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.

16/11/16 - Newspapers big and small are facing an existential crisis

https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/nov/11/newspapers-big-and-small-are-facing-an-existential-crisis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

The article highlights how newspaper business models are based around ad revenues - which is being destroyed by the internet. The impact is being shared across all newspaper regardless of the size. The Wall Street Journal 'required voluntary redundancy' in which 48 people complied with. The 'Downsizing expense' is being seen on a regular basis where papers are either closing down, looking for wealthy buyers who can afford to lose money or reducing the numbers of staff in an attempt to reduce costs. US print ad revenue is down by 35.1% so far this year and it has been described as the 'digital giants are sucking app advertisers' and that 'print isn't enticing advertisers. There is also the suggestion that sites such as google and Facebook should be required to pay a 1% levy to fund public service reporting.


O One-fourth of advertising revenue now comes from digital advertising.
O Editor & Publisher’s DataBook listing 126 fewer daily papers in 2014 than in 2004.
O Average weekday circulation fell 7%, the most since 2010
O digital circulation increased by 2%.
O Print Circulation dropped by 9%
O 2015, 75% of newspapers’ advertising revenue came from non-digital sources

(Newspapers: Fact Sheet

BY MICHAEL BARTHEL)

I Think that if newspapers can be descried as an ad business then they were destined to fail,being solely reliant on a source of income that could have ben unreliable from the start meant the economic instability was inevitable. Furthermore, the 1% levy fee could mean that more regulations and control would be put on the news as the money would have to be spent wisely/in the interest in the people who are giving it to them. Moreover, The 1% may only be useful if used properly. Using it to invest in continuing the newspaper in a way that is failing already would have no positive impact. it has to bemused in a way that can help the institutions to adapt to the changing times and use the internet to benefit them. It can't just be another source of just funding. it has to be invested.

NDM: News Values

Galtung and Ruge (1981) defined a set of news values to explain how journalists and editors decided that certain stories and photographs were accepted as newsworthy, while others were not.

The following list is adapted from their work:

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.

1. Come up with a news story from the last 12 months for each of the categories suggested by Harriss, Leiter and Johnson:

Conflict http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-37869457 (Syria conflict: Ceasefire for Aleppo rebels ends)

Progress http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37872111 (Paris climate deal enters force as focus shifts to action)

Disaster http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/11/08/regulators-close-more-disposal-wells-after-oklahoma-quake.html (Regulators: Close more disposal wells after Oklahoma quake)

Consequence http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-us-2016-37920175 (US election 2016 result: Trump beats Clinton to take White House)

Prominence http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/celebrity-news/brangelina-split-no-end-in-sight-as-brad-pitt-files-custody-response-20161108-gskzog.html (Brangelina split: No end in sight as Brad Pitt files custody response)

Novelty http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-37910584 (Austrian man wins right to take family name Zebra)

3) What example news story does the Factsheet use to illustrate Galtung and Ruge's News Values? Why is it an appropriate example of a news story likely to gain prominent coverage?

The news story that was used in the factsheet was and appropriate example for the following reasons:

Proximity: Despite it being in Afghanistan - It was a British soldier that makes it closer to home.
Intensity: The first female soldier to be killed is more unusual which means it is more newsworthy.
Continuity: The war in Afghanistan is a continuous event however the 'deaths, even though inevitable, are not Predictable.

4) What is gatekeeping?

Gatekeeping is where someone controls and filters information and/or stories.

5) What are the six ways bias can be created in news?

Bias through selection and omission:
Bias can be created through the refusal to cover a story or ignoring details within a story 
Bias through placement:
The placement of a story within the news agenda may influence the audiences belief on the importance.
Bias by Headline:
Headlines can be misleading in order to be appealing to an audience (Clickbait)
Bias by photos, captions and camera angles:
Pictures can being read in many ways depending on how it has been shot, the reading may not necessarily be true. Which changes the public's perception of the event.
Bias through use if names and titles:
Names and titles that are used to describe people - they can have different connotations and denotations. i.e one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
Bias by choice of words:
The use of positive and negative words and those with ambiguous connotations can influence the tone of the story.

6) How have online sources such as Twitter, bloggers or Wikileaks changed the way news is selected and published?

Some critics suggest that e-media is challenging the way media institutions 'gatekeep' the news. A high-profile doesn't necessarily guarantee reliability. Online, there is said to be a lack of professionalism. Sites such as Wikileaks suggest that their own agenda is to 'bring about "transparency" and "freedom of speech".

Regardless of the beliefs in the facts behind a story or any suggested reliability, it is ultimately to the journalist to pick and choose what stories make the top news stories of the day.

7) Give an example of a news story from the last 12 months that was reported as a result of online technology - Twitter, Wikileaks or similar.

