Missed Media Work

Definition of Media Institutions: large organisations that own,produce or regulate different kinds of media content

—Rank the following texts in order of how likely they are to contain ‘institutional bias' (Least to most)

— 

1)  An episode of Big Brother on C5 

2) A typical Hollywood action film 

3)  A typical British ‘social realist’ drama film (e.g. Ill Manors) 

4) —8) —A police/crime documentary on ITV1

5) —The front page of The Sun

—6) The headlines on Fox News 

7) —An editorial in The Guardian —

8) — —A parliamentary report on BBC News 24

There is less censorship and a lack of control of online information in comparison to traditional ‘mass media’  therefore it has become associated with what Castells describes as a “technological blossoming of the culture of freedom, individual innovation and entrepreneurialism” (Castells, 1996, 5). 

The existence of this ‘anti-establishment culture’ has led some people to question the power that traditional institutions have over the internet. 

Negroponte writes that ‘the monolithic empires of mass media are dissolving into an array of cottage industries’ (1997, 106).

Herman and McChesney (1997) were not convinced that the power of traditional institutions will be relinquished so easily: 

The internet and the digital revolution do not pose an immediate or even foreseeable threat to the market power of the media giants. In the current political climate, moreover, it is likely that the global media firms will be able to incorporate the internet and related computer networks into their empires, while the egalitarian potential of the technology is minimised

FIVE ‘media giants’ who have internet empires

1. Google
2. Yahoo
3. News Corporation 
4. Viacom
5. Microsoft

The power of institutions is said to be increasing because fewer companies control more and more

 of the global media wealth. In 1983, about fifty corporations dominated the global media market

Today it is just eight companies who dominate the media, nearly all of whom are based in the US. These companies are:

• —Comcast (€48 billion) NBC, Universal Studios… 
• Google (€45 billion) 
• —Disney (€33 billion) 
• —News Corp (€27 billion) 
• DirecTV (€23 billion) 
• —Time Warner (€22 billion) HBO, Warner Bros… 
• Viacom (€21 billion) MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount… 
• —Sony (€17 billion)

—Have the inequalities that characterise old media ownership extended into new media ownership? 

Yes, the larger institutions control all the smaller ones

—Is the internet run by powerful media institutions?

Yes, as represented through the several facts stated above.

Somebody's watching you: social media and surveillance

The article discusses online surveillance and how to some extent our social lives are under surveillance by companies. Several examples are shown in the article to represent the dangers of online surveillance such as the Philadelphia school which issued laptops that were used to monitor the behavior of students. The article continues by stating that 'data mining' however is actually legal and also vital as it contributes to business on the internet, as adverts will be specifically targeted towards their audience. If social media websites did not sell the data of users they would virtually not exist as no one would pay for social media websites such as Facebook, therefore selling data is the better alternative to bringing in revenue. On the other hand, the issue of government surveillance is represented through the infamous case of Edward Snowdon, who leaked information on the British and American governments activity on spying users online. The article suggests that this takes away the freedom of privacy which we are all entitled to, and this is counter argued with the idea of government surveillance protecting us from illegal activities such as terrorism. The article concludes on the fact that advancements in technology will carry a greater risk of personal information being observed and used by strangers. 

Personally, I have always been aware of social media network sites and websites using the data created by my online activities and have never been too bothered about it as I know it is legal, and that nothing can be done about it. I believe this form of online surveillance is acceptable as it is a form of creating revenue for companies and also making their services more personalized and easier to use. However, I do slightly feel more uncomfortable with the idea of the government monitoring my activities as it does breach my privacy to a large extent, but this could be counter argued with the fact that it is vital for the government to monitor activities as the data found could be used to protect society from criminal activities, and I do believe safety is a priority.  Overall, I am not too bothered by people tracking my activities online and I am not surprised that it takes place, however I do believe that it is important to have some privacy aswell as I do not want to virtually be stalked online by the government and unknown people either.

Introduction to NDM: reading and blog task

1) The first article goes into detail on how young peoples use of the media revealed patterns on how students worked in school, related to their families and hanged out with friends. One thing that researchers have found out is that teachers used popular culture as a form of creating shared values and norms i.e. watching BBC News during form however there would rarely be any discussion on how the media is produced and who creates them. In terms of social media, the researchers have found that there is a division between social media being private and a public space, and that leads to Facebook for example being governed by the same kind of rules teachers impose on young people every day in school. 

The Periscope article points out certain flaws within the app, as the user is fundamentally putting their lives online. Therefore, the app can be used in a negative way i.e. through the humiliation of a victim who is being bullied. Twitter and Periscope also share data with companies like Ditto which scan images for branded content, and broadcasts could be shared with third parties such as search engines. Periscope can also share your location despite the user having turned their GPS off. The app could also be used to stream paid-for films and shows such as Game of Thrones, which is quite an issue. However, the app does have major potentials as mentioned in the article, and can help connect people around the world and challenge dominant representations. 

2) I believe the essay was successful because it went into detail in all aspects of Spotify, including its pro's and con's. The essay also compared the app to several other music streaming apps, and also went to explain how Spotify can limit the choices its audiences make while mentioning certain theories.

3) I believe digital media has changed my life in a positive way in the past 5 years as it has shaped who I am as person. The use of media has allowed me to be exposed to different ideas, cultures and people which has made me a more open minded person, and it has also allowed me to follow issues while also giving my own voice in. I believe that when social media is used in a correct manner it can do more good than bad. Furthermore, certain improvements such as the use of VOD online has made life much more easier in the past 5 years.