the new media

Question 1

What is the new media?

Answer 1

Refers to new forms of mass media that have emerged in the last 25 years

Question 2

What is digitalization ?

Answer 2

Growth of digital tech in 1990s resulted in changes in way info is stored and transmitted e.g. images and text converted into binary code

Question 3

What is technological convergence ?

Answer 3

Technological convergence is a term that describes bringing previously unrelated technologies together, often in a single device

Question 4

What is economic convergence ?

Answer 4

the hypothesis that poorer economies’ per capita incomes will tend to grow at faster rates than richer economies.

Question 5

What is cultural convergence ?

Answer 5

the more that cultures interact, the more that their values, ideologies, behaviors, arts, and customs will start to reflect each other.

Question 6

What is interactivity ?

Answer 6

the degree to which users maintain control by making decisions among the available choices they have on the interface

Question 7

What is choice ?

Answer 7

Jenks says audiences today use variety of media on a single device so todays audience have a greater degree of choice compared to 1990s

Question 8

What is participatory culture ?

Answer 8

a culture in which private individuals do not act as consumers only, but also as contributors or producers

Question 9

What is collective intelligence ?

Answer 9

shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration, collective efforts, and competition of many individuals and appears in consensus decision making

Question 10

What is the digital divide ?

Answer 10

the difference between those who have ready access to computers and the internet, and those who do not

Question 11

What does research say about young people and new media ?

Answer 11

young people more likely to engage in media multitasking where they use more than one media at the time

Question 12

What does research say about elderly people and the new media ?

Answer 12

over 65 are almost 4X as likely to share fake news posts

Question 13

What does the 2020 of Ofcom survey say about the class divide ?

Answer 13

found a class divide, with people in higher social classes more likely to use different devices to access to new media and to own smartphones

Question 14

What are the differences in the gender divide ?

Answer 14

Men spend more time of the internet whereas women spend more time on social media sites
Women play digital games whereas mean play violent video games

Question 15

What is the global digital divide ?

Answer 15

most mobile phones use is widespread which masks other problems such as poor connectivity and lack of internet access

Question 16

How can we criticize the digital divide ? AO3

Answer 16

criticise neophilliacs and postmodernists as we should not forget that most people are left without access to it

Question 17

Why might some say the digital divide is being closed ?

Question 18

Why might some say the digital divide is getting greater ?

Question 19

How do Curran and Seaton 2003 define neophilliacs?

Answer 19

optimistic about the spread of new media technologies, which they see as offering more choice and opportunity to participate in democratic process

Question 20

How has the new media given rise to greater consumer choice ( neophilliacs ) ?

Answer 20

hundreds of entertainment and news channels on TV
People can choose numbers of media delivery systems
Competition between diversity of media will improve quality of media output

Question 21

How has the new media led to an e-commerce revolution and empowered consumers ( neophilliacs ) ?

Answer 21

Etailers such as Amazon and Ebay have had greater economic successes and have undermined high street sales of books, films, and music
Consumers in control, compare prices from website huge range of products and services

Question 22

How do some argue the new media has revitalized democracy ( neophilliacs) ?

Answer 22

Argued new media gives people documentaries to acquire the education and info required to play an active role in democratic societies, makes politicians more accountable, allows people

Question 23

How have those who oppose capitalism used the internet to challenge powerful groups ( neophilliacs) ?

Answer 23

some neophilliacs argue internet can be used to monitor illegal or immoral activities of big businesses, harness mass support for causes and to co-ordinate protests

Question 24

What are the strengths of neophilliacs ? AO3

Answer 24

1) Recent examples show the power of the new media to campaign against injustice and raise awareness– e.g. The Arab Spring,, and #BlackLivesMatter which is an online and real-life campaign which has been used to highlight racial injustice and police racism since 2013.
2) During COVID 19 pandemic , people have become increasingly reliant on new media for communication with friends and family and for shopping which is a positive of new media

Question 25

What are the limitations of neophilliacs? AO3

Answer 25

1) Marxists would argue the e-commerce revolution has actually increased consumerism and exploitation of workers which accompanies it
2) Cultural pessimists would argue that the power of individual citizens using social media can hardly rival the power of billion dollar media conglomerate to produce media content
3) The new media can be used as a tool of censorship and surveillance by the government as well as protesting against it
4) It can also be used to spread rumour and disinformation that may undermine democracy rather than supporting it

Question 26

How do Curran and Seaton 2003 define cultural pessimists ?

