2 articles

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/17/whatsapp-blocked-brazil-48-hours-facebook

WhatsApp blocked in Brazil for 48 hours by court



 
Brazil had blocked whatsapp so that no one i the country could go on it. A Brazilian court ordered mobile phone providers to block all access to the internet-based messaging service on Wednesday for a total of 48 hours, starting at midnight.

• The injunction was sought by a plaintiff before a criminal court in São Paulo state whose identity was kept secret.
• The first criminal court of São Bernardo do Campo said in a statement: “WhatsApp did not respond to a court order, dated 23 July, 2015. On 7 August , 2015, the company was notified again of being subject to fixed penalty in case of non-compliance.”

This was there to make sure that people werent getting caught up in things that werent there problem and to help them stay safe.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/14/twitter-warns-users-hacked-state-sponsored-actors

Twitter warns users they may have been hacked by 'state-sponsored actors'



Twitter useres have said that they were part of a stateside attack meaning that they think that the government were hacking into their information and tweeting pretending to be them.There have been many people trying to warn everyone.

• The warning begins: “As a precaution, we are alerting you that your Twitter account is one of a small group of accounts that may have been targeted by state-sponsored actors. We believe that these actors (possibly associated with a government) may have been trying to obtain information such as email addresses, IP addresses, and/or phone numbers.”
• Twitter’s specific warning has sparked criticism from those who received it, however. The company advises users to use the anonymous browser Tor to keep their identity secret in the face of hacks, but Tor users have often accused the firm of blocking accounts that log in using the service, thinking they are spammers. Users whose accounts are blocked in this way can get them back by verifying with a phone number – and phone numbers are one of the pieces of information that Twitter has warned may have been stolen in the attacks.

This has obviously had a bad impact on the people who use twitter as they think that they were hacked by people un control. This shouldnt be happening as the governemnt are there to protect your information not abuse and expose it.

2 articles

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/dec/03/youtube-licensing-deals-tv-shows-films

YouTube tipped to strike licensing deals for TV shows and films

 

Youtube have been trying to make deals with TV firms and big comapanies so that they can show their shows on youtube. This will help improve their viewers etc.This will be a competition that they will have to compete with Netflix and other big companies that offer  this sort of service.

• The online video service is keen for its $9.99-a-month service to compete more directly with rivals such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• The shows or movies may be streamed exclusively on YouTube Red, or could be released through traditional channels like movie theaters, cable networks and DVDs alongside the YouTube subscription service.”
• It’s based on people paying $12.99 for a monthly subscription within the app – YouTube has added $3 to the cost of YouTube Red to account for Apple’s 30% cut of in-app purchases.

I think this will be a good thing for Yputube as it will attract many more people that dont get to cathc up with TV shows that often. Eventhough there are many services availables as many people are fond and know about Youtube because they are already familiar with it will help them alot.

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/dec/17/sun-website-traffic-mirror

 

Sun website traffic rises by a quarter – but it is eclipsed by the Mirror

 

 

The sun website traffic rose by more than a quarter in November – but it was not enough to close the gap with rival Trinity Mirror.

• News UK’s website, which began offering most online articles for free this summer and had completely abolished its paywall by the end of November, posted a 25.6% rise in daily unique browsers to 1.6 million.
• Trinity’s national newspaper sites, which include mirror.co.uk, enjoyed a 28.1% rise in average daily unique browsers to 4.7 million last month compared with October, according to the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations
• The Independent was up 24.4% compared with October to 3.27 million daily unique browsers, Telegraph.co.uk jumped 17.2% to just over 5 million, theguardian.com rose 13.7% to 9.27 million and MailOnline added 10.5% to 14.6 million

 

News index

google article

new-and-digital-media

citizen-journalism
galtung-and-ruge

ndm-marxism-pluralism-and-hegemony

media-confrence-notes

marxism vs pluralism

marxism-vs-pluralism

alain

globalisation

globalisation-and-media-wider-issues

news-on-tweet

the-key-concepts-of-audience

news-corporation

News Corporation

1) Research News Corporation’s response to the growth of new and digital media by listing each of the institution’s brands (Sky News, Times etc.) Have any closed, changed or been in the news in the last 10 years for any reason?There are many institution brands that news corp have covered. For example, BBC news, ITV, sky news and the guardian etc. These are big news brands that have been happing over many years and have continued to be successful.

