1) Institution: the impact of Google on the newspaper industry
2) Audience and Institution: how news consumption has changed
3) The future of newspapers: Build The Wall analysis
4) The decline of newspapers: the effect of online technology
5) Citizen journalism: Media Magazine article and questions
6) News Values: theory and updating them for digital media landcape
7) Marxism & Pluralism: Media Magazine article and questions
8) Media Conference: notes from speakers
9) Marxism and Pluralism: views and values question
10) NDM Section B essay on blog - consumption and production question
11) Marxism and Pluralism: Alain de Botton on the news - lecture and questions
12) Globalisation: questions and blog task
13) Globalisation: Media Magazine - Google Glass, techno-panics and data mining
14) News on the Tweet report and questions
15) Audience and Institution article and questions
16) Institution case study: NDM and News Corporation
Tuesday 15 December 2015
News Values
Immediacy: has it happened recently?
Familiarity: is it culturally close to us in Britain?
Amplitude: is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?
Frequency: does the event happen fairly regularly?
Unambiguity: is it clear and definite?
Predictability: did we expect it to happen?
Surprise: is it a rare or unexpected event?
Continuity: has this story already been defined as news?
Elite nations and people: which country has the event happened in? Does the story concern well-known people?
Negativity: is it bad news?
Balance: the story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death.
Immediacy: It is very important to today's society as people expect the news to be accessible as soon as it happens therefore platforms such as Twitter are key to providing news to the public. However this results in a decline in traditional newspapers as they are only relevant at the time they are published, within the next few hours of it going on sale a new news story will become more important.
Familiarity: News stories which relate to British culture are likely to get more attention from the audience as they affect the lives of British people. For example a war in England would effect us much more than a news story on a war in Iraq as we are not geographically there and it won't harm them particularly. News stories that revolve around the political party are more likely to create topics of discussion amongst the audience resulting in more popularity in the news article.
Amplitude: News stories about protests or riots generally create a lot of media attention and are widely talked about therefore reporting these stories is likely to appeal to the audience as it is always an interesting topic.
Frequency: Some stories from a specific category are always in the news as they generate a lot of attention from the audience because people are interested in this type of content. For example rape or murder cases are always a major news story when they occur as they are seen as inhumane and typically create the same response every time but still manage to remain popular.
Unambiguity: Sometimes newspaper articles can be unclear, using videos makes them much clearer especially for the younger generation meaning they're more likely to finish the story. If information on a news cooperation's website doesn't make sense and someone comments saying this, they are able to change it unlike with printed newspapers which would remain the same.
Predictability: New and digital media has made news stories a lot more predictable as they tend to post similar stories to the past. It is predictable that Google will take over advertising as they are such a huge institution however it is much easier to piece parts of this story together using different news providers than it would be by using a physical newspaper.
Surprise: Having news stories that are unpredictable tends to create a social media uproar especially on Twitter which wouldn't be possible without the developments in technology. It allows various users to share their views on unexpected events and for this news to travel very quickly worldwide.
Continuity: It is much easier to continue a news story online than it would be in a physical newspaper as journalists publish a story the next day they may find more information on it which will result in the story being continued. This is much harder to do with paper newspapers as once it is printed it cannot be changed and readers may not be consistent so will be confused if you leave out details when the story is continued without previous background.
Elite nations and people: Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook allow elite people to portray themselves in the way they want but the things they post and tweet can form a news story if it is significant. This is less possible with printed newspapers as the articles are formed by these people's actions rather than words meaning social media allows scope for these "elite" people to be judged.
Negativity: Bad news is the easiest kind of news to deliver whether it is online or paper based as audiences seem to be majorly interested in it- it creates a topic for discussion. It can be easily delivered on a channels main news bulletin or online and create a worldwide response much faster for example the Madeline Macann case.
Balance: It is easier to balance out negative stories with a positive one through television or for tabloid newspapers as they can compliment the person for broadsheet it is much harder unless something significantly important happens such a female MP is elected or running.
Update for 2015:
I would get rid of unambiguity as nobody tries to figure out what a news story means if it doesn't make proper sense and I would add in a positive news value as positive news stories aren't only used to balance out the bad news, they deliver information to the audience too.
Familiarity: is it culturally close to us in Britain?
Amplitude: is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?
Frequency: does the event happen fairly regularly?
Unambiguity: is it clear and definite?
Predictability: did we expect it to happen?
Surprise: is it a rare or unexpected event?
Continuity: has this story already been defined as news?
Elite nations and people: which country has the event happened in? Does the story concern well-known people?
Negativity: is it bad news?
Balance: the story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death.
