1. The New Media

Question 1

New media

Answer 1

The emergence of new forms of communication that have appeared in the last 25 years (E.g. laptops, smartphones, tablets, digital TV)

Question 2

Traditional media

Answer 2

Older forms of media like newspapers and magazines

Question 3

Two sides of the debate about the new median

Answer 3

Neophiliacs/optimists
Cultural pessimists

Question 4

Argument of Neophiliacs

Answer 4

Welcome the new media technology because it offers consumers more choice
Every citizen has power to be an active participant in the democratic process as they can use the new media to criticise/hear criticisms of the powerful

Question 5

Arguments of cultural pessimists

Answer 5

The democratic potential of new media is exaggerated because such forms of media are increasingly brought by the same media corporations that control older forms of media

Question 6

Why are the new media problematic according to cultural pessimists?

Answer 6

Because they are leading to:
- cultural illiteracy
- dumbing down of popular culture
- decline of community
- emergence of a new set of social problems

Question 7

8 characteristics of the new media

Answer 7

Digitalisation
Technological convergence
Economic convergence
Interactivity
Choice
Participatory culture
Collective intelligence

Question 8

Technological convergence

Answer 8

Digitalisation resulted in the convergence (coming together) of different types of information into a single delivery system
E.g. texts, photos and music are now available on a smartphone

Question 9

Economic convergence

Answer 9

Media and telecommunication industries that once produced separate and distinct communication systems began to make economic alliances with each other

Question 10

Cultural convergence

Answer 10

New media has changed the way that members of society interact with both the media and each other (Jenkins)

Question 11

Interactivity

Answer 11

New media are interactive as they are responsive to real time user input
Internet lets users select the stories they want to read (example)
Users can mix and match the information they want

Question 12

Choice

Answer 12

Today’s media audience has a greater degree of choice compared to traditional media audiences
Viewers no longer restricted by TV schedules

Question 13

Participatory culture

Answer 13

New media audiences are no longer passive receivers
Instead they often actively collaborate with new media and other users

Question 14

Collective intelligence

Answer 14

New media allows users to out their knowledge together
This collective intelligence challenges traditional and official ways of seeing the world
New media content is an alternative user-led source of information

Question 15

What key research body conducts studies into the new media?

Answer 15

Ofcom

Question 16

Changes in the media from 2005 to 2015 according to Ofcom

Answer 16

2015 - 84% of adults accessed the internet in the UK
2005 - 54% of adults accessed the internet in the UK
Claimed weekly internet use hours per week among adults went from 9.9 hours to 20.5

Question 17

Ofcom on age and new media consumption

Answer 17

Surveys conducted by Ofcom suggest 12-15 year olds are more likely than adults to be engaged in some form of cross-media and multitasking (E.g. watching TV while doing hw)
However, they argue that the generation divide may be in decline as older age groups increasingly engage in online activities

Question 18

Negative consequence of young people’s access to a great range of new media

Answer 18

Their access has led to new social anxieties about children accessing pornography and terrorist propaganda, as well as new forms of bullying and grooming

Question 19

Class and new media consumption

Answer 19

Suggested that the poor are excluded from new media usage because they are a digital underclass who can’t afford to keep up with m/c use of new media technology

Question 20

Ofcom survey results about class and new media consumption

Answer 20

2015 Ofcom survey: 95% of AB socio-economic group use a range of new media devices compared to 75% of DE socio-economic group

Question 21

Ofcom 2014 stats about gender and new media consumption

Answer 21

Males more likely than females to access the internet for more house per week (23 hours compared to 18 hours)
Women more likely to go on social media sites than men

Question 22

Gender and online gaming

Answer 22

Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) found that women account for 52% of those who play online games (2014)
Boys more likely to play violent games

Question 23

Percentage of houses with internet in Europe compared to Africa in 2014

Answer 23

78% of households in Europe had internet access
11.1% of households in Africa had internet accessn

Question 24

In 2014, GSMA estimated that 72% of Africans use mobile phones. Why may this fact create a fake impression of digital use in Africa?

