28/12/16 - Facebook advertises for a head of news after US election concerns

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/12/facebook-advertises-for-head-of-news-us-election-concerns-fake-news

Facebook is struggling with advertisers since the fake news crisis. They have put up a job ad to help with rebuilding the bridges with advertisers. This has come after a backlash after the US Election and Napalm girl censorship issue.

O 1.76bn Facebook Users
O Fake stories end up with an average of 560 shares on Facebook.
O 75% of US adults believed fake news headlines they were shown during a Buzzfeed Investigation.
o After the Facebook banner was released last week more people registered to vote, the largest recorded being 200 000 people rise in registering.

Fake News has undeniably become a massive problem recently on Facebook. there has also been an issue with them being reliant on algorithms and technology rather than people. This means that mistakes are being made because censorship and trending items are decided by a pre-determined equation. I think that companies need to ensure that what content is being stopped/let through needs to be checked by an actual person, on too many sites, inappropriate things are being seen by many and the only responses from large institutions is that their algorithm has been changed to suit these needs. A temporary short term solution rather than a Permanent long term solution.

28/12/16 - Artificial intelligence could cost millions of jobs. The White House says we need more of it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/innovations/wp/2016/12/20/ai-could-cost-millions-of-jobs-the-white-house-says-we-need-more-of-it/?utm_term=.c69cad0469d7

The growing popularity of artificial intelligence technology will likely lead to millions of lost jobs, especially among less-educated workers.But that same technology is also essential to improving the country’s productivity growth, a key measure of how efficiently the economy produces goods. That could ultimately lead to higher average wages and fewer work hours.
“If these estimates of threatened jobs translate into job displacement, millions of Americans will have their livelihoods significantly altered and potentially face considerable economic challenges in the short- and medium-term,” the White House report states.

O There was more than $300 million in venture capital invested in AI startups in 2014, a 300% increase over the year before
O By 2020, 85% of customer interactions will be managed without a human. 
O 32% of executives say voice recognition is the most-widely used AI technology in their business. 


I personally think that AI is a very controversial subject. on one hand - it can be very benedicial when used right. If there can be a balance than doesn't harm people /workers then it can work out. As long as we don't become completely reliant and displace people it could help the economy and the wellbeing of others.

21/12/16 - Grand Tour 'most illegally downloaded TV programme in history'

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/dec/11/grand-tour-most-illegally-downloaded-tv-programme-jeremy-clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson’s new motoring show has become the most illegally downloaded television programme in history. the first episode was downloaded illegally 7.9m times, the second 6.4m times and the third 4.6m times. British viewers made up the largest percentage (13.7%) of the total number of illegal downloads. it is estimated that Amazon could have lost up to £3.2m in revenue in Britain alone on episode one because of illegal downloads. 

OAmazon paid a reported $160m (£130m) for three series of The Grand Tour 
O the first episode was downloaded illegally 7.9m times, the second 6.4m times and the third 4.6m times. 
O British viewers made up the largest percentage (13.7%) of the total number of illegal downloads.
O estimated that Amazon could have lost up to £3.2m in revenue in Britain alone on episode one because of illegal downloads. 

The advances of NDM means that it has become easier to upload/download/stream content illegally. Even though this means audiences are able to find content that they like/enjoy without having to spend money on things that they do not enjoy. However this also means they the content that people enjoy are still not being paid for, meaning the institutions behind the content are not getting the revenue - a lack of revenue means that institutions will refuse to continue making the content because they aren't successful, and could even result in them going out of business. I think that sites such as Netflix/Amazon Prime/Apple Music/ Spotify are a fundamental part of the entertainment business because they are an appealing and economic way to get customers to pay for their content. The only issue here is that not everything is available on these sites, so not all institutions will benefit.

21/12/16 - Guardian announces partnership with Vice

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/08/guardian-announces-partnership-with-vice

The Guardian is to join up with Vice as part of a content partnership which will include reports that will air on its nightly news programme in the US and UK. A small team of Guardian journalists will be based at Vice’s offices in east London.The partnership will include co-branded special reports that will air across Vice’s news offerings, which will include Guardian reporters presenting, including on Vice News Tonight.

O Vice has 7,458,036 subscribers.


I think that partnerships are going to be incredibly important to make sure companies remain in business. each company has a weakness, some cannot do anything to deal with their weakness and increase their reach. Partnering with a company can benefit both sides as together they may be able to offer something unique to their audience. This would put the above the rest of the competition. They do still have to keep in mind to use NDM to their advantage, if two companies join and still fail to create a successful online presence their potential uniqueness on offer will have no importance.

