New and digital media offers media institutions different ways of reaching audiences. Consider how and why media institutions are using these techniques.

New and digital media offers media institutions different ways of reaching audiences.

Consider how and why media institutions are using these techniques. (48 marks)

With the advances in new and digital media it’s easier to reach audiences and audiences can reach content easier and more efficiently. A massive change in the media landscape creates a symbiotic relationship, whereby audiences influence institutions and vice versa. The case studies this essay will primarily focus on is the music industry, in particular ‘Tidal’ a music streaming app created by hip-hop entrepreneur Jay-Z, the music industry overall and the news industry and the decline of newspaper sales.

With the dramatic decline in the newspaper industry, institutions are forced to reach the target audience. It is noticeable that many newspapers have moved digitally online, such as The Independent, which is a big British institution and no longer sells paperback newspapers. Also,The Sun which 10 years ago used to sell 3 – 4 million copies a day has gone down to 1.6 million.  The most significant figure is from The Guardian which has gone down to selling 200,000 copies a day in comparison to 20-30 million a couple years ago. As many newspapers have moved online it is also significant to notice that there is a decline in the music industry. For instance, figures show that in 1999 to 2009, the amount of records sold in stores has gone from 14.6 billion to 6.3 billion. This is a massive drop and displays that there is not as much hype and excitement to by records in store when you can stream and download them online.

There are many new methods to access news more efficiently and with the ‘technical convergence’ it’s easier through our smartphones especially. Also, there are many news apps, such as ‘Mail Online’ and ‘The Guardian’ and anybody with a tablet our smartphone can access it. It’s normal to question how institutions still make money; this is done through advertising and the invention of paywalls, paying a monthly subscription fee to access the newspaper online in order to receive the best articles and stories. American TV producer and former Journalist, David Simon who wrote the book ‘Build The Wall’ stated how paywalls are a good thing and encouraged institutions to keep paywalls up. David Simon demonstrated his passion for paywalls as his theory was that institutions with paywalls are delivering top quality news.

Furthermore, social media is a fundamental method for institutions to reach their core audience. The idea of ‘News of the Tweet’ which is receiving news from Twitter is most prominent as many newspapers have Twitter accounts delivering news articles, this drives traffic to institutions and it’s prime to recognise that the audience trust verified Twitter accounts and well-known institutions such as the BBC. Twitter has changed the dynamic of news and encourages the idea of a symbiotic relationship, where there is an exchange between the audience and institutions. People are free to challenge and debate/discuss the news on social media and some news accounts may reply back to audience members. The issue for debate is whether or not the news can be trusted as the idea of citizen journalism is more apparent.

‘Citizen Journalism’ is the idea where the audience creates the news and social media is used as a function to help spread news quicker. With this news brands are losing trust as it’s hard to know which news is reliable or not. Citizen journalism has been implemented through the #BlackLivesMatter campaign which was created in 2012 as an international activist movement originating in the African-American community after the death of Travyon Martin, where he suffered police brutality. This created much awareness on social media and was a way to gain justice which was needed. Social media is a quicker way to reach a larger target audience. Audiences are now driving the news agenda and many cases of police brutality have been made more prominent. For instance, the Eric Garner case which was recorded on a camera phone was immediately uploaded on social media; this is a method of user-generated content. This links to the theory of ‘hypperreality’ as the style of the footage recorded was taken on a shaky camera phone helps to make it more realistic and a serious issue which needs to be addressed. The idea of Galtung and Ruge’s ‘News Values ‘reinforces the element of familiarity, how close to home the issue is and how negative it’s portrayed makes it a case which needs to be addressed.

The idea of pluralism is crucial to consider and it proves there is an open exchange of sharing ideas, especially on social media. There is that equality of power between news institutions and audience members. There are many methods of reaching the audience; however the power and choice lies with the audience as institutions make the audience feel like they have authority too. The theories of Marxism and Hegemony are useful too as they give alternative interpretations to news as they prove how the nature of the media is not changing. For instance, the 2015 elections proved this as many people on Twitter were saying how David Cameron had no chance of winning the elections, in the end he won and many right-wing newspapers supported this idea. This proves that institutions have a mass impact, they also have the power to remove any hateful, negative comments on their online articles and this makes the audience consider whether or not they do have the freedom to challenge.