Immediacy: It is very important to today's society as people expect the news to be accessible as soon as it happens therefore platforms such as Twitter are key to providing news to the public. However this results in a decline in traditional newspapers as they are only relevant at the time they are published, within the next few hours of it going on sale a new news story will become more important.
Familiarity: News stories which relate to British culture are likely to get more attention from the audience as they affect the lives of British people. For example a war in England would effect us much more than a news story on a war in Iraq as we are not geographically there and it won't harm them particularly. News stories that revolve around the political party are more likely to create topics of discussion amongst the audience resulting in more popularity in the news article.
Amplitude: News stories about protests or riots generally create a lot of media attention and are widely talked about therefore reporting these stories is likely to appeal to the audience as it is always an interesting topic.
Frequency: Some stories from a specific category are always in the news as they generate a lot of attention from the audience because people are interested in this type of content. For example rape or murder cases are always a major news story when they occur as they are seen as inhumane and typically create the same response every time but still manage to remain popular.
Unambiguity: Sometimes newspaper articles can be unclear, using videos makes them much clearer especially for the younger generation meaning they're more likely to finish the story. If information on a news cooperation's website doesn't make sense and someone comments saying this, they are able to change it unlike with printed newspapers which would remain the same.
Predictability: New and digital media has made news stories a lot more predictable as they tend to post similar stories to the past. It is predictable that Google will take over advertising as they are such a huge institution however it is much easier to piece parts of this story together using different news providers than it would be by using a physical newspaper.
Surprise: Having news stories that are unpredictable tends to create a social media uproar especially on Twitter which wouldn't be possible without the developments in technology. It allows various users to share their views on unexpected events and for this news to travel very quickly worldwide.
Continuity: It is much easier to continue a news story online than it would be in a physical newspaper as journalists publish a story the next day they may find more information on it which will result in the story being continued. This is much harder to do with paper newspapers as once it is printed it cannot be changed and readers may not be consistent so will be confused if you leave out details when the story is continued without previous background.
Elite nations and people: Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook allow elite people to portray themselves in the way they want but the things they post and tweet can form a news story if it is significant. This is less possible with printed newspapers as the articles are formed by these people's actions rather than words meaning social media allows scope for these "elite" people to be judged.
Negativity: Bad news is the easiest kind of news to deliver whether it is online or paper based as audiences seem to be majorly interested in it- it creates a topic for discussion. It can be easily delivered on a channels main news bulletin or online and create a worldwide response much faster for example the Madeline Macann case.
Balance: It is easier to balance out negative stories with a positive one through television or for tabloid newspapers as they can compliment the person for broadsheet it is much harder unless something significantly important happens such a female MP is elected or running.
Update for 2015:
I would get rid of unambiguity as nobody tries to figure out what a news story means if it doesn't make proper sense and I would add in a positive news value as positive news stories aren't only used to balance out the bad news, they deliver information to the audience too.
The key concepts of audience and institution
1) What was the relationship between audience and institution in the pre-digital age?
The two concepts are inseparably connected. While their business models and products might differ, all institutions need audiences if they are to generate profit.But whilst every institution needs an audience, contemporary audiences are increasingly able to access media in ways which bypass traditional media institutions.
2) The article gives a lot of examples of major media institutions. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them.
ITV - relies on income generated by advertisers. This means that appeal to a large audience are seen as more valuable than ones with smaller niche audiences
Sky One - needs an income from subscribers and may well invest in programming that attracts a loyal audience, who are more likely to invest in a long term subscription to guarantee early access to the shows they enjoy.
The MailOnline - receives more income the longer a reader stays on the site, so stories will feature lots of images and videos, and sensationalised or controversial
3) The article ends with a section on the digital age
In today's society, audiences now have more freedom to access media products when they choose, rather than when they are told. Mobile technology allows audiences to carry TV programmes, films, music and all that is on offer on the internet on tablets and smartphones. Modern audiences now expect to be able to communicate directly with institutions, and to be able to construct their own media products for themselves. The ability to download and/or stream films and music on demand has led to a change of attitudes regarding media products; contemporary audiences do not see them as having much monetary value, since they are so widely and freely available.
4) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media institutions hold sway?
An institution’s economic success is still dependent on the behaviour and preferences of the audience; but traditional media institutions do not always respond quickly to change. I believe audiences will have more increasing power over the next few years, however major global media institutions will always be the main forefront as audiences use those institutions to conform whether news is accurate or not.
2) The article gives a lot of examples of major media institutions. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them.