NDM case study: News on the Tweet

Our case study on news has focused heavily on the decline of traditional brands and the rise of social media. But do these two competing platforms actually need each other to be successful?

News on the Tweet is a report from Newsworks (a marketing organisation representing newspapers) and Twitter designed to show the positive impact new and digital media can have on traditional media.


Read the report and answer the questions on your blog. Include the News on the Tweet infographic above in your blogpost.

1) Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?
It is not surprising that

O More than one in 10 of the newsbrand followers on Twitter claim they were first introduced to it by a newspaper brand

O Newsbrands also increase
traffic. 4/10 say that they check twitter frequently to see what their chosen newsbrand(s) have posted.

O Newsbrand followers are three times more likely to retweet than non-followers;
 four times more likely to post links to articles
 three times more likely to tweet about trending news topics.

O They are also more interactive with the content.

2) Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?

O Twitter is good for respected news brands as the newsbrands are more accessible and more interactive.

O Shared links/re tweets e.t.c can drive more traffic to newsbrands without costing them a thing.

3) 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 do agree to a certain extent that old and new media are not in direct competition as I think that they both need each other to a degree in order to do their job. However, They are still in competition in the sense the new media is favoured over the old media particularly by the Millennials, this as a result means that there isn't as much support for the old media which will will ultimately result in them going out of business. So there is a definite competition, one that I believe the old media will lose simply because they are being replaced.

4) On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to 'gossip' or 'banter'. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this? 

5) Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?

I do think that the increasing amount of 'gossip' and 'banter' is harmful to the reputation of news and journalists because they will be viewed as people who only spread gossip and banter, not someone who will talk about serious/high brow news. When sites such as the Mail Online become more popular over other sites such as the Times and The Independant, the reputation of the news is harmed as there may seem to be a common trend that the news now focuses on more tabloid/low brow news.

6)What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?
There is a great amount of trust in Twitter in terms of the verified people or brands, they are seen as more trustworthy than the unverified brands so if a news story was to break online, audiences will be more inclined to check a verified account such as BBC News to search for more content.

7)Do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?
I think that developments in new and traditional media has had a negative impact on traditional newspapers as I personally believe that it has caused a change where all news will soon be online, traditional newspapers will go out of business. However for the active audience, trusting that they make sure they use valid sites whom have the correct information, they have been impacted positively, They have access to more news that isn't singled out to fit the a certain time slot/ number of pages. They are also able to look at more views easily rather than just having what the newspapers (typically Murdoch owned/employed) are saying.

8) Finally, how can we link this report to the vital current debate regarding fake news and Facebook? Do traditional news brands need protecting to ensure there are sources we can trust?

Facebook was the main driver of traffic for fake news and their sites during the US Election. The traditional news brands were not at fault, their content was reliable and followed regulations. However due to the algorithms put in place on sites such as Facebook, their news showed up less frequently. Traditional news brands need protecting as they are the only reliable sources among a vast number of unreliable sources.

14/12/16 - 2016: the year Facebook became the bad guy

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/12/facebook-2016-problems-fake-news-censorship?CMP=twt_gu

Facebook is one of the most influential sites on the internet. Some believe Facebook has become too big to be regulated effectively. The power also means that they can be a threat to democracy and capitalism. 'He has an extreme solution: if Facebook can’t be regulated effectively, it should be nationalised to ensure it acts in the interest of the public.'

O 1.76bn Facebook Users
O Facebook made an almost $6bn profit.
O Fake stories end up with an average of 560 shares on Facebook.

I think that to a certain extent, Facebook has become the bad guy, they have been the primary ones who drive traffic to fake news stories and sites. Yet there is still a denial. They need to do something to at least monitor what is being shared the most, particularly with news Stories that are being shared the most. There needs to be some responsibility taken to make sure the content/news- on the sites that are most used as a source of news - is reliable and appropriate.

14/12/16 - Fake news could affect next UK election, warns Channel 4 executive

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/13/fake-news-could-affect-next-uk-election-warns-channel-4-executive

The Article says that fake news could affect the next UK election and that the government and companies such as Facebook need to do more in tackling the problem. The UK can easily have an equal issue with fake news as the US did with the presidential election. It is said that if companies on the internet don't do enough to tackle fake news, they  should be regulated the same way UK broadcasters are.

O 75% of US adults believed fake news headlines they were shown during a Buzzfeed Investigation.

