NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 2nd January (34)

Czech Republic to fight 'fake news' with specialist unit

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/28/czech-republic-to-fight-fake-news-with-specialist-unit

Summary

Specialist anti fake news unit to be set up in the Czech Republic as officials try to tackle falsehoods mostly about migrants. The fake news is claimed to be spread by websites supported by Government of Russian president Vladimir Putin. New unit will aim to counteract interference in Czech Republic forthcoming election in October. Amid polling evidence that online disinformation is influencing public opinion. The Czech Republic key goals of this new unit are: Russian Propaganda in Czech Republic will sow doubts into people's minds that democracy is the best system to organize a country, to build negative image of European Union and Nato and discourage participation in democratic process. Part of the interior ministry, the new Centre Against Terrorism and Hybrid Threats will begin on January 1st with 20 full time specialists. However, the new “anti-fake news” centre has drawn accusations that it will result in censorship, spying and a crackdown on free speech – a charge rebutted by its supervisors

      

Key Statistics

• Czech Republic democratic system established after fall of communism in 1989
• Definite links hard to prove, but officials convinced Kremlin is behind about 40 Czech language websites presenting radical views, conspiracy theories and inaccurate reports.
• Though, Russia refuse to take the blame they think the fake news sites have come from within the Czech Republic's 45,000 strong Russian community
• Czech only became democratic 25 years ago.  

My Opinion

As we all know the fake news spiral started during the campaign trail of Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump in the USA running for presidency and is still clearly going on now. Expect the problem is no longer country specific it is a worldwide problem, particularly in those countries that are having elections or they are upcoming. The fake news spiral seems to target politics, which is not great as all countries want to present a united front in their Government's to show people that they are in safe hands with those in positions of power. However, they cannot do that with the fake news problem so I can totally understand why the Czech Republic are taking precautions by actually setting up a specialist unit to combat the fake news. Though, we are living through a digital age so this unit in the Czech Republic needs to do something fast which is permanent because just blocking the information from publication is not enough and even if sites are blocked and taken down, in this digital age it is so easy for somebody to find another way to get the news they want to out there for mass public consumption.  

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 2nd January (33)

GroupM: Mobile Music Streaming Represents $220 Million Ad Opportunity

http://adage.com/article/datadriven-marketing/groupm-sees-mobile-music-streaming-untapped-ad-spend/307321/

Summary

Content streaming particularly music listening can be used as a proxy for other consumer behavior. Companies like Spotify and GroupM are aiming to profit from that. As part of a huge research project between GroupM parent company WPP and Spotify researching media consumption they found that a lot of consumption is done via mobile phone. GroupM expects these streaming mobile activities to translate into money a budget for ad spending. GroupM estimates that in the coming few years ad's aimed at people based on what they are doing for instance shopping or in the gym while listening to music, exhibits moods or engaging in particular moments will account for new ad revenue. 

Key Statistics

• More than 60% of streaming activity is done via mobile devices
• Tailoring ad's based on what people are doing will account for $220 million in new ad revenue in the seven markets surveyed. 
• According to partners Streaming State of Mind study about 53% of mobile music streamers said they listen to music while doing housework,42% while cooking, 30% while showering, 20% while running errands.

My Opinion

Currently, adverts are the core source of finance for a wide multitude of companies for instance, the newspaper industry. I think that they are a good source of finance for the companies because businesses will pay above and beyond to get the name of their business out there. However, getting the business name out there through paying above and beyond does not matter because in the majority we use ad blocking software to stop seeing the adverts on our screens or we simply just ignore them and close them if possible. So, tailoring the ad's to suit what people are doing is a good way to go to make them a viable source of revenue, expect that raises the question of exactly how music companies are going to constantly know what activities we are doing; is it a invasion of our privacy? or will they find out simply by carrying out regular customer services or through cookies on the app or browser.  