2) Develop examples of the impact that new and digital media has had on News Corp’s brands (paywalls, readership figures, audience share etc.)
Many people would find it easier to get newspapers for free online rather than going out and buying it. Many people have been doing this for a couple of years now since there have been online versions and apps to access. This has meant that newspapers have been declining and not many have been around.Some newspapers are getting distributed for free but as many people have data on their phone and prefer to see a digital version they ignore the free version and just use their phone as its there and convenient and it doesn't take up alot of space.

3) Use what you have found out about News Corp to answer the following question:
Why and with what success are traditional media institutions adapting to the challenge posed by new/digital media?
There have been a real success with what has been happening in the news industry. For example, there has been alot of people being more interested in the news but the online and digital versions. No one really listens to the news on the radio any more or watches it as much as they used to. They had to make sure that there is enough information for people to access and ensure that there is enough being done. Having a easier option of it being on-line is good as it gives us the opportunity to access it quicker and easier.

The key concepts of audience and institution

1) What was the relationship between audience and institution in the pre-digital age?
There is a relationship between the two. The relationship is that they are both there to provide information in a way.For example, an audience is there to read and understand the information they institutions give them. This gives them enough time to do everything.they all want to make sure that they have enough to show everyone.


2) The article gives a lot of examples of major media institutions. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them.
There are many examples to talk about. For example, Disney they have always provided films and books and merchandise for their audiences. This gives them praise as many people like to give them that. Another one is BBC they there purpose is to inform and thats what they do. The last one is that Marvel they are really big and well-known with everyone as well like Disney. 

3) The article ends with a section on the digital age. Summarise this section in 50 words.
Digital media has always been a big impact in the world. It has been beneficial and useful. Digital media will always be changing and show different things overtime.Digital media will always be changing. technology has been a massive and changes all the time and as that changes so does the digital media.

4) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media institutions hold sway?
I see that digital media will always have a big impact on the world and the way it does is through technology and the internet.As technology changes so does the internet. For example, iPhone has been successful and always will be. It has always changed in different ways and has been improving in what they do.

2 articles

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/dec/09/independent-blog-site-ransomware-hackers-viruses

The Independent’s blog site hit by ransomware attack



The independants website has fallen foul of hackers who are using ads to target visitors with virus software that encrypts files and demands a ransom. This is bad as The independant is a well-known website which tries to do its best in keeping alot viewers and by hackers not violating them its bad.

• A spokesperson for Independent owners ESI Media said that as a precaution all ads have been removed from the site, which is separate from Independent.co.uk and hosted on popular blogging software WordPress.
• We are currently investigating third-party advertising suppliers that are used by our externally-hosted blog platform, Independent Blogs, which is a separate entity to Independent.co.uk,” said the spokesperson.
• ESI said that visitors to the legacy site amounted to less than 0.2% of those who visited the Independent during the whole month of November. Based on the Independent’s most recent published traffic statistics, which cover October, fewer than 5,000 people a day are likely to have visited the site.

This is bad as The independant is there to provide information for their audeicne not to have hackers ruin what they put n their website and have false information.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/12041677/Brits-to-get-access-to-BBC-iPlayer-and-Sky-Go-on-holiday-as-EU-changes-copyright-rules.html

Brits to get access to BBC iPlayer and Sky Go on holiday as EU changes copyright rules




The BBC is planning to allow licence fee payers to access the iPlayer from abroad under new rules designed to create a single market for digital services. Providers of subscription internet content including Sky, Netflix and Spotify will also be obliged to allow their viewers to use their services from anywhere in the EU.

• The BBC said it would undertake a major technical overhaul of the iPlayer to ensure licence fee payers can log in to watch programmes while non-licence fee payers remain excluded. Currently it simply blocks access to all non-British internet addresses.
• A spokesman said: “Being able to offer BBC iPlayer depends on the UK Government implementing legislation to modernise the licence fee… something the Government has committed to do next year.
• Officials are planning more new rules for next spring that would mean individuals in one EU country could gain the right to subscribe to digital services from any other. The moves are being opposed by rights holders including the major Hollywood studios, who fear it would undermine their ability to stagger releases across territories and charge different prices depending on the level of demand for a film.

I think that the EU has a right to have he iplayer as its somehing that they can develop and turn into something big. As the BBC are going to cut off BBC 3 maybe the EU can re do something like that.

News on the Tweet

• Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?

They are good for twitter as its something that they would like to do. Everyone who are interested will show that via twitter. They are interested ion re tweeting their articles etc. Its something that happens as they want everyone to know what they are reading or are interested in.

• Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?

Its good for respected news brands because they need to make sure that they are popular as most companies have an online version. They don't mind  if people promote them in a way like re-tweeting their news stories or someone else's tweet etc. This is good publicity for them as it gives them something to do.

• The report suggests that old and new media “are not, in fact, in direct competition, but often work extremely well together to enhance both the media eco-system and the consumer experience”. What evidence do they provide to support this idea? Do you agree with it?

I think that its wrong in some way as it can be directed out and show what they mean. I think that this is purposely done for a reason to get more views etc.

• On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to 'gossip' or 'banter'. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this? 

There are many stories that are being used as part of banter. For example "sewer pipe is stuck with a large pooh". This may appear funny as its a play on words as its getting clogged up with winnie the pooh. Also, "Does Kim kardashian bum look big in these trousers" Is another one as she is known for her famous backside.

• Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?

No, i dont think it is as you do need a balance in what you write and hear as news cant always be serious and negative.

• What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?

Most people are saying that they trust what they are saying and what is going on twitter as its something that they can connect with the news articles or people who run the newspapers. Its something that can happen over time all the time. They believe that they are more in contact with them this way.

• Finally, do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?

i think that it has both a good and bad impact on them. For example, it helps them as they get to promote them in some way as many people don't have any contact with the news or newspapers and the way they find out is through social media. It does bring it back as they would rather see it or hear it on social media rather than read and waqtch the original on a newspaper or BBC news.

Globalisation and the media: wider issues

1) Why was Google Glass controversial?

Its been controversial because its very open. It allows google to access everyones personal information that they may not want them to know. This id an issue as many things go online quicker and is very bad that it gets shown. Evryone wants to keep up with the latest trends and they want to ensure that they get what they can to be with the new technogloy. But as this is going to very expenisve and many people may not want this they need to ensure that they get enough done.

2) What are the positive elements to Globalisation that the article highlights?

There are many psotive elements to this. For example, it allows everyone to access what they want when they want. They can do things easier and quicker. Its something that allows a small minority of people to connect with. Not eveyone is going to be able to afford this new piece of tech and the people that do have it will be lucky enought to have so.


3) What are potential negatives to Globalisation?
Although there are good things about the new product there are also some bad ones too. For example, that not many peopel will be intrested in this new product. Alot of people dont want new products or anything new within companies to grow as the technology changes all the time and there are bound to be many other things out very soon. Without the reassurance of other people they arent going to want to buy it and be intrested.


4) What is a techno-panic? How does it link to moral panics?

Techno panic is a fear that relkates new and recent technology. This is something that is bad as its something that happens sometimes and to some people.This can spark both moral and techno panics. There have been some issues that wearing and using the glass is bad as it can cause problems within the eyes and it can be bad for the human brain etc. 


5) What is your opinion on the privacy debate and major corporations being able to access large quantities of personal data?

I think that its bad that Google will be able to see, hear and wtach what people are doing that have this new piece of technology. Being private is there for reason to make sure that no one else can see what you are doing or hear what you are doing. People dont want private infromation going out as its soemthing that is close to them and it should be kept private. However, it is good that they are inventing soemthing new as technology changes all the time.
 

2 articles

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/11980163/Alibaba-buys-Chinas-version-of-YouTube-for-4.8bn.html

Alibaba buys China's version of YouTube for $4.8bn



Alibaba buys chinas version of youtube for alot of money. This is slightly above the price that they asked for but as he wants to pay that amount they will happliy let him buy it for that much money. He says ""We are confident that we will strengthen our market position and further accelerate our growth through the integration of our advertising and consumer businesses with Alibaba's platform and Alipay services," said Youku Tudou chief executive Victor Koo in a joint statement with Alibaba.

• In a "definitive merger agreement", Alibaba will pay $27.60 in cash per US-traded American depositary
• The price is 35pc higher than the share price on October 15, just before the takeover bid was first announced.

I think this fine that he is going to buy a chinese version of youtube as its what he wants to do. I think that its good that he went over the asking price as it shows how much he wanted it. Youtube is very popular and im sure the chinese version is to.


http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2015/dec/02/rebekah-brooks-praised-by-david-dinsmore-over-news-uks-changes


Rebekah Brooks praised by David Dinsmore over News UK's changes




Rebekah Brooks is getting parised on the amount of good work she has been putting in the effort she has been doing. They say it feels like longer than 12 weeks that she been here and she has alot more work to do. She has always cause controversy but has now maybe turned over a new leaf and made people get a better idea of her.