I think that fake news is already affecting UK democracy even if it isn't as prominent as it is in the US. With the EU Referendum, lots of info was shared around suggesting that Remain was more popular, for a while this may have been right but ultimately the vote was oppositional. Even the smallest points of false information can have a massive affect because to many people have put themselves into 'echo chambers' where they only see one side of the story so they think that it is okay to not do anything especially if the results seem to be in favour of their chosen side. But it's not only the need to regulate more of the internet, both parties in any election need to use the internet to its best ability, if one has more of an influence/supporting online, they will most likely have the vote of the youth whom have typically not been reachable.

NMD News: Globalisation

NDM News: Globalisation

One of the topics that we need to cover in A2 Media is Globalisation - which has huge relevance to digital media, news and beyond.

You should have read the notes on Globalisation in class - the handout is here if you need an electronic copy.

Globalisation and news: blog task

Having discussed these issues in class in relation to our news case study, you now need to answer the following questions on your blog:

1) Is our news influenced by American cultural imperialism? Give some examples arguing for or against this perspective.

I do think that our news is influenced by American Cultural Imperialism. America has a great influence across the globe. Almost every Hurricane that hits regardless of its size - is reported on. Riots, explosions, a disaster or something of great amplitude is reported on. On one hand, when applying Galtung and Ruge's News Values, America is an elite country, meaning they will be appealing to everyone. However this doesn't necessarily mean they need as much coverage especially when important /large subjects associated with Britain are being ignored or put further down the schedule than the US stories.

2) Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? How? Why?

The increased globalisation has improved the audience experience as there is a larger source of information, entertainment e.t.c. They are also able to choose what they want to consume. However even though there is  choice, they will still be exposed to information that they may not want to see. Linking back to to the American influence the larger, most important stories and events are typically American.

3) Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions? How? Why?

Globalisation has benefitted major news institutions in the sense that some have extended into multi national corporations, meaning that they have more influence an reach globally. However this doesn't counteract the decline news is currently facing and doesn't help the smaller companies. Globalisation is actually incredibly bad for the independent ones as they are not only facing competition from the local/regional conglomerates but global ones too.

NDM: Globalisation and Fake News

NDM News: Globalisation and fake news

The growing problem with fake news is a great example of the crossover between globalisation and the news industry. 

It has been linked with a range of political events across the world - from Brexit here in the UK to Trump's election in the USA. Many European countries are now worried fake news will influence their upcoming elections in 2017. 

Fake news: blog tasks

The Guardian & the global problem of fake news

1) What similarities do you notice between the different countries outlined in the article and their problems with fake news?

Various Countries such as France, Italy, India and Germany have struggled with fake news. In Germany for example there were reports of refugees having raped a 13 year old girl, this was shared and believed so much so that riots/protests were conducted in response. There were also stories that were Created suggesting that Angela Merkel was the daughter of Hitler. 

The problems are that even though it is a simple fake news story, the belief causes people to respond, creating civil unrest particularly during political elections. On a another level - in Italy the fake contact information was posted for abortion clinics, the contact were for people against abortion, they the shared their views and pressured women into not having a termination. 
2) Is fake news an inevitable consequence of the "culture of freedom and innovation" that the internet has brought with it? Is there a way to stop it?
I think that fake news is an inevitable consequence because people don't always like opposing views. They have been given the opportunity to not only share their views regardless of its popularity but to spread things that can be detrimental to the other side. Audiences rarely check the validity of some stories and are often inclined to believe what they read which ultimately can change their own views. This can't be stopped simply because   you would have to take peoples freedom to post anything away, whilst constantly regulating every inch of the internet.

New York Times and the creation of fake news


1) Which fake news stories were particularly successful for Beqa Latsabidze, the 22-year-old student in Tbilisi, Georgia, who tried to make money from web articles on Trump? 

Beqa Latsabidze realised that Pro Trump sites were better than Anti-Trump and Pro/Anti-Clinton sites. The Pro Trump audience is said to be more receptive and more inclined to read the outrageous stories. Departed.co was the most successful and included real and false stories.

2) How much can Facebook and Google be blamed for this global rise in fake news?
Facebook and Google can both be blamed in the rise of fake news, to an extent. The algorithms put in place are the foundations of the site and cannot always be easily controlled however there is enough potential to control or at least monitor what is being put on the internet and the companies can do more. Particularly in this case where Facebook played a 'central role in driving traffic to the website' Departe.co

07/12/16 - The paywalls come down and readers flood in. But revenue doesn’t

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/04/paywalls-come-down-readers-flood-in-not-advertising-revenue

'Though the Mail, Guardian and Mirror still marched upwards with combined (print, mobile, laptop and tablet) readership figures year-on-year, Even the sun had a rise despite the paywall, but Murdoch still decided to to take it down. However the National Readership Survey doesn't measure money from advertisement. 