 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 26th December (32)

Without question, the Internet can be a toxic place for young people. But withdrawing access to it isn't the right answer

The mother of Tallulah Wilson, 15, who was found dead on the tracks in St Pancras station, has warned of the dangers of 'toxic' internet subcultures.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/without-question-the-internet-can-be-a-toxic-place-for-young-people-but-withdrawing-access-to-it-9080576.html

Summary

The internet is a fantastic resource for us all, it provides us with information, advice and even the opportunity to socialize with one another. However, the internet has also and continues to present us with curveballs the internet also provides access to potentially toxic and harmful information, is the base of cyber bullying etc. Mindfull works with people 11-17 years of age and some young people say that they have also seen pro-anorexia or bulimia sites. Nearly a third of young people have self-harmed because they felt down some even used social media to show off what they were doing. Although, people showing off what they are doing on social media only leads to further consequences as people comment on the posts which means that the people self-harming are only encouraged to self-harm further. Most of us look at these images and are shocked while for young people it can turn into competitive behavior. They look at an image and think "they've cut deeper than me" so they think they must do one better and cut even deeper. The temptation for worried parents when they see the problems that the internet brings could be to withdraw access to the internet altogether. However, in the digital world that we live in, this is a punishment worse that being ‘grounded’. 

Key Statistics

• 1/3 of young people say they have self-harmed because they felt down

My Opinion

I think that the way NDM and the internet has developed is amazing, but the problems that it presents us with like people self-harming are far beyond what we all understand about the internet and the digital world so we do not know how to deal with it. We are all learning as the digital world develops so the most obvious solution that we can come up with is to cut ourselves off from this world that we would now view as toxic. I think that we all need to stop trying to develop at the same speed as the world of NDM and try to understand what of the digital world already exists. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 26th December (31)

Swipe right? 'Toilet paper' for smartphones trialed in Japanese airport bathrooms

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/22/swipe-right-toilet-paper-for-smartphones-tested-out-in-japanese-airport-bathrooms

Summary

Japan is moving up in the world again, they have taken the meaning of portable to a whole new level, with the introduction of "toilet paper" for smartphones inside toilets at Narita International Airport. Users are invited to pull off a piece of paper from a dispenser next to the regular toilet roll and give their phone screens a germ-busting polish. The telecoms company behind the invention NTT Docomo says that this trial shall remain in place until March. The cleaning paper which bears the message "welcome to Japan" comes as studies show that smartphone screens typically house more germs than toilet seats. Survey's have shown that foreign visitors to Japan are incredibly impressed with the cleanliness and versatility of Japan's public toilets, toilets are serious business in Japan. In some women’s public lavatories, users can call on assistance from the sound princess – a gadget that produces loud flushing sounds on demand to cover up any embarrassing noises associated with answering the call of nature.    

Key Statistics

• The smartphone sheets were installed in 86 cubicles at Narita's arrival hall this month

My Opinion

When I first read this story I thought it was really weird that smartphones and toilets were in the same sentence. However, when I actually read the article that attitude completely changed for me. Japan have taken the meaning of new and digital media to a whole new level in their own unique way. How many people can say that they ever thought of such an invention not many that I know for sure. Having said that when I keep reading this story I do wonder why toilets are such a big thing for Japan and why such an invention had to be put in the toilet cubicle rather than say outside in the main arrivals hall. 

NDM case study: News on the Tweet

1. Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?
2. Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?
3. 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?
4. On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to 'gossip' or 'banter'. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this? 
5. Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?
6. What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?
7. Do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?
8. Finally, how can we link this report to the vital current debate regarding fake news and Facebook? Do traditional news brands need protecting to ensure there are sources we can trust?

1) News brands are good for Twitter because they drive Twitter activity, 40% of Twitter users check Twitter frequently to see what's going on with their favourite newspaper brands. More than this, news brands and Twitter carry a symbiotic relationship, without respected news brands posting on Twitter what reason do the currently active users have to return to the service.

2) Visa Versa,  Twitter is good for news brands again because of the symbiotic relationship that they carry. Twitter is helping to make news brands more accessible, more influential and more connected than they have ever been; and without Twitter how are respected news brands supposed to connect with their audiences.  60% of those within the full sample of Twitter users say that Twitter gives them the opportunity to engage with newspaper brands they would not normally read in print format. Also, 55% of the Twitter users sample say Twitter also gives them the opportunity to engage with newspaper brands they would not normally read online.  If the news brand began using Facebook, for instance I do not think that the audiences would follow them there because it is not a trusted platform at the moment, particularly with the stories of how they are accused of being involved in the spread of fake news stories during the US Presidential election. 

