Week 14 - News story

Mobile and the news media's imploding business model

Smartphones will soon be the primary news source for most Americans. That's if anyone can still make money by reporting

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/mar/27/mobile-news-media-imploding

The article was on how new digital media and mobiles have taken over from news and advertising, the article looks at statics and shows how they have had an effect and what changes it will bring. For example, "Pew research has a new survey showing that tablets and smart phones are now 27% of Americans' primary news source. The overwhelming share of this is phones, not tablets; and a reasonable view says this will rise to 50% in three years." from this we can see that mobiles and tablets are slowly starting to take over, and over the next three or so years it will increase even more. 

However this makes sense as news and adverts will move along with the new technology that people are now using, "just as radio became one of the big purveyors of news because it was the medium that travelled with you, so should mobile." with so many people now having smart phones and tablets its become easier for them to access news and other media through one source, this makes it more convenient for them. 

Week 14 - New/digital media story

The Pirate Bay crew 'couldn't care less' about being taken offline

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/16/the-pirate-bay-taken-offline-filesharing

This article is about an online file sharing site called 'The Pirate Bay', from this site people could stream almost anything they wanted, from movies to full program sets and software. The site was taken down by Swedish police after they raided the site. However the one of the admins of TPB said that they weren't suprised and that they didn't really care about what happened as they expected it. The admin said that the raid has allowed them to take a break from the site, they also said, "TPB has become an institution that people just expected to be there. No one willing to take the technology further,” he wrote in the days following the raid. “The site was ugly, full of bugs, old code and old design." This shows that they didn't really care about the site, and people didn't protest when the site was shut down as they have so many other options to choose from, and the other torrent sites are new and they have more of an appeal to its users. 

However another admin of TPB said, " “Will we reboot? We don’t know yet. But if and when we do, it’ll be with a bang. The people behind TPB are like one big collective mind. There are no leaders nor any one in charge. About 30-50 people from all over the world pitch their ideas against each other and whatever comes out of that is what will be the fate of TPB.” From this it shows that TPB may come back, and when they do they will bring something new. 

I choose this article as it shows how technology is changing and how peoples needs are changing, as people now don't only want a site to download files from, they are also looking for an aesthetic appeal. As technology improves institutions such as TPB need to also keep up with it and make sure that they have everything to offer to their users. 

Week 13 - Digital media story

Hackers claim responsibility for Sony PlayStation Network outage

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/dec/08/hackers-claim-responsibility-sony-playstation-network-outage-lizard-squad

This article looks at hackers that have been targeting Play Station Network, they take down the site whenever they want and PSN (Play Station Network) cannot do anything, They have told users that they will address the problem, however they don't know where the problem is coming from. 

Before the hackers do anything, they will tweet post a tweet, for example, "PSN Login #offline #LizardSquad" This is seen by both PSN and the users of Play Station, through this they have been able to gain followers, maybe other hackers and they also are giving PSN a warning of what thy are going to do. However even though are Tweeting what they are going to do, Sony have not been able to find the root cause. 

Sony have been attacked before and they were damaged severely as In 2011, the service was brought down for several days leaking the personal details including credit card numbers, email addresses and passwords of more than 70 million users. Sony was criticised for its handling of the attack, and fined £250,000 by the UK’s data protection watchdog.

Week 13 - New/Digital media

'Mutant giant spider dog' tops YouTube chart

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30399383

This news article looked at the best trending stories on-line and what people like. The first post on the article is about a Youtube video, where a polish film maker filmed his dog in a spider costume, since the video had been uploaded it has had over 113 million views. The next paragraph looked at Katy Perry's Dark horse video, which got 715 million views. 

The article goes on to looking at more stories like this and how many likes they got since they have been released, but then article goes on to what a senior lecturer from social media and communications, and what he thinks about so many people liking videos like the ones above and others. This is what he said, "It's reassuring that the likes of YouTube and Facebook can reconnect us with both the lowest and highest forms of cultural content," ... "Despite that we need caution about relying too much on these platforms," ... "There's a whole debate about algorithms - particularly with news consumption - we have to be careful that we don't let the platforms themselves dictate too much to us what we should and shouldn't be watching."