• He said: “We’ve done a phenomenal job as a sector of doing ourselves down in the last 25 years when our relevance has never been greater in this fragmented world.
• Such is the intensity of change since Brooks returned to the company 12 weeks ago it “feels like 12 years ago”, Dinsmore told Campaign’s Gideon Spanier.
• He said: “You can build audiences reasonably quickly... But we’ve also discovered... you have to be nimble, you have to keep moving. That’s where we have to get a lot better.”
• The Sun is Britain’s best-selling paper, with a print circulation of 1.8m copies a day. But it struggled to obtain a digital audience when people were required to pay for access to its website.

I think that its good that she is trying to be good and do her best as she needs to to make a good living now. She has been a terrible person in the past but is now trying to become a better person.

Globalisation

1) Is our news influenced by American cultural imperialism? What examples can you think of?
I think that most news is influenced by america as they have the most power in the world. America is a place that alot of people want to go and by having and seeing and listening to stories from there can give Britain influence to make sure that their stories are as good as threes or that they find good gossip on certain celebrities. This is a competition that always happens and most of the time they make sure that

2) Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? How? Why?
I think that it has as they are getting more out of it and are seeing and hearing more than what they would usually. With globalisation you can get a wole new view or new opinion on things depending if you believe it or not.

3) Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions? How? Why?
I think that it has benefited news institutions as there area more things that they can read and listen to. Having options gives the audience more freedom in what they can see and read. Without globalisation the audience wouldn't go on the institutions page and read what they needed to get the information they wanted.

2 articles

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/26/bbc3-tv-channel-to-be-switched-off-by-february-bbc-trust-confirms

BBC3 TV channel to be switched off by February, BBC Trust confirms




BBC 3 want to take it off there channel despite losing millions of young viewers taht have always watched shows on this channel. this is going to be a bad thing for the BBC as they will belosing out on alot of money and alot of viewers. they want to boost the views on BBC1 and BBC 2.

• The content budget for the new online-only service will be £30m, a 50% cut from the current level.about £6m of which will be spent on short-form content.
• but told bosses they must boost the amount of programming targeting young people on BBC1 and BBC2.
• The BBC3 TV channel will stop showing programmes at the end of January, but will continue to run as a “barker” – “a promotional transitional channel” – until it is fully switched off at the end of February.
• The trust said it was attempting to address concerns about losing its younger audience after research showed that up to 80% of the 925,000 audience who use no other BBC TV service could switch off. The BBC says that 540,000 of those are 16 to 34 year olds.
• On average, 11.2 million people watch BBC3 every week, according to the trust’s own analysis. As a consequence of the online-only switch, the BBC’s reach among 16- to 24-year-olds could fall by 3% to 3.5% overall, and up to 5% of black audiences and women in lower income households are also likely to be lost.

I think that the BBC shouldnt take off BBC 3 as many people still want to watch the programmes on the shows . I think that it shouldnt be taken off as they will lose alot of viewers and alot of money too. BBC 3 wasnt that great but when repeated shows come on it would be shown on BBC 3 and that was a good thing because if epopel missed it then they can watch it.


http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/25/the-sun-did-not-spin-its-headline

The Sun did not spin its headline





The sun has made the Guardian angry as the sun had a poll .It is ironic, though, that the Guardian makes play of complaints to the newspaper industry regulator Ipso, an organisation it has itself declined to join.

• Contrary to your assertions, no facts were “brazenly doctored” in the Sun’s reporting of the poll. The question about sympathy for Muslims “who leave the UK to join fighters in Syria” was clearly – by its context and ordinary meaning – a reference to those fighting for Islamic State, and was chosen by the polling company.
• The Sun reported the question, and the rest of the survey, in full, together with comment from major Muslim voices, including Labour’s London mayoral candidate.

Its bad that they had made a poll against them and the sun had to make sur ethat they apologised as its something serious. The sun doesnt always do things by the books and this shows one of the reasons.

Alain

1) To what extent do you agree with Alain de Botton's views on the News?

 I agree with some of the thhhings that hes saying as some of it is true and relevent but most of the time it doesnt need to happen or it sint true. For example, that hes saying that having alot of news and telling everyone aboput it they wont remember it and that the media now publish fun news like taylor swift on a  front cover rather than something serious about global warming etc. We also listen to disaster news and not care about it later. For example, thsi happens because we see it too much and were used to it that its natural for us to nbe around it. They only let us listen to soma parts so we hear and lsiten about the bad parts but we cant compare it to the good parts that they could have had. This is somehting that does make sense and does happen.