3)  Personally, I agree with the report stating that old and new media are not in direct competition and in fact work extremely well together. Both old and new media function individually but also rely upon one another in some way to properly function. For example, a form of old media that is not really existent anymore is printed newspapers which required journalists to physically go out capture the stories and then come back and write them up for a newspaper article. Then, a form of new media is getting the news through social media which relies on journalists still reporting the news to us but through a social media platform rather than face to face via a TV broadcast. Despite, old and new media working well together new media is still the favored form between most people particularly of the younger generations such as mine labeled as millennials. Evidence from the report to support the idea that old and new media work well together is with the way in which Twitter and news brands work together enhancing both the media eco system and consumer experience in four ways:

• Knowledge
• Opinion
• Community
• Gossip and Banter

4) Twitter is not all about serious news. Gossip and banter about celebrities, sports and political dramas are all part of the entertainment and are often turned to when news brand followers want to relax. News brand followers are looking for articles that are both humorous and provide 'backstage access' into the lives of the people and things they are interested in. Example tweets are:

 

Gossip about Kim Kardashian West - Gives news brand followers a backstage pass into the life of Mrs West 

Provides a backstage pass into all the latest going's on at Arsenal. 

Provides news brand followers with the humorous aspect when they want to relax 

5) I do not think that the increasing amount of 'gossip' and 'banter' is harming news and journalists because for mainstream news companies to publish a good few laughable and light - hearted articles is freshening. We need to have some stories that make us laugh every now and again in the news otherwise the publication of news would become too serious. For instance, nowadays in the news we hear a lot of stories about plane crashes, stabbings, murders etc but in between all of that some light hearted funny stories are broadcast. Imagine if we switched on the TV and all we heard day in day out was stabbings, murders, plane crashes etc; the news will then have become too serious and then people are less likely to actually want to listen to it and take an interest.  I think that it is the 'gossip' and 'banter' stories that encourage many people to become long term news brand followers.  

6) There is a lot of trust in Twitter as a source of news through verified brands and people such as the BBC and linked reporters such as Laura Kuenssberg. Almost half of all Twitter users, and almost 2/3 of news brand followers say that it is important the news on Twitter is verified and comes from a respected source. Known and trusted sources such as the BBC and Sky are the first source that people check if a news story was to break online. For the actual journalists, verified ones are just as well trusted as Twitter itself as proven by the following stats but journalists themselves are often turned to a lot more in comparison to the organizations for the news as quoted in the report " I follow more journalists than newspapers...". 

7) NDM developments such as Twitter, have had both a negative and positive impact on traditional newspapers, in my opinion. I think that NDM developments have had a positive impact because they make the news brands publications easier to access and help to attract a wider audience. I mean lets face it, how many people in the generation classed as 'digital natives' have actually ever picked up a physical printed copy of a newspaper. So, being online means that news brands can target the older generations accustom to printed media and the younger generations accustom to online media. On the other hand, I think NDM developments have had a negative impact on traditional newspapers because a few titles such as The Independent have stopped production of printed newspapers altogether and gone digital while others are producing printed newspapers but giving them away for free. From the printed media there is no longer a way for traditional newspapers to make the large profits that they used to which also means that thousands of journalists have lost their jobs because the news companies cannot afford to pay them. The small amounts that they do make go towards keeping the newspaper name above water rather than paying lots of staff.  

8) Report links to the recent debates surrounding fake news with its references to trust in the world of social media platforms being our go to place for news e.g. Facebook, which was the first place many American people looked for information about the recently passed presidential election that saw Donald Trump get elected. In regards, to the question of whether news brands need protecting to ensure that they remain a verified source?, I would agree. This is because verified news brands such as the BBC rely a lot on User Generated Content nowadays to catch the latest stories before their rivals but this news does not get checked before broadcasting which means they could easily fall deep into the spiral of fake news and then people will no longer trust that company as a verified source. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 19th December (30)

Digital media's hidden payments crisis

http://uk.businessinsider.com/digital-medias-hidden-payments-crisis-2016-12

Summary

Traditional revenue sources have stagnated in the last few years, so media companies have had to become imaginative and think of new ways in which they could generate revenue, for instance through newspaper subscriptions. However, loads of consumers payments have failed when they try to subscribe and this is causing great frustration among them. Even transactions that are vaildated are being shown the door. These problems have and are resulting in huge losses for the media industry and something desperately needs to be done. Particularly, as this comes at a time when more or less all media outlets both in the UK and elsewhere are trying to modernize themselves and go digital with their content.  