What he is initially saying is that it is good that through these new media sites people are connecting with one another, however we shouldn't get carried away with what we are shown, especially with news. 

I would agree with what he is saying, as the consumption of new and digital media has increased significantly over the years, and the amount of people that rely on strictly media to get their everyday news has also increased. Thus I think that people should sometimes maybe take a step back. 

Week 12 - News media

Indian sisters filmed fighting back against alleged harassershttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/01/sisters-fight-back-harassment-indian-bus

This is a story of two sisters in India that were caught on camera beating alleged harassers. As they were caught on camera by a passenger on the bus the video was able to be shown across the world. The video was also used by 'NDTV News' which is an Indian news channel. Through the news channel the girls heroic actions were shown all over the world, it only through UGC that the story became so big and made such a big change. 

Through the video being publicized people have been made aware that women will fight back and that men don't have so much power. It is only because of UGC that they people are now aware. Furthermore if this incident hadn't been filmed no body would of known about. 

week 12 - New/digital media

Sony PlayStation TV

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/gaming/sony-playstation-tv-1252871/review

Play Station TV is a new console released by Sony, it allows gamers to play their games on a different TV in the same place. If somebody is using the primary TV in the house, you can still play your games through the PS TV in a different room and different TV. The PS TV has other features that have made it a favourable item to have, such as allowing you to link up your PS Vita to it and also inputting the micro SD card from the Vita in to the PS TV, allowing you to access all the information from the Vita on your PS TV. 

I think the PS TV will be popular amongst hardcore gamers as they will want to be able to play on more than one screen, thus having the PS TV will allow them to do so. And if they have a PS Vita then it will be an addition to them, as they can use a dual shock 3 and dual shock 4 controller, rather than having to fiddle on the PS Vita. 

There are also drawbacks to the PS TV such as the touch screen features don't work very well on the dual shock pad which means that games that have the touch screen feature won't very well decreasing your gaming experience.    

week 11 - news media

Mail Online revenues grow 41% to £62m in 2014

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/nov/26/mail-online-revenues-grow

Mail Online grew revenues by more than 40% to £62m in 2014, almost completely offsetting the advertising and sales decline at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

Parent Daily Mail & General Trust, reporting annual results for the year to the end of September, said the growth in digital advertising revenues is expected to continue to offset the decline in print ad revenues at its newspaper titles.

The Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday reported a 5% decline in total revenue to £536m. Print advertising revenues fell 5% while circulation revenues dropped 4%.

Total ad revenues across the Mail businesses hit £252m, a 4% year-on-year increase (£9m). Within this, Mail Online grew ad revenues by 46%.

The company said the Mail Online’s revenue growth of £19m year-on-year outstripped the £10m decline in print advertising revenues.

The growth in Mail Online, which just exceeded a management target of £60m in revenues for the financial year, stabilised total revenues across the Mail businesses to just a 1% fall at £598m. Overall operating profit at the Mail businesses grew 13% to £71m. Daily commuter freesheet Metro saw revenues fall 3% to £75m.

Profits for Metro are combined with daily deals business Wowcher, which saw revenues grow 73% to £24m, which fuelled a 92% surge to £14m.

The newspaper operations are part of DMG Media, which also includes operations and income such as DMGT’s stake in regional newspaper business Local World.

Overall profits for the division rose 19% to £95m year-on-year.

Mail Online has become a huge business in its own right, in the past year it has expanded into the US and Australia, employing over 600 staff.

DMGT received £15m from its 39% stake in David Montgomery’s Local World.“The increased digital investment in Mail Online was more than offset by lower costs, notably production, distribution, marketing and central support services at the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, and reduced losses at Wowcher,” the company said.

