the new media Flashcards
(41 cards)
1
Q
define new media
A
- digital technologies used for mass communication
2
Q
what does the new media range from?
A
- social networking
- blogs/vlogs
- digital interactive television
- text messaging
- websites
- online gaming
3
Q
since when has the new media emerged?
A
- last 30 years or so
4
Q
what are some forms of ‘new’ media an evolution of?
A
- trad media
- eg some people choose to read news on websites eg telegraph rather than buying copy of telegraph
5
Q
true or false: new media devices and technologies are changing frequently
A
- true
- new technologies emerge, some fail to succeed in increasingly crowded media market
6
Q
what is one characteristic that differentiates new media from traditional media?
A
- digital nature of new media
7
Q
what do Curran and Seaton argue? (nature of new media)
A
- digitisation has revolutionised media
- eg info used to be spread in analogue form, eg printed words in newspapers, it’s now increasingly available in digital formats eg news websites or apps
8
Q
what do Curran and Seaton note about digitisation?
A
- allowed new media to develop
- by converting words, numbers, sounds and images into electronic binary digits’
- led to significant changes for media, eg ability to store huge quantities of data in small amount of space
- reduces costs of production and distribution
9
Q
what does Boyle argue about the nature of new media?
A
- ’digital environment’
- led to significant shift in way media operates
- eg social networks, blogs + websites written collaboratively by users (eg Wikipedia)
- people can communicate to large audiences
10
Q
what does the shift in the way media operates suggest?
A
- new media is characterised by its interactivity
- offers opportunities for people to be actively involved in info being transmitted
- eg ’red button’ on sky allows viewers to select from range of football games, and some tv programmes feature live X (twitter) feed - viewers can submit opinions
11
Q
what does interactivity of the new media suggest?
A
- media is now more individualised (to some extent), although not all audience members are able to use interactive features
- due to not being able to afford media services allowing interactivity, or not having technological confidence to use
12
Q
what is also clear in the new media?
A
- there’s more media outlets than before
- eg tv channels that offer digital systems eg sky, bt tv, virgin media
- tells us that another characteristic of new media is its diversity
13
Q
what else is more diverse in new media?
A
- control and ownership
- also more democratic than trad media
14
Q
what does Boyle argue about new media’s control and ownership?
A
- new media has caused a shift in who’s in control
- eg type and timing of tv programmes used to be decided by owners of tv channels (supply-led)
- now it’s more demand-led
15
Q
what does it mean that new media is demand-led? (CA)
A
- users have ability to choose what they want to watch and when (pluralist approach)
- eg bbc iplayer, Netflix, sky on demand
- CA: some sociologists critical of pluralist view and argue that some multinational corporations continue to control mass media
16
Q
what do Curran and Seaton argue about separateness of forms of media? (+ Boyle)
A
- they’re no longer separate
- instead new media is characterised by its interconnectivity
- eg person can send email through smart television, watch tv on computer
- Boyle: calls this ’convergence’
17
Q
contemporary example of new media characteristics:
A
18
Q
what term do Curran and Seaton use to describe those positive about new media?
A
- neophiliacs
- theses people recognise the benefits that new media brings
- links to postmodernism - both believe new media creates consumer choice and increased participation in spread of info
19
Q
why does Boyle think new media creates consumer choice?
A
- telecommunications industry aims to produce devices
- these devices can be individualised by user
- eg limitless choice of apps on phone
20
Q
what was the telecommunication industry like in the 1980s?
A
- they had few choices when it came to finding out about current affairs
- news was shown on four terrestrial tv channels once per hour, or daily local/national newspapers could be purchased
21
Q
what is the telecommunications industry like now?
A
- consumers are spoilt for choice
- multiple 24 hour news channels on digital tv subscription eg sky, websites about current affairs, and phone news apps
- updated constantly
- wider range of new stories reported on, previously news was limited to how many stories could be slotted into 10 min tv news slot, or newspaper with fixed number of pages
22
Q
what do the characteristics of new media mean for people?