ITV - relies on income generated by advertisers. This means that appeal to a large audience are seen as more valuable than ones with smaller niche audiences
Sky One - needs an income from subscribers and may well invest in programming that attracts a loyal audience, who are more likely to invest in a long term subscription to guarantee early access to the shows they enjoy.
The MailOnline - receives more income the longer a reader stays on the site, so stories will feature lots of images and videos, and sensationalised or controversial
3) The article ends with a section on the digital age
In today's society, audiences now have more freedom to access media products when they choose, rather than when they are told. Mobile technology allows audiences to carry TV programmes, films, music and all that is on offer on the internet on tablets and smartphones. Modern audiences now expect to be able to communicate directly with institutions, and to be able to construct their own media products for themselves. The ability to download and/or stream films and music on demand has led to a change of attitudes regarding media products; contemporary audiences do not see them as having much monetary value, since they are so widely and freely available.
4) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media institutions hold sway?
An institution’s economic success is still dependent on the behaviour and preferences of the audience; but traditional media institutions do not always respond quickly to change. I believe audiences will have more increasing power over the next few years, however major global media institutions will always be the main forefront as audiences use those institutions to conform whether news is accurate or not.
Weekly Homework
Amazon releases video of new 'octocopter' delivery drone prototype
The article is about how Amazon is creating a new way to deliver parcels to customers, through a drone that will land on a special pad a deliver the package in your garden. it has a 15 mile radius and delivers as soon as you order. The drone will be delivering packages into the customers garden using a pad supplied through Amazon.
- shows the drone flying between 55-58 mph
- Amazon is going to deliver on its promise of getting packages to customers in 30 minutes.
- only that its drones weigh less than 55 pounds
- The larger the yard and the less tree cover, the easier the landing will be
In my opinion this is a good prototype but will have a lot of kinks in it and needs those problems sorted out before the idea is actually launched. For example on a day of bad weather the drone may not be able to fly and also not all customers have a garden for the drone to land in. Also this will put a lot of people out of jobs.
Google’s new quantum computer is '100 million times faster than your PC'
The article is about how Google has created a quantum computer that is faster than any other computer on the market by a big margin. The computer is said to be 100 million times faster than any other computer in 2013. However the computer is in early stages and can be beat by some algorithms.
- It is more than 108 times faster than simulated annealing running on a single core
- the D-Wave X2 quantum computer, which they say is 100 million times faster than a conventional computer chip, in 2013
- proof-of-concept problem we achieve a 100-million-fold speed-up
- We found that for problem instances involving nearly 1,000 binary variables
In my opinion this kind of computer going on sales to the public is a waste of time and money because no one is going to need this kind of computer to browse the web or check Twitter. It also shows that technology is moving along very fast and we are being taken along with it.
news on the tweet
Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?
Respected brands are very important for news on twitters as links to headlines from a unverified account may not be as accurate, where as a headline tweeted by the BBC is more likely to be accurate as the BBC is a respected brand and will have investigated the headline themselves to find out if it is true or not.
The role of news in all of this became apparent when we asked the Twitter sample how much they agreed or disagreed with a range of statements about their interest in news content. They like to follow the news as it happens; like to see it breaking on Twitter; and enjoy the combination of Twitter and news content. They also enjoy the personalisation, debate and finding communities of like-minded people, which are all elements of their news experience.
Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?
Twitter is good for respected news brands as it gives them the chance have greater views and values. This is because twitter is a massive organisation and have millions of users therefore gives the audience a chance to share each others opinions. Twitter has also been affective in the advertisement of news brands through things like "click bay" which is a type of headline that makes you want to click on it.
"Twitter gives me the opportunity to engage with newspaper brands I would not normally read in print format" - 60%
"Twitter helps me feel more connected to newspaper brands I like" - 53%
The report suggests that old and new media “are not, in fact, in direct competition, but often work extremely well together to enhance both the media eco-system and the consumer experience”. What evidence do they provide to support this idea? Do you agree with it?
I agree that the old and new media are not in direct competition however they do work better together and have a positive impact on the audience. This is because they provide all four key benefits in a variety of ways. Firstly, it gives everyone a chance to have a little gossip and banter, as the public can create trends and debates on social as well as political debates. Secondly, it gives the opportunity to be the first one to know. It provides instant knowledge on the latest news where as before you had to wait the next day for latest news to be printed in the newspapers.
Thirdly, twitter has given the public a chance to become a community. What I mean by this is the now like-minded people can connect via twitter and share ideas. This is very important as it is bring everyone together as a group and helps them to connect amongst themselves.
Lastly, twitter has given the audience an opportunity to have their own say on any type of debate going on all over the world. Giving people the chance to be a part of the wider debates happening around the world.