The Mail online has increased revenues due its online platform, whereas print newspapers have seen a decline in their Ads, this shows that print media is slowly begging to fall and perhaps it will only attract a niche market in the future whereas digital media will prevail. 

week 11 - new/digital media news

Lee Rigby report: Facebook accused of failing to flag extremist messages - as it happened

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2014/nov/25/lee-rigby-woolwich-inquiry-report-published-live-coverage

#

This story is about FB and how they think that FB is to blame for the death of Lee Rigby, as former soldier that was killed. The MP's believe that FB had warned them aout extremist messages, then it could of helped in some ways to prevent his death, as they would known what was going to happen thus allowing them to take action.  

what FB said, "‘The party which could have made a difference was the company on whose platform the exchange took place,’ states the report. ‘However, this company does not appear to regard itself as under any obligation to ensure that its systems identify such exchanges, or to take action or notify the authorities when its communications services appear to be used by terrorists.

‘There is therefore a risk that, however unintentionally, it provides a safe haven for terrorists to communicate within,’ it states."

Essay question

Developments in new/digital media mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values. To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments?

I believe that audiences empower new new/digital media to a great extent. As now they have the opportunity to voice their values and opinions through commenting on-line and citizen journalism. through on lune comments people have been able to freely say what they want, whereas before if someone had a problem with something they read on a newspaper, they would have to write in to the institution where there message may not even be ready and very little action would have been taken if their message was to be read. Whereas now people can comment on line which causes a domino effect and when people read a comment that they agree with, they also comment which can cause people and institutions to change. For example,  the 'Dapper laughs' case, Daaper laughs is a 'Viner' and on line comedian, he made vines which were very sensitive, sexist and sometimes misogynistic. However over 60,000 people petitioned against him and he deleted all of his Vines and said that he would making them.  This shows that when people have an issue with something or someone they can make a change, due to developments in media. 

However some may argue that the thought of having power through media is actually an illusion. This can shown in a range of ways, for example yes we can post what we want to on line but there are still restrictions on line that are controlled by the elite groups, as they are the ones that choose what is shown and what isn't. For example on Facebook and and Twitter people can block and report content that they feel is inappropriate. This shows that having power is an illusion as social network sites are meant to be personal to people however as people can shut your profiles down without you knowing shows that we have no power at all. 

Another prime example is the Ian Tomlinson case. This was when the G20 protest was taking place, Ian was walking home through the protest when a police officer attacked his leg and pushed Ian to the ground. Ian later that day while walking home collapsed and died. The case was only taken to court because someone in the crowd was filming, however even with hard video footage of what happened not much was done to the officer who pushed Ian, he was just sacked from his job. If the same thing was done by a citizen they would have been put in prison as they have primarily killed someone. However as the police are considered to be part of the elite groups, not a lot was done as they have more power. This again goes back to people having power being an illusion, as when the video footage was released it did have an impact, giving us the feeling of having power, but as not much was done about the situation shows we actually don't have a lot of power. 

Looking a similar case from March 1991, when Rodney king was beaten very badly after a high speed chase. Officers chased King and his two friends for 18 miles before they were caught. Bryant Allen was manhandled, kicked, stomped, taunted and threatened. Freddie Helms was hit in the head while laying on the ground. His bloody baseball cap was turned over to police. Helms was treated for a laceration on the top of his head. King stayed in the car but then later came out, when exited the car he was told to put his hands on his head and lay on the ground, which he did. Two police officers then brutally beating King. This case was also taken to court because somebody had filmed what happened and aired it. However when no action was taken the first time for what happened to King the Los Angles riots broke out, which then lead to police finding two of the officers guilty and two of them were acquitted. This shows that through new/digital media people can have power and they can create change, but the elite groups also have a great deal of power over people. But due to the development in new/digital media the power that the audience posses is becoming much stronger as they are open to so much more.

Week 10 - news new/digital media

New and digital media news story
Social media, journalism and wars: ‘Authenticity has replaced authority'
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/05/social-media-journalism-wars-authenticity

This article was on how social media has taken over the news, it looks at citizen journalism. The article looks at how traditional journalism has changed because of social media sites and people posting about the news. "The growth of social media has changed the way news organisations cover conflicts around the world, but traditional journalistic values are still vital." This is a quote taken from the article, I found this to be quite interesting as what it is telling us is that the way news is being shown and how news is portrayed may have changed, however the the value, and the content will still be how it has always been.

Participation or Hegemony?

Research the Ian Tomlinson case. What would the traditional, hegemonic view of the police be in a case like this?

