Media

New Media

• New media - dominant means of communication via digital technology

Who uses it?

• Social class - expensive so poor are excluded - OFCOM - 54% of WC have a smartphone compared to 75% of the MC
• Age - young people have more access to the media
  • AO3 - generational divide is decreasing
• Location- World Bank - 31% of people in developing countries have internet access, 80% in HICs

Characteristics

• Convergence - one device can access multiple forms of media
• Interactivity - audience able to engage and interact
• User power - upload own content and watch when want
• Accessibility - free after having device. More accessible for blind/deaf
  • AO3 - expensive to have smartphone in first place

Effect on traditional outlets

• Bivens - shift in traditional news flows
• Heightened accountability - criticised if false or bias opinion
• Evolving news values - personal as live stream from war zones

Churnalism

• Davies - prevent journalists from telling the truth
• Churnalism - form of journalism in which press releases are pre-packaged material

Infotainment

• Combine educational content with entertainment
• Strinati - mass media is manipulated due to entertainment

Cultural optimist / neophiliac view

• Democracy - anyone can access for little coast
  • Keen - uncensored and opportunity
  • McNair - able to fact check as elite groups have less power to influence news agencies. Increase in citizen journalism
• Access - able to get more information

Cultural pessimist view

• Democracy - Curran and Seaton - government has power to control the media and concentrated ownership
• Reinforce elite power - Owned by a few dominant views
  • Jenkins - corporations have more power than individuals

Ownership and Control

Concentration of ownership

• Horizontal integration - buy different kinds of media (Murdoch owns Sky, Fox news)
• TNC - operate across national boundaries
• 7 main media companies in the UK

Traditional Marxism

• Controlled by bourgeoisie. Instruct journalists to put across a particular message of dominant ideology to justify their privilege. Never aware of their exploitation
• Ideological function - favourable representation of rich, negative portrayal of ethnic minorities, entertainment distracts from thinking about important issues
• Miliband - media used by dominant group to control people and convince inequality is inevitable in society
• Marcuse - bread and circus approach - entertainment orientated so docile. Unaware of poverty and exploitation
• Tunstall and Palmer - governments are not interested in controlling activities of media owners as they have the same interests
• AO3:
  • Ex-Italian PM owned 3 TV channels which 40% of the population watch, he won the election
  • Dual-consciousness - aware of exploitation but don't act upon it (Gramsci)
  • Neophiliacs believe they undermine the media's power as everyone can share information

Neo-Marxism

• Editors and journalists come from privileged background
• GUMG - most journalists are MC, white men so reflect owner's opinion
• Gramsci - hegemony, bourgeoisie ideology becomes common sense
• AO3:
  • Whale - views are due to demand, not social background
  • Journalists are socialised into a culture where dominant ideology is the most reasonable explanation
  • 51% of journalists…