Key Statistics

• 2/3 of US consumers experienced payment failer 
• Problems costing dearly combined at nearly $2 billion, which is more than combined revenue of New York Times and Times. Inc

My Opinion

I think that some companies are trying to modernize themselves a little bit too quickly with the NDM developments before ensuring that they understand their digitized models themselves. Companies need to sort through these problems fast or they are going to be facing a real crisis, we all more or less get our news online and if we cannot subscribe to our favourite news brands etc and they do not sort the problems we do not have many other viable sources to turn to for our news. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 19th December (29)

Daily Mail publisher turns to price rise to counter advertising slump

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/12127164/Daily-Mail-publisher-turns-to-price-rise-to-counter-advertising-slump.html

Summary

DMGT (Daily Mail and General Trust) increased cover price of Daily Mail by 5p, which they say is to help counter the steep decline in advertising revenues that they have faced recently. However, the Daily Mail have emphasized that this rise is the first in three years.  The publisher said that sales for the last four weeks in both print and digital were down by 12% compared to last year and something had to be done about this decline and fast. This decline that the Daily Mail has suffered represents overall worsening in trade and analysts have indicated very tough conditions ahead for the newspaper industry.   

Key Statistics

• The newspaper has been sold at 65p since 1st Feb 2016 
• In first quarter to end of December underlying sales for the unit were down 2% to £188m
• 12% drop in print advertising
• Print advertising decline was offset by 32% growth in digital revenues
• Company's flagship website reported a 27% growth in advertising sales, which includes a 66%rise from a low base in the USA which they have invested heavily in 

 

My Opinion

I personally think that the Daily Mail are not taking into account the way that the newspaper industry is changing with the developments in NDM. They are trying to claw back what little remains of the print industry for their publication by increasing the cover price but I think doing this is a lost cause. Eventually, they will have spent more money trying to keep their print publication above water than they are getting back in revenues and then be a ditch which they can not easily dig themselves out of in terms of the company revenue figures. At the moment, their print advertising revenue declines have been offset by the digital growth but what about when they do not have enough of a digital growth to carry on offsetting the losses of the print publication. I believe that the Daily Mail group should be investing all there power into building/strengthening their presence in the digital market to stay afloat rather than the print industry.  We all already get our news online which means that we do not provide the Daily Mail with the revenues they need in the print sector of their business but also with a price hike even fewer people are going to buy it when many people are said to be having financial woes.Digital is growing and print is most definitely not coming back.  

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 12th December (28)

The Drum on The Sun’s digital strategy

https://www.news.co.uk/2016/06/the-drum-on-the-suns-digital-strategy/

Summary

It's a momentous time for The Sun newspaper, the UK's most outspoken supporter of Brexit with its dramatic "BeLEAVE in Britain" headline is banking on Britain to revive its online fortunes. The Drum visited Sun's publisher News UK headquarters (June) and told of how the tabloids uniquely British identity will be made the cornerstone of the brand in years to come both printed and digital mediums if print still exists for much longer that is. Unlike, most of it's UK rivals namely Daily Mail; The Sun doesn't have a need to exploit the English language - chief operating officer for News UK, David Dinsmore says "they have concluded that they should heavily focus on UK before massively going out with our borders. Keith Poole, head of digital operations at The Sun insists the paper will be squarely aimed at a British audience, The Sun are wanting to drive UK traffic and deepen engagement.        

Key Statistics

• The Sun is still the biggest newspaper on the British newsstand, even if print circulation is down to 1.7m from 3.2m a decade ago
• The Sun currently has  2.3m daily unique users
• In 2013, The Sun followed its sister News UK title The Times in erecting a paywall
• The Times began charging for online access in 2010
• The Sun has a digital subscriber base of 172,000 and 400,000 combined print and digital sales
• Overall, The Sun has a digital subscriber base of  220,000, but is spending an awful lot of money to get those subscribers
• The bright and brash graphics-rich content digitally of The Sun is said to apparently be aimed at a female audience aged 18-25

My Opinion

This article isn't that new but I think that The Sun have made the right move in digitizing themselves particularly as this world of NDM just keeps on growing and developing with no signs of stopping. The Sun updated and from what I have read continue to innovate their digital presence. However, I think that The Sun's publisher News UK; need to think about how the brand is put across to the audience digitally because from what I have read about them and their digital processes they seem to be reducing the reach across the British audience that they have. This is because the way in which they are presenting themselves seems only to be appealing to certain people as it says in the article, The Sun is the only UK tabloid on Snapchat, but the bright and brash graphics-rich content seem only to draw the attention of female 18-25-year-olds.  

