MEDIA - What are the Benefits of the New Media?

Question 1

What is the definition of ‘Neophilicas’?

Answer 1

Neo = New
Philiacs = Cuture

They are CULTURAL OPTIMISTS –> They see changed in New Media as POSITIVE for Individuals and Society!

Question 2

What is the definition of ‘Cultural Pessimists?

Answer 2

They see changes in the New Media as a NEGATIVE THREAT to Individuals and Society! This is due to issues such as fake news and the use of AI and deep fakes!

Question 3

Who are the Key Sociologists, in terms of assessing the Benefits of the New Media? HINT: There are 2 Sociologists here!

Answer 3

Curran and Seaton!

Question 4

What is the definition of Conglomeration?

Answer 4

Different companies owning a range of different products.

Question 5

What is the definition of Candy Floss Culture?

Answer 5

Valueless cultural products; the media speaks to everyone but no one in particular!

Question 6

What is the definition of Tabloidisation?

Answer 6

Simplified and sensational stories!

Question 7

What 2 sociologists look at the Benefits of the New Media?

Answer 7

Curran and Seaton

Question 8

Give 4 contemporary examples that can be used to discuss the Benefits of the New Media!

Answer 8

• Just Stop Oil
• WikiLeaks
• Occupy
• The Arab Spring

Question 9

(CURRAN AND SEATON) What are the 5 Benefits of the New Media that they identified?

Answer 9

• Informed Consumers
• More Choice
• User Participation
• Narrower Political Aspect (More Opportunities to Initiate Change)
• Increased Democracy

Question 10

(CURRAN AND SEATON - Informed Consumers) Explain how a wide range of information and news from a variety of sources can lead to people being more informed. HINT: Links to citizen journalism and our access to different devices.

Answer 10

News, information, shopping, a wide range of financial transactions and social networking are all now available online, and accessible through a range of different devices. Consumers can now access information, complaints and reviews about anything! This links to citizen journalism!

Question 11

(CURRAN AND SEATON - Informed Consumers) Explain how people having more influence and understanding via cases of citizen journalism can lead to people being more informed consumers. HINT: Included examples of user-generated sites, like TripAdvisor and their influence!

Answer 11

User-generated sites like Blogger, WordPress or TripAdvisor enable ordinary people, rather than just professional experts, to offer advice and make online reports and criticisms, and to learn from the experiences of fellow consumers in all spheres of life.

Question 12

What term does McLuhan use in regards to the New Media? What does this mean? HINT: ‘Global village’ and interconnectedness!

Answer 12

McLuhan uses the term ‘global village’, which is used to describe how the New Media collapses space and time barriers in human communication, and allows users from around the world to connect and interact with each other instantly, which makes the world feel like one village or community (interconnectedness)!

Question 13

(CURRAN AND SEATON - Informed Consumers) Explain how social media sites allow information from a wide range of sources to be bought to people’s attention and how this links to people becoming more informed consumers! HINT: Links to the NHS and healthcare access online!

Answer 13

This gives people more power and they can gain access to information themselves, instead of relying on other people. This can be seen by the example of the NHS, as people can access information about their heath and symptoms whilst being online and the emergence of the NHS App makes people feel more secure about their information, as they can easily access it on their mobile phones. This means that people have more power, in regards to gaining access to information (as they can do it themselves) and they are more informed regarding issues, such as their own health, with the use of the NHS, Netdoctor and Patient Doctor.

Question 14

(CURRAN AND SEATON - Informed Consumers) Explain how an increased use of social media, like Facebook, for information has led to people becoming more informed consumers! HINT: Links to Ofcom!

Answer 14

According to Ofcom (2014), Facebook had around 36 million unique visitors per month in the UK in the year ending March 2014 - 56% of the population and two-third of the entire online audience. More than 5 times as much time is spent on Facebook than any other single internet site, which brings into question the effect of ‘doom-scrolling’ and ‘brain rot’, which can often be associated with excess social media use. In June 2013, there were around 24 million daily active users in the UK logging into Facebook, which shows the impact that social media usage has over individuals (an addiction / a craving to be online)!

Question 15

(CURRAN AND SEATON - More Choice) Explain how a higher influence of media, due to the increase of channels and websites, allows users to have more choice! HINT: 500 digital terrestrial, satellite and cable TV channels in 2023!

Answer 15

In July 2013, UK media audiences had a choice of over 500 digital, terrestrial, satellite and cable TV channels, and, according to Netcraft, there were about 172 million active websites of all kinds in September 2015!

Question 16

(CURRAN AND SEATON - More Choice) Explain how people have been given more choice regarding both WHO they communicate with and also HOW they communicate with people! HINT: Links to different devices being used and the impact / affects of globalisation!

Answer 16

Individuals can speak to others from a different country than them, but also speak to individuals who are a different gender, age, race, sexuality, religion and many other factors to them! People can also create alternative identities, as seen with AI and deep fakes; this brings into question issues regarding cyber security and online safety.

Question 17

(CURRAN AND SEATON - User Participation) Explain how participants have more control and participation in the media today! HINT: Links to citizen journalism!