O The Times has lost almost 90% of online readership since the installation of the paywall.
O Paywalls we implemented in an attempt to try and make money where the ad revenue was failing both online and in print.

I think that paywalls could have been a good idea had audiences not been used to receiving new for free. Traditional platforms of news even online are failing and just creating an online website is not enough anymore. A better online presence and uniqueness that doesn't always include clickbait will be more appealing. Meaning both audiences and brands will be more inclined to use the site to consume news and also advertise their products on it.

07/12/16 - Reddit CEO admits he edited Trump supporters' comments on social network

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/reddit-donald-trump-steve-huffman spez-pizzagate-trolls-hillary-clinton-a7436406.html

'The boss of Reddit deleted comments from a Donald Trump-supporting community on his site, he has admitted.''The_Donald' community was one of the most popular Trump supporting communities. He deleted comments that he didn't agree with him and altered names of offensive comments to make them seem that they were aimed at the reddit moderators. He said that he wanted to 'troll the trolls'. 'Mr Huffman's reference to Pizzagate is part of a false news story that claimed that Hillary Clinton and campaign chairman John Podesta committed acts of child abuse in a pizza restaurant in Washington, DC. The story was entirely fake but was promoted by many people across the internet, including those on Reddit.'

O there have been 234 million unique reddit users.
O 11 464 active reddit communities.
O 217 countries with reddit users
O 8 billion monthly page views
O an average of 25 million daily votes.

I think that this is a good example of the influence of the internet on politics. false stories were spread and believed, and this would have definitely changed people views on candidates. It also shows that even though the internet is better at showing both candidates truly whilst newspapers continually showed their favourites. The people/editors behind companies can change content to suit their own beliefs so it raises the question as to whether newspapers and certain internet sites are actually that different. Or is the internet just easier at disguising it.

Globalisation: Taking it Further

MM47 PG 31
Techno-panic (Marwick 2008): a moral panic that centres around fears regarding a specific contemporary technology.

Technological convergence: the trend of technologies to merge into new technologies that bring together a range of media.

Moral panic (Stanley Cohen): media-generated public outcry against a group, community or practice considered threatening and/or dangerous.


Read the article and answer the following questions:

1) Why was Google Glass controversial?
The Google Glass was controversial because it was able to film video and sound and also had facial recognition capabilities. With it all being in a pair of glasses and the suggestion that people would be able to easily notice when someone was recording it was deemed to be a breech of privacy.

2) What are the positive elements to Globalisation that the article highlights?
O The positives to globalisation is that everyone will soon be able to have the opportunity to go online (Balloons with antennas in the rural areas of New Zealand - the plans to do the same to east Africa)There will be more accessibility.

O The increased opportunities and choices means that the audience is empowered and that they are able to enhance their knowledge.


3) What are potential negatives to Globalisation?
O The aforementioned choices are only being provided by a limited number of companies.
O 8 of the top 10 companies are American.

4) What is a techno-panic? How does it link to moral panics?
A techno panic is 'a moral panic that centres around fears regarding a specific contemporary technology.'(Marwick 2008) . It links to moral panics because they both focus on a fear for a specific thing and it is widespread.

For the Google glass, people are able to walk around and film whatever they wanted, this in turn would have created the techno panic that everything that was being said or done was being recorded.

Furthermore - it was suggested that Google were able to see exactly what the wearer was seeing.

5) What is your opinion on the privacy debate and major corporations being able to access large quantities of personal data?

I think that there is a fine line between what major corporations should be able to access and what they shouldn't. They should be able to see how their products are being used and if there are any issues being recorded in order to see where they can make changes and improve. However taking personal details and also selling them on for their own personal benefit shouldn't be done. We are already giving up some of our privacy so that in return we can use the internet in a variety of ways however trusting companies who are just going to sell your information is definitely a big issue.


Media Factsheet: Globalisation and capitalism (92)


Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) Who coined the phrase 'a global village' (McLuhen) and what multinational companies illustrate this?
An Example would be Coca Cola whom have subsidiaries in many countries globally. It is suggest that the increase in many companies becoming multinational is a result of: Improvements in transportation and Communication, Freedom of trade and easily accessible labour and trade.

2) What role does Slavoj Zizek suggest the media plays in global capitalism? How can you link this to our previous work on Marxism and Hegemony? 
Slavoj Zizek says that 'media masks the way in which western institutions 'do business'.' and that 'media reinforces and naturalises the ideology that making money is the right way of conducting businesses, but at the same time allows people to feel less guilty about how these goods are produced.

