Flashcards on The New Media (4.1)

Question	Answer
What does the term 'mass media' refer to?	The forms of communication that transmit information to mass audiences.
Before the 1990s, what was included under the term 'mass media'?	Newspapers, advertising, radio, television and music.
From the 1990s onwards, 'new media' has begun to dominate mass communication. What types of media does this phrase refer to?	Laptops, tablets, smartphones, and digital television.
What is the most advanced form of new media?	The internet.
New media has a number of important characteristics that distinguish it from old media. Give examples:	- Digitalisation. - Technological convergence. - Economic convergence. - Cultural convergence. - Interactivity. - Choice. -Participatory culture. - Collective intelligence.
What is meant by 'digitalisation'?	This refers to the way information is stored and transmitted. All information, regardless of format, is now converted into binary code.
What is meant by 'technological convergence'?	Digitalisation resulted in the merging of different types of information - text, photographs, videos and music - into a single delivery system. (e.g. We can now watch videos, send texts, listen to music and access social media sites all from our smartphones).
What is meant by 'economic convergence'?	Media and telecommunication industries that previously produced separate systems of communication formed economic alliances because digitalisation narrowed the boundaries between their sectors.
What is meant by 'cultural convergence'?	The way that we interact with both the media and with one another has now changed.
What is meant by 'interactivity'?	New media (particularly the internet) is responsive in real time to user input. It allows users to select what they want to hear, read and watch. Users can also mix and match the information they want by, for example, accessing different sources.
What is meant by 'choice'?	There is now a variety of media that users have to choose from, most of which can be accessed from a single device. Rather than being supply-led, media is now demand-led - that is, it is organised around the idea that users should choose exactly what they want, when they want it.
What is meant by 'participatory culture'?	New media audiences are no longer passive receivers of entertainment and knowledge. Rather, the actively collaborate with new media and other users by uploading content, writing reviews, and so on.
What is meant by 'collective intelligence'?	Henry Jenkins state that "none of us know everything, each of us knows something" and we combine our knowledge through our use of new media.
What is the name of the report, produced by Ofcom, that details a number of changes in media use between 2005 and 2015?	"Adults' media use and attitudes" (2015).
In 2005, 54% of adults in the UK accessed the internet. In 2015, what number had this risen to?	84%.
In 2005, the average number of hours UK adults spent online was 9.9. What had this risen to by 2015?	20.5.
The preferred form of social contact for the majority in 2015 was texting, How many people stated that they text at least once a week?	96%.
How many internet users had a profile on a social networking site in 2015?	70%.
Use of what as a source of information has increased considerably since 2005?	User-generated content (UGC). This includes blogs, vlogs, discussion threads and social media platforms.
Although overall use of new media has increased in recent years, certain individuals are more likely to access it than others. As such, a number of new media 'divides' have been identified. What are they?	- The generational divide. - The class divide. - The gender divide. - The global divide.
Which sociologist argues that a generational divide has occurred, with youths being far more likely to use new media?	Karen Boyle.
However, Ofcom's 2015 survey indicates the generational divide is doing what?	Declining- older age groups are increasingly engaging in online activities.
How does Boyle describe new media, and what impact is this having on youths?	She refers to new media as 'now media', due to its immediacy, arguing that this has resulted in youths desiring or even expecting their needs to be met instantaneously.
Which sociologist argues that although the digital class divide has narrowed in recent years, it still exists?	Ellen Helpser.
Helpser argues that the poor are excluded from new media usage because they cannot afford to keep up with the middle-class use of new media technology. What is this group known as?	The "digital underclass".
Ofcom surveys support Helpser's claims. What percentage of the AB socioeconomic group use a range of new media, and how does this compare with the DE socioeconomic group?	95% of the AB socioeconomic group use a range of new media devices, compared with 75% of the DE socioeconomic group.
Which sociologists identified a significant digital gender divide?	Nai Li and Gill Kirkup.
How many hours do men spend online, on average, compared to women?	Men spend 23.3 hours online, while women spend 17.8 hours online. (Figures provided by Ofcom from their 2014 study).
However, women were more likely than men to use social media sites. What was the breakdown for this like?	67% versus 60%.
Instead of social media sites, what were men more likely to use the internet for?	Email, chat rooms and computer games.
However, in 2014, the Internet Advertising Bureau found that women account for 52% of those who play digital games. What is this statistic closely related to?	The popularity of the smartphone, which extended the availability of computer games beyond those using dedicated gaming consoles.
What did Cheryl Olsen et al find with regards to the types of video games males like to play?	Males, particularly boys, were more likely to play violent video games because they wanted to express fantasies of power and glory, to master exciting and realistic environments, and to work out their anger and stress.
