6.3 Theorists

Question 1

Negroponte

Answer 1

From the viewpoint of digital optimism, the defining characteristic of new media is a form of digital liberation that Negroponte (1995) claimed is based on four processes:

• Decentralisation
• Globalisation
• Harmonisation
• Empowerment.

Question 2

Negroponte

Answer 2

The global village combines collectivity with individuality. Co-operation flourishes while people simultaneously maintain what Negroponte calls the ‘Daily Me’ – the personalisation of things like news and information focused on the specific interests of each individual.

Personalisation contributes to participation by encouraging a diverse individuality that leads to the development of new ways of thinking and behaving.

Question 3

Spencer-Thomas

Answer 3

Conducted an analysis of protests against military violence in Burma – he found that in 1998 very little media attention was received, but that by 2007, once Smart Phones had penetrated the country, widespread global media coverage of the protests was achieved.

Question 4

Thompson

Answer 4

Argues that global media products are modified by local cultures which results in various new hydbrid forms. Bollywood is a good example of this.

Question 5

Tapscott and Williams

Answer 5

One significant new model is the development of open economic systems where software, for example, is developed collaboratively
to take advantage of wide creative pools of talent. Tapscott and Williams call this ‘Wikinomics’, in acknowledgement of the pioneering collaborative efforts of Wikipedia.

Question 6

Schecter

churnalism

Answer 6

The highly concentrated ownership of new media allows global corporations to buy up competitors or emerging technologies. For example, Alphabet (Google) has taken over more than 200 companies, such as the video sharing site YouTube and the mobile phone manufacturer Motorola.

Schecter (2000) claims that this leads to a decrease in digital diversity in areas such as news production. As he argues: ‘The internet is not very diverse, even though it appears to be. The concentration in ownership that is restructuring old media has led to conglomeration in news transmission and a narrowing of sourcing in new media. It is cheaper for Web sites to buy someone else’s news than generate their own.’ It is also ‘cheaper’ for global corporations to take and
republish content generated by individual users with little or no prospect of recompense