A significant opportunity new and digital
media has for audiences is the freedom to create. An example of this could be
with the news – audiences can easily ‘tweet’, record or take a picture of what
may be going on around them which means that they are creating their own
version of events that they can publish and share via the internet using a
mediums of facebook.com or youtube.com (as well as other social networking
sites). This user generated content will be readily available for any one on the
internet to find and therefore audiences have contributed in creating news.
Furthermore, it also allows people to spread news such as when Barack Obama got
re-elected as president. He tweeted and image of him and his wife, this got retweeted
millions of times and has consequently become the most retweeted picture in
Twitter history.
Wednesday 17 April 2013
Tuesday 26 February 2013
Monday 25 February 2013
Case Study | Questions 9 - 12
- Consider the effects so far, and possible effects in the future, on media institutions involved in your case study (media production).
The effects so far on media insitutions such as Apple are quite positive. Due to globalisation Apple have become a world renound comany in mobile technology as well as computers (which makes them a respected insitiution). Although they are a very wealthy and successful company, most people see them in a positive despite their wealth being on par with the the company Goldman Sachs - who most people see as "greedy money grabbers". http://www.towardfreedom.com/globalism/2713-the-apple-connection-globalization-and-outsourcing People continue to be loyal to Apple. However, their good reputation outweighs the production lines of foreign labour they impose in factories with workers not realy earning that much money. This could have a negative implication for the future as if they continue to grow at the rate in which they are doing so now they may continue to imploy cheap workers - even secretly - and this is usually seen as unethical and could be likened to sweatshops in India that produce Nike clothing.
This may also apply to Samsung as they are contuning to build their success and are growing more rapidly.
Another possible effect in the future is that of the fact that the companies may have plateued and may not be able to go beyond their technoloical advancements.
- What issues may there be regarding media effects and /or regulation/ censorship as a result of changes due to new and digital media?
A bigger issue regaurding censorship and regulation would be the capabilities of using mobile internet. As the use of smart phones increases, developers aim to make mobile interent as fast as they can to satisfy their consumers. This then impacts the use of social networkin which before was accessed by computers, now people are able to use them on the go and share and "tweet" what they are whitnessing at the time. A good example of this is the use of Twitter in the Arab spring as well as footage being filmed from their mobile phones and shared. The rise of UGC means gatekeepers are as able to censor things from the public domain.
- Are there any cross-cultural factors and /or effects of globalisation involved in the impact of new technology on your case study? E.g. the internet has been said to be ‘globalising culture’ through its promotion of the English language.
Effects of globalisation are reinforced by the fact that the American company Apple have dominated the technology market and employ people from many other poorer countries such as China. This empowers the US and allows them to remain a dominant country. This also reinforces American Hegemony. It also promotes the idea of Westernisation among poorer countries and encourages them to jump on the band wagon and start using smart phones. However, this allows other smart phone companies such as HTC and Nokia who arent as dominant to become market leaders in poorer countries due to their affordability.
- Consider theoretical perspectives in relation to the impact of new/ digital media in your case study. E.g. Representation of certain groups as a result of changes, Marxism & Hegemony, Liberal Pluralism, colonialism, audience theories etc.
The impact of new and digital media has had an impact on Marxism and Hegemony, which is primarily due to the fact that market leaders are risng to significance globally and doesnt allow other competitiors to come though. This is especially evident with Apple and Samsung which exert western hegemony on other countries.
Thursday 14 February 2013
Media News | IT Staff Shortages Raise Cyber Crime Risk
http://news.sky.com/story/1050981/it-staff-shortages-raise-cyber-crime-risk
The number of IT staff have not increased in line with the growth of the internet. This shows how the intenet has expanded rapidly and has revolutionised so quickly that people and institutions aren't able to keep up. There is a main need for phsychologists, law enforcers and technical staff but most people dont meet the standards or requirements they need which therefore means that website and etc are more vulnerable to hackers.
Question 8
- What are the political and social implications of the new technologies and the methods of their consumption? E.g. moral panics etc?
