Link to group blog

This is the link to my group blog - Group 2

http://chchsgroup2a2media.blogspot.co.uk/

Evaluation Problems

After being given my feedback for my coursework, I decided to go back to my evaluation questions and rectify the problems based on the feedback. However I have not been able to improve my evaluation questions due to technical difficulties.

Question 1 was top mark band so I didn't have to make any changes to my question.

Question 2 needed a few changes but I couldn't access the video at all due to iMovie not saving the video on the projects. I searched the internet and couldn't find a way to find my video again so I could apply the changes.

Question 3 needed some work on the voice overs as I pronounced some words wrong and used other media language in the wrong context. However I went onto prezi to make these changes and it would not let me alter the voice overs. Every time I clicked on them it would freeze and crash my computer. This was also the case in the iMacs in sixth form.

In my final question I already had problems with the Video Scribe software and that is why the second half of the evaluation is presented on a Google Drive document. However my free trial expired after I had uploaded the evaluation so I couldn't access my video to make the altercations.

It has been very unfortunate that all of the evaluation questions have experienced problems that are beyond my capabilities to alter. This is something that I have to accept and try to raise my current marks through other blog posts.

'What will happen next? The role of Twitter and social networking sites' Discuss and write an overview of your findings.

Currently social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have integrated into society to become a factor into every day lives. Personally I check my social networking sites a couple of times a day, and this is just due to the generation I have grown up in and the advancements of technology over the past decade. 

I think that the popularity of social networking websites will continue to grow as even people from past generations are starting to create accounts on these websites. You can access them on computers, smart phones and tablets, showing the accessibility of these websites. However a film is due to come out called 'Unfriended' where a girl haunts the people who posted a video of her on Facebook which resulted in her taking her own life. I see this as a warning tale, emphasising the potential circumstances that can take place through social media abuse.

I think that social networking sites will soon become societies main outlet for communicating with friends and family. It will not be long till people stop communicating via telephone as pretty much everyone now-a-days has some form of social media in their lives if not multiple. 

Write an assessment on the conflicting issues involved in the freedom of the press vs the rights of the individuals to privacy given examples from stories in the media in recent times.

In the media in recent times there have been many stories surrounding the subject of privacy. We have seen news stories that have shown big conglomerates such as Rupert Murdoch violating the boundary between media and public in relation to privacy. Murdoch hacked into people's mobile phones to gain access to information that would be unobtainable to them through other legal methods of investigation. This relates to Maslow's theory of the six-level hierarchy of human needs. He ranks security and safety as the second highest need, other cognitive theories show that humans try to maximise stimulation such as exploration and curiosity. This can be used to explain Murdoch's actions despite his autocratic behaviour.

Lee Rigby is a solidier that was attacked and beheaded on the streets of London by two muslim extremists. When the BBC released the story to the public they shown CCTV footage of the incident, this is a violation of the privacy of the deceased. This is because they have shown the footage of his murder for all the world to see and his loved ones have seen this on the news, this is something that his loved ones should only have the access to. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this particular case. This story can be related to the Uses and Gratifications theory as BBC received significant negative press for their decision to air the footage and upset the family and friends of Lee Rigby. Their reactions shows that they have not restricted by their actions and have chosen to openly question the conglomerates decision to air such footage. The link also shows CCTV pictures that were taken which the BBC have also decided to make public. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-25448466#2

Another incident that was massive in British media was the Hillsborough disaster where 96 Liverpool supporters lost their lives at an FA cup semi-final. It was released in The Sun that Liverpool supporters were responsible for the deaths of the supporters and that they looted the bodies of the dead. This article publicly damaged the memories of the deceased, and the names of the people who died was made public. However this story opposes Herbert Marcuse's Effects model, as Liverpool supporters started a campaign called 'Justice for the 96' where they public fought those claims and also claimed a police conspiracy regarding what actually happened that day.

They pleaded for documents to be released which did prove that Margaret Thatcher covered up a conspiracy that was the police's fault that the supporters died. This prompted a release from The Sun apologising for the article they released after the incident. The people of Merseyside fought what the media told them and they prevailed, this has also led to The Sun newspaper being infamous in Liverpool and the people refuse to purchase the newspaper.

Sticking with Merseyside there has been a lot of publicity surrounded the murder of 2 year-old James Bulger. The youngest murderer in British history, Jon Venables has received a lot of publicity regarding the murder. It has been revealed that the government has spent £1 million on four separate secret identities for the murderer. Privacy is an issue with this case as it relates to Reception theory and recognises the audience as active. The public has used the information given to them from the media and have openly discredited the government for hiding the identity of one of the most infamous murderer's in the country. There was also big coverage and even more government criticism when it was revealed Venables was returning to prison for possession of child pornography. It recently came out that Venables claimed Bulger's mother is to blame for the toddlers death because she left him alone. The secret identity of the murderer has been breached more than once (evident through the fact he has had four identities) and emphasises that the life of this man will not be as private as the government would like it to be. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/james-bulger-killer-jon-venables-5038127

Finally one of the biggest British events of recent times is the London riots that arose after a policeman murdered an innocent civilian. This particular case coincides with Curran and Seaton's theory Power without responsibility. This explores the contrast between neophiliacs who welcome the change of new media technologies optimistically, and cultural pessimists who are sceptical to change. It was revealed in The Guardian that the main method of communication to organise the riots was social media. The police discovered conversations on Facebook and Twitter where rioters where organising where they were going to protest. However the main method of organisation was the BBM messaging service for Blackberry mobile phones.

This shows how the neophiliacs have embraced the new media technologies and used them to their advantage to orchestrate one of the biggest British riots in recent times. This relates to privacy as the rioters where actually hindered through their methods of communication as social media and instant messaging services store conversations on their database making it accessible to the authorities, despite reading personal messages being an invasion of privacy the police done so for the protection of the public and local businesses in comparison to Murdoch's motives; representing that there is a double standard dependant on motivation. http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/mar/28/uk-riots-twitter-facebook

I think that there is evidence such as the Murdoch case that suggests that big media conglomerates abuse their power to infiltrate the privacy of the general public. However there is a double standard as police hacked into private instant messaging conversations to stop the riots that were being orchestrated in London. This is because I believe the intentions contrast as the police's motivation was democratic and Murdoch's autocratic however this can change dependant on personal perception. Additionally there is the case of Hillsborough where they refused to believe the stories in The Sun newspaper and protested until they got the justice that they fought for.

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.