longer in the picture. Personal interviews with the pregnant teenagers allow the viewers to understand that sometimes it is very hard for these mothers. Juno was released in 2007 and the protagonist was a 16 year old mother to be. Stereotypically we would expect pregnant teenagers to consist of those from ethnic minority groups; however Juno is from a respectable white background. This enabled viewers to understand that underage mothers can be from various backgrounds. However in the end of Juno, she puts her baby up for adoption and no longer has to deal with the issues she would have faced with motherhood. In reality most of these girls are forced to keep their babies and give up their whole lives for them.
Monday 21 March 2011
Net Neutrality
Is it the end for net neutrality?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/jun/15/guardianweeklytechnologysection2?INTCMP=SRCH
• Network providers say it is unfair and unnecessary to have the government interfere in the free market.
• Big online corporations such as Amazon, eBay and Google are among those lobbying to prevent telecommunications firms from exerting more power.
• And although it wouldn't have any direct effect on the net outside of America, say observers, it could restrict speeds on data coming from the US and, more, importantly, influence legislators in Britain and elsewhere.
Sen. Franken: 'We Can't Lose Net Neutrality'
http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/11/03/14/sen-franken-we-cant-lose-net-neutrality
• “The Internet has proven not only to be a hotbed for innovation [and] an incredible engine for job creation, but also the ultimate self-distribution channel,” Franken said. “Now you don’t need a record deal to make a song and have people hear it.”
• Internet service providers are "coming after the Internet hoping to destroy the very thing that makes it such an important tool for independent artists and entrepreneurs - its freedom and openness."
• And if corporations take over the Internet, the incredible Web-based mobilization and creativity of the last 10 years would no longer exist, Franken said.
• "It's time for us to use the Internet to save the Internet," Franken said, urging those present in Austin and watching online to help build the movement needed to win this crucial fight.
Net neutrality: Who cares?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2011/03/net_neutrality_-_who_cares.html
• The big issue here is whether a principle sacred to internet pioneers - that all traffic over the network is equal - is in danger of being watered down and, if so, whether something needs to be done.
• Some broadband firms want to be free to charge media firms to give their content priority, while some content providers are adamant that this would harm consumers and stifle innovation.
• An emerging trend towards network operators discriminating in favour of certain traffic based on who provides it, as part of commercial arrangements, is a worrying development. Media organisations like the BBC fear that they are about to see all sorts of roadblocks placed between them and consumers on the internet.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/jun/15/guardianweeklytechnologysection2?INTCMP=SRCH
• Network providers say it is unfair and unnecessary to have the government interfere in the free market.
• Big online corporations such as Amazon, eBay and Google are among those lobbying to prevent telecommunications firms from exerting more power.
• And although it wouldn't have any direct effect on the net outside of America, say observers, it could restrict speeds on data coming from the US and, more, importantly, influence legislators in Britain and elsewhere.
Sen. Franken: 'We Can't Lose Net Neutrality'
http://www.savetheinternet.com/blog/11/03/14/sen-franken-we-cant-lose-net-neutrality
• “The Internet has proven not only to be a hotbed for innovation [and] an incredible engine for job creation, but also the ultimate self-distribution channel,” Franken said. “Now you don’t need a record deal to make a song and have people hear it.”
• Internet service providers are "coming after the Internet hoping to destroy the very thing that makes it such an important tool for independent artists and entrepreneurs - its freedom and openness."
• And if corporations take over the Internet, the incredible Web-based mobilization and creativity of the last 10 years would no longer exist, Franken said.
• "It's time for us to use the Internet to save the Internet," Franken said, urging those present in Austin and watching online to help build the movement needed to win this crucial fight.
Net neutrality: Who cares?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/rorycellanjones/2011/03/net_neutrality_-_who_cares.html
• The big issue here is whether a principle sacred to internet pioneers - that all traffic over the network is equal - is in danger of being watered down and, if so, whether something needs to be done.
• Some broadband firms want to be free to charge media firms to give their content priority, while some content providers are adamant that this would harm consumers and stifle innovation.
• An emerging trend towards network operators discriminating in favour of certain traffic based on who provides it, as part of commercial arrangements, is a worrying development. Media organisations like the BBC fear that they are about to see all sorts of roadblocks placed between them and consumers on the internet.
Wednesday 9 March 2011
“Digital Media have, in many ways changed how we consume media products” who do you think benefits most – producers or audiences?