There are various social implications of new technolgies and the methods of consumtion such as it creating a means for moral panic. This may be down to the fact that the technology is developing so quickly that consumers may not be able to keep up. An example of this is the introduction of contact-less payment, even with contact-less credit/debit cards, it is still not that mainstream and the fact that they are predicting that 50% of Visa transactions will be via a mobile device in 2020 suggests they are possible moving too fast before people are ready of familiar with it. http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240177966/Boots-to-roll-out-contactless-payments-nationwide
The primary moral panic will be fear of fraud - which may be similar to when online banking was introduced.
Wednesday 6 February 2013
Case Study | Questions 3 - 7
- What impact has there been on how the media institution now has to produce the texts and the way in which the texts/ products are distributed and exhibited? This should involve a detailed textual analysis of at least 3 texts to demonstrate the point.
The iPhone (5) is the sixth generation of the iPhone which is slimmer and lighter with a larget 4 inch screen. It was released on 12 September 2012 and was available to pre-order on the 14 September - and recieved over 2 million in 24 hours.
After its launch, Samsung filed a law suit against Apple claiming that it inflinged some of its patents.
Components and labour to construct the most basic model cost US$207 (est) - which is US$19 more than components for the iPhone 4S model.
This iPhone5 advert mimics the simplicity of the iPhone - although it is very multifunctional, it is designed quite simplisticly and is quite easy to use in order to attract a wider audience. The advert uses large images to make the advert eye catching and attractive as theres no text - we can connote the institution is allowing the phone to speak for itself or that is all people need - they dont need to carry anything else - this is reinforced by the basic, functional apps that are visiable on screen. The images are central to the iPhone marketing campaign as near enough every year they release a new one - people always want to see whats so different about it and get annoyed if it looks more or less the same. By using images from various angles makes it clear for people to see. The picture at the bottom displays the iPod function which shows that they still havent forgtten about their origins and the initial purpose of the iPhone - to not have to carry a phone and an MP3 player around at the same time. Lastly, the text and ambiguous but clear slogan infers that it is a quality phone and is what people have been waiting for.
Samsung Gallaxy S III runs of the Android operating system and is designed developed and marketed by Samsung Electronics. It has additional software features and is redesigned from the Gallaxy S II. It has a 4.8 inch screen.
This US advert for the Samsung Galaxy SIII suggests and aims to portray that it is far more superiour than the iPhone 5 - its rival. The large bold text at the top draws people in to reading further on in the advert. The text is infering it is obvious which phone is better. The images of both the phones allow people to compare the phones against each other, however, the fact that the iPhone is black against the dark blue background doesnt allow it to stand out and draws people attention to the SII due to its complementing colour againgst the background. Lastly, the small print attreacts readers as they will want to to know exactly what it says and the fact that the lists are side by sides makes the comparason obvious and what one has more features and better spec. The fact that it is these phones compared together infer that these are the two market leaders and main rivals. By comparing them, the audience can easily see what one is better (for them).
HTC
This advert for the HTC Sensation 4G differs from the previous two as it seems much more personal to its audience. The large image shows the front of the phone however playing a music video - from this we can infer that its primary (extra) function is as a music/media player. The use of the illustrated letters of the word "you" makes the advert more personal to the people and makes them feel included - especially from the text which draws attention to the word "innovation" being followed by "inspired by you". This is intentional from the insitiution as they recognise that their rivaling companies attract consumers by boasting about the spec, whereas HTC aim to draw and audience in subtly and friendly. The mention of the compatability of "Google Goggles" also allows people to identify something familiar and reliable and will assosiate it positively with this phone. Lastly, the HTC slogan in the bottom right hand corner with the short slogan; "quietly brilliant" connotes that HTC have recognised that their competition - Apple and Samsung - are great, but suggests they are over-rated and although HTC arent as overt as its competitiors, there are just as good and come across as an underdog.
- Is the size of the audience any different now than before the impact of new and digital media (or has the pattern of usage changed)? E.G. consider for the impact of new and digital media on TV broadcasting the change in audience ratings for programmes as a consequence of the deregulation of TV. (Prior to deregulation audience figures could be 20m+ for Eastenders etc to a situation today where, due to the massive number of channels now available, audiences are vastly reduced and fragmented).
