What difference has the internet made to media consumption and production? Refer to at least two media sectors in your answer.

Key Words

Convergence - different technology systems come together

eg. Online news - written text (journalism), audio and video coming together

Red button on the TV

Web 2.0 - web development which has improved the ease of communication through social networking sites and also allowed online shopping sites to operate in terms of feedback, amongst other features.

Public Sphere - a virtual community where people can come together to discuss interests, news, events or information. eg. forums / comments on newspaper websites + music websites

Online Journalism - newly established form of journalism whereby journalists, or members of the public are able to publish articles, facts and information on to the internet. Online journalism holds an advantage over other forms of journalism in that it has no space limit, and can be constantly updated. Examples include; newspaper or news websites such as The Guardian or BBC news and also websites for public access such as Twitter.

Citizen Journalism - members of the public are able to participate in journalism via the internet, and report on any news story they choose - eg. forums, blogs, Twitter, Wikipedia

Social Networking - interaction between people online, particularly through specific sites such as Facebook and Myspace

Interactivity - some internet sites provide interactive features to encourage reader loyalty and also to generate ideas and feelings towards specific stories.

Accessibility- level of ease in accessing certain information, topics or stories.

Lesson 5 - Homework

Results of news consumption research and interviews

In this investigation, each of the participants consumes news daily in some form. However, there are increasingly more ways to access the news and therefore the way in which people consume daily news can vary widely. Here is a summary of my findings:

• Online news is becoming an increasingly popular way of obtaining news due to its accessibility.
• Most adults continue to read a newspaper daily, as well as sometimes referring to online news websites.
• Comments suggest that online news is used mostly in reference to a particular news item or article. This is likely to be due to the search facility on news websites, which allows users to search key words to find particular items of interest.
• Those who read newspapers do so as a means of relaxation as well as to keep up with current affairs (perhaps reading the newspaper whilst ‘having a coffee’ or during a journey to work). This activity requires a hard copy newspaper, rather than reading from an on-screen version.
• Those who read newspapers are also more likely to consume news daily, as their newspaper is most often delivered to their door. Online news requires actively seeking the news without reminder.
• For men in particular, sports coverage played an important part in their new consumption, and most commented that they would prefer to consume this via television, as this often provides re-plays of specific events or goals for example.
• Those younger than sixth form tend to have very little interest or knowledge in current affairs or politics. Girls read fashion or gossip magazines based around celebrity news, and boys tend to read comics, or sports news.
• However, at sixth form or university level, students begin to take more interest in politics and like to keep up-to-date with current affairs. Often they choose to do this via the Internet or television, which their generation is more associated with.

Lesson 5 - Comparing Newspapers and the Internet

There are many benefits to online news. Most notably, online news is free! The Internet serves as a means of instant access to news for anyone with a computer and Internet access. Most news websites keep archives of past articles, which are extremely useful for research, or simply to read back to past news on current affairs, perhaps to gain a better understanding. Generally, news websites also categorise their articles, providing easier navigation. For example the news websites listed below categorise their articles as follows:

BBC

Telegraph

Guardian

Online news is also more up-to-date, as it can be constantly edited and updated. Newspapers are printed daily, which means that often news is not delivered until the next day. Online news is also able to provide more detail, as there is no printing limit on the length of articles. Similarly, articles for more niche audiences would not always be printed in newspapers, but can be published online and made available for those who are interested in them, without boring everyone else!

However, many people, particularly of older generations, are not comfortable with using the Internet and so would prefer a hard copy of their news. The newspaper industry continues to provide this in various publications suited to a range of audiences.

Lesson 3 - History of News

Nowadays, news is broadcast most commonly via television, but is also widely available online. However, newspapers remain a fundamental source of news as does radio news particularly in terms of immediate updates on aspects of news such as traffic, weather and local news.

News was first broadcast in the UK on the radio, which in the 1920s was fully controlled by the BBC. It was also the BBC who first broadcast on UK television in the 1950s. The British Broadcasting Cooperation remains a highly regarded source of news in the UK today, and across the world.

What was the first national newspaper in this country?

Times literary supplement - Jan 17th 1902

When was the first news broadcast?

First Radio Broadcast - BBC in 1922

Brief introduction to media history

The spread of news, rumour and gossip has been a central component of everyday life for hundreds of years. Religious tracts, pamphlets, posters, ballads and poems were in mass circulation from the introduction in England of the printing press by William Caxton in the 1470s. Newspapers, periodicals and books were commonplace amongst the literate by the mid-1700s, and by the early 19th century there were 52 London papers and over 100 other titles competing for sales, each known by their respective political interests.

By the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 newspapers were the dominant media for news. However, newsreels shown in cinemas proved to be particularly popular for the millions of people who visited their local picture house on a weekly basis. In 1922, the British Broadcasting Company was the first to broadcast experimental radio programmes. It became the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1927 when it was granted a Royal Charter. The BBC began television broadcasts in England in 1932, and these broadcasts became a regular service, known as the BBC Television Service, in 1936. The Second World War disrupted the development of television technology, but by the mid-1950s every British household wanted a television set. Today the phrase 'new media' is meant to encompass the emergence of digital, computerised, or networked information and communication technologies. All the major news networks and media channels have websites which are regularly updated and free to access, a significant factor in the decline of newspaper readerships into the 21st century. At the present time we can only guess what the historians of the future will make of the early years of the internet.