The hegemonic view of the police would be that the police were in the right as they aided him as they described attempts by police medics and an ambulance crew to save his life after he collapsed – efforts they said were marred by protesters throwing missiles as first aid was administered. From the polices point of view they did the correct thing and helped Tomlinson. 

However a New York lawyer filmed the incident and it's said that the events that the police had explained weren't true. But in from a hegemonic point of view the police will be right, as they can be considered to be elite, thus they will always be shown to be right and they will hold power.

How did new and digital media create a different story?

New and digital media created a different story as people saw the video on YouTube and then they also uploaded the video, it had over 41 million views when it was first uploaded and it will still be growing as there are many more people that have also uploaded the same video. Furthermore through Web 2.0 the case was actually taken to court, and with out the use of Web 2.0 this may have never happened.

If the police was to have said only their side of the story there wouldn't have been much done, however because of Web 2.0 the case was taken forward and action was taken. Going back to the hegemonic view on things, because it was a police officer and they can be considered to be part of the elite, he wasn't sentenced to any time, he only lost his job.

What does the author argue regarding whether hegemony is being challenged by Web 2.0?

Social networks are corrupt and are being used as part of a bigger plan by the higher class to make sure that their perception and view is the only issue that is being shown to people. However, she argues that due to web 2.0 and the Ian Tomlinson case we can consciously inform and reform the wrong and right. One example of this is the elimination of gatekeepers who due to UGC and web.20 are being slowly erased.

In your opinion, does new and digital media reinforce dominant hegemonic views or give the audience a platform to challenge them?

In my opinion new and digital media has allowed allows the public to view their own opinions through the use of Web 2.0. People can now openly say what they want to and they don't need to be scared of anyone saying anything.

Week 10 News story

New and digital media story

University Student Caught Broadcasting A Live Sex Show From The Campus Library

http://www.theladbible.com/articles/university-student-caught-broadcasting-a-live-sex-show-from-the-campus-library

This story was of a student at university that was created sexually videos in the university library. she then used social media sites such as Facebook to gain publicity. She made the videos for money, however it wasn't the best way to do so. 

I chose this story as simply because she used social media sites to gain publicity, this just shows what social media sites can allow people to do. Facebook and similar social media and social network sites have millions of users from very young to very old, and as people are able to upload content like this on these sites is very inappropriate. Although these sites are able to block inappropriate content doesn't stop people from uploading the content. And if this girl hadn't been caught by the university she would still uploading the videos or images. 

Index

Week 1 - 10 Sep 14 

Apple watch - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/apple-iphone-6-article.html

Ebola strike - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/apple-iphone-6-article.html

Week 2 - 23 Sep 14

Oculus rift - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/week-2-news-posts.html

Week 3 - 1 Oct 14 

Apple IOS 8 - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/week-3-news-ios-update-fail.html

Week 4 - 7 Oct 14 

I Phone beard pulling - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/week-4-news-i-phone-6-and-beard-pulling.html

Week 5 - 15 Oct 14

Touchless pay - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/week-5-news-touchless-pay.html

Week 6 - 22 Oct 14

Snap chat ads - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/week-6-news-snap-chat-ads.html

Week 7 - 

Tidal music - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/week-7-tidal-music.html

Week 8 - 5 Nov 14

Facebook after life - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/week-8-facebook-after-life.html

Week 9 - 11 Nov 14

Channel 4 - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/week-9-part-1.html

Gaming - http://v-sahota.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/week-9-part-2.html

week 9 part 2

Best bits: tapping into the mobile gaming industry

Sponsored feature: a round-up of advice from our expert panel on mobile gaming and social enterprise

http://www.theguardian.com/social-enterprise-network/2013/oct/23/best-bits-mobile-gaming-social-enterprises

this article looks at how mobile gaming could have a link with socialisation in society, as there are over 20 million mobile gamers just in the UK alone. Thus there must be a connection betweenb gaming on phones and socialisation. 

week 9 - part 1

Channel 4 to launch eBay-style market for advertisers on cloud TV service

Broadcaster says ‘programmatic buying’ on All 4 will mean adverts can be targeted on interests, such as gadgets or food

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/nov/11/channel-4-advertising-market-all-4-cloud-tv

facts:

- Channel 4 has a database of 11.5 million viewers

- Channel 4 says viewing of 4oD has grown 28% year-on-year so far in 2014.