On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to 'gossip' or 'banter'. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this?
There are several different types of tweets from journalists have been used to illustrate the focus on gossip and banter on twitter. One example use is from the Daily Mail Celebrity asking "Do these pants make Kim Kardashains bum look big?" and another tweet from Dan Wootton saying "Red carpet awks moment from last night as my microphone cord gets stuck to @KlassMyleenes dress!"
Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?
I think in a way the increasing amount of 'gossip' and 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists as it gives the audience the idea of them taking their job as a joke.
“I love a good laugh and tweeters will often take the mickey when a story appears. A light-hearted approach is refreshing”
The quote above is supportive in my view as it clearly states the most twitter users often laugh and take the mickey out of the news which appears on their timeline. This proves that the reputation of the news and journalists is going down.
What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?
When it comes to news content, trust is an important part of the process. Almost half of all Twitter users, and almost two thirds of newsbrand users, say it is important that news on Twitter is verified by a respected brand. This helps build trust in the content.
“It is important that news on Twitter is verified by a respected brand” - 45%
Finally, do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?
Overall, I think that new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive impact on traditional newspapers. This is because of several reasons where NDM has improved the way news is now interpreted by its audience. An example of this would that a labour party audience would follow conservative news papers in order to understand the other side of the argument and the conservative audience ultimately does the same thing with the labour party to understand that side of the debate. It has also given audiences the chance to create their own opinions with in these different newsbrands and even follows newsbrands they may not be interested in as well as following institutions they are interested in.
Tuesday 8 December 2015
Globalisation and the media: wider issues
1) Why was Google Glass controversial?
Google glass created a moral panic as consumers saw it as a threat that the Glass may encourage people to become "less engaged" in conversations with each other.
2) What are the positive elements to Globalisation that the article highlights?
Globalisation allows people to make more informed decisions, enhances the democratic process and offers a better understanding of the world as they are surrounded by opinions from fellow public members from around the globe.
3) What are potential negatives to Globalisation?
In terms of ownership: smaller companies dominate the market and only distribute the wealth amongst themselves.
4) What is a techno-panic? How does it link to moral panics?
A techno-panic is a type of moral panic that centres on fears regarding specific contemporary technology or technological activity. Moral panics are often related to a change that some have viewed as a threat to the rest of us as a whole. Often the threat is exaggerated, and done with the intent of selling newspapers or other similar media texts.
5) What is your opinion on the privacy debate and major corporations being able to access large quantities of personal data?
In my opinion, it has its advantages and disadvantages. The fact that corporations can use this information to aim specific items to us means that it is a good idea as we can get various benefits from this however you don't know 100% what is done with this information so can cause an unease among audiences not know what it being done with their data.
Friday 4 December 2015
Weekly Homework
No, your Instagram account wasn't hacked - it was only a bug
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/instagram-hacked-changed-password-a6759046.html
Instagram the popular social media account allowing users to post videos and pictures online had a bug a couple days ago and was assumed by the audience to be a hack as the error message stated that the password may have been changed worrying a lot of the users. However it was just a bug in the system and no passwords were compromised.
- The bug turned out to be harmless and was fixed by Instagram
- Fortunately, the whole thing was down to an error. No passwords were compromised, and the fault was corrected
- t's an easy mistake to make - when the app gives you an error message which says 'the account owner may have changed the password', it makes sense to assume that someone else has changed your password.
In my opinion this is an example of how easy it is for technology to go wrong and also how much people depend on their social media and when it is taken they go crazy. it shows that technology is an amazing thing when it runs properly but it can go wrong very fast and cause a lot of problems for the companies and users.
Surf the internet in virtual reality with Samsung's new browser for the Gear VR headset
The article is about how Samsung are releasing a virtual reality piece of equipment that works with most Samsung smartphones to allow user to search the web in virtual reality with the head piece. The technology is however in its very early stages and still has a lot of complications like a lower resolution and a keypad that is very hard to use.
- the lower resolution of the headset will make text difficult to read
- and having to use voice recognition or a tricky VR on-screen keyboard rather than a physical one will prove difficult.
- The headset allows people to put their phone into it and use it as a virtual reality screen
In my opinion this is an example of how technology can be used to do amazing things but at the same time is becoming a reality that 5 years ago we didn't think would be possible for 100 years but it is here in 2015. It shows how fast technology is moving along in the world.
Weekly Homework
Spotify to offer staff six months' parental leave on full pay
- Spotify is to offer staff up to six months’ parental leave with 100% pay as part of a global policy it says recognises the importance of “a healthy work-family balance”.