Pam Royse et al studied female gamers who played between 3 and 10 hours a week. According to their findings, what are female gamers mostly motivated by?	The technical competition offered by games that allowed them to challenge gender norms.
Which organisation found that the digital global divide is worsening?	The World Economic Forum.
According to the World Bank, in 2012, what percentage of the world's population had access to a mobile phone?	75%.
Mobile phone use has spread particularly quickly through Africa. In 2014, how many Africans were estimated to use mobile phones?	72%.
However, this estimation creates a false impression of a digital revolution for a number of reasons. What are they?	- It hides the fact that mobile connectivity is limited. - It doesn't acknowledge that only 18% of these are smartphones. - There are regional disparities in access to mobile phones. - There are language barriers.
Which two sociologists identified the leading perspectives in the debate about the new media?	James Curran and Jean Seaton.
What are the two leading perspectives?	1. The neophiliacs. 2. The cultural pessimists.
Neophiliacs argue that new media is beneficial to society for three main reasons. What are they?	1. It increases consumer choice. 2. It has prompted an E-commerce revolution. 3. It is revitalising democracy.
What do neophiliacs mean when they say that new media has increased consumer choice?	There are now hundreds of entertainment and news channels on TV, and we can choose from many media delivery systems.
What do neophiliacs mean when they say that new media has created an E-commerce revolution?	E-retailers have been economic successes, undermining highstreet sales. Most major commerical companies now have websites.
How has the E-commerce revolution arguably increased control?	Consumers can compare prices, which increases competition, which results in lower prices.
What do neophiliacs mean when they say that new media has revitalised democracy?	New media offers opportunities for people to educate and inform themselves, thus enabling them to play an active role in the democratic process of their society.
Unlike mainstream media, the internet allows users to access a wide range of information and alternative perspectives. Why does this difference exist?	Because mainstream media typically has a specific agenda, whereas the internet does not.
Many media sociologists argue that the internet provides a voice to which group?	Those who would otherwise go unheard.
Some neophiliacs have used the internet to challenge power elites. Which sociologist describes the internet as "perhaps the freest forum of speech in history"?	Professor Iztoe.
The internet has been employed in a number of political ways by activists. Give examples of how they use it:	- To monitor illegal and/or immoral activities. - To harness mass support for causes (e.g. through hashtag campaigns). - To coordinate protests against activities such as hunting.
How do cultural pessimists describe the neophiliacs description of the new media revolution?	As an exaggeration.
There are five branches to the cultural pessimists' argument. What are they?	1. 'Not-so-new' media. 2. Domination by media conglomerates. 3. Commercialisation. 4. Reinforcing elite power. 5. Decline in the quality of popular culture.
The first branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that so-called 'new media' isn't actually that new. Which sociologists argued this?	James Cornford and Kevin Robins.
Cornford and Robins argue that new media is simply the 'refinement, extension and embellishment of traditional media'. What analogy do they use to compare new and old media?	They are like an old Hollywood movie and its remake: the characteristics are the same, the story is the same, but the special effects are more spectacular, and the marketing budget is much larger.
Cornford and Robins argue that interactivity is not new either - people have written to newspapers and phoned in to radio stations for many years. As such, what is the only truly new aspect that new media possesses?	Speed. Information, entertainment and news can be accessed in real time. When the 9/11 terror attack occurred, for example, audiences all over the world watched it unfold as it happened.
The second branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that new media is dominated by media conglomerates. Why do they use this to prove that neophilliacs exaggerate the impact the new media revolution has on democracy?	They don't believe that new media increases the potential for ordinary people to participate in the democratic process (as neophiliacs claim) because the role of the transnational media conglomerates in the development and control of new media destroys the potential for media democracy.
According to Jenkins, the cross-media ownership that began in the 1980s was the first phase of what?	Media concentration and technological convergence. Companies, who suddenly owned different types of media, saw the potential in the development of content across a variety of media platforms and delivery systems.
The internet is particularly dominated by a small number of media corporations. Give examples:	- Microsoft have developed the majority of software required for accessing the internet. - Comcast is the largest broadcasting and largest cable company in the world by revenue, and is the USA's biggest internet provider.
How do these multinational media corporations play a key role in advertising?	They not only allow users access to the internet, but direct users to particular commercial services.
These media corporations (sometimes referred to as media 'superpowers') have many advantages over individuals in setting up websites. Give examples:	They have: - Funds for investments. - Technical expertise. - Close links with the advertising industry. - Brand visibility. - Cross-ownership, making it relatively easy to cross-promote products.
The third branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that due to the domination of new media by conglomerates, the internet is extremely commercialised. What is meant by this?	Millions of people use the internet to manage their bank accounts, pay bills and buy services. In recent years, there has been a significant shift away from educational use and towards commercial use.