In terms of the independent case study being analysed, the music industry is slowly declining when it comes to selling records in store. Music streaming apps such as “Tidal” have taken over, with competitors such as Apple Music and Spotify; Tidal can be downloaded on any app store and has a monthly subscription fee between £9.99 - £19.99 depending on the type of service you want. The service has over 25 million tracks and 85,000 music videos and offers a wide variety of genres. Tidal makes it easier to access music compared to ten years ago when people would buy CDs. As Tidal is referred to as a "luxury hi-fi music streaming service" the demographic would be an ABC1.Teenagers are the more focal part of the target audience as they would be more up-to-date with new music and interested in discovering new types of music as TIDAL includes all genres. In terms of digital revolution, users are streaming music from their mobile devices by the app instead of buying records. Also, cultural convergence, Tidal is providing all genres of music to target a wide audience. Social media was sued top promote the a there are pages on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and when Tidal was first launched, many music artists put an aqua blue Twitter header up to show support for Tidal as that in the theme colour. Also using the hashtag #TIDAL many twitter users joined after exploring that hashtag and finding out what it's about. Social media beneficial as it promotes the service as evidentially the hashtag became a worldwide trending topic. By creating an app, rather than using an internet desktop to use Tidal this has encouraged many users to join as it's more efficient to use. It’s easier to stream music wherever, whenever as it's cross-platform and is also available in many different languages.

To conclude, intuitions ultimately have the control as their main motive is monetary-based. Social media plays the biggest role in reaching wider target audiences, especially with the main themes of news and the music industry. Institutions can be seen as ambiguous in terms of allowing the audience to question and challenge the news they receive, as ultimately institutions have the power to remove content. The idea of a “million monkeys” typing behind keyboards also proves not all news is reliable and not to trust everything you read and believe online unless it’s from trusted and verified news institution. The music industry has made is much easier to access music from anywhere but some argue this takes away the “classic” idea of owning a sentimental CD, which loses the value of good music which is being released , as music can be downloaded and streamed illegally. The censorship on music and news is much be liberated and makes it questionable whether the audience really do have the same power as institutions. 

Weekly H/W

FBI could force us to turn on iPhone cameras and microphones, says Apple

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/10/apple-fbi-could-force-us-to-turn-on-iphone-cameras-microphones

The article is about how the FBI have one the case to get the San Bernardino killers iPhone 5C unlocked that could present a danger to other iPhone users and the security of their phones. The article also states that someday the Government will want Apple to allow them to turn on the camera and microphone to spy on people.

• Cue said to Univison: “Someday they will want (Apple) to turn on (a user’s) camera or microphone. We can’t do that now, but what if we’re forced to do that
• The FBI has demanded that Apple creates custom software that bypasses certain security features of the company’s iOS to allow law enforcement to brute force the pass code of the gunman’s iPhone 5C.
• But according to Apple, making the modifications necessary in this case would set a dangerous precedent in offering back doors into users’ smartphones.
• The FBI is trying to access the locked iPhone of one of the San Bernardino killers and insists it needs Apple’s due to the software protections built into iOS, which require Apple’s unique signature.

In my opinion this is not a good idea for the security of all Apple users to have their phones security reduced because of one phone. Also I find it hard to believe that the most sophisticated law enforcement company in the world is unable to access this phone with all the technology and knowledge they have at their disposal. 

Weekly H/W

Amazon stops encryption on Fire tablets, leaving data vulnerable to attack

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/03/amazon-fire-encryption-user-data

The article is about how Amazon'ds new update has gotten rid of encryption on their tables, media devices and the Kindle. This means that personal data is now at a much higher risk and could cause problems for users. The change comes in the form of an update to Amazon's OS that got rid of it with Amazob confirming it.