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 12th December (27)

Only emotional intelligence can save children from online gambling

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/01/children-online-gambling-addiction-digital

Summary

We keep our kids safe from stranger danger, alcohol and drug abuse and feel relieved when the kids are indoors on their smartphones or plugged into the computer. BUT! the real danger is hidden right under our noses its the computer screens and the smart phones that we spend most of our day on. Scarily, the rise in digital addiction is stark, with the developments in new and digital media this growth will just keep on growing. Many young people suffer from a variety of different health problems as result of turning to social media to deal with problems they don't know otherwise how to deal with.Though, most adults do not know how to deal with this rise because they cannot spot the symptoms. The article goes on to talk about how many companies and specialist agencies are working hard to combat the issues that the online world brings but they realize they cannot stop/block the issues out completely. 

Key Statistics

• 23% of teenage boys gamble online 
• Young 14 year old was asked "how do you spend your unscheduled time?" He replied I do not have any.
• We feed ourselves a endless diet of bite sized information and other's opinions

My Opinion

In my opinion, the developing world of NDM and social media is a growing and not planning on slowing down anytime soon. The virtual world is here to stay, removing all access to the online world is impossible. However, we all just need to be more aware of how to deal with the online world and any challenging stuff that might be thrown at us through it. This is because at the minute we think we know a lot but at the rate that the virtual world is growing we need to learn a lot more in a lot less time. Right now we have the generation of digital natives who dominate the online world but even they are newbies learning at the same rate as everybody else. None of us are more clued up than the other we need to help one another to stay on top of this ever growing industry. 

NDM News: Globalisation

1) Is our news influenced by American cultural imperialism? Give some examples arguing for or against this perspective.

I think that our news is influenced by cultural imperialism because we are exposed to so much American culture in so much depth that it could be seen that we have entirely absorbed the culture. US culture is kind of forced on us through our media consumption, some might say that this is so easy to do because of the common language between the UK and USA.  We are driven to read about the US culture because we are surrounded by so much of it. For example, we might be reading a story about somebody being stabbed or a cyclist dying on London roads on the Telegraph website but the way in which the US culture surrounds the page and presents its story's in a sensational and provocative way encourages click bait and influences our perspective.  
2) Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? How? Why?

Audience experience has improved as a result of globalisation because we have access to a wide variety of content - we are able to find out information/news about the smallest of countries like Monaco e.g. "Ports de Monaco expands to Ventimiglia" to the bigger countries like China e.g. "China faces off against world on open global markets". However, with the increased globalisation one problem that we face which hasn't really improved audience experience is when we are getting informed about stories that do not bother us. For example, the recent US elections or the even more recent Italian referendum which we do not need to know about as much as it reported but because we do the information we are hearing causes moral/culteral panic because we jump to conclusions about what that means for us as individuals and for the countries that we reside in. The internet has become a "global village", as Marshall McLuhan stated, everything is mixed into one.    

3) Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions? How? Why?

I think that globalisation (developing international influence) has damaged major UK news institutions with the most recent and apparent example being the decline of printed newspapers. The developments of NDM have given us better access to a variety of content and we have citizen journalism to thank for that; we have access to information published by the likes of The Telegraph and LA Times.  This could be seen as both a positive and negative thing for the major news institutions, positive because the major institutions have taken globalization in their stride by digitalizing themselves. Negative because profit speaking the newspapers have suffered a big blow as there is no longer a need for printed material we find it easier and more convenient to go online and get our news.  

Website Reference - American cultural imperialism

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/simonheffer/7908380/America-is-the-acceptable-face-of-cultural-imperialism.html

NDM News: Globalisation and fake news

The Guardian & the global problem of fake news

1) Read this Guardian feature - Fake news: an insidious trend that's fast becoming a global problem 

2) What similarities do you notice between the different countries outlined in the article and their problems with fake news?