2) How can you link Marxism and Hegemony to de Botton's criticisms of the News?

A marxism view would agree with him and make sure that what hes saying is true and it is true. Marxists beleiev that the media and big news paper compamies does make big things happen and the can do this because they have the right to. They set certain things on websites and on the news for reason so that they can ensure that they have a massive audeience that would listen to them and understand and believe whatever they say. For example, with photo journalism we see and learn new things and these are things that they use all the time.


3) How could you use Pluralism and new technology to challenge de Botton's views on the News?
With a pluralism view they ensure that they have a view and have a freedom of speech with whatever media or news based stories taht there is or whateveer they find important. For example,if there was story about children starving in certain countries-they would express themselves and ensure that they find certain facts and would blogg it or tweet somewhow so taht smaller compaines would be able to see it and then make a big deal out of it later. Most of these things happen via social media etc as thats where its easier to access and show certain things on websites about things taht matter to them. Thsi would be hard for a marxists view as they wouldnt like the fact that pluralists are not taking in the information that they have given and are doing their own thing.


4) Choose two news stories from the last six months - one that supports de Botton's views and one that challenges his belief that the News is used for social control.
On of the new stories are The sun ediitor would have published david cameron a "pig" serialisation and News paper will surive. the first one will go against his view and the second one will agree with him.

2 articles

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/18/bbc-entertainment-comedy-tv-the-voice

BBC to cut entertainment and comedy but plans new Saturday night shows




The BBC are currently trying to see if cutting out comedy and entertainment would be a good thing and add a new saturday night show. the BBC are also considering cutting off the red button on the side of the programmes as many people dont interact with it and its unneccessary to have.BBC online is also facing some problems as not many peopel also use the app or go on the website.

• Comedy, entertainment and factual programming at the BBC will be hit by a £12m spending cut
• Unveiling full details of savings totalling £150m, the director general, Tony Hall, also said that BBC News would see its budget cut by £5m. The BBC’s online services are facing a £12m reduction.
• BBC Online is facing losing more than 5% of its £210m budget, and it may face further reductions as the corporation tries to identify an extra £16m in savings.

I think that the BBC shouldnt take off certain shows as its what draws the viewrs and users in to the shows. But if they are having money issues then they should do whats right for the bsuiness rather than watch it die out. If alot of people arent watchinga certain show then they should move it or kill it off.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/12001448/Sky-launches-new-set-top-box.html

Sky launches new set-top box





Sky have got a new box set which allows the customers to do and interact with the box more. For example, they can access the internet , will include apps from YouTube and the music video service Vevo. Subscribers will also be able to browse their Facebook photos and many more things. This is called Sky Q.This will cost around £80 a month and it comes out in a couple of months.

• The new package will be launched to consumers early next year. Sky did not announce pricing, but Sky Q will be more expensive than the current top Sky +HD services, which cost around £80 per month.
• Sky Q will allow customers to watch and record up to four channels simultaneously, at the same time as watching different programmes in multiple rooms of the house. The main set-top box will stream video to smaller boxes connected to other screens, or to a tablet app.
• The tablet app will also allow subscribers to save on-demand and recorded programmes for watching on the move. Viewers will be able to pause and resume watching on any of their screens.

This is a good thing as sky hasnt launched any new ones in a long time and havent made or done soemthing like this before. This is an expensive box set and many people may not want to buy it but they can try and see if they want it permanatly. This is going to attract alot of people.

marxism vs pluralism

In this essay i will be discussing the differences and different views that a Marxist and pluralist have. I will be discussing this in ways that its for or against them. I will have 2 paragraphs explaining for and 2 explaining against Marxism and i will do the same for pluralism.

On a pluralism perspective they believe that the society is classless. This means that they want everyone to be the same and be treated the same. They want people to have open views and have freedom of speech. Pluralists conform, accommodate or reject the information they get. The theories that support are  Briggs and Burke and Casteus and Rupert Murdoch.  These are just some of them. The uses and gratifications  are used  by Blumler and Katz. For example, they talk about 4 different things that have to do with the different pleasures they get from the media. For example, diversion, personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance. You can get many things from the internet. For example, user generated content like social media-twitter, instagram etc give you different things to talk about. You can also use your own views on blogs and other types of citizen pluralism. Also, democratization can give some more democratic political regime. As we watch the new alot, we are used to it and recognise it and understand it, most stories we see or hear about link and we understand that connection.