Channel 4 will now be looking at their users and what they like and don't like, through the information they have on their customers/users based from their on-line content. They will do this so that they can target their audiences more effectively, and provide them with this through all their platforms.

How has new and digital media technology changed Galtung and Ruge’s news values?

How has new and digital media technology changed Galtung and Ruge’s news values?

Immediacy: Has it happened recently?

The immediacy of news has changed because of E media. As people an get news on line, it is an instant thing, therefore when people get news they expect it to be immediate. Thus news institutions are almost under more pressure as they need to be able to provide people with news almost instantly. Also as news can largely be found on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter people can find out about news before they see it on TV or in a newspaper. News institutions are also aware of this, thus when they publish news they may look at ways in which they can still tell the audience about the news but perhaps from a different point of view, just so that the audience stay interested.  

Familiarity: Is it culturally close to us in Britain?

The majority of the stories in a news bulletin will have either taken place in the UK or the story will affect/involve UK nationals. Familiarity as a news value becomes an even bigger force with regards to local news.

Amplitude: Is it a big event or one which involves large numbers of people?

If the story involves a vast amount of people, then it will be of a much higher concern, where as if the situation maybe involves 50 or so people, then it may not be such a big deal for people, thus they may show much less interest. 

Frequency: Did the event happen fairly quickly?

These are events that happen fairly fast, and have a short term effect on our lives. These events tend to be important in the short term, and they burn out quite fast. 

Unambiguity: Is it clear and definite?

Due to social media and technology, stories tend to get around quite fast and everyone finds out about it. This doesn't help news institutions as they loose out on stories to give to their audience, thus they look for stories and events that will definitely take place. 

Predictability: Did we expect it to happen?

This is when the audience already knows what will happen, for example, ' During the winter of 2015 there will be heavy snowfall.' this is something that people know will happen, and it doesn't get them by shock.  

Surprise: Is it a rare or unexpected event?

This is the opposite to 'predictability', this is when an event is totally unexpected and it gets you by surprise, for example 'During the 2015 winter there will an extreme heat wave.' This is something that is unexpected.  

Continuity: Has this story already been defined as news?

social networking has meant that newspapers are not taking different approach for example they give expert opinions rather then providing the story in great amount of detail.

Elite nations and people: Which country has the event happened in? Does the story concern well-known people? 

If the story involves important people it will be of a much concern, whereas if it was an ordinary person it won't be as much of a big deal. For example, if Jay Z was shot it would over the news world wide, whereas if a ordinary man was shot, it may be put on the local news or maybe the news channel of that country. 

Negativity: Is it bad news?

When is posted it's usually biased and looked from one side, thus it could show a negative spin on the story. However because of social media sites people can now express their values and opinions from both sides. 

Balance: the story may be selected to balance other news, such as a human survival story to balance a number of stories concerning death.

News institutions may do this to bring up another story, as one story may be very negative, thus they tell us about something positive in order for their to be a balance. 

Week 8 - Facebook after life

What happens to your Facebook account when you die?

When a Facebook user dies, there are two options: delete the account or memorialise it. How can people plan for their digital legacy?

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/askjack/2014/oct/30/what-happens-to-your-facebook-account-when-you-or-a-loved-one-dies

Facts

- No one is allowed to log in to the account

- You can’t change, add to or delete existing content, which includes adding or removing friends

- Automated activities, such as daily quotes or horoscopes, are stopped

- Memorialised accounts don’t appear in “public spaces” such as birthday reminders, People You May Know, or searches

- Memorialised accounts can only be accessed by the user’s confirmed friends

I think that this is step forward for Facebook, as when people do pass away, their accounts are either left blank, or they get hacked. However through this, people can still visit the page and as you can select how sees the page, means that random people cannot place posts on the page. This could a success for Facebook, as there aren't many/any other social media sites that allow this. 