- The Swedish company, which launched its music streaming service in 2008 and now has 75 million users, will backdate the policy so that every one of its 1,600 worldwide employees with a child born after 1 January 2013 will be eligible.
- The promise to pay 100% pay for six months is a huge step up from the legal requirement on UK companies. Legislation introduced in April allows parents in the UK to enjoy shared leave for up to 50 weeks but only 39 weeks are paid. Firms are required to pay 90% of a worker’s average weekly earnings before tax for the first six weeks only, then a minimum of £139.58 for the next 33 weeks.
- Spotify said it will guarantee a “retaliation-free environment” to ensure parents take time off without negative consequences at work. It said generous parental leave only works if there is a culture in which employees are encouraged to take time off.
- The Swedish company, which launched its music streaming service in 2008 and now has 75 million users, will backdate the policy so that every one of its 1,600 worldwide employees with a child born after 1 January 2013 will be eligible.
- The promise to pay 100% pay for six months is a huge step up from the legal requirement on UK companies. Legislation introduced in April allows parents in the UK to enjoy shared leave for up to 50 weeks but only 39 weeks are paid. Firms are required to pay 90% of a worker’s average weekly earnings before tax for the first six weeks only, then a minimum of £139.58 for the next 33 weeks.
- Spotify said it will guarantee a “retaliation-free environment” to ensure parents take time off without negative consequences at work. It said generous parental leave only works if there is a culture in which employees are encouraged to take time off.
Muslim Council of Britain takes out advert denouncing Paris attack
- Council places advert in Daily Telegraph and Mail Online condemning the terrorist attacks ‘unreservedly’
- Hundreds of British Muslims have taken out an advert to highlight their “united condemnation” of terrorism after the attacks in Paris.
- The advert, issued by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and endorsed by more than 300 of the body’s affiliates, features an image of the Eiffel Tower
Harun Khan, deputy secretary general of the MCB, said: “The reaction has been hugely positive. Others have picked up on the hard copy and have re-circulated it. It has been a really good message to us.
- The advert was also a reaction to examples of anti-Muslim behaviour which have surfaced since the attacks. On Monday, a 43-year-old woman was arrested by Thames Valley police after she wrote on Facebook that Muslims were no longer welcome in a beauty salon.
In my opinion i think that
- Hundreds of British Muslims have taken out an advert to highlight their “united condemnation” of terrorism after the attacks in Paris.
- The advert, issued by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and endorsed by more than 300 of the body’s affiliates, features an image of the Eiffel Tower
Harun Khan, deputy secretary general of the MCB, said: “The reaction has been hugely positive. Others have picked up on the hard copy and have re-circulated it. It has been a really good message to us.
- The advert was also a reaction to examples of anti-Muslim behaviour which have surfaced since the attacks. On Monday, a 43-year-old woman was arrested by Thames Valley police after she wrote on Facebook that Muslims were no longer welcome in a beauty salon.
In my opinion i think that
Monday 30 November 2015
Globalisation
Is our news influenced by American cultural imperialism? What examples can you think of?
Our news isn't influenced by American culture imperialism because American news is simply news for entertainment. It's more prominent for publishing stories on Hollywood culture and from a British perspective this is not valued. British news institutions do publish some articles associated with celebrities but primarily all the news is focussed on war and politics.
Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? How? Why?
Yes, this is because everyone can share the same experience of news at the same time, through live pictures and streaming which could be from the other side of the world. This increases audiences enjoyment. However, the globalisation of news has affected small institutions; for example the Ealing Gazette isn't valued as big media giants have dominated, which leaves local newspapers to produce poor quality news, despite producing loads of articles.
Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions? How? Why?
Globalisation has benefited major institutions as consumers don't have to physically buy newspapers, as newspaper websites online provide immediate consumption, such as the Mail Online. Also, institutions save money as loads of journalists aren't required as citizen journalism derives the content published online by big institutions. However, the downside is that it is hard to verify news from citizen journalism as it may not be completely accurate.
Also, smaller news institutions are destroyed through the advances in technology, which mean audiences use social media sites to access news, such as Twitter and Facebook. Also,globalisation can be damaging for smaller news institutions, which produce local papers. For instance, take the Ealing Gazette, which is owned by Trinity Mirror, the largest British newspaper, which is currently suffering against other media institutions, such as BBC.
Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? How? Why?
Yes, this is because everyone can share the same experience of news at the same time, through live pictures and streaming which could be from the other side of the world. This increases audiences enjoyment. However, the globalisation of news has affected small institutions; for example the Ealing Gazette isn't valued as big media giants have dominated, which leaves local newspapers to produce poor quality news, despite producing loads of articles.
Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions? How? Why?
Globalisation has benefited major institutions as consumers don't have to physically buy newspapers, as newspaper websites online provide immediate consumption, such as the Mail Online. Also, institutions save money as loads of journalists aren't required as citizen journalism derives the content published online by big institutions. However, the downside is that it is hard to verify news from citizen journalism as it may not be completely accurate.
Also, smaller news institutions are destroyed through the advances in technology, which mean audiences use social media sites to access news, such as Twitter and Facebook. Also,globalisation can be damaging for smaller news institutions, which produce local papers. For instance, take the Ealing Gazette, which is owned by Trinity Mirror, the largest British newspaper, which is currently suffering against other media institutions, such as BBC.
Tuesday 24 November 2015
Marxism and Pluralism - Alain de Botton on the news
1) To what extent do you agree with Alain de Botton's views on the News?
I agree with the fact that the news is narrow-minded and any news which is outside of the mainstream is automatically sidelined. The news is concerned with giving us "hard facts" and that is the role of the news. However, Alain de Botton states how audiences are just concerned with the facts and fail to care about making an actual change. There is a distinction between news which is important and news which is popular, with the advances in technology the nature of news has completely changed. News is seen to build a sense of community and watching news is seen as "critical appreciation."
2) How can you link Marxism and Hegemony to de Botton's criticisms of the News?
Botton states how the news is there most of the time to "scare us" as the elite make the stories appear this way. Anyone who is seen as an extremist is immediately sidelined and this links to hegemony because audiences will be attracted to what is common sense, not extremist views. New induces terror, stories about breakouts of illnesses or murderers make people live in fear and news headlines are there to distort society. We interpret the anomalous to be normal.
3) How could you use Pluralism and new technology to challenge de Botton's views on the News?
The news brings us "raw material" and how we interpret it is what makes the news popular. New technology has made celebrities become role models and the news "anoints" celebrities. Pluralism doesn't prompt audience to make change.
4) support
This article demonstrates how celebrity news is more popular than disasters going on in the world. It also depicts how celebrities are being overly promoted in the news, making audiences less ignorant to serious world matters.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2477089/Natalie-Portman-takes-son-Aleph-playtime-park-soon-hometown-Paris.html
I agree with the fact that the news is narrow-minded and any news which is outside of the mainstream is automatically sidelined. The news is concerned with giving us "hard facts" and that is the role of the news. However, Alain de Botton states how audiences are just concerned with the facts and fail to care about making an actual change. There is a distinction between news which is important and news which is popular, with the advances in technology the nature of news has completely changed. News is seen to build a sense of community and watching news is seen as "critical appreciation."
2) How can you link Marxism and Hegemony to de Botton's criticisms of the News?
Botton states how the news is there most of the time to "scare us" as the elite make the stories appear this way. Anyone who is seen as an extremist is immediately sidelined and this links to hegemony because audiences will be attracted to what is common sense, not extremist views. New induces terror, stories about breakouts of illnesses or murderers make people live in fear and news headlines are there to distort society. We interpret the anomalous to be normal.
3) How could you use Pluralism and new technology to challenge de Botton's views on the News?
The news brings us "raw material" and how we interpret it is what makes the news popular. New technology has made celebrities become role models and the news "anoints" celebrities. Pluralism doesn't prompt audience to make change.
4) support
This article demonstrates how celebrity news is more popular than disasters going on in the world. It also depicts how celebrities are being overly promoted in the news, making audiences less ignorant to serious world matters.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2477089/Natalie-Portman-takes-son-Aleph-playtime-park-soon-hometown-Paris.html
Friday 20 November 2015
Weekly Homework
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/bank-accounts/12005149/Pins-obsolete-within-five-years-and-pay-with-mobile-or-fingerprints-instead.html
The article is about how pin codes could become obsolete in the near future in favour of prints and mobile phones instead. Banks argue that it is safer than pins and are offering discounts to people who use the new technology. It could happen as soon as 2020 which when looked at is not far at all. It states that it is safer than people accidentally getting their accounts defrauded by criminals getting their pins.
- So-called "personal identification numbers" were invented in the 1960s
- But last year the British banking industry lost almost £480m in card fraud - more than any year in the past decade except for 2008
- More than 96pc of transactions are used via chipped credit or debit cards and prevent fraudsters from spending in shops using just a copycat card.
