Audience theories

WWW: A well balanced, clearly written essay, with some well chosen examples and quotations.

EBI: Lacks reference to media theory: write a paragraph that references Marxism/cultural imperialism and some audience theories.

Marxism is a political and economic theory by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels that elaborates the practice of communism. In media, it is the rich controlling the rest by using media. This also relates to Pareto's law where top 5% of websites account for 75% of traffic. Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power through diplomacy and military power. Cultural imperialism is the theory of achieving imperialism through the use of cultural tools such as mass media, film, TV etc. Cultural imperialism can be used as an example in the Arab springs where mass media was used in the form of social networking. the hypodermic needle theory and two step flow was also used in the arab springs where the protesters.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/04/the-return-of-marxism

Hypodermic needle - the intended message is accepted by the viewer/reader
Two step flow - people with access diffuse media content to others
Uses and gratifications - people are not helpless victims of mass media

News Story WEEK 4: Frankie Boyle racism case

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/oct/15/frankie-boyle-jokes-libel-mirror?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

• Frankie Boyle sues Mirror Group Newspapers because they labelled him a racist
• Article published (in July 2011) for making jokes about the war in Afghanistan on his Channel 4 show Tramadol Nights
• Jokes were played in court as evidence

Here is the joke in question:

"A bomb went off in Kandahar today, killing two British servicemen, three UN relief workers and a whole bunch of Pakis."

Prior to this, he made a comment about Britons negligence towards the death of others. 

I think the joke is offensive and if a Pakistani complained, I would understand but they didn't. It was a British journalist who the wrote the article. I think there is always that one person who reacts angrily when a joke is said on TV like the joke Jeremy Clarkson made on the One Show where he said public sector workers should be 'executed in front of their families' for striking. I think people have to understand that they are just jokes and if you don't like them, you can always change the channel. 

The Rise & Rise of UGC Homework

• What is meant by the term ‘citizen journalist’?

A citizen journalist is a member of public who plays an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing, and disseminating news and information. New media like social networking as well as the mobile phone have made citizen journalism more common.

• What was one of the first examples of news being generated by ‘ordinary people’?

The Rodney King beating which sparked the LA riots in 1992 was one of the first example to be generated by an ordinary person. The amateur video was used in a national news report.

• List some of the formats for participation that are now offered by news organisations.

Responses on social network sites

• What is one of the main differences between professionally shot footage and that taken first-hand (UGC)?

A professionally shot footage requires permission to be taped.

• What is a gatekeeper?

A gatekeeper is someone who controls access to something

• How has the role of a gatekeeper changed?

They have had to deal with an increase in hacking, the prevalence of proxy servers.

• What is one of the primary concerns held by journalists over the rise of UGC?

Their job is threatened as the amount citizen journalists out numbers professional journalists.

News Story WEEK 3: Facebook Tax Avoidance

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/10/facebook-uk-taxes

• Facebook HQ based in Ireland
• Only pay taxes in Ireland
• Don't pay UK taxes because they are registered in Ireland

I think this is wrong even though most big companies use this technique of having their headquaters abroad. Amazon for example is officially registered in Luxemborg because its tax percentage is lower than the UK even though it operates under a UK domain. I think there should be a law over whether companies can use tax avoidance techniques because this is not illegal although it is unethical.

News story WEEK 2: Facebook hits 1 billion users

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/facebook-hits-one-billion-users-1360594

1 in 7 of the worlds population now uses Facebook each month. This comes after a difficult few months since Facebook's IPO on the New York Stock Exchange