Lesson notes - Mr. Dougan

Network Neutrality - This is defined as the freedom to access any kind of content on the web, without the fear of restrictions. It is the principle behind the freedom that web users enjoy online.

Network Neutrality is important for:

• Growth
• Creativity
• Communication

It is not available worldwide as there are countries whose governments restrict their citizens' access for political reasons.

Network Neutrality is possibly in danger because there are companies who have interest in making sure that access to the web is not freely available.

The media is regulated to set limits to freedom which is the most basic principle of democratic societies. General justifications for regulation that help to reconcile it with principles of freedom and democracy.

There are six reasons for media regulation:

• management
• protection of public order
• protection of individual and sectional rights and interests
• promotion of the efficiency and development of the communication system
• promotion of access, freedom to communicate, diversity and universal provision
• maintaining conditions for effective operation of free markets in media services

Press, radio and television broadcasting were subject from the beginning to high levels of restriction. The general concept of social responsibility and public interest lies at the core of the broadcasting model. The main difference between systems that are within public ownership and control and those that operate commercially, but subject to licensing conditions and public scrutiny.

Main reasons for regulation are:

• to ensure universal availability
• to allocate frequencies and broadcasting concessions
• to ensure a wide range of services and access opportunities
• to promote high quality content
• to look after the best interests of the state

The broadcasting model covers two main type of system. One is the public service variant, the other consists of privately owned and financed systems.

The internet is the main new medium of our time. Despite this, for regulatory purposes it is treated primarily under the common carrier model and is subject to no particular regulatory regime of its own. It does not have guarantees of freedom like the press nor content regulations like broadcasting. One stems from its lack of central organisation. It is not owned by anyone, but many users of the same basic technology and infrastructure.

Media and communications regulation are among the most dynamic and exciting legal developments in recent years. The LSE Law Department is the leading edge in these fields.

The media now affects nearly every aspect of our lives. It influences the products we consume, via advertising; our understanding of the world via news and documentary; our leisure via film and broadcast fiction and games; our methods of communication via the internet. It is widely acknowledged that this dominance gives the media huge influence.

Ofcom are a UK media institution that has the responsibility of regulation. They have two areas of control which are:

• applying adequate protection for audiences against offensive or harmful material
• applying adequate protection for audiences against unfairness or the infringement of privacy

Using the three theories give examples using WE media - Mrs. McDonald

The Hypodermic Needle Model is a theory that suggests that all the information delivered through media "passes through the mass consciousness of the audience unmediated". The theory suggests that the audience believe everything that they are told in the media. The main example of WE media regarding this theory is North Korea.

The communist country restrict the amount of media that the citizens are allowed to access, they infamously murdered ten of their government officials for watching South Korean television. Also if you access the internet in North Korea and search the country you will only find positive sites that glorify the nation and propaganda, all negative websites are removed. This allows them to have control over the citizens and you can see how the Hypodermic Needle Theory relates to this country. The video below emphasises the oppression of the country in regards to media.

However the (Blumler and Katz) Uses and Gratifications theory opposes the Hypodermic Needle Model. This theory believes that the audience is active rather than passive, that individuals "use texts in different ways and the audience are no longer viewed as passive receivers". There are four identified needs of the audience that this theory employs and this can be linked in with WE media. If you take football (as it is documented and recorded around the world) you can apply each of the needs. 

The first one is entertainment and diversion this means that the audience view media as a form of escapism and watch football through television to forget the stresses of daily life. 

The second need is personal relationships/social interaction which allows the audience to socialise regarding events and in terms of football there is social media where people can voice their opinions the match or news involving the sport.

The third need is Personal Identity which means that the audience can compare their lives to the lives of characters or situations presented through the media. In relation to football the audience can compare their lives to those of the footballers and they can learn of their lifestyles through their social media accounts and the internet.

The fourth and final need is Information/Education this allows the audience to find out what is going in the world. Regarding football the audience can keep up to date through various methods such as television, radio, internet, newspapers and social media. This need relates to many forms of WE media.

The final theory is (David Buckingham) The Creative Audience. This theory suggests that young people are using the media as a "wallpaper" something to pass the time due to boredom. This theory relates to social media as nearly everyone has either a Facebook or Twitter account or both. They document things that happen in their lives onto the internet for all the world to see and this can be seen as a time passer and something to do because you are bored. 

Buckingham says that "young people use media to help make sense of their experiences". I think that due to the age that our generation have grown up in social media has become a part of our lives and I personally check my social media accounts daily. This video is an insight into the affect that social media has had on sociey.

How has WE media affected the traditional consumption of news - Mr. Dougan

This question heavily varies on age. Different age groups consume the news through their own methods. Traditional forms of news belong to newspapers, television and radio. As this is how previous generations have consumed the news.

According to Ofcom research, television and internet are the two most used platforms that people use to view the news. 48% of the UK population consume the news through television, this emphasises that traditional consumption platforms are continuously used to this day. However consumption of the news via television is declining according to Thomas E. Patterson. He suggests that this is due to the younger generation "moving to a different distribution" and this can be used to explain Ofcom's findings that 38% of the UK population consume the news through the use of the internet.

Internet however, can be partly responsible for the changes for what is viewed as traditional news consumption. The youth of today are a lot more impatient in comparison to past generations. The advancements in technology, such as smartphones, has delivered fast service at the click of a button. 3G and 4G internet allows people to access the internet anywhere they want, at any time showing that the news can be accessed anywhere. This means that they don't need to wait for the news segment to appear on the radio or go to the shops to purchase the daily newspaper. This is a massive factor in the decrease of traditional news consumption.

It can be argued that what is considered 'traditional' news consumption is questionable. Due to the age that we live in, technologies are developing fast and all new advancements are being made frequently. In 10 years time, what is now considered at the unorthodox methods to view the news such as through smartphones and the internet may be considered as the traditional ways to consume the news. 

Evaluation Question 4

Evaluation Question 4 - Update

I have finished my answer to the fourth evaluation question in which I have used Video Scribe as the platform to present my answer. I am currently experiencing some technical difficulties in terms of publishing my video so I can display it on my blog. Sorry miss for the wait but this is something I have been trying to fix and hope to have the question on the blog by the end of the wait. Thanks for your patience.