- The Pin will be "dead" by 2020 as a result because customers will lose faith in its ability to protect their money
- Pins are already redundant for "contactless" spending in shops and at self-service ticket machines. Contactless spending, done via Apple Pay or a card, has increased by 200pc since the limit was increased from £20 to £30
In my opinion this is a good advancement in security as it is much safer than the four digit pins which people can easily see when people are using the cash point. This will be a good thing for people to use as they will have a much lower chance of being defrauded for their money, but the systems could have flaws which they will need to ensure are not there before it is released as technical mistakes could cost people all their money. So as long as it is done right it should be a good thing to do.
The decline of print doesn't mean the end of journalism.
The article is about how new and digital media like the internet has cause a massive decline in print news and how everyone can now become a journalist. It tells of how the new websites that provide news like Buzzfeed are killing off well established news sources like The Times. It states that advertising in print has seen a massive decline since the arrival of the internet.
- the Times had lost $74m on the quarter and 40% of its advertising revenue to Craiglist.
- Between 2005 and 2013, print advertising fell 50%
- Newspaper titans like the Times enjoyed a privileged position for decades and then the internet arrived
- Major outlets have slimmed down to a shadow of their former selves (Los Angeles Times) or disappeared altogether (Baltimore Examiner, Tucson Citizen, Kentucky Post, to name a few)
- The New York Times, Financial Times, and Washington Post conditioned their readers to expect free content, and thus experienced the inevitable grumbling and resistance when the day came that they too had to put a pay wall up online
In my opinion this will just continue to happen because big corporations have now allowed their audience to get their news for free, and now they have to continue doing so to keep their readers. Even Rupert Murdoch who was a strong believer in paying for Journalism has taken down his paywall on The Sun newspaper website. This will continue to happen until print is out of business for good.
Thursday 19 November 2015
Marxism and Pluralism
A Marxist perspective would argue that the so called "information revolution" has done little to benefit audiences or to subvert the established power structures in society. Far from being a "great leveller" (Krotoski 2013) as many have claimed, it has helped to reinforce the status quo by promoting dominant ideologies. The most popular news website in the UK by a considerable margin is the 'Mail Online', which receives more than 8 million hits every month and is continuing to expand rapidly - with forecasts that it will make $100 million or more in digital revenues in the next three years. Similar to its tabloid print edition, the website takes a conservative, right-wing perspective on key issues around gender to passively accept what the Marxist theorist, Gramsci, called a hegemonic view. When one of their chief columnists, Jan Mior, wrote a homophobic article about the death of Stephen Gately in 2009 there were twitter and Facebook protests but, ultimately, they did not change the editorial direction of the gatekeepers controlling the newspaper.
An example of a Marxists view is Alain de botton. He believes and supports the view that the media is powerful and believes that they should be in power all of the time. this means that the media should tell us what to do and suck us in to doing what they want and when they want. For example they say "it can change the law". This means that the media is so powerful that it can change the law which is in more power than the media will ever be, but as the media has footage and evidence to show different things about different views they can expose it on social media or in the news/tabloids to show everyone and then the views will change.
Both Marxist and pluralist are related as they explain what the media does the audience and how institutions are impacted by the decisions they make. There are both positive and negative effects of the internet and other developments in new and digital media but overall it has provided a more positive outcome for the audience as they are able to express their own views much more clearly. In conclusion, I think that they are both views that we need to take into account as its something that we can get and understand certain things from. There isn't a wrong or right answer to this but only a matter of opinion. Some information that Marxists say and some of what pluralists say should be something that we can get information from both and understand it more. Having this can make the society we live in better. There are points from both arguments that I believe in.
However a pluralist perspective would argue the audience holds the control therefore they are benefited by the media. Audiences are able to "conform, accommodate or reject" issues in the media meaning they have the free will to do what they want which opposes the Marxist perspective. This is supported by Castells who says "technological blossoming of the culture of freedom, individual innovation and entrepreneurialism" is occuring. The events of the Arab spring from December 2010 to December 2011 shows this as protests were recorded and displayed on-line through citizen journalism which allowed the basis for user generated content to be developed as social media websites helped distribute the footage. Countries such as Egypt, Libya and Tunisia were all involved- Tunisia is where it began as a man set fire to himself as his food cart was seized by the police resulting in riots by young Tunisians; this influenced other Arab countries to rebel against the government leading to various changes by the government. As people within the audience are able to capture this information it can be argued that power is in their hands rather than the institutions.