A
- people find out about breaking news more quickly
- able to access news anywhere on portable devices
- receive more diverse range of new stories globally (eg trump’s tariffs, Gaza and Israel feud)
23
Q
what are traditional media owned by? and what is a criticism of this?
A
- solely by large corporations
- eg rupert murdoch news corporation including the times, the sun, the news of the world, bskyb, 20th century fox and the Wall Street journal
- criticism: difficult for citizens to have their views heard by large audience
24
Q
how is the new media now based on the involvement of users?
A
- interactive
- they have opportunity to be involved in the media
- eg publishing own online blog, or large following on social media
- some ’citizen journalists’ use big platforms to spread the word about social issues
25
what had the new media provided for experts?
- new media gives platforms for experts to **easily and widely publish info** about their specialism, leading to **encyclopaedic source of info**
- eg **wikipedia** is written by **users**, anyone can **edit** page with internet access
26
what does Jenkins argue about having the ability to collaborate on platforms like wiki? (+ CA)
- this **’collective intelligence’** could prove to be very beneficial
- **CA**: wiki contributors are **overwhelmingly male**
- **worldwide Wikipedia editor survey 2011**: **91%** of editors were **male**
- therefore, **feminists** may question whether women have benefited from new media or whether **men use it for their own benefit** to spread **patriarchal ideology**
27
criticism of neophiliacs: Curran and Seaton
- dismissive of claims of neophiliacs
- suggest that their predictions about benefits of new media are somewhat **naive**
28
what do Curran and Seaton call those negative about the new media? what are their beliefs?
- **cultural pessimists**
- believe that new media has led to **reduction in quality of poor culture**
- media is **poorly regulated**
- few corporations have **control** of most new media, rather than individual consumers
- eg some cp question **quality of info being spread** by new media outlets
29
what does Keen refer to the internet as? (cp)
- **’cult of the amateur’**
- argues that its leading to the **demise of quality info**
30
what did the Scotsman report in 2008? (cp)
- study by **Scottish parent teacher council**
- showed teachers held **concerns** about their students using **internet as research tool** as some websites hold **inaccurate info**
31
what is a website deemed as unreliable?
- **wikipedia**
- unreliable source as content on website is **user generated**
- users have **window of opportunity** to publish **wildly inaccurate info**
32
example: what did the Scotsman article state?
- wiki page on **Kylie Minogue** once claimed she’s Michael Jackson’s older sister
- page on **Robbie Williams** was accused of eating hamsters in pubs
33
what do cps argue about the publishing of info?
- even if the info is accurate, it’s **dumbing-down popular culture**
- eg, sheer number of websites dedicated to **celeb gossip**, which would have made up just a **tiny % of trad media**
34
what do cps argue about the regulation of new media?
- there’s **little regulation**
- seems to be a **breeding ground** for **poor quality info**
- includes bullying, harassment and discrimination **(Jones)**
35
what does Keen rogue about social networking sites?
- they’re becoming **’infected with anonymous sexual predators and paedophiles’**
36
what do cps argue about digital tv?
- they’re concerned as it has **weakened social cohesion**
- unlike in previous decades when only BBC1, BBC2, ITV and channel 4 existed, there’s now **hundreds of tv channels**
- channels spread multiple **beliefs** and this splits public into **fragmented groups**
37
what do Curran and Seaton argue about digital tv? (ao3)
- **four ‘traditional’ channels** continue to **dominate** tv viewing
- **2013 data**: BBC 1 alone accounted for **20.8% share of tv audience**
- four trad channels **together** attracted **48.6% of tv audience** (BARB 2013)
38
what do Cornford and Robins argue? (cp)
- international corporations still have **continuing power** over media
- even new media technologies appearing to be **user controlled** are **owned by corporations** who are able to exercise control over them
39
example of new media still continuing to be controlled by large corporations
- **Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook inc**
- owns Facebook, instagram, WhatsApp
- fb recently criticised for **removing photos** which showed women breastfeeding, but keeping photos of women in skimpy bikinis
40
what would Marxists see the corporations controlling power over the new media as evidence of?
- continuing **control of bourgeois corps** over society
41
what concerns are highlighted by the Snowden report?
- concerns about new media regarding **privacy and surveillance**