He also believes that even though globalisation is helping to create more wealth in developing countries it is not closing the gap between the richest and the poorest. It could be suggested from a Marxist view point that creating more wealth in the LEDCs is just an attempt to assert control.

3) What does 'capitalism with a conscience' mean? 
Capitalism with a conscience is raising awareness of social issues whilst sustaining 'western capitalist dominance'
For instance when you buy from Starbucks the farmers that grew the beans receive a fair price.

4) What is the (PRODUCT) RED campaign? 
The (PRODUCT) RED campaign is a company that creates deals with other companies to create a product such as the red Apple iPhone case, and a percentage of the profits from that specific product will go to (PRODUCT) RED and then will go to charities to help tackle Aids in Africa.

5) Based on what you've read in the Factsheet, what is YOUR opinion of the (PRODUCT) RED brand? Is it a positive force helping to fight AIDS in Africa or a cynical attempt to make multinational companies look more ethical than they actually are? 
I think that the (PRODUCT) RED brand could have been a positive force in helping tackle aids in Africa had they kept their promise, more has been spent on advertising that donated to charities for their cause. this as a result shows that it is a cynical attempt to make multinational companies look more ethical than they actually are. On the other hand they still could have a positive impact as even though they are failing at their aim of donating they are still raising awareness of an important issue.

'The incorporation of humanitarian aid and for-profit business is an example of ethical consumerism'

30/11/16 - Pop music was a great leveller. Now it’s a bespoke plaything for the rich

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/16/pop-music-bespoke-plaything-wealth-divide
The article expresses how downloads and streaming has killed the music industry. They now rely on 'luxury' packages. Terms such as deluxe and collectors edition is being used to entice audience. Even festivals highlight a divide, some pay hundreds of pounds for a weekend, not everyone can afford.

O In China, 71% of record label revenues came from digital sources in 2011.
O Digital music revenues will top $20 billion in 2015
O In 2011, digital music now accounts for an estimated 32% of all record label revenues
O Some three million people in the UK download unauthorized films online,
O Number of illegal music downloads attributed to students in 2006.

I think that a divide has been created, in order to balance losses collector editions and festivals are going up in price, they have reached a point where only certain people are able to afford these kinds of things. They are stuck in a circle because people want to be able to enjoy said things so resort to illegal downloads, but that makes the prices go further up. More needs to be done to ensure everyone has equal access to music the way that they once did otherwise the industry may suffer further

30/11/16 - The secret life of a clickbait creator: lousy content, dodgy ads, demoralised staff

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/21/secret-life-clickbait-creator-content-ads-staff?CMP=twt_a-media_b-gdnmedia

The article follows an anecdotal story of a journalist whom has found their jobs spiral into clickbait and anything that generates revenue. Jobs that advertise to be well paid and 'proper journalism' quickly turn into a jobs where you have to find a story that will help people escape from the serious stories in the news.

O More than half of Britain access news online.
O one in two adults use social networks.
O

Internet users in the world

2,993,389,221

O

Blog posts today

582,891

I think that this goes to show that the consumers aren't completely at fault for the decline in news online. Jobs titles clickbait are real, and this is because of the assumption of organisations whom are not keeping up with the changes online. people are still interested in journalism and news - sites like twitter just break it first. however most in detailed accounts are still made by news companies such as the BBC and Sky News, they link it online and share it on social media. Clickbait, in my opinion has lost the power it once had, if a YouTube video has a clickbait title - it is almost always talked about and frowned upon.

Marxism & 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 that low brow news is becoming more prominent and popular on a majority of platforms. however there is still a large divide between news organisations online whom actually process and report on such news. In some cases, not all, too much information is show however this may be due to news stories aiming to deter from traditional news values and cover more complex stories due to the online demand.

2) How can you link Marxism and Hegemony to de Botton's criticisms of the News?

Passive audiences are spoon fed the news - and fail to even consider its validity (Hypodermic Needle) The dominant classes, more importantly their views and ideologies are going to be constantly reinforced because of this, and they aren't going to be challenged which is the main factor within Marxism and Hegemony.

3) How could you use Pluralism and new technology to challenge de Botton's views on the News?

A pluralist would argue that audience have the ability to view content in the way that they choose, they are active. So even though there is a lot of information, dominant ideologies

4) Choose two news stories from the last six months - one that supports de Botton's views and one that challenges his belief that the News is used for social control. 