Answer 26

negative view of new media concentrated in hands of powerful co operations, decline in quality of popular culture

Question 27

Why do Conford and Robins argue the new media are not so new ( cultural pessimists ) ?

Answer 27

Cornford and Robins argue that the new media isn’t really new because it still relies on old technology like telephone landlines for internet access (many homes and businesses connect to the internet through a Digital Subscriber Line which uses traditional telephone lines). They point out that people have been interacting with TV and radio for years such as calling into them, the main difference with new media is that it’s faster.

Question 28

How do cultural pessimists argue media conglomeration undermines the media’s potential for democracy ?

Answer 28

Argue that media conglomeration undermines democracy because a few large companies dominate the new media. Corporations like Google, Facebook, and Amazon, along with traditional media like the BBC, control the most popular websites. These companies have far more power and resources than individuals to create and control media content, limiting true democratic participation online.

Question 29

What do cultural pessimists say are the negative side effects of commercialisation of the internet and how do Marxists agree ?

Answer 29

The new media is very commercialised. Though it may bring consumer choice, it can also lead to increased consumer surveillance. Cookies can be used to monitor people’s viewing, listening and purchasing habits in order to tailor adverts to them and persuade them to buy more! Marxists think this just continues capitalist exploitation.

Question 30

How do cultural pessimists argue the new media technologies are reinforcing the power of elites such as corporations and governments ?

Answer 30

Cultural pessimists argue that media conglomerates and governments dominate new media, giving them more power than individuals. For example, security services can monitor phones, increasing elite control rather than empowering ordinary people. Most webpages don’t focus on political content, and mainstream opinions still dominate, so people aren’t using new media to explore a wide range of views.

Question 31

How do cultural pessimists argue the media leading to decline in quality of popular culture ?

Answer 31

Digital TV has increased the number of channels viewers can choose from but this leads to dumbing down of programming, reality TV shows and repeats

Question 32

How do cultural pessimists define candy floss culture ?

Answer 32

TV transmits candy floss culture, appeals to everyone and no one - appealing but bad for you

Question 33

How do cultural pessimists define tabloidisation ?

Answer 33

ITV and BBC are undergoing tabloidization because they have to compete with other channels – leading to a decline in news and documentaries and increase in reality TV and celebrity gossip.

Question 34

What do cultural pessimists say about lack of internet regulations ?

Answer 34

The lack of regulation on the internet can lead to new social problems such as pornography, racist, sexist and homophobic online abuse, cybercrime, cyber bullying, trolling and sexual grooming of children.

Question 35

What do cultural pessimists Turkle and Livingstone argue about the link between media and social isolation ?

Answer 35

Turkle sees new media users as cyborgs who are constantly connected by and devoted to their smartphones. She believes it has led to more anxiety and isolation, leading to more online ‘friends’ but fewer genuine real-world relationships. Livingstone similarly argues young people now spend more time online than with members of their own family.

Question 36

Why does cultural pessimist Keen criticize the chaotic new media ?

Answer 36

1)Social media focuses on self-promotion rather than supporting democracy

2)User-generated sites like Wikipedia can be biased and unreliable

3)Much new media content lacks checks, leading to misinformation and trolling

4)The internet contributes to cultural illiteracy, as young people develop shorter attention spans and weaker problem-solving skills due to easy access to information.

Question 37

What are the strengths of cultural pessimists? AO3

Answer 37

1) Takes into account problems such as rising rates of cyber crime, which is estimated to be most common form of crime in UK
2) Makes a useful argument that social media account of 1 person or even thousands cannot challenge the dominance of million dollar media company
3) Recent rise of fake news stories including conspiracy theories and disinformation about COVID 19 and vaccinations highlights the chaotic nature of internet

Question 38

What are the limitations of cultural pessimists ? AO3

Answer 38

1) Overlooks the fact that new media can connect people rather than isolate them and this has been significant during 2020 lockdowns
2) Regulations of internet are improving all the time with laws against abuse and revenge porn bought up in the last few years so regulations is keeping up with challenges media presents