With the revolution of the internet, how people consume and receive media products/services has changed rapidly. The internet is used globally by millions of people, which makes it easier for producers to reach a mass audience. In some aspects this can be seen as an advantage for producers, however with so many people accessing the internet on a daily basis, security problems arise. Audiences also benefit, as they can search for anything at one click, but with the internet making it easier for people to communicate it could be argued that rather that helping us the internet is ‘threatening’ as Sherry Turkle puts it. With audiences being able to upload information and pictures themselves, they can to be considered as producers, and therefore audiences predominantly benefit from the Digital Media.
Newspapers were one of the very first mediums to provide society with information. Since then they have not lost their popularity to the internet. Newspaper producers have had to keep up to date with this technological change, and have done so by providing online services where audiences can read their newspapers, with a fee of £1 or £2 for a month. However this still hasn’t made enough of a difference to their revenue. Most of the information provided via the web is free, which makes it harder for websites The Times to gain subscribers. This further heightens the newspapers inability to battle with web producers. On the other hand, websites such as www.blogger.com enable online producers to distribute their content, which empowers them and opens job opportunities for them. Producers of media products such as music videos can easily promotes their products to users of the web through www.youtube.com resulting in more people being aware of their products, and hopefully more sales for producers.
However the adverse affect of this is that producers are faced with problems such as censorship and regulation, and with their products reaching people on a global scale, the problem worsens. Facebook launches in 2004 by a student names Mark Zuckerberg, the website was initially intended for Harvard students, so that they can stay connected to one another. This didn’t last long, as other universities were also signing up to Facebook, and now there are over 40,000 million users just in the USA. Showing just how much of a phenomenon it has now become. Facebook allows people to upload information and pictures, anywhere, anytime. Though this helps users socialise, it also can be a way to exploit people. Though the minimum age a user must be to sign up to Facebook is 13, many younger users still have Facebook. About 2 years ago, a 17 year old, had invited people to a small gathering at her house via Facebook, however hundreds turned up and trashed her whole house. Also Facebook will soon be adding a panic button on their website, which acts as an alert for users to inform Facebook of anyone who may be a threat to them. This in itself shows that with so much freedom on Facebook, as liberating as it may seem, it does raise issues about how safe people are online.
The ability to update news as soon as possible has provided sufficient support for the wikileaks website. The website hit the news back in 2010 for its exposure of the government’s actions. Asange (creator of wikileaks) was arrested last year, however this caused great frenzy amongst the public, as they felt that he was exposing the government’s wrongful actions and in result of that he was being unfairly arrested. People became aware of the government’s hidden secrets, which allowed people to see how their country was being run in a new light.
Audiences, on the other hand, can be seen as the biggest winners of the revolution of the Digital Media. Other than issues revolving around security, audiences use the internet in a way to express themselves. Twitter launches in 2006 and has grown rapidly since. Today almost 600 tweets are made per second. Celebrities are the common reason for people to join Twitter. ‘Ordinary people’ get the change to feel close to their favourite celebrities. In some sense, it could be said that this breaks the role of a hierarchy and it’s a place where people can just be normal.
Though illegal downloading is one of the reasons to why music companies are losing money, its one of the most common actions carried out by users. It makes audiences receive content for free, and there are many websites which make this happen. Furthermore consumers are able to shop online, which gets rid of the hassle to physically go out and buy items. News on topics such as animals, celebrities, trends, government, etc can be found at the click of one button, and better, for free. Rolling news, keeps updating internet users and unlike before, they don’t have to pay for a newspaper to read about it.
Though many advantages could be suggests, it could be debated that sites such as Facebook, MSN Messenger and twitter create an isolated society. Sherry Turkle stated in her recent book “Alone Together” that Facebook creates an illusion which makes us think that it enables us to communicate better, however in reality it puts us in a ‘cyber reality’ which is a “poor imitation of the real world”.
Newspapers were one of the very first mediums to provide society with information. Since then they have not lost their popularity to the internet. Newspaper producers have had to keep up to date with this technological change, and have done so by providing online services where audiences can read their newspapers, with a fee of £1 or £2 for a month. However this still hasn’t made enough of a difference to their revenue. Most of the information provided via the web is free, which makes it harder for websites The Times to gain subscribers. This further heightens the newspapers inability to battle with web producers. On the other hand, websites such as www.blogger.com enable online producers to distribute their content, which empowers them and opens job opportunities for them. Producers of media products such as music videos can easily promotes their products to users of the web through www.youtube.com resulting in more people being aware of their products, and hopefully more sales for producers.