The size of the audience for mobile phones has increased largely since new and digital media made an impact on it. This is especcialy clear in teenagers who are the largest group of frequent mobile phone users - http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/2/prweb9194179.htm. However, this in the future, even younger people maystart to use smart phones as they have much more convergence and are multi purpose. Addionally, the fact that mobile phones/smart phones can be used for various different tasks now - prior to standard mobile phones - means that people are bound to use them more seeing as they can accomplaish many tasks - from phoneing/messaging people, to watching videos, visiting webpages and gaming. Furthermore, as they have more sophisticated software the settings can be changed to suit the user - and possibly to increase its ease of usability for people who may find them more difficult to use.
- Who are the primary target audience now and has this changed? Who was it before and how do you know?
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/3319666/apples-iphone-is-most-popular-smartphone-with-mobile-workers/
CURRENT TARGET AUDIENCE
Business people
ORIGINAL TARGET AUDIENCE
HOW DO YOU KNOW?
Smart phones have become more advanced, have used convergence and have become largely multi-functional with various elements such as email, internet, planners, and various apps to aid people in their organisation.
TEXT
CURRENT TARGET AUDIENCE
Teenagers/Young Adults
ORIGINAL TARGET AUDIENCE
HOW DO YOU KNOW
Companies have introduced countless entertainment apps in order to make smart phones a gaming device - apps include Temple Run and Angry Birds which are very popular and raise a lot of revenue. Furthermore, Windows Phones integrate XBox live into their operation system allowing gamers to keep track of their gaming. Communication apps are also a way of encouraging young mobile users to use smart phones as it allows interaction among peers for free - this especially became popular when Blackberrys became mainstream.
- How have the audience responded to the changes? Is there more customer choice? Is there evidence of a more pluralistic model? What evidence do you have to support this?
The audience have responded in a positive way to the changes as they constanly accept the various advancements mobile phones have; it may possibly be down to the fact that it may be making life - and certain tasks more ealier to accomplish - such as shopping, or finding places to eat, etc. Additionally, it also creates more entertainment for the audience as they can use them for gaming or streaming videos. However, theres the issue of; are audiences ready for the continuing developments? And the fact that it may bring about a moral panic.
There is quite a range in customer choice as companies aim to bring out new models to suit a range of different people. http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/mobile-phones/ However, there are dominant companies such as Apple and Samsung - who are in high competition with one another which is highlighted through the law suit http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20635961 - as well as HTC, Nokia and Blackberry - who are trying to re-emerge. On the other hand, there is a huge range in customer choice in terms of apps, which suggests that theres apps for everyone and everything and is a means of consumers creating revenue for the companies. Additionally, theres also competition in the operating systems - mainly with iOS and android. http://www.extremetech.com/computing/139458-android-now-powers-75-of-all-smartphones-sold-are-we-heading-towards-a-google-monopoly However, it seems that android is dominant due to the range of smartphones that has this operating system and the fact that its slightly more affordable.
There is attempts for a more pluralistic model due to the fact that there are various companies that manufacture phones, however the market leaders are Apple and Samsung. Oh the other hand, most smart phones more or less do similar things - such as checking news/weather, watching videos, playing games and now more recently some sort of voice commanding software. Competing companies aim to go above each other or at least become equivalent to the market leaders; so in this sense we could say that there is not much of a pluralistic model as the concept of smartphones from each company are quite similar in some aspects. http://www.qbn.com/topics/654022/
- What concerns/ considerations are there (if any) for the media institutions involved in your case study as a result of the impact of new and digital media? (e.g. deskilling or multi-skilling of the workforce/ decline in workforce etc)
A concern for the impact of new and digital media on mobile phones is that people may become too reliant on them which may in turn make them more lazy and technology reliant. An economic concern would be that the increase in use of smart phones and the continuing devleopment of them may mean that other insitiuiton - that may have been market leaders in other sectors may be affected by mobile technology. This includes companies such as Canon (cameras) as people arent buying cameras as much as they used to due to the sophistication of cameras on smart phones. This also affects gaming companies such as Nintendo as people are using their smart phones to play games and therefore people wont be as interested in buying games consoles or games as smart phone technology may increase and become just as sophisticated. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/telegraph-view/9838190/No-one-can-afford-to-ignore-the-smartphone-revolution.html
Additionally, due to the fact that Apple is a well known company, they have to consider their public image. If they get bad press showing how their production lines have a lack of working standards or their workers get paid a low wage, this would give the company a bad image and reputation.