Source: http://www.intute.ac.uk

Do the Internet and the World Wide Web have the potential to be a more idealised version of Habermas' Public Sphere?

The Public Sphere is a theory published by Jurgen Habermas in 1962, which is based on the coming together of people to share private ideas and develop and form opinions. Habermas worked as Adorno’s research assistant as part of the Frankfurt School of Philosophers and believes that The Public Sphere transformed the feudal society of the 18^th century to a democracy and believes that this is still relevant today as an aid to democracy.

Today, our principal source of information or news of politics and current events is the media, most commonly in the form of newspapers or television reports. However, with each of these forms comes a certain amount of bias or manipulation. Politicians use Spin Doctors to help them control the media. Therefore it is often the case that stories they want released receive a lot of media coverage and stories they want kept quiet are barely heard covered at all. However, it is important to remember that this is not always the case.

Most newspapers favour a particular political party and therefore often do not provide unbiased information or balanced arguments. This can prevent the public from forming their own opinions, as they are influenced by the stance of the newspaper. Television media is in theory not biased. However, the BBC is often criticised for being biased, particularly when discussing political issues. Conversely, the Internet serves a wide purpose in that its content can be so extensively varied.

The Public Sphere in the 18^th century, referred to gatherings of local people discussing local events. Today, the Internet allows people from all over the world to discuss local and global issues with one another. However, only between 15 and 22 per cent of the world’s population has access to the Internet, which therefore cannot yet be considered the modern Public Sphere. Nevertheless, advances in technology mean it is possible that one day everyone in the world will have access to the Internet and thus people from many different cultures will be able to form a public sphere together in which to discuss their ideas. The diversity of cultures would enrich discussion, as everyone would have different experiences and opinions.

Web 2.0 is the specific technology which would make this possible in that it allows anyone to publish information online. In order to have a discussion and form educated opinions, participants must have some prior background knowledge of the subject. The World Wide Web also serves as a source of information. Web 2.0 operated sites, such as Wikipedia, act as an excellent source of information, or provide the opportunity for people to publish information online themselves. Such information can be accessed from most homes as many have a computer with Internet access. This is of course much easier that buying a book or visiting the library.

In terms of discussion, forums, chat rooms and social networking sites create a space in which people are able participate in equal discussion whereby they cannot be judged by their appearance, nationality, or occupation. However, the ability to hide one’s true identity can also be problematic in that people may not be who they say they are. On the Internet, there is no way of ensuring people are who they declare to be, or that they are discussing matters honestly and without jest. Through the facility for anyone to publish information on the Internet, a more idealised version of the Public Sphere could be created. However, the availability of such information means it can be difficult to judge which information is reliable and which is biased or incorrect. If the wrong information is supplied, members of the public become misinformed and online discussions will no longer act as a Public Sphere.

Although the Internet provides opportunity for discussion, these discussions are not as instant as speech. Emails and posts can be edited before published or sent and thus the effectiveness of the discussion is lost. In order to create a Public Sphere, real time discussion must be used, as speech is spontaneous, and cannot be unsaid once said. Another issue is that without the interactive features of speech such as facial expressions and intonation, the intended meaning may be lost and people could be misunderstood. However, in the future it is possible that faster internet connections will allow video conferences with multiple participants to be set up in a chat room style and in this instance, a Public Sphere may be achievable.

In relation to other news forms, the Internet is a new technology and so many people do not understand how to use it to its full potential. People of an older generation in particular are not as comfortable with such technologies as younger generations. Therefore, until the current ‘Internet generation’ becomes the older generation, the Internet will not be able to function as a Public Sphere, because it would exclude certain age categories. The Internet must also be available to everyone across the world in order to create a Public Sphere otherwise; poorer groups or certain cultures would be excluded.

There is certainly potential for the Internet to become a more idealised version of the Public Sphere, but this is dependant on a number of important factors. Potentially, in the future the content of the Internet may be restricted, either by Government, or companies owning the sites. The Internet also has the potential to become more widely used and understood, available to everyone across the globe, and ultimately to create some form of Public Sphere in democracy can be promoted and developed.

Lesson 2 - The Public Sphere

Dear diary, 

Today we learnt about The Public Sphere. This is a theory published by Jurgen Habermas who worked as Adorno's research assistant as part of the Frankfurt School.

Habermas believes that The Public Sphere transformed the feudal society of the 18th century to a democracy and believes that this is still relevant today as an aid to democracy. 

The Public Sphere denotes that people can come together in public and discuss ideas and form opinions.

How does this link with Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 allows people to publish information online. However this can be problematic in that information may be biased or untrue. Forums and chat rooms are also examples of Web 2.0 which create a Public Sphere.

Au revoir