However the adverse affect of this is that producers are faced with problems such as censorship and regulation, and with their products reaching people on a global scale, the problem worsens. Facebook launches in 2004 by a student names Mark Zuckerberg, the website was initially intended for Harvard students, so that they can stay connected to one another. This didn’t last long, as other universities were also signing up to Facebook, and now there are over 40,000 million users just in the USA. Showing just how much of a phenomenon it has now become. Facebook allows people to upload information and pictures, anywhere, anytime. Though this helps users socialise, it also can be a way to exploit people. Though the minimum age a user must be to sign up to Facebook is 13, many younger users still have Facebook. About 2 years ago, a 17 year old, had invited people to a small gathering at her house via Facebook, however hundreds turned up and trashed her whole house. Also Facebook will soon be adding a panic button on their website, which acts as an alert for users to inform Facebook of anyone who may be a threat to them. This in itself shows that with so much freedom on Facebook, as liberating as it may seem, it does raise issues about how safe people are online.
The ability to update news as soon as possible has provided sufficient support for the wikileaks website. The website hit the news back in 2010 for its exposure of the government’s actions. Asange (creator of wikileaks) was arrested last year, however this caused great frenzy amongst the public, as they felt that he was exposing the government’s wrongful actions and in result of that he was being unfairly arrested. People became aware of the government’s hidden secrets, which allowed people to see how their country was being run in a new light.
Audiences, on the other hand, can be seen as the biggest winners of the revolution of the Digital Media. Other than issues revolving around security, audiences use the internet in a way to express themselves. Twitter launches in 2006 and has grown rapidly since. Today almost 600 tweets are made per second. Celebrities are the common reason for people to join Twitter. ‘Ordinary people’ get the change to feel close to their favourite celebrities. In some sense, it could be said that this breaks the role of a hierarchy and it’s a place where people can just be normal.
Though illegal downloading is one of the reasons to why music companies are losing money, its one of the most common actions carried out by users. It makes audiences receive content for free, and there are many websites which make this happen. Furthermore consumers are able to shop online, which gets rid of the hassle to physically go out and buy items. News on topics such as animals, celebrities, trends, government, etc can be found at the click of one button, and better, for free. Rolling news, keeps updating internet users and unlike before, they don’t have to pay for a newspaper to read about it.
Though many advantages could be suggests, it could be debated that sites such as Facebook, MSN Messenger and twitter create an isolated society. Sherry Turkle stated in her recent book “Alone Together” that Facebook creates an illusion which makes us think that it enables us to communicate better, however in reality it puts us in a ‘cyber reality’ which is a “poor imitation of the real world”.
Tuesday 1 March 2011
The mutualisation of news
“Gone are the days of "us and them" journalism. The web has led to a news community where ideas and news are shared rather than delivered”
With the revolution of the internet, people are able to upload information at any time of the day, it’s like rolling news you can update anything whenever you chose to. This is bad for professional journalists as people don’t consider their work to be any more valued than anyone else’s. Newspapers especially, the news which is published a day after it happens is seemed to be less shocking as people hear of it before hand.
"There was a very clear wall, dividing readers and writers," said Rusbridger to an in-house meeting of journalists
“Rusbridger says: "It cannot be true that there are only a handful of people worth listening to in the world. Comment is Free is infinitely richer and more diverse and more plural.”
With the revolution of the internet, people are able to upload information at any time of the day, it’s like rolling news you can update anything whenever you chose to. This is bad for professional journalists as people don’t consider their work to be any more valued than anyone else’s. Newspapers especially, the news which is published a day after it happens is seemed to be less shocking as people hear of it before hand.
"There was a very clear wall, dividing readers and writers," said Rusbridger to an in-house meeting of journalists
“Rusbridger says: "It cannot be true that there are only a handful of people worth listening to in the world. Comment is Free is infinitely richer and more diverse and more plural.”
Tuesday 8 February 2011
The Impact of New & Digital Media Case Study
Title: Impact of Social networking.
Explain why you have chosen this topic and why you think it will be rich to study this are: I have chosen this topic because with the introduction of the revolutionary web, many aspects of our everyday lives has changed. We now communicate via the web, resulting in a isolated nation, where we connect with the world.
Media texts/products that will become your primary sources: Facebook, Twitter, MSN Messenger and Skype.