Case Study | Questions 1&2
Next steps:
- Has new and digital media had an impact upon ownership and control of the media institution(s) involved in your case study area? Explain in detail any impact and what exactly has changed.
New and digital media has had an impact on smartphones as we are now able to use our phones for a huge amount of tasks - this is due to convergence. However, there is dominance over this area, with the main competiors being Apple, Samsung and HTC. For example; there was a law suit going on between Apple and Samsung, with Apple claiming that Samsung had coppied various elements of their software. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc._v._Samsung_Electronics_Co.,_Ltd. Nonetheless, it seems as though the ios running system is the market leader. This is evident as many apps are available on ios before they are available on the android systems. Blackberry have also tried to regain a place in the smart phone market with their attempts to introduce a new phone and opperating system. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jan/31/blackberry-bb10-z10-roundup This contrasts to a year back - or so - when blackberrys seemed to be the most popular phones. It now seems Apple is hegemonic as it is the leading company for not just the iPhone (smart phones) but also tablets and macs are increasing in popularity.
Furthermore, the market leaders in the mobile phone competition have completely changed from a few years ago when Nokia was the leading phone company, however as the use of smart phones is increasing, Nokia are slightly behind its competitors. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17769772
- What impact has there been on the way in which the audience now consume the media products/ texts involved in your case study? How does it differ from what went before? Consider (SHEP)
The primary way in which the audience now consume smart phones is through contract plans, this differs from around 10 years ago when contract plans were primarily used by professional adults, whereas everyone else used pay as you go top ups. This shows how people have began to use their phones more as these plans are better value for money in the long term if you're going to be using your phone regularly. Furthermore, internet is usually included in these contract plans which allows consumers to always be connected and have the world wide web in their pockets. Additionally, the use of internet on smartphones allows users to download apps onto their phones which is also another means for making money. Some apps also are designed as some sort of replacement for texing such as Whatsapp which uses an 3G connection as well as iMessage which is designed for iPhone users.
Thursday 31 January 2013
Black Mirror: The National Anthem
The message of Black Mirror: The National Anthem is that news is now able to spread much faster then expected due to the increase of people using and relying on the internet and social networking. Sites such as twitter allow us to access a form of rolling/24 hour news other than the conventional news channels such as BBC News or Sky News. It also highlights a lack of censorship and privacy as it allows people to freely be interactive with one another and share their opinions, this in turn leads to the desensitization of society.
The Impact of New & Digital Media Case Study | Step 3
My case study will involve theimpact of new and digital
media on smartphones.
I have chosen this topic because it is a very current issue
due to the rapid growth and dependency society has on smartphones. I will be able
to explore convergence, economic consequences and the continuing and constant development
in its technology.
Also: Apps, usage, rivalry/competition, software - ios, android, windows, blackberry, UGC
3 media texts
1. “No one can
afford to ignore the smartphone revolution” (Article) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/telegraph-view/9838190/No-one-can-afford-to-ignore-the-smartphone-revolution.html
E media
30 Jan 2013
2. Smartphone shipments reach 671m
in Q4 2012: Juniper Research
E-Media
30 Jan 2013
3.
CES 2013 preview: Smart phones
(Clip)
E-media
31 Dec 2012
Theories:
UGC
Multi Media
Experience
Digital
haves/have nots
Capitalism
Mobility
4G
Communication
Hegemony
Wednesday 23 January 2013
Cover Work | Articles
Will the internet end up controlled by big business and politicians?
· The talk is always about "governance" or "regulation", but really it's about control
· the big question has been whether the most disruptive communications technology since print would be captured by the established power structures
· In Dubai, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
o a venerable UN body employing nice-but-politically-dim engineers and run by international bureaucrats of average incompetence, staged the grandly named World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12)
· But because the ITU is a UN body on which every member country has a vote, some regimes construed the conference as an opportunity for enabling governments to begin getting a grip on controlling the net
· some countries saw revised IT regulations as a way of enabling them to levy charges on the giant western companies that currently dominate the net
· others saw them as a chance to control content flowing electronically across their frontiers
· few saw them as a way of loosening the grip that western countries (particularly the US) currently has on the organisations that are critical to the technical management of the internet.
