Views on New Media Flashcards
What are the two main views on New Media
Cultural Pessimists
Neo-Philiacs
Which perspective sees New Media as a positive
Neo-Philiacs
Which perspetive seens New Media as a negative
Cultural Pessimists
What do cultural pessisimists say in relation to problems with validity with the New Media
Interactivity & Dispersal:
· Anybody can engage and participate in New media: spread misinformation/fake news - trump bleach COVID
Information over professional advice from the doctors which can increase health anxiety.
· Virtuality: Deepfakes & AI make it even more difficult to know if the information is true or has come from a credible sources
· Hyper textuality: Misinformation can be spread much quicker across multiple platforms compared to old media.
X There is some level of regulation to reduce misinformation, eg Trump got banned from twitter (temporarily)
Virtuality:
· AI makes it more difficult to fact check information. Hyper-reality means we cannot tell true from false.
What do cultural pessimists say in relation to a lack of regulation with New Media
Global nature & participatory culture of New Media, make it difficult for national bodies such as OFCOM to regulate.
· Undesirable spreading of information & increase in crime: Bias, hate crime, pornography, trafficking, cybercrime,
terrorism, gambling.
· Existence of damaging representations of groups - Symbolic annihilation.
What do cultural pessimists say in relation to cultural and media imperialism with New Media
Western norms/values (particularly American) are being imposed on everybody. This is undermining local folk cultures and
resulting in cultural homogenization (reducing diversity)
· Most large technology firms spreading information/products are American: Apple, Microsoft, Google
What do cultural pessimists say in relation to commercialisation and less consumer choice with New Media
Hyper textuality:
· Marxism & Surveillance: Cookies & algorithms are a form of commercial surveillance which store information about
consumer preferences to increase false needs & profit. You do not see more choice, you only see a narrow range of
information and products repeatedly.
· Political information: Danger of echo chambers during political campaigns – reducing ability for consumers to make
informed choices.
Digital divide:
· New media (eg iphone) is expensive, and many groups (elderly/wc) do not have access meaning choice is reduced. Worse now that many services are now online only. (X Statistics show the gap is narrowing AND X Technological convergence means once you have bought one device you can access many aspects of the New Media).
Marxism:
· New Media has replaced serious programming and hard news. Instead, it spreads a mass culture which encourages
conformity & passivity. This often involves infotainment which is Information has been dumbed down and combined with
entertainment (causing false class consciousness).
What do cultural pessimists say in relation to threat to democracy with New Media
New Media enhances the power of the already powerful & limits freedom of speech.
Sovereigns of cyberspace: Multinational corporations have more power than Governments without being elected by the public.
They hold ‘Power without responsibility’ and often feed us messages that will benefit them.
· Zuckerberg owns a monopoly of media outlets: Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram
MacKinnon - Censorship: Undemocratic countries such as China monitor, control and censor new media using web filtering and surveillance technology.
· Russia banned Facebook following Meta’s reduced hate speech towards Putin.
· Egypt turned off internet access of during Arab Springs for 5 days
What do cultural pessimists say in relation to more surveillance with New Media
New Media allows the powerful to control the public and limits freedom.
Hyper textuality:
· Cookies and algorithms allow for the powerful to spread one message (eg echo chambers)
· Cambridge Analytica – influenced voting.
X Surveillance can make society safer by deterring, reducing and increasing awareness of crime.
What do cultural pessimists say in relation to undermining human relationships with New Media
Dispersal & Accessibility and Technological convergence:
· Majority of society can access new media using one device (smartphones). This results in less face-to-face contact - leaving people lacking social skills.
Virtuality:
· People lose touch with real interactions & are more concerned with their online presence - Taking time away from family
(Metaverse) and reducing social capital (networks).
· Immersive short clips result in shorter attention spans.
Interactivity:
· People can contribute to the new media – this may make them feel safer to spread hate.
· Being able to engage makes it more addictive - no longer just a source of entertainment but can become a job that people
find it difficult to switch off from – eg influencers.
Hyper textuality:
· Seeing personalised information, you are interested in results in higher screen time.
What do Neo-Philiacs say in relation to having informed consumers, wider choice and participation with New Media
Public are more informed about the world & the products they are buying.
Interactivity & Dispersal:
· Large amount of people accessing media and ability to post content results in collective intelligence
(increased knowledge): eg Wikipedia
Dispersal & Accessibility:
· PMs: New Media allows everyone the chance to view other cultures, giving people greater control over our identity (Pick n Mix, Cultural Hybridity etc…)
Hyper Textuality:
· New media (cookies and algorithms) personalize our experiences online by advertising products that would
benefit and interest us.
More Media outlets: Competition between media institutions gives consumers better quality information and
more choice.
What do Neo-Philiacs say in relation to access to helpful information with New Media
Dispersal & Accessibility, Interactivity (participatory culture leads to a collective intelligence)
· 24 hour free online access to the following - often on one device: Global news, NHS health advice, Crime
watch Facebook pages, Financial advice (Martin Lewis), Education – YouTube, Travel information.
What do Neo-Philiacs say in relation to a greater democracy with New Media
New media allows the public more power to express views, criticise others and view info from around the world
Interactivity & Dispersal & Accessibility
· Participatory Culture allows for Citizen Journalists: Public can use cameras on smartphones & social
media to post their own reports, hold powerful people accountable and spread awareness of inequality- Eg
George Floyd, BLM, Social media revealed Hello Fresh were exploiting workers. This puts pressure on
mainstream media outlets to cover stories they may have previously ignored (Sousveillance - surveillance
from below)
· Arab Spring: People in Arab countries used Twitter to raise awareness of the hostile treatment they were
receiving from their government without the censorship & control over traditional media.
What do Neo-philicas say in relation to social life and interaction with New Media
Communication across boundaries via social media (Facetime/Whatspp/Voice note/Facebook/Dating).
Dispersal & Accessibility, Interactivity and Technological convergence
· Low-cost way to maintain long distance relationships (one device – facetime, social media etc).
· Re-establish lost connections - Most people have a social media profile.
· Some may find it easier to express themselves online than in person.
· Virtuality: Functionalists – online immersive communities provide a sense of social solidarity.
What do Neo-Philiacs say in relation to the global village with New Media
New media has collapsed geographical & time barriers - individuals can communicate easier and quicker = greater awareness of the world & different cultures (example of technological globalization).
Dispersal & Accessibility and Interactivity
· Pandemic: Internet allowed people to remain connected, continue learning & working from home through
platforms such as Teams, Zoom, Facetime.
· PMs: New Media allows us to view other cultures. This enhances diversity, challenges
stereotypes and promotes a choice of identity.
X People can now spread hate and stereotypes on a global scale – Xenophobia in during the pandemic