1. Has new digital media had an impact upon ownership and control of the media institution(s) involved in your case study? Explain in detail any impact and what
exactly has changed.
Facebook:
Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 whilst he was studying at Harvard. Facebook has over 1,700 employees and offices in 12 countries.
Regarding Facebook ownership, Mark Zuckerberg owns 24% of the company, Accel Partners owns 10%, Digital Sky Technologies owns 10%, Dustin Moskovitz owns 6%, Eduardo Saverin owns 5%, Sean Parker owns 4%, Peter Thiel owns 3%, Greylock Partners and Meritech Capital Partners own between 1 to 2% each, Microsoft owns 1.3%, Li Ka-shing owns 0.75%, the Interpublic Group owns less than 0.5%, a small group of current and former employees and celebrities own less than 1% each, including Matt Cohler, Jeff Rothschild, Adam D'Angelo, Chris Hughes, and Owen Van Natta, while Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus have sizable holdings of the company, and the remaining 30% or so are owned by employees, an undisclosed number of celebrities, and outside investors.
Most of their revenue comes from advertising as they don’t charge their customers.
Twitter:
As chief executive officer, Dorsey saw the startup through two rounds of capital funding by the venture capitalists who backed the company. Williams took over the role of CEO, and Dorsey became chairman of the board. On October 4, 2010, Williams announced that he was stepping down as CEO. Dick Costolo, formerly Twitter's chief operating officer, became CEO.
MSN Messenger:
MSN Messenger was created in 1999 on web 1.0 and since then it has revived several of times to keep up with the rapidly changing technology. Each year a new version comes out, about 5 versions have been released. It’s owned by Microsoft which is one of the largest companies in the world.
Skype:
Apparently an eBay company.
2.What impact has there been on the way in which the audience now consume the media products/texts involved in your case study? How does it differ from what went before? Consider SHEP
People have now become so dependent on social networking sites. As everyone is ‘so’ busy these days people find it easier and more appropriate to contact others via networking sites as they don’t have time to go out and meet them face to face.
“ Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber- reality is a poor imitation of the real world” Sherry Turkle
“ MySpace has been sucked into its own black hole recently, cutting 500 employees and admitting that they’re no longer battling binary codes with Facebook” The online Sub- Life (Guardian)
websites can be accessed anywhere anytime, on new smart phones, laptops, computers etc. This makes it easier for people to access these websites and making them more dependent on these specific meeting sites. Skype calls can be made on the phone and are free, they also include video calls which allow users to meet face to face but not actually face to face. Before people used to go out meet with one another, but now at the comfort of their own home they can reach a wide audience.
“Traditional courtship has been negatively impacted via online dating by removing the element of conversation”
3. What impact has there been on how the media institution now has to produce the texts and the way in which the texts/products are distributed and exhibited? This should involve a detailed textual analysis of at least 3 texts to demonstrate the point
Facebook now has to be accessed through phones as well due to change in technology and rise in demand as well as Skype, MSN messenger and Twitter.
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/3/Facebook_and_Twitter_Access_via_Mobile_Browser_Grows_by_Triple-Digits
“30.8 percent of smart phone users accessed social networking sites via their mobile browser in January 2010”
“In January 2010, 25.1 million mobile users accessed Facebook via their mobile browser, up 112 percent from the previous year”
“MySpace attracted 11.4 million users”
“Twitter, which has experienced tremendous growth in both mobile and PC-based visitation, attracted 4.7 million mobile users in January, up 347 percent versus year ago”.
With free signing up, all of the sites have to compete with this and try not to charge customers for using their websites.
4. Is the size of the audience any different now than before the impact of new and digital media (or has the pattern of usage changed)?
Facebook has announced 400mm users, Feb 5, 2010.
Twitter themselves finally publish numbers indicating there are 50mm tweets created each day. ”Folks were tweeting 5,000 times a day in 2007. By 2008, that number was 300,000, and by 2009 it had grown to 2.5 million per day. Tweets grew 1,400% last year to 35 million per day. Today, we are seeing 50 million tweets per day—that’s an average of 600 tweets per second. (Yes, we have TPS reports.)”
Oct 21, 2009 - Skype’s registered users grew 41 percent to 521 million people. That’s a stunning 40 million new registered users in the past three months. Revenues grew 29 percent to $185 million
5. Who are the primary target audience now and has this changed? Who was it before and how to you know?
Facebook:
Current: 13-40
Originally: 18-25
How do you know? The site was set up to communicate with students from other universities, but the age restriction has become 13+ with parental permission.
