Sunday, May 4, 2014

Final--Top 10



1.    Convergence:

            One of the major themes we discussed in all aspects throughout the class was convergence. Specifically, the transition from the old analog form, to the modern digital form.  In the case of newspapers, “faced with the competition from the 24/7 news cycle on cable, news papers responded by developing online versions of their papers” (Campbell, 304). With the transition of news going digital, news consumers have seen advantages to the way they consume news including easy on the go news access, they can receive the news in real time, and in many cases it is less expensive to subscribe to digital newspapers. However newspaper companies have encountered various issues throughout there transition to the digital platform.  One of these issues was competing with online bloggers who do not charge people to view their articles. At first bloggers were viewed as secondary to “true journalists” however “Blogging became less a journalistic sideline and more a viable main feature” (Campbell, 302).  The convergence to the digital age can be seen all around us, in and outside of our media class. This societal transition is symbolic of a greater transition towards a more efficient, and more actively involved digital experience.

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2.    Advertising in Media


The majority of the money made through media comes from advertising. “Ad agency media departments are staffed by media planners and media buyers: people who choose and purchase the types of media that are best suited to carry a clients ad” (Campbell, 394).  Meaning that the advertisements that you encounter in a sense have been placed so specific viewers (you) encounter them. For example you are much more likely to encounter beer advertisements while watching “ESPN” than if you were watching, “Sex and the City.” In the case of special television events like the Super Bowl the stage for advertising can be extremely competitive “With thirty seconds of time costing $3.5 million in 2012” (Campbell, 395).  Online we are seeing advertisement placement being done in a manner that was not possible previous to the Internet. For example the bulk of advertisements you encounter on Facebook have been placed there based on the things you look at online. They are able to take the information that you access and place ads specific to your interests. In the case of this type of advertising, I believe they are flirting with the line between convenience and invasion of privacy.

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3.    Culture of Multi-Tasking


As we continue to shift more into the digital age, we have been confronted with
a cultural multi-tasking problem. “In the past, we read newspapers in print, watched TV on our televisions, and played video games on a console. Today, we are able to do all of those things on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, making it easy—and very tempting—to multitask” (13).  Although we are able to easily access any information with the touch of a button, this convenience comes at a cost.  The amounts of multitasking through media devices restrict a person’s ability to fully engage and connect with the outside world.  In addition to the lack of connection with the real world, multitasking through media devices keeps one from being able to fully engage in the media they are viewing since they are interacting with multiple media interfaces at one time. People who disagree with this point of view would argue that modern media allows them to engage with the world in a manner that they could not have before. Using television as an example, “Now, with the proliferation of social media, and in particular Twitter, we can discuss that program with our friends—and strangers—as we watch the show” (Campbell, 14).


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4.    Public Relations and the Internet


Description: Mac HD:private:var:folders:5r:mnkz95k52mz5trjz32hjrm8w0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:imgres.jpgThe relationship between journalists and public relations has been one of controversy as “PR partly began to help businesses fend off increased scrutiny from the muckraking journalists and emerging labor unions of the time” (Campbell, 422). Prior to the Internet Public Relations relied heavily on news media to translate their messages to the public. Although they still do use media news, “The Web also enables PR professionals to have their clients interact with audiences on a more personal, direct basis through social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, and blogs” (437).  Using these tools can make a big company, a celebrity, or a political figure seem more relatable since they are using the same social media platforms as the general public. In addition now companies use their own websites as platform to support there own public relations. This is yet another example of a transformation spurred by the digital era.

















5.    Video Games and Addiction


With the increase in technology people are able to be stimulated through digital platforms in a manner that was never possible before. One of the platforms that best exemplify this is video games and can be seen through the rising trend in video game addiction.  For the most part this problem is most commonly seen through video game companies target market, the youth. “In a 2011 study more than three thousand third through eight graders from Singapore, one in ten were considered pathological gamers, meaning that their gaming addiction was jeopardizing multiple areas of their lives” (Campbell, 98).  These cases of addiction are most commonly seen through online interactive games. Playing such games allows a person to enjoy their gaming experience socially with others, without any personal interactions required.  You can see by looking at how some of these games are structured that they continually spark interest keeping people in the game, “Games have elaborate achievement systems with hard-to-resist rewards that include military ranks like “General” or fanciful titles like “King Slayer”… all aimed at turning casual players into habitual ones” (Campbell, 98).  This is just one example that illustrates some of the negative aspects that have come from the digital age.

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6.    Mobile Devices and the Personal Shift


The shift from a mass media to a more personal and participatory media experience can clearly be seen through the way people now use their cell phones. It is clear that the current, more interactive media experience has been more intriguing for consumers.  Phones are now used “For texting, listening to music, watching movies, connecting to the Internet, playing games, and using hundreds of thousands of applications” (Campbell, 58).  Any person with a cellphone can adjust the preferences within their device to personalize it to their liking.  Do to this; every person can interact with media in a unique and personal manner.  Outside of the pleasure of having a media device that can be designed particularly for you, a strategy can be seen on the part of the media companies “More choice actually makes us more engaged media consumers” (Campbell, 14).  This illustrates the mutual benefit between the media and the consumer, or the media companies taking advantage of consumer interests.