The UCLA shooting on the 1st June 2016 - broke on periscope - where students and locals live streamed the events as and when they were taking place.

8) Complete the task on the last page of the Factsheet regarding Sky News and Twitter:
What does this reveal about how Sky views Twitter as a news source?
What does it say about how news is being produced?
What role does the audience have in this process?
Why might this be a problem for journalistic standards?

The statement shows that sky thinks that twitter is a source in which they can find their breaking news stories and also find UGC that they can use alongside their reports.
This means that news is initially being produced by social media - then being expanding by news institutions.
The audience are now the ones doing the initial investigation and providing the evidence for the journalists to review.
This might be a problem for journalistic standards as USG - given the fact that it is typically recorded on phones - isn't professional quality. Furthermore they cannot control what people are going to record or say.

Final tasks

9) In your opinion, how has new and digital media technology changed Galtung and Ruge’s news values?

I personally think that new and digital media have changed Galtung and Ruge's news values in terms of how stories fit in them - NDM in a sense has given news more dimensions rather than the single one that is show by the news.

10) How would you update them for 2016? Choose SIX of Galtung and Ruge's news values and say how each one has been affected by the growth of new and digital technology.

Immediacy - This is more important and more easily achievable - however the immediacy isn't always achieved by news themselves.

Elite Nations and People - This has definitely changed as there is more interaction with these people and nations. It also means that the desire for celebrity news is heightened.

Familiarity: I think is less important as people are actually becoming more interested in things globally rather than only acknowledging something that can be related back to them.

Unambiguity: Things are being simplified so that they can be consumed online - stories that can be quite complicated are made simple and are therefore published and reported on.

Continuity: Is more easy and prominent - people can be updated instantaneously on stories rather than the information have to be processed and approved for broadcast.

Negativity:  There is the suggestion that news institutions aim to have a somewhat balanced news agenda, however this isn't the case online - people are plagued by negativity on a daily basis.

Hyper-reality and the digital renaissance

1) Read the article from Media Magazine: Hyper-reality and the digital renaissance (Dec 2009). Use our Media Magazine archive, click on MM30 and go to page 59.

2) Create a new blogpost called 'Hyper-reality and the digital renaissance' and make notes from the article under the following headings: 

examples

1876 - Alexander Bell invented the telephone 

audiences embraced television when it became commercially available in the 30s and 40s
stereoscopic images were pioneered in the 1870s by Eadweard Muybridge.
The Internet came about in the 1990's and heightened people's routine use of technology.
Next came Laptops, wireless and broadband technology which expanded the daily use.
'has reframed the way in which media institutions conceptualise their own business infrastructure: in the post-digital age the most successful brands are those that exist across multiple platforms: BAUER’s Kerrang!,

for example, is a website, TV and radio station. Likewise, the increased interactivity between audience and institution has refined their relationship, with niche market programming proliferating at the expense of broadcasting,' 

'On the face of things, social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace embody postmodern culture: they are virtual reality spaces in which the distinction between the real and the simulated is neither here nor
there and audiences are free to construct

their identity from a bricolage of pop culture references:

theories 

Interactivity 
'proliferation of digital technology'
'hyper-real utopia'

'Frankfurt School theorists like Theodore Adorno, for example, viewed the gramophone record and cinema as a means of distracting the working class from their disadvantaged social positions. Likewise, though Jean Baudrillard’s work is pivotal in understanding terms like hyper- reality and simulacrum, he expresses anxiety about a society alienated from itself. And, indeed, from Albert Bandura’s The Bobo Doll Experiment (1961), to Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine (2002) the media is forever on

trial: a convenient bogey man to be blamed for all society’s evils. '

positive aspects of new technology (or 'digital renaissance' 

More interactivity
Potentially less prejudice - definitely more opinions 

negative aspects of new technology on audiences and society  

various mental health issues 
Echo chambers 
people may become too influential

wider issues and debates 
Echo Chambers

3) The article was written in 2009. Offer three examples of more recent social networking sites or uses of technology that support the idea of a 'digital renaissance'.

Snapchat - People send more videos and images than written word - News stories are also available in short form.

Twitter - has become a major news source for individuals - however echo chambers are a great wish and people end up being in their own bubble and are then shocked by election results.

Instagram - People are sharing and influencing/being influence by lifestyles.

4) How do live streaming services such as Periscope or Facebook Live fit into the idea of a 'digital renaissance'? Are these a force for good or simply a further blurring of reality?

Live streaming services fits into the 'digital renaissance' because it is new and constantly changing technology - particularly with periscope as it is still relatively new and people are still establishing a main use - however especially with live streaming there is usually a facade created by users because they believe it will get them more views which will in turn blur reality.