Answer 17

User-generated sites like Blogger, WordPress or TripAdvisor enable ordinary people, rather than just professional experts, to offer advice and make online reports and criticisms, and to learn from the experiences of fellow consumers in all spheres of life.

Question 18

(CURRAN AND SEATON - User Participation) Explain how, in contemporary society, ordinary people can access the media and participate in it! HINT: The influence of citizen journalism on sites such as Twitter; the influence of Zoom during Covid-19!

Answer 18

Ordinary people can now publish their thoughts on Twitter. Social media has enabled people to expand their personal boundaries beyond geographical area (influence of globalisation), as seen with Covid-19 pandemic! The new media has opened up new channels for communication and interaction, which has enhanced and widened people’s social connections and existing face-to-face interactions and relationships; as seen with the usage of Zoom, Google Meets and other online sites during the pandemic and the lockdowns!

Question 19

Explain the postmodernist view (in terms of Baudrillard, Bauman and Lyotard) regarding User Participation in the media!

Answer 19

Postmodernists see the new media as contributing to social diversity, and enabling people to share in globalised cultures, and to build and shape their identities and to make lifestyle choices in a media-saturated society. Postmodernists would say that individuals in society have become more media-saturated, due to globalisation, which has allowed the creation of ‘liquid modernity’ (Bauman), flexibility, individuality, hyper-realism and consumer identities!

Question 20

(CURRAN AND SEATON - More Opportunities to Initiate Change) What is the definition of a Narrower Political Aspect? HINT: Links to the empowerment of people and the use of protests and initiating change!

Answer 20

This is concerned with the empowerment of people - their rights and ability to control, influence, protest at and organise against governments, and their opportunities to initiate change in society!

Question 21

(More Opportunities to Initiate Change) Explain what McNair says in regards to ordinary people being able to access and influence the media. HINT: ‘Information, like knowledge, is power’!

Answer 21

They say that ‘Information, like knowledge, is power’! Ordinary people can now publish their thoughts on Twitter, which increases the total number of individuals using the website and increases the number of different opinions, viewpoints and political perspectives that are online.

Question 22

(CURRAN AND SEATON - More Opportunities to Initiate Change) Give some examples of Protest and Campaigning Websites, that have promoted a culture of questioning and challenging elite hierarchies in society! HINT: Give as many examples as you can; there are 8 examples here!

Answer 22

• Occupy
• ROAR
• ALL OUT
• 38 Degrees
• WikiLeaks
• Just Stop Oil
• Coalition of Resistance
• A number of Facebook Groups, such as Europeans Against the Political System

Question 23

(CURRAN AND SEATON - More Opportunities to Initiate Change) Explain what is meant by ‘Facebook Revolutions’! HINT: The influence of social media to coordinate and organise protests!

Answer 23

Social media apps, such as Twitter and Facebook, are now being used to coordinate and publicise protests; these became known as the ‘Facebook Revolutions’, and shows both a step towards democracy and representation and how new ideas and aspects can emerge.

Question 24

(CURRAN AND SEATON - Increased Democracy) Explain and give an example of social media being used to make individuals are of protests and events in other countries! HINT: ‘Arab Spring’ 2011 + Israel and Palestine in 2023

Answer 24

New media and tech were crucial in the ‘Arab Spring’. These were a series of uprisings against oppressive and dictatorial regimes in the Arab world which began in Spring 2011. Videos and photos showed evidence of violent acts of repression, torture, and the killing of protestors by regimes; these were uploaded to YouTube and viewed by global audiences from all over the world, which increased its media reach and led to the increased knowledge of events / opened people’s eyes to what was happened.

This means that democracy and individuals’ knowledge of global events has increased; this can allow people to launch protests or join or create movements that will help stand up against injustices and promote democracy and fairness.

Question 25

(CURRAN AND SEATON - Increased Democracy) Explain and give an example of how the New Media can help individuals hold the government and other institutions to account for undemocratic actions! HINT: Kony 2012!

Answer 25

Kony 2012 = This was a 30-minute YouTube video that exposed the plight of children in Uganda at the hands of Kony and went viral; it was viewed 100 million times in the first week.

This means that people gain more knowledge of the harmful and undemocratic events that are happening in one country; this can lead to people launching protests, and joining or creating movements that will help stand up and fight against injustices, in order to promote democracy and fairness internationally.

The use of social media and new media, can help open people’s eyes to the exploitation and the undemocratic and harmful things that are happening within a country; even if that country is miles and miles away, the increased presence of social media is revitalising democracy perhaps acts as a deterrent to unjust and undemocratic institutions.

Perhaps the news media acts as a deterrent, as it suggest that unlawful dictatorships or unjust organisations will always be exposed and found out; it suggests that there is ‘no way out’ for those who commit these heinous acts, which emphasises democracy and the idea that those who commit wrongdoings will be brought to justice and democracy will be reinstalled, which may put some organisations, governments or institutions from acting in a certain way, as they know the punishment and backlash that they will receive.