Between the countries discussed: Germany, Brazil, India, China, Australia, Myanmar, Italy and France. The biggest similarity in their problems with the spread of fake news is the concerning effect that it has already had and will have on the countries political systems and the Government in general. Another problem that the discussed countries have with fake news is the upheaval that the spread of controversial issues is having; topics such as religious hatred and sexual assaults which the millions of people resided in the respective countries will all have different opinions on. One country that stood out to me in the article was China, who claim that fake news is not the issue in their country it is fraudulent reporters ripping people of to spread negative stories, there issue is the worries that this presents for their financial status not their political status like all the other discussed countries. 

3) Is fake news an inevitable consequence of the "culture of freedom and innovation" that the internet has brought with it? Is there a way to stop it?

I think that fake news is always something that had the potential to arise at some point with the developments in new and digital media and the soaring success of social media. This is simply because we all have a better ability to share our views and values with one another and the line between what is real and what is not real can/has become blurred out very quickly. However, I think there is a way to stop it or reduce it but companies just need to figure out what that is. Sites can be innovated for better visitor experiences but also to have tighter controls over what can be posted and what can not be posted.  

New York Times and the creation of fake news

1) Read this New York Times feature - Inside a Fake News Sausage Factory: ‘This Is All About Income’

2) Which fake news stories were particularly successful for Beqa Latsabidze, the 22-year-old student in Tbilisi, Georgia, who tried to make money from web articles on Trump? 

• 'The Mexican Government announced they will close their borders to Americans in the event that Donald Trump is elected President of the United States'. --  This story became the third most trafficked fake story on Facebook from May to July. 
• 'Mexico planning to call back its citizens from the United States if Mr Trump won. -- Generated a huge amount of traffic,though not as much as the one above, which Mr. Latsabidze described as "a really great story".
• George Lopez keeps promise to leave the US because Trump won, leaves behind a nasty message

3) How much can Facebook and Google be blamed for this global rise in fake news?

I think that Facebook and Google can only be partially blamed for the global rise in fake news. This is because the services that these companies among others provide us with are sharing platforms so there isn't and probably has never needed to be tight controls over what appears on the platform, which is why fake news wasn't caught among the real news. However, now with the rise of the fake news such sites are now cracking down against fake news and putting tighter controls in place to help them tell apart what is fake and what is real. On the other hand, I think that the likes of Facebook and Google cannot be blamed for the global rise in fake news because I think some of the fault lies with mainstream traditional sources of media like the radio, TV etc, who encourage clickbait (driving us to getting our news up to date all of the time online). They are encouraging us to go online and so when we do we do not stop to think if the news stories are suspicious or the truth because the encouragement to go online in the first place comes from sources that we trust being mainstream news companies such as Sky and the BBC.

Website References - Who is to blame for fake news spread?

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/media/307286-dont-blame-facebook-for-fake-news-and-trumps-rise

http://billmoyers.com/story/whos-reallyto-blame-fake-news/

http://www.vuelio.com/uk/blog/is-social-media-to-blame-for-the-rise-in-fake-news/

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-van-susteren-fake-news-20161205-story.html

Media Factsheet: Globalisation and capitalism

1) Who coined the phrase 'a global village' and what multinational companies illustrate this?

The term 'a global village' was coined by Marshall McLuhan, to help explain the shrinking and expanding of the world's culture at the same time due to widespread technological developments. Multi National companies that illustrate this would be the likes of the newspaper companies who have shrunk down the scale of their production by almost completely eliminating printed papers, and expanded their production to be online with the continuing advancements in technology. 

2) What role does Slavoj Zizek suggest the media plays in global capitalism? How can you link this to our previous work on Marxism and Hegemony? 

Capitalism refers to when a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit. Then, Global capitalism nowadays works based on the fact that all aspects of any prior system have essentially been quashed. All aspects of the system including production, accumulation, class relations and governance have been disembedded from the nation + reorganised in a globally intergrated way to give more flexibility with which institutions etc operate. This links to previous work on marxism,pluralism and hegemony because global capitalism isn't governed by a class based system any more, no matter what class you are from the system is trying to give everybody more flexibility and freedom in the finanical world.  

3) What does 'capitalism with a conscience' mean? 

Zizek argues that the global media has raised awareness about social issues, but in order to sustain Western Capitalist Dominance, company marketing campaigns have constructed "capitalism with a conscience". This means that when we buy something our anti capitalist duty - the desire to do something for others and the enviroment is already included in the purchase we have/are going to make. For example, many companies Starbucks to name one now give a percentage of their product's cost to a recognized world charity organisation 'FairTrade' or a organisation working in a third world country. As the campaign for Starbucks states "It's not just what we are buying, its what we are buying into". When we buy Starbucks we are not just buying a cup of coffee we are buying into coffee ethics.  