In contrast, a Marxist view would argue that we are enjoying the illusion of autonomy through the media. James Murdoch says "the expansion of state-sponsored journalism is the plurality and independence of news provision". This shows the emotion of media beiing mediated. Furthermore, this also portrays how the public are being injected by cherry picked ideas by huge media conglomerate (hypodermic) Moreover, paretos law suggests that a minority of (media) producers always serve a majority of consumers. Highlighting facts within the media as they focus on producing their text to a certain dominant elite figures in society. This strengthens the figures in society and the hegemonic theory by Gramsci as the media positively represents the dominant class.

Pluraists is a theory that believe that we have a classless system. This isn't the way to go as many people and theorists believe that we do have a class system that sets many people  in different places. For example you have stereotypical views, class views etc. I think that there is a class system as people are known for their class. for example, all rich upper-class  people know each other, which means that they are set in their ways to make sure that they get what they want. In olden days many people believed that class was important and many people still in this day believe. The upper class would only work with upper class and poor/working class would only work with each other aswell. The upper class would hire the lower class to be their servants or to be their skivvy as they believed that the upper class was better than them. This inst entirely true of how the system works now. But you can tell that their are systems that still act in this way at times. There is always going to be a class system to define who you are and Marxists believe that.

Pluralists do have a view of believing that we have a classless system. This is true as i do think that we should have a classless system as we don't need to be a certain class to define who we are or what we do. This means that we don't need to work in a shop to show that we are working class people. We can do whatever and be whoever we went. We should be able to show everyone that we don't need to have a class system as its bad and its shameful in some ways. Pluralists believe that we should be able to have freedom of speech and be able to voice who we are. We can only do this if everyone agrees and listens.

In this paragraph i will be saying why im against Marxists.There shouldn't be a class system. The class system is bad and its not needed for many reasons like in the previous paragraphs. This means that there needs to be some change to make sure that the system doesn't keep being like this. Also, Marxists believe that mass media companies are controlling everyone and that people listen to whatever is in newspapers and on the news. This can sometimes be true in what they say-but many people believe everything which can cause many problems as not everything you see and hear is true. You can get other opinions or read other things to ensure that you are getting the right information needed in order to believe something or want to understand something.   

 Marxists believe that everything should go in a specific way and should be. For example, "The simple idea is that the policy process, far from being a rational weighing up of alternatives, is driven by powerful socio-economic forces that set the agenda, structure decision-makers choices and ensure that the interests of the most powerful (or of the system as a whole)determines the outputs and the outcomes of the political system"  (Peter John,   Analysing Public Policy, 1999.) This quote is showing that there is a view from the system that everyone should see and understand as its something that can happen and is happening. Its saying that whatever comes out of the system determines what we think and do. I think this is true as we do listen to the news and read newspapers alot which show that we understand and what we are processing we are going to believe as its on a specific and powerful website or page.



Pluralists is the one that we should understand and listen to. This is because its a theory that we need to understands and its the ones that makes more sense. This is because its true that we shouldn't have to live in a system where we are classed by what we do or how we do things. We should be able to live in a classless society. We are able to give opinions on things that we believe in. for example, we can blogg or tweet on twitter how we feel or something that is important  to us. This will be able to be seen by people who think and believe in what we do and they will be able to relate to it. This is something that should be able to happen.

An example of a Marxists  view is Alain de botton. He believes and supports the view that the media is powerful and believes that they should be in power all of the time. this means that the media should tell us what to do and suck us in to doing what they want and when they want. For example they say "it can change the law". This means that the media is so powerful that it can change the law which is in more power than the media will ever be, but as the media has footage and evidence to show different things about different views tehy can expose it on social media or in the news/tabloids to show everyone and then the views will change.

In conclusion, I think that they are both views that we need to take into account as its something that we can get and understand certain things from. There isn't a wrong or right answer to this but only a matter of opinion. Some information that Marxists say and some of what pluralists say should be something that we can get information from both and understand it more. Having this can make the society we live in better. There are points from both arguments that i believe in.