Support: https://www.buzzfeed.com/craigsilverman/how-macedonia-became-a-global-hub-for-pro-trump-misinfo?bffbmain&ref=bffbmain&utm_term=.jf111LxBm0#.bdbjjGNPbL

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/nov/17/barack-obama-fake-news-facebook-social-media

Against:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/04/enough-said-whats-gone-wrong-with-language-politics-mark-thompson-review

The Development of new/digital media means the audience is more powerful in terms of consumption and production.

This essay will be exploring whether the development of new/digital media has resulted in the audience becoming more powerful from both a Marxist and a Pluralist perspective. Some Argue that on one hand – The media controls use, on the other hand – the audience can interpret the media how they wish.

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, 2012) as many have claimed, it has merely 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, sexuality and race and audiences appear to passively accept what the Marxist theorist, Gramsci, called a hegemonic view. When one of their chief columnists, Jan Moir, 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.

From a Pluralist perspective media is produced with a considerable degree of flexibility in production choices. Which, in turn, means the active audience can manipulate the media according to their prior needs and dispositions. Enabling them to ‘conform, accommodate, challenge or reject’ (Gurevich) with content, promoting freedom of speech. This also means that they are not ‘drip fed’ the information – they are able to make and express their own opinions on the subject rather than just accepting and/or believing it. Furthermore, it can be sauggested that the development of new and digital media has encouraged both surveillance and information in terms of Blumler and Katz uses and gratifications theory. The surveillance footage is typically user generated content, especially during the Arab spring protest- which was organised online – The User Generated Content was viewed online by people in a similar situation, giving them a sense of identification and a moral responsibility to help and get involved. This resultantly means that there is democratization – people are becoming more involved in the running of countries.

On the other hand, yes more people are sharing things online which could prove as a façade of being more powerful but ‘web pages and blogs are like a million monkeys typing nonsense’ (Keen). People are constantlyo typing – most of the time they are literally just typing - they’re not making sense or creating their own opinion. Audience are stuck in ‘echo chambers’ they are not being exposed to other views because they can simply ignore and unfollow views that are not like their own, their own views and the views that they then go on to share themselves have stemmed from the dominant ideologies that was created by the elite. They are a passive audience and following the status quo. Fake news had been created throughout the 2016 US Presidential Election. Teenagers in Macedonia were creating sites in which fake news stories were created to gain ad revenue. Said stories were then shared more often than the ones that were factual approx. 7.4 million times. Even on this scale ‘a minority of producers always serve a majority of consumers’ (Pareto’s Law). A single teenager was creating information and ‘drip feeding’ them to Americans whom lacked autonomy and instantly believed what was written.

‘[the internet is] the most important medium of the twentieth century’ (Briggs and Burke) and ‘rebellion is encapsulated in the internet’ (Keen). Ultimately the importance of the internet and the addition of an active audience means that people are able to have and act on alternate views which would be seen as a ‘rebellion’. Journalism has recently changed and shown ‘rebellion’ in the US Election. Where rather than conforming to expectations and positively reporting on Trump. Articles were created to expose wrongdoings of the elite like him. This kind of investigative journalism is the epitome of ‘The Great Leveller’ (Krotoski) No one is more powerful than the other, being of a higher class doesn’t grant you the same privileges to protecting your reputation on the internet the way it did with traditional media.

Overall, The audience has become more powerful as a result of developments in the media. The negatives don’t always correlate to the audience having less power as the negativity would have branched from people being able to generate and share their own opinions despite it being unpopular and non-conforming.

GONE TOO FAR

Destiny Ekaragha and Bola Agbaje have taken a successful comedic approach to explore black identity in Britain through the means of their film: Gone Too Far. The film's protagonist is a British-Nigerian teenager - Yemi (played by Malachi Kirby) whom is seen struggling with his identity following the arrival of his brother Ikuadyisi (played by OC Ukeje). The simple task of buying Okra from a local shop spirals out of control, without Ikuadyisi we may never have seen the effects of the devaluing of African identity within society on Yemi. Ikuadyisi is proud of his culture. however, his naivety, although providing slapstick humour, highlights the tensions within the black community and the views some have towards people whom are not originally from or don’t have a connection to the west indies. The fast-paced day Is set on the streets of Peckham and follows many characters whose narratives all intertwine, most obviously, the narrative is based on the desire to have Armani – a particularly self-centred, desirable diva.  However, when looking behind the over glorified love triangle that is the basis of many films, we can notice that even the most basic triangle explores the racial issues and the desirable identity that is believed by many and forces some into falsifying their own identity.  While offering an insight into the importance of one’s identity, Gone Too Far offers an educational and entertaining eye into the often ignored and misrepresented black community whilst maintaining the balance of humour – to ensure interest in the issues raised – and the educational aspect – by ensuring the comedy didn’t drown the meaning behind the words.