• Amazon has quietly removed the ability to encrypt data stored on its Fire tablets, streaming media devices and Kindle e-readers
• latest update to the Fire OS operating software
• The change, which has been confirmed by Amazon
• “In the fall when we released Fire OS 5, we removed some enterprise features that we found customers weren’t using,

In my opinion this is a stupid idea and cannot be justified by Amazon as encryption of files should be the choice of the user to allow them to keep their files safe from things like hackers. By getting rid of this ability Amazon could potentially lose a lot of customers.

Startup pitches anti-drone launcher as answer to rogue UAVs

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/03/british-startup-drone-openworks-engineering-skywall-net

The article is about how a new device allows the safe capture of drones that have gone rouge. The device shoots a net at the drones and captures them safely and without any damage to the drone itself. The company is based in Northumberland and made these to give authorities a way to capture drones that may be flying in sensitive areas or have lost control all together.

• The launcher weighs 10kg
• can fire almost silently at drones up to 100m away
• reloading in 8 seconds

In my opinion this is a good idea as drones are so easy to pick up nowadays that they can be used by anyone to do things that other people may not like. With the arrival of this launcher it means that these things will be prevented and also shows the advancements in technology.

Weekly H/W

Smartwatches that allow pupils to 'cheat' in exams for sale on Amazon

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/smartwatches-that-allow-pupils-to-cheat-in-exams-for-sale-on-amazon-a6910666.html

The article is about how a smartwatch is being sold on Amazon that allows students to cheat on tests by storing notes and pictures on it and can quickly change back to a clock screen with an emergency button.

•  It is perfect for covertly viewing exam notes directly on your wrist, by storing text and pictures
• I expect the hidden market for these sorts of devices is significant
• 4GB of memory, was offered on the website for £44.95

In my opinion this shows how technology has come so far that we can now use our watches to cheat on tests. It shows that technology has many uses and we will continue finding new uses for it in the future even more complicated than this one.

US agency reaches 'holy grail' of battery storage sought by Elon Musk and Gates

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/03/us-agency-says-has-beaten-elon-musk-gates-to-holy-grail-battery-storage

The article is about how a US agency has managed to create a new battery that will allow America to change its national grid in 5-10 years. The battery has been woked on by Bill Gates and Elon Musk but were both beaten to it by Arpa-E. This is the company that made the battery and will give it to the public.

• Arpa-E was founded in 2009
•  Such projects, or so-called moonshots, were widely seen as too risky for regular investors, but – if they succeed – could potentially be game-changing.
•  But the biggest breakthrough is in the area of energy storage

 In my opinion I think that this is a good idea and could solve a lot of problems for a lot of people. It is Breakthrough that has been a long time coming but is finally here and could cause massive changes for the better in the future. 

Independent NDM Case Study - Media Magazine

Magazines/ Academic papers ~

MM34

• Christopher Budd surveys the democratising effects of technological change on the music industry, and “concludes that there’s never been a better time to launch a career as an unsigned artist”
• “it became obvious that the internet offers a perfect way for artists to distribute music”
• “artists could use the same technology to promote and distribute their own music”

MM45

• Gangnam style; 
• Darren Zook of University of California, Berkeley, has a unique outlook and perspective on Gangnam Fever. 
• “This is not a revolution” he says. He isn’t talking about Gangnam Style‘s massive viral explosion, Psy’s current presence across US and other international media landscapes, or about the rising awareness of Korea as a producer of quality cultural goods.
• This is about social critique in Korean pop music, and how Psy is sadly not sufficient to furthering its presence in the Korean pop culture media landscape.
• Costume changes are frequent, showing the stars in the latest styles and sexy clothing. 
• its sense of humour but also its recognisable conventions and iconography.  As discussed, it uses many of the conventions of the traditional pop video from choreographed dance scenes to the cutting to the beat editing before the chorus kicks in.
• Aided by social media, Psy has become an international superstar. Like the Harlem Shake videos that have followed it, expect more silly dances to take the world by storm in the future