· The underlying reality was that most western countries simply refused to buy into the agendas of the authoritarian and/or developing countries who sought to use the conference as a means to the ends that they desired
· WCIT-12 was a significant event in the evolution of the internet
o it demonstrated that the war to control the network not only goes on, but is increasing in intensity.
· Instagram, a photo-sharing service that Facebook recently acquired for an unconscionable sum, abruptly changed its terms and conditions.
o hapless users of the service were required to agree that Instagram could use any or all of their photographs for advertising and other purposes, at its sole discretion.
§ caused such a storm that the company rowed back
· people saw this as just another illustration of the old internet adage
o if the service is free then you are the product.
· Others saw it as evidence that Facebook is determined to "monetise" its billion-plus users in any way it can.
· it demonstrates the extent to which giant internet corporations will try to control their users.
· Tim Berners-Lee, "There are probably 200 million people now who think that Facebook is the internet."
· As WCIT-12 showed, they may be having trouble getting a grip on the net, but they won't give up on the project.
· What Barlow didn't reckon with, however, was that another gang of control freaks would also get in on the act – the Facebooks, Googles, Amazons and Apples of this world
o they're making more progress than governments at the moment.
· Each of these started out as gloriously anarchic, creative, open and vibrant technologies
o but eventually each industry was "captured" by a charismatic entrepreneur who offered consumers a more dependable, consistent proposition.
Why power has two meanings on the internet
· The 80/20 split = the Pareto Principle.
· normal distribution is rare.
· In its place, we see the distribution of which Pareto's Principle is a special example: a small number of people/sites/words/etc account for most of the action, with a "long tail" getting very little of it.
· instead of most websites having an "average" number of inbound links, a very small number of sites (the Googles, Facebooks and Amazons of this world) have colossal numbers of links, while millions of sites have to make do with only a few.
o call this a "power law" distribution
· Everywhere you look on the internet, you find power laws
o the Guardian's online comment forums; 20% of comments are provided by 0.0037 per cent of the paper's monthly online audience
· there are millions of blogs out there, a relatively small number of them attract most of the readership
· Clay Shirky : "In systems where many people are free to choose between many options, a small subset of the whole will get a disproportionate amount of traffic (or attention or income), even if no members of the system actively work towards such an outcome. This has nothing to do with moral weakness, selling out or any other psychological explanation. The very act of choosing, spread widely enough and freely enough, creates a power law distribution".
· relentless consolidation of mass-media ownership into the hands of giant conglomerates means public sphere had been steadily shrinking in the postwar era
o this has worrying implications for liberal democracy.
· How can we overcome the tyranny of power laws
Lessons the tech world learned in 2012
LESSON 1 Tweet in haste, repent at leisure
· Lord McAlpine has become a leading innovator in internet law
· The allegations saying he was a child abuser has changed the began landscape in the UK
· The smart move was to discriminate between different classes of users
o Those with 500 or fewer followers could get in touch with McAlpine's lawyers and, upon payment of a small fee to charity, escape with a pardon
o More substantial tweeters were required to pay heftier damages or face the full force of m'learned friends in court.
· It could be said that the unruly internet beast is being tamed.
· if a broadcasting network such as the BBC can be held responsible for what it transmits, surely Twitterers should be too?
LESSON 2 Valuing technology companies remains an inexact science
· Facebook shares fell 24% in the first three days of open trading
· Another example:
o October 2011, HP bought the Cambridge-based company for $11.7bn. Last month, HP announced that it was taking an $8.8bn write-off because it had realised that Autonomy was not worth anything like its purchase price. HP claimed that $5.5bn of the write-off was explained by the discovery of "accounting irregularities"
LESSON 3 Raspberries come in unexpected flavours
Newsweek unveils final print edition
· 80-year-old US current affairs magazine Newsweek has revealed the image that will grace the cover of its last-ever print edition.
· The death of the print edition was caused by falling advertising revenues, as audiences moved online.