"This house believes that films featuring ethnic minorities should only be produced by those who have the ethnic identity being represented."

I don’t completely agree with the proposition. A main argument that I don’t agree with is that only allowing people of the ethnic minority being represented to produce the film will make the film industry more diverse. This is simply not true, we are aware that the film industry is a white male dominated business. As Unfortunately as it is – institutional racism is still prominent today – and the demand for more ‘niche’ films or ones that are based on ethnic minorities are not in demand and are not appealing to organisations simply because a profit cannot be guaranteed. The film industry is a business, profit always comes first which is why we see so many sequels and films based on similar narratives with the same staple actors. Also, compassion isn’t the same as complete understanding but a basic understanding can still be achieved which can be heighted and regulated by a person whose identity is being represented, misrepresentations are created by the lazy and those whom ‘aren’t completely bothered’ but not everyone is like that. Furthermore, a certain skin colour isn’t what makes a culture and I personally cannot stress enough how detrimental this is to society and individuals – people of any skin colour can be associated with a place or belief through anything from blood to education, simply suggesting that someone cannot make a film based on an identity that they seemingly don’t identify with due to stereotypes and ignorance, will only create issues and will further divide the film industry. Rather than the whole film being created by the people of ethnic minority being represented, there should be some in the roles whom are the most influential to the creation of the films i.e. scriptwriters, directors. However simply having people of the identity having an opinion and being able to ensure its validity and accuracy whilst keeping the people involved diverse will be more beneficial than excluding groups complete groups which contradicts the argument about making the industry more diverse.

21/11/16 - Still in vogue: luxury magazines defy print market gloom

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/nov/20/still-in-vogue-luxury-magazines-defy-print-market-gloom?CMP=twt_a-media_b-gdnmedia


The article states that 'the luxury magazines appear to be defying the advertiser exodus rapidly eroding the rest of the magazine market' They said that 'its very hard to replicate the physical allure of a luxury magazine on other platforms.' Advertisers also understand this. The June issue with the Duchess of Cambridge was 464 pages and included 264 pages of advertisement.

O Circulation of 200 058 (ABC) (double rivals)
O Vogue.co.uk - 2.16m users
O Make £25m a year in ad revenue.
O top page ad = £70 000

I think that magazines such as Vogue have more of a nice market which is why they are prevailing where new and other traditional media is failing. There is a greater demand for a physical luxury copy of a well established brand that has a 100 year history. Even t advertisement isn't cheap an average of £70 000 appeals to more high end brands. Which keeps them within the high end market where each company in that group are able to support each other and can afford to do things like that. Similarly ads in magazines don't need to be clicked on to be worthwhile which is why online isn't as successful - people can choose to avoid and even block the ads and there isn t a solid way to be sure of how many people are engaging with the advertisements - the only thing that can rely on is the circulation which itself is more successful that rivals in the same category.

23/11/16 - Barack Obama on fake news: 'We have problems' if we can't tell the difference

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/nov/17/barack-obama-fake-news-facebook-social-media

President Obama  spoke about how he believes that fake news undermines US politics. He states that there is ''so much misinformation' this is 'packaged very well' and looks the same. People don't know what to protect or disregard. It demeans democratic freedom. A Buzzfeed investigation showed that fake news outperformed real news. People are only motivated by ad revenue.

O Fake news during the presidential election was typically anti-Clinton and Pro-Trump - They were shared, liked and commented on 8.7 million times on Facebook.
O Legitimate news stories were only engaged with on average 7.4 million times.
O nearly 40 percent of the content published by far right Facebook pages and 19 percent of the content published by extreme left-leaning Facebook pages was false or misleading.
O 44 percent of all adults get their news from Facebook.

I believe that fake news is having an impact on a variety of things - especially since people aren't challenging news - believing everything that they read means that they are forced into seeing things that aren't true and using these as a basis for their views. This obviously means that things are being undermined - democracy especially. It is no longer fair - people are stuck in echo chambers and are completely immersed in an outcome that isn't totally realistic. People believe that what they are reading is true and it alters their perception to the point which their opinion is based on lies.

NMD: Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony

Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony are some of the most challenging theories we'll learn - but also extremely relevant to the case study we're working on.

These theories go to the heart of whether the media elite or the audience have the power in a 21st century digital world. There are compelling arguments to both sides and recent world events only add fuel to this debate. Complete the tasks below to reinforce the work you've done in the lesson.