5) How can we link the 'digital renaissance' to our case study on news? Is citizen journalism a further example of hyper-reality or is it actually making news more accurate and closer to real life?

Citizen journalism can in fact be seen as hyper reality as we only see one perspective and typically UGC is centred around negativity and loss of life which can create a negative reality. Further more even though footage wouldn't be edited by particularly powerful people - someone can easily chose what to shoot live which can alter the true event.

NDM News: Citizen Journalism and Hyper-reality

It provides a more positive reading of how new technology can change the way news is created and consumed and also gives us the chance to consider Baudrillard's theory of hyper-reality.

Media Magazine ran a reality special edition a few years ago that explored these issues in some depth. Your blog task is to read two (or more!) articles from MM30 and complete the tasks below.

Blog tasks

Citizen journalism and UGC (user-generated content)

1) Read the article from Media Magazine: The Rise and Rise of UGC (Dec 2009). Use our Media Magazine archive, click on MM30 and go to page 55.

2) Create a blogpost where you make notes from the article under the following headings: 

examples

In 1991 video cameras became more popular and affordable.

Rodney king was caught after a high speed chase where police beat him. This was caught on camera and made 'prime time news'. The officers were charged but were then acquitted of those charges.

The Asian Tsunami on December 26th 2004 was predominantly reported using UGC. Social media also helped to create eye witness accounts and also 'helped survivors and family members get in touch'.

The London Bombings on July 5th 2005 is another example where 'No one was closer to events than those caught up in the bombings, and the footage they provided from their mobile phones was raw and uncompromising.' 

23-year-old, Seung-Hui Cho sent writing, photos and videos to NBC news. He killed two people, sent the package via local post office, then killed a further 30 people. 'his 'manifesto' showed his paranoia and obsession, likening himself to jesus christ. Jamal Albarghouti, rather than saving his own life, stayed nearby and shot the even on his phone.

Twitter and flickr played a vital part in the Mumbai bombings in November 2008. Again they were risking their own lives sending tweets.

The Hudson River plane crash on January 15th 2009 was brought to peoples attention on twitter. 

theory (audience reception etc.) 

Blumler and Katz - Uses and Gratifications - Surveillance - we are reliant on UGC for a lot of our observations of the world.

Personal Identification

Galtung and Ruge - News Values 

Immediacy - people can shoot and upload as and when events are occurring.

benefits to institutions

Free footage for institutions, the also don't need to pay and send someone to go out and capture footage from the sidelines.

benefits to audience

They are more involved, more activeness passive.

wider issues and debates 

There is no regulation of what is posted so a lot of content can be falsified and/or inappropriate.

SHEP

Social

There has been a dramatic rise is audience interaction - More and more people automatically film an event through instinct rather than running to save themselves and forget.

Historical 

In 1991, cameras become more popular and affordable.

Economical 

News institutions need to spend less on footage and sending people out to capture the footage which would be from the sidelines rather than directly where the action is.

Political

The more powerful are less able to control the news and make it bias in favour of them another beliefs. All perspectives are unedited.

3) What is meant by the term ‘citizen journalist’?

A citizen journalist is a member of the public whom may not have and journalistic experience sharing and reporting - often inadvertently - news stories.

4) What was one of the first examples of news being generated by ‘ordinary people’?

Rodney king was caught after a high speed chase where police beat him. This was caught on camera and made 'prime time news'. The officers were charged but were then acquitted of those charges. despite the footage showing evidence and causing the even to become news.

5) List some of the formats for participation that are now offered by news organisations.

Comment sections

Polls

Chatrooms/forums

Message/phone ins

6) What is one of the main differences between professionally shot footage and that taken first-hand (UGC)?

The quality of the footage is a main difference, however the professionally shot footage is always edited and changing the narrative to suit peoples desires.

7) What is a gatekeeper?

 A gatekeeper is someone who filters and moderates information.

8) How has the role of a gatekeeper changed?

They have little control over content online. which can be and issue if they have chosen to cut out something from footage that has been posted online.

9) What is one of the primary concerns held by journalists over the rise of UGC?

Audiences are more involved which means they are open to more criticism.
Too many 'unimportant' stories will be sent in, they may be popular but don't suit many news values.

10) Offer your own opinion (critical autonomy) on the following:

What impact is new/digital media having on:

• news stories
• the news agenda (the choice of stories that make up the news)
• the role of professionals in news

New and digital media allows for more surveillance of the world as stories that aren't usually covered by news institutions are shown online, particularly on social media. This means that the news agenda can and will be criticised quite heavily especially in terms of not properly covering issues like The North Dakota Pipeline and the ongoing events in Syria. As a result professionals are not necessarily need, this is evident on sites such as youtube as there are a lot of news sites run by people whom may not have professional journalistic experience.