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7.    Google Taking over the World


Description: Mac HD:private:var:folders:5r:mnkz95k52mz5trjz32hjrm8w0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:google-world.jpgGoogle is the most widely used internet search engine, “established in 1998, had instant success with its algorithmic search engine, and now, controls more than 65 percent of the search market and generates billions of dollars of revenue yearly” (Campbell, 63).  Although Google started as just a search engine, they have expanded to the point where they are competing with almost every section of the digital world, ranging from cell phones, to having there own internet browser (Chrome).  Although Google’s expansion is vast, they do face certain challenges the biggest one being, “The closed Web: companies like Facebook and Apple that steer users to online experiences that are walled off from search engines and threaten Google’s reign as the Internets biggest advertising conglomerate” (Campbell, 63).  Google’s aggressive expansion into such a wide variety of our media experience illustrates the competition between mass media conglomerates.













8.    Modern Journalism in the Information Age


Description: Mac HD:private:var:folders:5r:mnkz95k52mz5trjz32hjrm8w0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:cartoons_03-1.jpg“In modern America, serious Journalism has sought to provide information the enables citizens to make intelligent decisions” (Campbell, 487) however this is not always seen in journalism today.  This is caused by the definition of “what is news worthy” has changed. Currently the lives of celebrities are of more interest to the American population, than global or political news.  One of the contributing factors to this problem is “that the amount of data the media now provide has questionable impact on improving public and political life” (Campbell, 487).  This can be viewed from a few stand points, one being that is easier for people to consume news that does not require much analytical thought. Another way to view this consumer problem could be through looking at the way journalists have distanced themselves from being a relatable to the average consumer; “national journalists… through rising salaries, prestige, and formal education—have distanced themselves “from the people that we are writing for and have come much, much closer to people we are writing about” (Campbell, 513).
























9.    Communication and the Internet


Description: Mac HD:private:var:folders:5r:mnkz95k52mz5trjz32hjrm8w0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:Internet connects people across world.jpgSince the Internet exists free of government intervention it is often seen “as the one true venue for unlimited free speech under the First Amendment” (Campbell, 570).  Despite this positive description of the Internet and its potential as a platform free from regulation, debates still occur in regard to the type of information that can be accessed.  Specifically these debates have been over the easy availability, and access ability of pornography on the Internet.  People who believe that the Internet should be censored in any fashion however are missing the big picture; “The promise of the Internet as a democratic forum encourages the formation of all sorts of regional, national, and global interest groups” (Campbell, 570).  The openness of the Internet provides much more harm than good allowing for people to stay connected and unified across the world.




















Privacy in Media


Description: Mac HD:private:var:folders:5r:mnkz95k52mz5trjz32hjrm8w0000gp:T:TemporaryItems:imgres.jpg      Privacy in media has been a strong theme throughout the semester, largely shown through your use of the phrase “tracking device” when referring to our cellphones.  “The right to privacy addresses a persons right to be left alone, without his or her name, image, or daily activities becoming public property” (Campbell, 557).  However in the age of Facebook issues of privacy become complex as people actively publicize their private lives.  This puts many issues of privacy into the hands of individual social media consumers.  In news media issues of privacy typically occur through “Unauthorized tape recording, photographing, wiretapping, and… making available to the public personal records” (Campbell, 557).  Although news is widely protected under the First Amendment, some of these methods of obtaining information bring news ethics into question.  I believe as we continue down this route into the digital age (where just about everything is public), the definition of privacy will change.
















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Thursday, May 1, 2014

Top Ten Revelations

Chris Puliafico
Media Revolution
May 1, 2014
Prof. Williams

Niche Groups – Niche groups on social media are defined as groups of people sharing specific interests, hobbies, products and lifestyles. They are changing the way people give and get information and will continue to grow as more of the population gets online.  According to Reuters in November of 2009 the number of text sent every day exceed the world’s population. People in groups on Twitter were able to kill Motrin’s mom ad in its first weekend. According to B2BMarketing.net, “whereas larger social networks provide access to the voice of anyone and everyone, a niche group will provide access to professional experts in their specific areas, be it homebuilders, stay at home moms or telecommuters. Niche social networks provide a laser focused element to understanding pertinent demographics for marketers.”