Bonus reading: Hegemony and the Hunger Games

I've got some slightly off-topic reading to get you started. There is a reference to hegemony in a Guardian article about the last Hunger Games film that could also be linked to feminism (therefore relevant to many of your critical investigations). Read the article on the Hunger Games and at least 15 comments below the line. How does this link to what we've learned about hegemony?

Main task

Read the Media Magazine article ‘Web 2.0: Participation or Hegemony?'. Go to our archive of Media Magazine issues and click on MM39 - the article you need is on page 58. Answer the following questions:

1) Research the Ian Tomlinson case. What would the traditional, hegemonic view of the police be in a case like this? How did new and digital media create a different story? What does the police officer's subsequent acquittal suggest about the power of new and digital media?

A Traditional Hegemonic view would suggest that the police officer made an honest mistake an they were ultimately trying to do their job and protect the public. The honest mistake would have been made through Tomlinson's body language, the insinuation of danger would have caused the police to act on instinct. 

New and digital media isn't as powerful as people believed, the officer was acquitted of his crimes regardless of the overwhelming suggestion and belief in the police officers fault 

2) What does the author argue regarding whether hegemony is being challenged by Web 2.0? 

IN 1979 Blair Peach was murdered and no one was charged. It is suggested that before the internet there would be no chance of justice. The idea of justice actually being a potential result shows that traditional hegemonic views are being tried - the powerful are slowly being held accountable.

3) In your opinion, does new and digital media reinforce dominant hegemonic views or give the audience a platform to challenge them?

I think that new/digital media challenges dominant hegemonic views. The upper class have little to not control over what happens particularly online so, as a result, the lower classes have as much power as the higher classes online. The idea of class is almost non existent online. However certain sites are ruled by certain people whom monitor and sometimes control. People are also stuck in echo chambers both that they may be aware of or not aware of. People are easily able to only view certain opinions if they follow dominant hegemonic views - they are only going to be reinforced.

4) Do recent world events such as Brexit or Donald Trump's election in the US suggest dominant hegemonic ideologies are being challenged or reinforced? There are arguments for both sides here - explain your opinion and why.

Hegemonic ideologies are being reinforced - however there is space and acknowledgement of them being challenged even though there is no overall effect. Despite many reasons to believe Trump wasn't even remotely capable of being President and a general oppositional view online - he still triumphed in the electoral vote only. With brexit similarly - only older more higher classed people voted to remain. They were the ones who made the overall decision within the democratic vote. however - it may just be an age factor rather than class - the youth have completely different views to the elderly.

16/11/16 - Tech is disrupting all before it – even democracy is in its sights

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/06/technology-disruption-infects-political-system?CMP=share_btn_tw

New apps like Uber and AirBnB are disturbing the corresponding industries. People are suggesting that apps are detrimental rather than useful despite the rise in popularity and positivity aimed at it. There is the suggestion that we are obsessed with disruption and are incredibly compromised yet excited by widespread hacks like the one that took out most internet sites staring in the east coast of the US. It is not only disrupting day to day life but is delving into the world of politics, robot accounts were responsibly for trending the hashtag #TrumpWon after the debates, not actual supporters. we are obsessed with potential wrongdoings regardless of evidence which is why Clinton's emails constantly resurfaced - technology was responsibly for them playing a factor. The fake trump stories made by teenagers wanting money potentially influenced voters and we are stuck in a 'voter bubble' where we only see the things that we like and agree with - rarely getting the other side of the story.

(http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/politics-fact-sheet/)

66% of social media users (39% of American adults) have engaged in one of eight civic or political activities with social media:

• 38% of those who use social networking sites (SNS) or Twitter “like” or promote material related to politics or social issues that others have posted
• 35% have used social networking sites to encourage people to vote
• 34% have used the tools to post their own thoughts or comments on political and social issues
• 33% have used the tools to repost content related to political or social issues that was originally posted by someone else
• 31% have used the tools to encourage other people to take action on a political or social issue
• 28% have used the tools to post links to political stories or articles for others to read
• 21% belong to a group on a social networking site that is involved in political or social issues
• 20% have used the tools to follow elected officials and candidates for office

I think that for everything there is a threat - evening politics the previous threat would have been investigative journalism (Nixon). I personally believe that there is more than what the article is implying. The disruption may be more of a transition from one vital factor of day to day life to another, people are just unwilling to accept the change. Clintons emails would have equated to watergate, Trumps illegitimate trends would have equated to him having control over a newspaper and making them promote him as a candidate. The real distraction is the response and lack of understanding. Or even potentially the bubbles that everyone is putting themselves into.