However, Cornford and Robins argue that the increase in consumer choice also brings with it some negative consequences. Give an example:	Many companies that sell products and services online engage in consumer surveillance (e.g. through the use of cookies). This then allows them to categorise audiences and target particular groups, thus increasing profits.
Which sociological perspective is particularly concerned about the commercialisation of the internet?	Marxists. They believe it is encouraging materialism, consumerism and false needs, thus extending capitalist domination and control.
The fourth branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that the new media is reinforcing elite power, rather than dismantling it (as neophiliacs claim). According to Cornford and Robins, how are media corporations able to control key links within the new media?	Through a series of assertive tactics (e.g. alliances, mergers, takeovers, licensing deals, patents and copyright restrictions).
From a cultural pessimist perspective, media technologies are therefore increasing the power of the existing elites, rather than promoting alternative ideas, free speech and democracy. What further adds to this inequality?	The digital class divide, because it is those who are unable to access the internet who suffer the greatest amount of inequality at the hands of the elite.
Contrary to neophiliac claims, which sociologist argues that online political involvement most likely mirrors the level of the average person's political involvement in the real world?	Jean Seaton.
Kevin Hill and John Hughes challenge the view that cyberspace is more likely to contain content that supports alternative minority political views. What did they find?	78% of political opinions voiced on American websites were mainstream.
What does Seaton conclude regarding the minority's ability to voice their opinions and make an impact through new media use?	It may have been possible originally, but this is not the case now.
The final branch of the cultural pessimist argument is that the increased choice of media delivery systems has led to a decline in the quality of popular culture. Which sociologist is particularly vocal about this?	Sylvia Harvey.
Harvey argues that while digital television has dramatically increased the number of channels to choose from, it has resulted in the dumbing-down of popular culture as companies fill their channels with mindless, repetitive, cheap material. What term does Harvey use to describe this new material?	'Candyfloss culture' - the material speaks to everyone and no one.
Harvey suggests that both the BBC and ITV now provide 'candyfloss culture' material, rather than the real reporting and hard-hitting documentaries they were known for. What prompted this, and what is the result?	It was prompted by the introduction of satellite channels such as Sky, which the BBC and ITV now have to compete with. Allegedly, this has resulted in a decline in documentaries and news coverage, and an increase in reality TV.
Many sociologists, politicians and cultural commentators argue that new media, particularly the internet, requires state regulation. Why?	They are concerned about the ease at which individuals can access harmful content (e.g. pornography, websites expressing homophobic or racist views, and pages that incite terrorism).
Likewise, concerns have been raised about the problems that stem from new media. Give examples of such problems:	- Global cybercrime. - Cyberbullying. - Online trolling. - Online sexual grooming.
However, why is the control of online information largely outside of the government's control?	Many internet service providers operate outside of UK territory and therefore are not governed by British law.
Which sociologist deems new media users "cyborgs", and why?	Sherry Turkle, because they are always connected to one another via their smartphones, tablets and laptops, regardless of their physical location.
Turkle claims that people now live "full-time" on their smartphones. Although this allows users to make more connections, what does it also do, according to Turkle?	It has increased anxiety and isolation. We are more concerned with the number of facebook friends we have than the number of real-life ones.
Sonia Livingstone reached a similar conclusion. What does she note about the relationship modern children have with the virtual world?	Children today communicate more with the virtual world than with adult family members.
Which sociologist is extremely critical of new media, particularly the internet?	Andrew Keen.
What word does Keen use to describe the internet?	"Chaotic" - it has no governing moral code and is a place where truth is selective and fickle.
Keen makes four criticisms of new media. Firstly, he argues that social networking sites and blogging do not contribute to the democratic process in any way. Why does he hold this opinion?	He believes that social networking sites are merely vehicles for narcissistic self-broadcasting and self-promotion and therefore have no relation to democracy.
Secondly, Keen argues that user-generated sites, such as Wikipedia, are unreliable as a source of information. Why?	Because such sites are open to abuse and bias. He argues that the internet has created a generation of 'cut and paste' plagiarists and intellectual thieves.
Thirdly, keen argues that new media output often goes unchecked. Why is this harmful?	It results in uninformed opinion, lies and trolling, rather than considered analysis and expertise.
Finally, Keen is critical of the new media because, to him, it contributes to 'cultural illiteracy'. What does this term refer to?	Young people are no longer actively engaged in researching the world around them because the internet gives them easy access to 'facts'.
Both neophiliac and cultural pessimist arguments have their strengths, but what can both perspectives be accused of?	Exaggerating the extent to which new media has evolved.

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Flashcards on The New Media (4.1)

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