Wednesday 26 November 2014

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."

Tuesday 25 November 2014

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.

Thursday 20 November 2014

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.

Wednesday 19 November 2014

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.

Wednesday 12 November 2014

Index

Tuesday 11 November 2014

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.

Thursday 6 November 2014

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.

Wednesday 5 November 2014

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.