MM47

• FILE SHARING

K-pop and the role of race in the Western music industry
http://beyondhallyu.com/k-pop/k-pop-and-the-role-of-race-in-the-western-music-industry/ 

• largely one of music made by black musicians being appropriated by white musicians for a mainstream audience. 
• Meanwhile music made by black artists was often side-lined into subcultures and specialist genres.
• particularly as hip hop has come to play an increasingly prominent role in the mainstream industry, more and more black artists have had massive success and become icons of popular culture through their music.
• With the obvious exception of PSY, Asian and Asian American artists have been almost completely absent from the charts. 
• Even when they are successful they tend to take a backseat to the music in order to get ahead. 
• Take for example, Far East Movement, probably the most successful Asian American act of the past few years
• For K-pop idols trying to break into America, the problem is double fold. Not only do they have to successfully portray this image despite the huge negative stereotypes they face, they also run risk that this new image could jeopardise their existing fanbase.
• Being put in the spotlight and expected to communicate in a language in which you are not fluent …. Girls’ Generation have 2 fluent English speakers when discussing their ability to make it in the States. But the other side of that are the 7 non-English speaking members.

Korea, Westernisation & Globalisation: The Future of Music?
http://www.academia.edu/10937579/Korea_Westernisation_and_Globalisation_The_Future_of_Music

• Similar sounding music but different language 
• Same conventions of music, 
• a western outlook on the how the artist dress and look (chains and half naked girls)
• America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism, “[Globalization] has the power to remake societies” (2008).

The Evolution of the Music Industry in the Post Internet Era - http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1501&context=cmc_theses

• The Internet, among other technological advances, led to a full-scale restructuring of the landscape.
• In what follows, I will briefly review “the original blueprint of the recording industry and live music business, primary technologies involved in bringing about the transformation”
• some legal background before delving deeper into the events during the first dozen years of the millennium and the implications of post-Internet music business.
• “Starting with the introduction of digital, as opposed to analog, formats in the 1980s, technological advances began to break down the previously rigid infrastructure of the recording industry”.
• “By the end of the 20th century, broadband capacity had also entered a period of unbelievable growth contributing to lower prices from Internet providers, and thus more users.”
• Members of the entertainment industry were interested in this technology, but feared that people would easily be able to get around their security to illegally download video and audio files. 
• As a result, they hoped to pass legislation that would prohibit the circumvention of the security technology.
• The Apple Music, or iTunes, Store was launched in April 2003 allowing Mac users to purchase songs for 99¢ each and albums for $9.99 without any subscription fee. At its opening, the store featured an extensive library of 200,000 tracks that would only rapidly expand as it continued to thrive.
• Social media giants Facebook and Twitter not only serve as a useful tool for hopeful musicians to connect with fans, but their enormous network also creates the opportunity to develop “buzz” around a new artist or, even more effective, have a song or video spread virally.

Weekly H/W

Windows 10 update deletes some programs without alerting users

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/windows-10-update-deleting-apps-programs-fix-a6909526.html

The article is about how a Windows 10 update from November deletes some programmes on users computers without alerting users that it is doing so. The big updates for Windows 10 isn't what causes this and deletes them if they are causing crashes frequently on the computer.

• if the program is known to cause crashes or bugs, Windows might remove them during the update to keep everything running smoothly.
• Windows doesn't tell you it's removed the program - a screen comes up after the update assuring you that "all your files are exactly where you left them," but this might not be the case.
• The issue has been known since November

In my opinion this is an example of how software updates can cause serious problems for users and that even the most prestigious companies such as Microsoft can have these problems. However the problem has been know since November and has not been fixed by Microsoft shows a lack of caring for users.

Apple launches ‘Support’ Twitter account, allowing people to tweet at it

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/apple-launches-support-twitter-account-allowing-people-to-tweet-at-it-a6909536.html

The article is about how Apple has launched a new Twitter account that can is used specifically for support to Apple users and allows them to Tweet any problems they may have or directly message them in order to get support for the problem in question.