Marxism and Pluralism

Marxism believe the mass media are something used by many ruling bodies to maintain control over the masses and a class divided society. Whereas pluralists believe that we live in a classless society and media organisations are representative to an audience and are economically determined. This means that pluralists believe that we dont need tyo have a class system to show who we are and how we do things. Having the classless society shows that we can all be equal and not have a name to who we can or not be. Marxists theorist tends to exaggerate the role of mass media in the reproduction of the status quo. Pluralists believe that we exaggerate what we want, think and need by showing off our freedom of speech. This means that Pluralists and Marxists views are very different to each other and they are always clashing as they are so different have different views and beliefs. Pluralists see society as competitive groups and interests and none of them are predominant at all times. Many big organisations are seen to be enjoying an extent of work from the states, political parties and institutional pressure groups. The media is said to be in the hands of media professionals. A basic fine line is seen to exist between media institutions and their audiences. Marxists have always been the ones that view the society in a capitalist way and seeing the domination in a one class way. The media are seen to promote hegemonic ideology and ensure the dominance of certain classes.  This means that bigger organisations and media companies and concentrated in wealthy corporations and media professionals whilst enjoying the illusion of autonomy. Marxists believe that we do have a class system that show who we are and what we do. This means that we have somehting to our name.

2 articles

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/06/daily-star-sales-price-cut-sun-daily-mirror-abcs

Daily Star sales rise after price cut – but the Sun holds steady




Richard Desmond's ways to slash off the price of the cover title has paid off. They have added many more copies to the newspaper to make sure that there is more option around. 

• he Daily Star added almost 30,000 copies a day to increase its circulation by more than 7%, while the Daily Star Sunday sold an extra 20,000 copies to register an increase of more than 8%, according to the ABC figures for October published on Friday.
• cut the cost of the weekday Daily Star from 40p to 20p, the Saturday edition from 60p to 30p and the Sunday edition from £1 to 50p.
•  losing 14,000 copies while the Sun managed to increase circulation slightly by 0.29%.

This is good for the company as they are doing better as they needed to make sure that they wanted pick their sales up. They are selling over more than a thousand copies now that they have changed the price.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/11976299/Facebook-reveals-1.5bn-people-use-the-site-every-month.html

Facebook reveals 1.5bn people use the site every month

Facebook has said that 1.5bn people each month use the social media site Facebook. For the first time, more than 1bn people logged on to Facebook every day, it said, and monthly active users reached 1.55bn, a 14pc increase on a year ago.

•  Facebook investing heavily in areas such as its mobile apps and virtual reality, the huge increase in sales meant profits rose 11pc to $896m.
• The shares instantly jumped in after-hours trading, rising around 4pc to a new all-time high that values Facebook at close to $300bn.
• The results showed the staggering growth of Facebook’s mobile business, which was widely questioned in the months after its 2012 IPO. Around 78pc of its advertising revenues during the period came from mobile, against 66pc a year ago, and almost 900m people used Facebook from mobile phones every day.

Its good that Facebook have reached this much every year-as even though alot of young people don't use Facebook much any more they are still using it somehow or other people are to connect with other people. Its good that that Facebook aint dying out as much as it could have gone worse as other bigger social media sites like Instagram, snapchat and twitter are getting bigger.

2 articles

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/nov/03/twitter-replacing-favourites-with-likes-does-anyone-heart


Twitter is replacing favourites with likes – but does anyone heart it?


Twitter has changed the favourite sign from a star to a heart. This means that when someone wants to favourite a tweet its now going to be made into a heart instead of a "favourite" its now meaning a like, nice tweet or picture etc. The heart has made the tweets into different meanings. This means that they are trying to turn this into instagram where you like someone's pictures. Twitter think that hearts are more expressive which is why they chose it.

• Favourites – we use them for a myriad of reasons. Favouriting a tweet could mean “I like this tweet”, or “good point”, or “this is fun, but not enough to re-tweet”, or “I acknowledge your communication, but can’t be bothered to reply”, or “the conversation is ending now, but on a positive note!”
• How, now, is one supposed to bookmark an article on the refugee crisis without ‘liking’ it? I’m not ready to inaccurately look – ironically – heartless on social media.

I think that this is a good and bad situation. I think that it was nice for them to put the heart there instead of stars. The heart can mean alot of things but at the same time it wasn't relevant as they could have left the star there. This is because the star can mean something else. The star was a favourite not a like.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/03/the-sun-used-as-front-scam-thousands-pounds-news-uk

Sun used as front to scam thousands of pounds, says newspaper

The sun has been fraudsters and have scammed thousands of pounds out of victims by pretending to be members of staff at the sun. More than a dozen of people have come forward to say they were approached by someone claiming to be from the paper who offered them the chance to feature in it fee. Evidence seen by the guardian suggested the imposter was mimicking a genuine sun email address and phone number, as well as using a fake name.