· From the new year, Newsweek will be a digital-only publication.
· Editor Tina Brown described it as "a new chapter" for the magazine
· Newsweek's first edition was published on 17 February, 1933
· At its height, it had a circulation of 3 million, but declining readership and advertising revenue saw it fall into losses.
· The move to a digital edition will allow Newsweek to cut costs such as printing, postage and distribution
· it will lose money from print advertisers, who traditionally pay more than their online counterparts
Why US newspaper publishers favour paywalls
· becoming increasingly prevalent at newspaper websites across the United States
· Eleven of the country's largest-selling 20 newspapers are either charging for access or have announced plans to do so
o include America's top four titles: the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
· The Globe & Mail article also says that more than 35% of US newspaper readers are regularly discovering some restrictions in their online surfing
o though most papers allow visitors to access several articles for free before hitting a wall. This so-called "metered model" is the most popular form of charging.
The Writing is on the paywall – but the end of the print is not quite nigh
· Everybody knows that print newspaper sales are plummeting while unique visits to the same papers' websites go soaring on
· The Telegraph, the Guardian and many of the rest are down overall between 8% and 10% year-on-year: but their websites – with the Mail breaking 7 million unique browsers a day
· As for news and current affairs magazines – which you'd expect to find in the eye of the digital storm – they had a 5.4% increase to report. In short, on both sides of the Atlantic, although some magazine areas went down, many, even in an economic blizzard, showed vibrant growth.
· And you can discover a similar phenomenon at work when it comes to reading books
· Already 360 US papers – including most of the biggest and best – have built paywalls around their products
Tuesday 15 January 2013
Notes | How Facebook Changed the World (BBC)
TUNISIA
· The internet allowed events to be recorded hour by hour
· The Arab Spring – Tunisia, Egypt, Libya
· December 2010; The suicide of a fruit seller in Sidi Bouzid sparked uprising
o He, plus other, continued supporting taunting from higher people
· The internet revolution tipped balance of power
· The day after he committed suicide, 100’s of people gathered where he set himself alight
· This ultimately became a street war between the police and people who were sticking up for him.
· Tunisian State TV reported nothing that was going on#
o The press is highly censored.
· However, citizens captured it on their phones
o They had to avoid being arrested/shot
· People shared the footage though Facebook
o 1 in 5 (2 million) Tunisians have Facebook
§ Many people thought it was trivial hence why they don’t have it.
· (Assad, the PM of Syria) (Banali – PM of Tunisia)
· 2 normal every day citizen bloggers blogged about it.
o ¼ had broadband
o 90% had mobile phones
· Benali had censored all political websites
· From them 2 people sharing their footage through Facebook, they spread virally, rapidly
o They were picked up by Al Jazera
· They had also set up software on their mobile phones to set up a live stream.
· Benali fled to Saudi Arabia
· It only took 28 days from the 1st protest to the collapse of the regime
o Copycat demonstration
§ Theory – audiences influenced by what they see
· New and digital media allowed the protest to speed up pace.
EGYPT
· Cairo, political activists watched with awe
o Tunisia made them aware of what they could accomplish
· However, Mubarak, the PM of Egypt would be harder to crack
· Activists found the internet the safest way to communicate with one another
· Khaled Syeed – Martyr – was beaten by police as he exposed the corrupt nature of the government
o This rallied support for a revolution
· 5 million facebook users
· Protests were planned by activists
o These were inspired by events in Tunisia
· 20% of Egyptians had access to interent
o Therefore, they used taxi drivers to spread their message
· 25th January 2011 – Beginnings of uprising
· Obama supported Mubarak
o This made many Egyptians angry
o They felt content for Obama
o These were reasons for a more active protest
· The government switched off communication – internet and mobile networks
o People cut off from each other. 25th Feb
· However, they didn’t really need it for their plan
o Only used it to deceive police of where the demonstrations were going to be.
· As people didn’t know what was happening, the actually went outside to see.
· The internet later went back on
o People received many patriotic messages from the government but they did not care
· The army, strongest institution in Egypt
o Paid 1.3 billion to empower it.
· As they finally sided with the protestors – Mubarak had no other choice but to step down
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