• Apple has launched an official Twitter account to allow people to tweet at it with their problems.

• The company doesn’t run an official Twitter feed, instead offering individual ones for each service
• The @AppleSupport account is tweeting tips and tricks for Apple devices, as well as responding to questions from users

In my opinion this shows how new and digital media gives user many ways now to contact big companies and get answers. This example shows how social media is used for many different things other than just using it to post opinion and updates on what you are doing. It is used for many things like news and now even techc support. 

NDM News Index

Week 1 & 2 Social media is harming the mental health of teenagers, the state has to act & Why a police record for sexting teen
Week 3 & 4 Forget 'Dislike' – here are 12 new buttons Facebook really needs & Apple products article
Week 5 & 6Universal internet access to combat poverty & Amazon launches gaming and 4K streaming fire TV update
Week 7 & 8 Muslim gang violence & Ad blockers are wreaking havoc with the online revenue of newspapers
Week 9 & 10 Tech companies urged to protect young from dangers of excessive screen time & USA today's Facebook - inspired use of emojis gets thumbs down
Week 11 & 12 Google launches 150m fund for publisher’s digital news project & PewDiePie: how the youtube king locked up 40m fans and 10bn views
Week 13 & 14 Labour to introduce bill outlawing revenge porn & TV must push back against Apple and Netflix, says Discovery boss
Week 15 & 16 Everyone is downloading the iOS.9 for the middle finger emoji & How Netflix and chill became the code for casual sex
Week 17 & 18 BuzzFeed Journalist attack & Disney to launch UK film and TV streaming service for £9.99 a month
Week 19 & 20 Can Twitter reinvent itself with packaged news before it gets sold? & New wave of podcasts aimed at younger, wider audience
Week 21 & 22 The sun jumps the gun with claims with London spy sex "row" & Why the BBC is worth saving?
Week 23 & 24 Pins 'obsolete within five years' - and pay with mobile or fingerprints instead & The decline of print doesn't mean the end of journalism.
Week 25 & 26 Spotify to offer staff six months' parental leave on full pay & Muslim Council of Britain takes out advert denouncing Paris attack
Week 27 & 28 No, your Instagram account wasn't hacked - it was only a bug & Surf the internet in virtual reality with Samsung's new browser for the Gear VR headset
Week 29 & 30 Amazon releases video of new 'octocopter' delivery drone prototype & Google’s new quantum computer is '100 million times faster than your PC'
Week 31 & 32 Apple Pay could soon let people pay others through a text message or a phone call & Charity launches website to give people 'greater control over their death'
Week 33 & 34 Self-driving cars hog the road at CES & Google, Facebook and Twitter among internet giants attacking 'snooper's charter'
Week 35 & 36 Spread of the internet has not conquered 'digital divide' between rich and poor-report & Bug displays chrome users porn hours later on Apple computer
Week 37 & 38 Shops can track you via your smartphone, privacy watchdog warns & News Corp denies rumours company wants to buy Twitter
Week 39 & 40 First driverless buses travel public roads in the Netherlands & Apple issues global recall for AC power adaptors after ‘electrical shock risk’
Week 41 & 42 Winning MIT design for Hyperloop passenger pod revealed by Elon Musk & Police data could label 'suspects' for crimes they have not committed
Week 43 & 44 Uninstalling Facebook app saves up to 15% of iPhone battery life & Newsnight gets a repeat as BBC news channel cuts breaking stories
Week 45 & 46 Windows 10 update deletes some programs without alerting users & Apple launches ‘Support’ Twitter account, allowing people to tweet at it
Week 47 & 48 Smartwatches that allow pupils to 'cheat' in exams for sale on Amazon & US agency reaches 'holy grail' of battery storage sought by Elon Musk and Gates
Week 49 & 50 Amazon stops encryption on Fire tablets, leaving data vulnerable to attack & Startup pitches anti-drone launcher as answer to rogue UAVs
Week 51 & 52 FBI could force us to turn on iPhone cameras and microphones, says Apple