Week 7 - Tidal Music

Tidal takes on Spotify with lossless-quality streaming music

New service launches in the UK and US at twice the monthly cost, but promising more than four times the audio quality

Tidal takes on Spotify with lossless-quality streaming music New service launches in the UK and US at twice the monthly cost, but promising more than four times the audio quality

Facts 

- Music streaming site. 

- £19.99 per month 

- It will stream tracks at “lossless” quality – FLAC/ALAC 44.1kHz / 16 bit files at 1411 kbps

- 25 million songs available

- 75, 000 with videos 

Tidal is charging their potential market with very high prices, almost twice as much as their rivals. This puts them in a tricky position as there are a range of other ways through which people can access music and download music. However i believe people that are music fanatics, will pay for this service, however they may only be able to target a niche market. 

Week 6 news - Snap chat ads

Snapchat messaging app gets its first ad... and it's very creepy

But that’s because it’s a 20-second trailer for horror film Ouija, as company admits ‘we need to make money’

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/oct/20/snapchat-messaging-app-ad-creepy-ouija

Facts:

- Has more that 100 million users.

- The ad was 20 sec long (snippet)

Snap chat have been putting ads in peoples snap chat in the USA, people are getting frightened by the ad that has been put in, its the trailer to a new horror film called, "Ouija" . 

I personally believe that this is a good addition to Snap chat as it makes that overall experience of the app better. People have more to look forward to them when they check their snaps. In addition the snap goes within 24 hours, so it just like a normal snap.  

The Rise and Rise of UGC (User Generated Content)

1) What is meant by the term ‘citizen journalist’?

Actual definitions

- Citizen journalism is the gathering, writing, editing, production and distribution of news and information by people not trained as professional journalists.

- Citizen journalists are non-professionals who collect, disseminate and analyze news on blogs, wikis and sharing websites using tablets, laptops, cell phones, digital cameras and other mobile and wireless technologies.

Citizen journalism is the term used to describe people that have used primary content to bring some form of justice or to give their opinion on something. They have obtained the content through themselves, usually in the form of images, videos and written content.

2) What was one of the first examples of news being generated by ‘ordinary people’?

The unknown person that filmed Rodney King getting beaten by police officers. This was user generated content (primary content) that was used to bring justice to him, however as it was filmed by an ordinary person it becomes citizen journalism. 

3) List some of the formats for participation that are now offered by news organisations.

- Photos 

- Twitter 

- Flickr

- Video 

4) What is one of the main differences between professionally shot footage and that taken 

first-hand (UGC)?

Professional footage - People feel that this footage has become old fashioned, it doesn't give the raw feeling that the consumers (audience) wants. 

UGC footage - This footage gives us the first hand look at what is happening, the feeling of a hand held camera, the shaking of the footage and the slightly grainy footage puts the audience in the point of view of the person filming. 

5) What is a gatekeeper?

A gate keeper is someone that filters the content that is shown on TV, they go through content that people have sent in and they see what may be useful and what isn't. Gatekeepers are needed as a lot of the time people send in information that is unnecessary, for example  a BBC spokes person said that a lot of the images sent in were of peoples kittens.  

6) How has the role of a gatekeeper changed?

7) What is one of the primary concerns held by journalists over the rise of UGC?

One of the concerns is that sites without moderation could have content that is dominated by defamatory or racist and other hate-fueled content. This means that people would be able to post whatever they want, whenever they want as no one is there to stop them or to filter the content that is shown. A prime example of this is '4chan' - http://www.4chan.org/. This is a site that doesn't have many or any filters for what is published out to the world. 

The Murdoch Paywall

1) Do you agree with James Murdoch that the BBC should not be allowed to provide free news online?

I disagree with Murdoch because the BBC are their own business, thus it should be their decision whether they want to put up a paywall or not. Furthermore as they are a public broadcast provider, it's almost their duty to be providing us with news, without us having to pay. However as the BBC make their profit through TV licences, the public are indirectly paying them.  

2) Was Rupert Murdoch right to put his news content (The Times, The Sun) behind a paywall?

As a business man Rupert Murdoch was right to put a paywall up, as his primary goal is to have a profitable business. Furthermore since they have put up the paywall, they have been able to gain approximately 140,000 subscribers and made profits of £361 million. I would agree to some extent of Rupert Murdoch putting up a paywall, as it is benefiting his business. Furthermore as they made a loss of of £28.7 million, it was a turn in the right direction. 