Twitter:
Current: Mostly celebrities
Originally: Ordinary people
How do you know? Twitter was set up in order for people to communicate in groups, quickly and easier. However these days’ people use twitter to follow celebrities and see what is new with them.
MSN Messenger:
Current: 11-21
Originally: 16-24
How do you know? The age limit to owning a msn account used to be 16+ but now it’s 13+. With the introduction of Facebook, older people prefer it less to use msn messenger.
Skype
Current: 13+
Originally: 16-35
How do you know? Just cause.
6)How have the audience responded to the change? Is there more customer choice? Is there evidence of a more pluralistic model? What evidence do you have to support this?
Audiences have become more active, in the sense that they can put forward their views on Facebook statuses, through tweets. There is more customer choice, as there are so many social networking sites; it’s just that Facebook is the monopoly at the moment. There is a form of pluralistic model, people can join small groups of these sites to show their interests.
7)What concerns/ considerations are there (if any) for media institutions involved in your case study as a result of the impact of new and digital media?
The biggest problem is censorship and regulation of their websites.
“Interesting news from the world of Internet bean counters: Facebook’s growth last month stalled to virtually nothing – at least here in the US. And a number of people are pointing to the social network’s seemingly endless series of privacy and security gaffes as the culprits.”
http://www.itworld.com/internet/113310/are-privacy-problems-killing-facebook?page=0%2C0
Security is a problem with all of these networking sites.
8)What are the political and social implications of the new technologies and the methods of their consumption?
Politically people have become a bit freer, as they can put across their point of view. Socially some say that people have become isolated as they now connect via the web whereas before they would meet face to face.
9)Consider the effects so far, and possible effects in the future, on media institutions involved in your case study?
Facebook may have to somehow make their website stricter to enable younger children not signing up to it.
Skype will take over phone calls, and make people lose money.
Msn Messenger will die out.
Twitter will get immense.
Explain why you have chosen this topic and why you think it will be rich to study this are: I have chosen this topic because with the introduction of the revolutionary web, many aspects of our everyday lives has changed. We now communicate via the web, resulting in a isolated nation, where we connect with the world.
Media texts/products that will become your primary sources: Facebook, Twitter, MSN Messenger and Skype.
1. Has new digital media had an impact upon ownership and control of the media institution(s) involved in your case study? Explain in detail any impact and what
exactly has changed.
Facebook:
Founded by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 whilst he was studying at Harvard. Facebook has over 1,700 employees and offices in 12 countries.
Regarding Facebook ownership, Mark Zuckerberg owns 24% of the company, Accel Partners owns 10%, Digital Sky Technologies owns 10%, Dustin Moskovitz owns 6%, Eduardo Saverin owns 5%, Sean Parker owns 4%, Peter Thiel owns 3%, Greylock Partners and Meritech Capital Partners own between 1 to 2% each, Microsoft owns 1.3%, Li Ka-shing owns 0.75%, the Interpublic Group owns less than 0.5%, a small group of current and former employees and celebrities own less than 1% each, including Matt Cohler, Jeff Rothschild, Adam D'Angelo, Chris Hughes, and Owen Van Natta, while Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus have sizable holdings of the company, and the remaining 30% or so are owned by employees, an undisclosed number of celebrities, and outside investors.
Most of their revenue comes from advertising as they don’t charge their customers.
Twitter:
As chief executive officer, Dorsey saw the startup through two rounds of capital funding by the venture capitalists who backed the company. Williams took over the role of CEO, and Dorsey became chairman of the board. On October 4, 2010, Williams announced that he was stepping down as CEO. Dick Costolo, formerly Twitter's chief operating officer, became CEO.
MSN Messenger:
MSN Messenger was created in 1999 on web 1.0 and since then it has revived several of times to keep up with the rapidly changing technology. Each year a new version comes out, about 5 versions have been released. It’s owned by Microsoft which is one of the largest companies in the world.
Skype:
Apparently an eBay company.
2.What impact has there been on the way in which the audience now consume the media products/texts involved in your case study? How does it differ from what went before? Consider SHEP
People have now become so dependent on social networking sites. As everyone is ‘so’ busy these days people find it easier and more appropriate to contact others via networking sites as they don’t have time to go out and meet them face to face.
“ Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber- reality is a poor imitation of the real world” Sherry Turkle
“ MySpace has been sucked into its own black hole recently, cutting 500 employees and admitting that they’re no longer battling binary codes with Facebook” The online Sub- Life (Guardian)
websites can be accessed anywhere anytime, on new smart phones, laptops, computers etc. This makes it easier for people to access these websites and making them more dependent on these specific meeting sites. Skype calls can be made on the phone and are free, they also include video calls which allow users to meet face to face but not actually face to face. Before people used to go out meet with one another, but now at the comfort of their own home they can reach a wide audience.
“Traditional courtship has been negatively impacted via online dating by removing the element of conversation”
3. What impact has there been on how the media institution now has to produce the texts and the way in which the texts/products are distributed and exhibited? This should involve a detailed textual analysis of at least 3 texts to demonstrate the point
Facebook now has to be accessed through phones as well due to change in technology and rise in demand as well as Skype, MSN messenger and Twitter.
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2010/3/Facebook_and_Twitter_Access_via_Mobile_Browser_Grows_by_Triple-Digits
“30.8 percent of smart phone users accessed social networking sites via their mobile browser in January 2010”
“In January 2010, 25.1 million mobile users accessed Facebook via their mobile browser, up 112 percent from the previous year”
“MySpace attracted 11.4 million users”
“Twitter, which has experienced tremendous growth in both mobile and PC-based visitation, attracted 4.7 million mobile users in January, up 347 percent versus year ago”.
With free signing up, all of the sites have to compete with this and try not to charge customers for using their websites.
4. Is the size of the audience any different now than before the impact of new and digital media (or has the pattern of usage changed)?
Facebook has announced 400mm users, Feb 5, 2010.
Twitter themselves finally publish numbers indicating there are 50mm tweets created each day. ”Folks were tweeting 5,000 times a day in 2007. By 2008, that number was 300,000, and by 2009 it had grown to 2.5 million per day. Tweets grew 1,400% last year to 35 million per day. Today, we are seeing 50 million tweets per day—that’s an average of 600 tweets per second. (Yes, we have TPS reports.)”
Oct 21, 2009 - Skype’s registered users grew 41 percent to 521 million people. That’s a stunning 40 million new registered users in the past three months. Revenues grew 29 percent to $185 million
5. Who are the primary target audience now and has this changed? Who was it before and how to you know?
Facebook:
Current: 13-40
Originally: 18-25
How do you know? The site was set up to communicate with students from other universities, but the age restriction has become 13+ with parental permission.
Twitter:
Current: Mostly celebrities
Originally: Ordinary people
How do you know? Twitter was set up in order for people to communicate in groups, quickly and easier. However these days’ people use twitter to follow celebrities and see what is new with them.
MSN Messenger:
Current: 11-21
Originally: 16-24
How do you know? The age limit to owning a msn account used to be 16+ but now it’s 13+. With the introduction of Facebook, older people prefer it less to use msn messenger.
Skype
Current: 13+
Originally: 16-35
How do you know? Just cause.
6)How have the audience responded to the change? Is there more customer choice? Is there evidence of a more pluralistic model? What evidence do you have to support this?
Audiences have become more active, in the sense that they can put forward their views on Facebook statuses, through tweets. There is more customer choice, as there are so many social networking sites; it’s just that Facebook is the monopoly at the moment. There is a form of pluralistic model, people can join small groups of these sites to show their interests.
7)What concerns/ considerations are there (if any) for media institutions involved in your case study as a result of the impact of new and digital media?
The biggest problem is censorship and regulation of their websites.
“Interesting news from the world of Internet bean counters: Facebook’s growth last month stalled to virtually nothing – at least here in the US. And a number of people are pointing to the social network’s seemingly endless series of privacy and security gaffes as the culprits.”
http://www.itworld.com/internet/113310/are-privacy-problems-killing-facebook?page=0%2C0
Security is a problem with all of these networking sites.
8)What are the political and social implications of the new technologies and the methods of their consumption?
Politically people have become a bit freer, as they can put across their point of view. Socially some say that people have become isolated as they now connect via the web whereas before they would meet face to face.
9)Consider the effects so far, and possible effects in the future, on media institutions involved in your case study?
Facebook may have to somehow make their website stricter to enable younger children not signing up to it.
Skype will take over phone calls, and make people lose money.
Msn Messenger will die out.
Twitter will get immense.
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