Integration of technology into daily life – Technology has been quickly integrated into the lives of Americans and literally changes the nature of how we live. People use their mobile phones  not only for talking but also for texting, tweeting, and online shopping. According to a New York Times story, googling the answer to a question has become accepted social behavior. While at a party, a group of revelers couldn’t determine the words to a song, so they googled it and got the words, “Looking up something really fast actually adds to the conversation.”  “It’s not just a question of having screens everywhere or wearing a screen, but also this whole idea of phones and devices becoming more context-aware, so they can offer information that is highly relevant,” said Pattie Maes, founder and director of the M.I.T. Media Lab fluid interfaces group, which studies how to integrate digital information into daily life.
Value Messages – Value Messages mean people and companies must communicate their value and differentiation effectively. The term “value” is highly overused and according to Ad Age, “Value in the traditional definition is getting more for less money or getting something for nothing. But value has an emotional quality, too, where I feel smart or I feel reassured or I feel in control by buying this product." And according to the Center for Media Literacy, “it is important to understand that there are no value-free media and never will be. All media carry subtle messages about who and what is important.” Value Messages reflect the impression that the person, company or group hopes to project.
Social media and its interaction with kids – Social Media and it’s interaction with kids is a very complicated concept. Some feel social media has positive interaction with kids and some feel it has very negative interaction on kids. According to Parent Further, “It’s important to be vigilant when your kids are getting involved in online social networking, but it’s also good to encourage positive relationships through various avenues, including the Internet.” Among the many positive things about social media for kids, they say “Kids tend to use social networking to augment—not replace—their real-world relationships”. Among the negative effects of social media on kids, “In social media interactions, there is more potential for contact with people parents don't know. It used to be that other kids called on the phone, or came knocking at the door, and so parents had a much higher chance of being aware of who their kids were interacting with.” (The Child Study Center, NYU)
Technological shifts – A technological shift is a change in the way people actually live their lives due to technological advances. An example of this is seen in the banking industry. It used to be that banks considered their bank branches as the key to their success. Today, they are closing branches and expanding their mobile banking technologies to meet the needs of their new customers. According to a story in the Motley Fool, “The "Consumers and Mobile Financial Services 2013" study from the Federal Reserve released this past March found mobile banking adoption among consumers in the U.S. was at 29%, up from 21% last year.”  Looking to the future, what could be the next technological shift? On the Ericsson web-site they discuss, “self-driving cars – something that was more or less technically impossible only 10 years ago. But with accurate data, powerful sensors and massive processing capacity, it’s now possible. Now a majority of car manufacturers are developing and testing self-driving cars. Five years ago, which car manufacturer could predict that Google would be a potential competitor or partner?” These technologies demonstrate the change in the way people live their lives.

Surveillance- with new advancements in technology not only are we always connected to each other we also open ourselves up to unlimited tracking potential. Every post, tweet, or time you use data on your cell phone your device sends out a unique beacon; as I’m sure most people who own a smart phone know there are literally apps that are built with the soul purpose of locating and finding your device. As our community grows and becomes more integrated it will be very intriguing to see how this information is used. I also believe that there will be legal battles to come over what can and cannot be used or given away when people sign their name for something they don’t fully understand.

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Truine brain- the triune brain is the three major quadrants of the brain, as we understand it the triune brain is responsible for the major actions in our life. The more the triune brain is exposed to the more feelings we are able to develop from it. Images and sounds are two of the major way that the triune brain receives its information. The creators behind commercials know this and because of this play on the emotions of they’re viewers by trying to connect commercials to individual lives and experiences.

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Can Newspapers survive – Over the past decade a new type of media outlet has stormed the scene making traditional outlets such as newspapers and magazines nearly obsolete. Digital media such as twitter and other online based programs have begun to shrink the consumer base out from under neither established institutions such as the New York Times. Many from the Times and other credible institutions have pointed out that the digital media sources lose the majority of their research and reporting base if the newspaper system were to collapse. It’s very odd to think about such media giants who were once huge players in the countries politics begin to have questions about their financial safety. The question is still unanswered and in time we will see if the system of news as we know it can survive.

“The Times Company, which owns the Times as well as some other newspapers, has eliminated its stock dividends and seen it share price drop precipitously. Costs rise, revenues drop. To date, Internet advertising revenue doesn't replace lost revenue from print advertising. The Times is desperate for revenue sources.” Daniel R. Schwarz - The Huffington Post -  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-r-schwarz/endtimes-will-the-new-yor_b_1455568.html


Newly tapped marketing mine – with the creation of facebook and twitter we have officially established ourselves as the generation of “likes”. Millions upon millions of people use these digital sites several times a day making the traffic on these site valuable marketing space that has begin to come into its own as of late. Many of the power players in the marketing industry have turned to using “likes” as the new system of cool and trendy. “likes” can even mean larger pay checks for the individuals taking part in the commercial, if you have “likes” and are trending on twitter you a valuable commodity that all marketers need.

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Convergence – convergence has played a huge role in the way that technology and digital media have molded themselves and they gave worked playing off each other for years. As devices become smaller and smaller the intricacy of their workings becomes easier and easier. Now instead of having to go search several different outlets you are presented with every: TV, radio, movies, games, maps, songs, and directories are now only a touch away and can be accessed in seconds.
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