Answer 24

Only 18% of these phones are smartphones
Only 7% of Africa’s inhabitants are online

Question 25

Neophiliac perspective: increased consumer choice

Answer 25

Convergence and interactivity of new media has increased consumer choice
There are now hundreds of entertainment and news channels on TV
People can now choose from a number of media delivery systems

Question 26

Neophiliac perspective: what has taken place in shopping due to the new media?

Answer 26

An e-commerce revolution

Question 27

Neophiliac perspective: e-commerce revolution

Answer 27

E-retailers like Amazon and eBay have been great economic successes and have undermined high street sales
This e-commerce trend has resulted in more choice for consumers because it increases competition, leads to lower prices and puts consumers in control as they can compare prices, products and services

Question 28

Neophiliac perspective: How has the new media revitalised democracy?

Answer 28

New media technologies offer opportunities for people to acquire the education and information required to play an active role in democratic societies, and to make politicians more accountable to people

Question 29

Neophiliac perspective: how does the internet aid in revitalising democracy?

Answer 29

Allows information that giant corporations who control the world’s traditional media won’t put out to be communicated
Provides people with opportunity to access range of opinions
Gives a voice to those who would otherwise go unheard

Question 30

Cultural pessimist perspective: ‘not-so-new’ media

Answer 30

Old technology is still integral to the use of new media
Cornford and Robins suggest that new media technologies permit the refinement, extension and embellishment (adding value) of traditional media
Interactivity existed in the traditional media

Question 31

Cultural pessimist perspective: new media and democracy

Answer 31

Criticise idea that new media are increasing potential for ordinary people to participate more fully in democratic process
The role of conglomerates in development and control of new media undermines potential for democracy

Question 32

Cultural pessimist perspective: commercialisation

Answer 32

Over 10 years there’s been major shift in internet activities from educational use to commercial use
Many companies that sell products online engage in consumer surveillance
Technologies such as cookies can monitor and process data generated by interactive media usage so they can target audiences and make profits

Question 33

Cultural pessimist perspective: how does the new media further capitalist domination and control according to Marxists?

Answer 33

The new media encourage materialism, consumerism and false needs

Question 34

Cultural pessimist perspective: reinforcing power of the elite

Answer 34

Media technologies are mainly strengthening power of existing elites rather than promoting alternative ideas, free speech or democracy

Question 35

Cultural pessimist perspective: how does the digital class divided also reinforce the power of the elite?

Answer 35

They are they group with the most political grievances and are conveniently the ones who have less access to new media technologies

Question 36

Cultural pessimist perspective: in what ways does the new media not promote democracy?

Answer 36

It may just mirror the level of ordinary people’s political involvement in the real world
Only 6% of webpages were devoted to political issues
78% of political opinions expressed on American websites were mainstream

Question 37

Cultural pessimist perspective: role of elites in shifting politics to the side

Answer 37

As the media corporations successfully colonies most of the net with their views, entertainment, business and sports sites, minority political views and civic discourse (sharing different opinions) were shifted to the margins

Question 38

Cultural pessimist perspective: decline in quality of popular culture

Answer 38

Increased number of channels has led to dumbing down of popular culture as TV companies fill these channels with cheap imported material
ITV and BBC have experienced tabloidisation over past 10 years
Decline in documentaries and news coverage and increase in reality TV programmes

Question 39

Cultural pessimist perspective: what problems has the new media caused for society?

Answer 39

Rise in set of problems for society, including global cybercrime, cyber bullying, abusive online trolling and sexual grooming

Question 40

Cultural pessimist perspective: how has the new media resulted in greatly anxiety and isolation according to Turkle?

Answer 40

People now live full-time on the web and are devoted to their communication devices
Although new media connects its users to more people, it has resulted in greater anxiety and isolation

Question 41

Cultural pessimist perspective: 4 criticisms of the new media according to Keen

Answer 41

Social networking sites don’t contribute to democratic process
User-generated sites are open to abuse and fake news - unreliable
Much of output of new media is unregulated to uninformed opinion, lies and trolling are the norm
Internet is contributing to cultural illiteracy