• One victim told the Guardian they were tricked into handing over £1,250 and the Sun said others had reported handing over similar amounts after being targeted by the scammers.
• A Sun spokesman said: “We have had about 15 [cases] reported to us and, as soon as that has happened, we have referred them to the police.” The paper’s ombudsman, Philippa Kennedy, 
• he anonymous victim said they were called from a mobile number by someone who identified themselves as Andrew Davis, a member of staff at the Sun. No such person exists, the Guardian understands.

I think that the Sun was wrong to do this as its bad. They shouldn't  have done this as its something that is private and doesn't need to be told aloud. This is private information and the sun were spoofing soft wares.

NDM: Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony

1) Research the Ian Tomlinson case. What would the traditional, hegemonic view of the police be in a case like this? How did new and digital media create a different story? What does the police officer's subsequent aquittal suggest about the power of new and digital media?

The power of new and digital media is growing rapidly. You can see that without the internet you weren't allowed to do many things or see many things. This made it difficult for the rest of people when they wanted to tell something but couldn't because they didn't have the right technology. Now that we have phones, cameras etc we can capture information about anything and if its relevant then they can share it on social media or on YouTube or give it to someone in the newspaper industry.


2) What does the author argue regarding whether hegemony is being challenged by Web 2.0? 
The author argues that they believe that both audiences and producers have power. This means that they know that audiences can put things on social media and so can producers. This could be things that don't matter and cause problems in the world or wherever the story may matter. They think they matter because they use things like social media to put it on people are going to read it or be more aware of it like that, but even news paper companies have made apps that they can share stories on that people may not see on a newspaper but can ion the app.

3) In your opinion, does new and digital media reinforce dominant hegemonic views or give the audience a platform to challenge them?

I think that the new and digital media does give the audience a platform to challenge them. This is because its now easier to capture things as a majority of people have phones or something they can capture things on. Most of the things that we would like would be controversial and it would spark man y things. Now that we have this type of technology we can use it to capture things that we know is right or wrong. For example, if fireman didn't save someone in a burning fire, we could capture that on our phone then send it around or put it on social media or send it to a big company so that they can talk about it and know that's it wrong fro someone whop has that power to do that. This does challenge alot of things as many people do want to cause controversy or its something that they believe should be known about.

2 articles

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/11917805/Mobile-ad-spend-hits-new-high-as-consumers-remain-glued-to-smartphones.html



Mobile ad spend hits new high as consumers remain glued to smartphones




Many people are spending more time on their smartphones than what they did last year. This means that smartphones are showing to be more addictive and hard to get rid of as many people continue to stay using them 24/7. They were saying that we use the smartphones everyewhere we go and use it for social media alot too. For example, adults use the smartphones whilst shopping, teenagers check their phones every 5-10 minuetes of walking-with data and without data. Even without data people are still using their smartphones.

• More than a quarter of all digital advertising is now designed for smartphones, compared to 20pc a year ago, according to the latest UK Digital Adspend report by the Internet Advertising Bureau, conducted by PwC.
• UK now own a smartphone and most regularly use their devices on public transport, at work and while shopping. Almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds check their device within five minutes of waking, according to separate analysis by Deloitte.
• In total, advertisers spent a record £3.98bn on digital advertising in the first half of the year, up 13pc from 2014, said PwC’s report.
• Within this, spend on social media advertising rose to £574m and money for tablet-dedicated campaigns jumped 115pc to £68m.

I think that alot more people are using the internet alot more and using their smartphones alot more than last year. This could be because of the social media apps that they have, games, apps that they hvae. The more things you have on your phone to do, the more you will be on it. This makes it more difficult to get off it. I think that we are using it alot.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/digital-media/11944160/Sony-to-pay-staff-8m-over-The-Interview-hack.html

Sony to pay staff $8m over 'The Interview' hack




Sony have been made to pay $8 million to reimburse them for their losses. They have to make sure that they have to prevent having hacks again. The agreement calls for up to $10,000 a person, capped at $2.5m, to reimburse workers for identity theft losses, up to $1,000 each to cover the cost of credit-fraud protection services, capped at $2m, and up to $3.5m in legal fees.

 

• Hackers calling themselves Guardians of Peace broke into Sony computers and last November released thousands of emails and documents in an attempt to derail the release of the North Korean-focused comedy The Interview

I think that they have the right to give them this as they needed the money to back up the company and making sure that it doesnt go bust and cause any problems again.