Marxists tends to emphasise the role of the mass media in the reproduction of the status quo, in contrast of liberal pluralists who emphasise the role of the media in promoting freedom of speech. another perspective to argue that audiences are not empowered through the development of the new and digital media would be that the dominant social class rile the media. Gramscis theory of hegemony would reinforce that there dominant media conglomerates and leaders feed audiences the necessary information, for example, Rupert Murdoch. Additionally, Marxist believe that a 'minority of media producers always love a majority of consumers' (Pareto's Law), due to the exploitation of power for so consumers, this means that they are becoming oppressed as they have no say over these media producers, d the web pages and blogs are like a million monkeys typing nonsense (Andrew Keen) - colt of the amateur.
Pluralists is a theory that believe that we have a classless system. This isn't the way to go as many people and theorists believe that we do have a class system that sets many people in different places. For example you have stereotypical views, class views etc. I think that there is a class system as people are known for their class. for example, all rich upper-class people know each other, which means that they are set in their ways to make sure that they get what theory want. In olden days many people believed that class was important and many people still in this day believe. The upper class would only work with upper class and poor/working class would only work with each other as well. The upper class would hire the lower class to be their servants or to be their skivvy as they believed that the upper class was better than them. This isn't entirely true of how the system works now. But you can tell that their are systems that still act in this way at times. There is always going to be a class system to define who you are and Marxists believe that.
Against Marxists.There shouldn't be a class system. The class system is bad and its not needed for many reasons like in the previous paragraphs. This means that there needs to be some change to make sure that the system doesn't keep being like this. Also, Marxists believe that mass media companies are controlling everyone and that people listen to whatever is in newspapers and on the news. This can sometimes be true in what they say-but many people believe everything which can cause many problems as not everything you see and hear is true. You can get other opinions or read other things to ensure that you are getting the right information needed in order to believe something or want to understand something.
Marxists believe that everything should go in a specific way and should be. For example, "The simple idea is that the policy process, far from being a rational weighing up of alternatives, is driven by powerful socio-economic forces that set the agenda, structure decision-makers choices, constrain implementation and ensure that the interests of the most powerful (or of the system as a whole)determines the outputs and the outcomes of the political system" (Peter John, Analysing Public Policy, 1999.) This quote is showing that there is a view from the system that everyone should see and understand as its something that can happen and is happening. Its saying that whatever comes out of the system determines what we think and do. I think this is true as we do listen to the news and read newspapers a lot which show that we understand and what we are processing we are going to believe as its on a specific and powerful website or page.
Marxists believe that everything should go in a specific way and should be. For example, "The simple idea is that the policy process, far from being a rational weighing up of alternatives, is driven by powerful socio-economic forces that set the agenda, structure decision-makers choices, constrain implementation and ensure that the interests of the most powerful (or of the system as a whole)determines the outputs and the outcomes of the political system" (Peter John, Analysing Public Policy, 1999.) This quote is showing that there is a view from the system that everyone should see and understand as its something that can happen and is happening. Its saying that whatever comes out of the system determines what we think and do. I think this is true as we do listen to the news and read newspapers a lot which show that we understand and what we are processing we are going to believe as its on a specific and powerful website or page.
Galtung and Ruge explain how journalists select material as "newsworthy" which is by considering factors such as whether it is recent, culturally close to us or about elite people. All these factors can be easily discovered on the internet even before a news story is created meaning they interest the audience.News institutions serve to please the audience as they select information that will inform/entertain them. For example an article published on "Netflix and chill" on the Guardian media would interest the younger generation it is a commonly used phrase for them meaning they are shaping the news around them. Pluralists would agree that "the internet has given readers much more power. The world is changing and newspapers have to adapt."- Rupert Murdoch, this is actually occurring hence why such childish stories are being published, simply to entertain the audience. Opinion leaders are who provide the hegemonic views and use social media sites such as Twitter to transmit their ideologies but as the two-step flow model suggests, individuals actively choose whether or not they agree with their hegemony.
An example of a Marxists view is Alain de botton. He believes and supports the view that the media is powerful and believes that they should be in power all of the time. this means that the media should tell us what to do and suck us in to doing what they want and when they want. For example they say "it can change the law". This means that the media is so powerful that it can change the law which is in more power than the media will ever be, but as the media has footage and evidence to show different things about different views they can expose it on social media or in the news/tabloids to show everyone and then the views will change.
Both Marxist and pluralist are related as they explain what the media does the audience and how institutions are impacted by the decisions they make. There are both positive and negative effects of the internet and other developments in new and digital media but overall it has provided a more positive outcome for the audience as they are able to express their own views much more clearly. In conclusion, I think that they are both views that we need to take into account as its something that we can get and understand certain things from. There isn't a wrong or right answer to this but only a matter of opinion. Some information that Marxists say and some of what pluralists say should be something that we can get information from both and understand it more. Having this can make the society we live in better. There are points from both arguments that I believe in.
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