Week 5 news - touchless pay

Cash or card? Soon we'll be paying by handshake

Banking of the future: Contactless cards are just the beginning – there's a host of new ways to pay around the corner

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/bank-accounts/9937296/Cash-or-card-Soon-well-be-paying-by-handshake.html

The article looks at how technology is changing and becoming more futuristic. they are looking at how paying by card will change and people will be able to pay for things through just a touch. Along with this they talk about a 'touchless' system. Meaning that you would be able to simply pick up your products and walk out of a store. 

Personally, I think there will be too many complications with this system, and I believe a lot of people wont be comfortable with this. However as it will be introduced some time in the future, it may be have some success. 

Build the wall analysis

Section 1

This section looked at how they've targeted the Washington post and The New York times. 

Section 2

This section looks at how if the pay wall is going to be effective or not. Are people willing to pay for something that they can get for free? 

Section 3

This section talks about the decline in the industry and it's reasons.

Section 4

 He talks about what the possible outcomes may be.

 - The newspaper becomes successful again and begins to improve turning towards the pay wall. initially allowing them to invest more money in to newspapers. 

- Newspapers go bust and don't sell, new news will be posted online. Newspapers that make a healthy income will be able to pay for high quality journalism. 

 - All newspapers fail and only the high end newspapers will stay in business.

My opinion  

In my opinion I believe that if paywalls were put up the news paper industry will slowly start to decline, due to people being able to access news in other forms. News is available over many different platforms meaning that people don't initially need newspapers to get their news. On the other hand, it comes down to how much people will trust other sources of information, for example if you were to find a news article on a site that you didn't know of, you wouldn't trust the news. Thus there are arguments both for and against this article. Personally, I think that print media won't last very long, due to the increase in technology and the availability of news. 

Comments

A monopoly! Exactly the right way to go - can I get some fries with that?

If all newspapers were priced the same, it would would have an effect on how people brought newspapers, as they would go for the newspapers that they are familiar with. Also it may increase the print market as if all newspapers had a price, then people would be pushed to buy them. 

Newspapers actually haven't been charging readers for the cost of creating content since the 1830s: Economics says online news, in a competitive market, must be free. 

This user has written that, "online news, in a competitive market, must be free. " This comment goes with one of David's theory (section 4, theory 2) in this part of the article he talks about how newspapers will go bust and online news will thrive in terms of delivering news to society. This comment backs this up, as news online is free more people tend to use that instead of reading a free newspaper or purchasing a newspaper, this is due to the fact that news online is much faster, it is updated more often than newspapers and finally, it is more convenient for the the consumer. 

Most of the folks writing about the paywall issue are assuming that because only 5-10 percent of the current online readership will sign up for web content, it will be a failure. Actually, the folks behind the paywall effort don't care if anyone signs up for online content. The entire point is to push people into print subscriptions. It could be that some newspapers or groups won't even offer an online-only option. It will just be a free giveaway with print.

This user is saying that the people behind the paywall don't really care if you pay or not, as they're trying to push people in to print subscriptions. However I would disagree with this, as if people don't pay for an online subscription they are very unlikely to pay for a print subscription. Due to the fact that news is heavily available online people don't need to look very hard and far to find what they are looking for. However, people may just be pushed to pay, as they may not trust the source of information from other sites and they feel comfortable receiving their news from a trusted institution.




  

Week 4 news - I phone 6 and beard pulling

'Hairgate': iPhone hit by new social media storm

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/07/us-apple-iphone-hair-idUSKCN0HW1MA20141007?feedType=RSS

Facts: 

 - It has become a trend on Twitter 

 - #Hairgate

 - #Beardgate 

 - People are mocking the Iphone 6 

The article is on how people are complaining about the Iphone 6 having defaults, they are saying that when making phone calls, their hair and beards are getting caught in the phone. This was then turned into two hashtags, "#Hairgate" and  "#Beardgate", these both started trending on Twitter and eventual became a 'thing' on the site. People are now making funny posts and creating images in order to mock the Iphone 6.