Unit 3 - Section A: THEORETICAL EXPLANTIONS - Marxist (critical) Flashcards
What is idea 1?
De-regulation of media and digital communication: sites are not regulated by state, but private companies. Growing concerns about lack of social control. State that due to being little financial incentive to protect vulnerable people (women and children), little is done to prevent exploitation through internet.
Garside
Acknowledges that the typical adult spends 8hrs and 41mins on social media each day but only 8hrs 21mins asleep, suggesting digital communication is a way of entertaining people which presents now real threat to the existing capitalist society. Marxists believe that media convergence has led to a greater platform for shaping ideas, accept capitalism, not question inequality. Digital communication reinforces and maintains inequalities ideologically controls people. Supporting example, ‘Look Up From Anti-Social Networks’ supports Garside as suggests that we live in an anti-social world, labelled as ‘social’, distracted by media which prevents a revolution, stops unification.
What is idea 2?
Digital communication provides a new form of surveillance.
Cornford and Robins
Argue that digital communication is just another way in which we can be ideologically controlled by capitalists who own and control this form of media. They argue that we are presented with social media in a way that makes us think we have freedom, democracy and equality but it is just another way capitalists can make money and control us. They state that digital communication threatens individual freedom as information is collected about us through sites such as Facebook.
The Snowden Report
The US and British governments had accessed personal conversations on the digital communication (digital media) in the interests of ‘national security’ - wide spread surveillance 1.5 million files (initially) accessed - e.g. browsing history, voicemails, phonecalls, ‘domestic spying’. Intelligence agencies suggests that these are necessary and legal but these actions have lead to mixed reactions from leaders. This occurred at a time when people were in trouble, World News, accessed Milly Dowler’s phone, specifically voicemails, for news stories. Additionally, Facebook’s lack of deregulation abused ‘big data’, few global corporations, largest earning, dominate it. EVALUATION - positive uses to challenge capitalism - ‘Anonymous’, ‘Trade Union’, ‘Change.org’.
Fuchs
Surveillance occurs when companies collect, store and analyse ‘Big Data’ (data commodified - buying + selling) of internet users. Snowden Report uncovered the existence of ‘global surveillance system’, e.g. Facebook. Apple, Google which monitors communication.
Curran
Internet is an extension of this - News outlets owned by few Press Barons at our fingertips - digital access to news outlets. Media Moguls - control over media.
