Media in the Online Age

Revision Session
Exam Conditions

 The exam is on Thursday PM

 You will have one hour to write your
answer
 You should include references to both
historical media and modern forms
Some basic definitions
 Web 1.0: The internet as largely static – to be read
only
 Web 2.0: The internet as a platform that you interact
with, and add content to.
 Digital immigrant: Someone who grew up before the
internet age and has habits which show this (i.e.
always needing a hard copy of a document).
 Digital native: Someone who has born and grown up
within the internet age
 Prosumer: Hybrid of producer and consumer. An
internet user who consumes but also produces and
uploads their own content.
Plato & Mill
 Plato. Greek philospher, 2000  Examples:
years ago, information
controlled/guarded by an elite.
 Think of 3 ways in which
 John Stuart Mill. America, 19th
Century) democratic the internet surrends
approach, information should control and allows for
be freely available (if it does freedom of information
not harm), and people should
be allowed and encouraged to
make their own judgements.
 Can you think of a counter-
 Traditional media has always
been quite tightly controlled…
example (the internet being
but the internet is moving controlled)?
away from this
Wikinomics
 Collaboration: Sharing with people, making it easier to
complete projects and gather resources
 Connectivity: the way in which the internet and other new
forms of communication can put us in touch with people.
 Tapscott & Williams have stated that the inter-connectivity of
the internet has led to a new mode of production (way of
making things), Wikinomics
 Wikinomics: Using the connectivity of the internet to build and
share resources with others.
 E.G. Wikipedia - a world-class resource, free to use and built
for free by volunteers. The scale of the internet and number
of volunteers has allowed this to become a huge resouces
 What other examples of “Wikinomics” can you think of?
David Gauntlett
 British Theorist. Making and Connecting (pub.
2011)
 States that the internet creates connectivity and
this can unleash creativity. It allows people to share
their own creative projects and connect participants
which changes the cultural landscape.
 Connecting leads to making and this is a social
good. It makes us happy as individuals, and helps
build community
 Some examples of collaborative projects or
platforms might include Flickr, yarnbombing or
youtube mash-ups.
Henry Jenkins
 Henry Jenkins, American theorist, who has written about fans and
participatory culture.
 Fan cultures: Shared groups of fans with an intense passion for a
particular media product (examples: anime, SF programmes like
Dr Who)
 Participatory culture: A culture where one joins in and makes and
shares products rather than just consumes wjhat is given to you.
 Interesting because:
 It challenges traditional “top down” methods of media production.
 Shows that fans will find and create their own networks of
distribution
 Example: http://www.starwarsuncut.com/
 Also consider - how traditional hierarchical media institutions are
reacting to this growth in participation, and whether they feel
threatened by it or recognise that it can be used to their
advantage.
The Long Tail
 Chris Anderson
 Two parts – Small head and long tail
 Small head – traditional hits in movies, film or music
 A film becomes number one, a massive amount of money is
made in a short space of time (Avatar). Limited shelf space
equals quick turnaround and limited choice.
 The Long Tail – The internet allows for infinite storage of
data. This means any song/book/film etc. can be stored,
waiting for a consumer to purchase it. Niche products –
products that will only appear to a specialised audience. It
may take a long time (the long tail) but combined sales of
niche products, may equal the sales figures of the “small
head”.
 Examples: Grimetapes.com, Lovefilm
Facebook
 Launched 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg (Social
network)
 Revenue approx $2 billion per year, 600 million
users worldwide, 26m in UK
 Shared interest groups, messages, IM, photo
sharing
 Is it really Web 2.0?
 Privacy concerns
 Played a role in Barack Obama’s election campaign,
recent revolutions in Eygpt & Tunisa – “force for
social change”
TV in the online age

 BBC’s online portal

 iPlayer – allows audience control,
replaying etc
 Interface allows for personalisation
 Breaks schedule driven model of TV
viewing (though actually most people
still watch at set times)
Youtube
 User driven and created video content site
 Created February 2005
 Bought by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006
 20 hours of video added every minute
 Mostly professional media with some amateur
content
 Major challenge to conventional media channels –
no control over what is broadcast, how it is used
 Viral memes: “Scarlet takes a tumble”, “Badger
Badger Badger” (Jonti Picking) – can be used to
drive career
GOOD LUCK!!!