4) What is the (PRODUCT) RED campaign? 

The (PRODUCT) RED campaign - global conscience and consumerism

The (PRODUCT) RED campaign, was founded in 2006 by U2 frontman and activist

Bono to engage the private sector in raising awareness and funds to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.

5) Based on what you've read in the Factsheet, what is YOUR opinion of the (PRODUCT) RED brand? Is it a positive force helping to fight AIDS in Africa or a cynical attempt to make multinational companies look more ethical than they actually are?

I agree with the general campaign though process in terms of advertising and using big company names to better recognition of the campaign, getting more people to donate and help in the fight against aids. However, all these multinational companies that are involved do not really care about what the campaign is fighting for, they are only in for what they get in return which is a chance to maximise their profits through the (PRODUCT) red campaign, it is a cyncial attempt to make multinational companies seem more ethical then they really are. They are taking a worthwhile cause and putting their logo on to better there company and its sales. The most obvious example, is the "lace up save lives" line in the above picture; this is encouraging people to buy nike shoes to help with the fight against AIDS with the promise that a portion of the money they have parted with will go to the cause, but it will almost definately not be as much as multinational companies claim it is. 

Media Magazine 47: Globalisation case study

1) Why was Google Glass controversial?

Google Glass was controversial because of the privacy issues surrounding the creation of the device. People raised concerns that users of Glass could effectively walk around filming everything they are looking at, but how are we as the public supposed to know that we are being filmed, without having given any permission to do so. Continuing with the privacy issue, people also raised concerns that Google will be able to see what the Glass wearer is seeing. For example, if we walk into a supermarket and begin browsing some products, Google will be able to find out what products we looked at first and what products we didn't look through at all, which can be very useful market information for many companies. Further concerns which made the creation of the Google Glass device controversial were surrounding the rumours that the device would be able to pick up dialogue and have facial recognition software meaning that a person could be picked out of a crowd with ease and the wearer would also know they are talking about. 

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

Positive elements to Globalisation would be that the world becomes more accessible and people are better supported as they are getting to know and understand the world better. Another positive element would be increased choice and opportunities, these empower people and access to information can enhance the ability to make informed decisions e.g. those about the democratic process.   

3) What are potential negatives to Globalisation?

A negative to Globalisation would be concentration of ownership and the possibility that smaller companies have little or no chance of staking a claim on the global market as they will not be able to compete with the rapid growth of the larger firms. 

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

A techno panic centres on fears regarding specific contemporary technology or technological activity.  A moral panic highlights concerns stirred up by the media in regards to an event in society. A techno panic links to moral panics (Cohen) because a techno panic is basically a moral panic but it is related to technology. An example, dialogue around the concerns that the Google Glass device may be fitted with software that allows it to pick up audio and carry out facial recognition has coined the term "Google Agent". To encompass the panic that all we say and do may soon be recorded by anybody that is wearing a headset. 

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

In my opinion, I find it worrying how much personal data can be accessed by major corporations and definitely find it an invasion of my privacy. I feel like any little move that I make is being watched or tracked in someway shape or form and it is concerning. Major 
corporations knowing our personal data, is simply just a profit game for them with a better ability to compete in the market place and bombard us with cold calls. I couldn't give a specific example as to what exactly can be done but something does need to be done to protect our personal data that nobody other than us should be able to access, rather than creating devices that only increase access to personal data which major corporations can get a hold of as we all well know that they sell our information to any interested third parties. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 5th December (26)

Facebook will hire extra 500 UK workers for new central London HQ

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/21/facebook-hire-500-uk-workers-opens-london-hq-fitzrvovia

Summary

NDM is growing and does not seem to be stopping anytime soon, so along with it one of the biggest social media platforms is expanding too. Facebook are expanding their presence in London setting up shop in,Fitzrovia near to the West End. Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook's European Head announced the London expansion at CBI conference on Monday (28th Nov) approximately. The Mayor Of London is all for this expansion he says that it is a further vote of confidence in favour of London as a tech centre. According to Mr Khan the capital's vibrant tech scene at the minute is the envy of Europe. He went on to say "Facebook's continuing commitment is another sign that London is open to talent, innovation & entrepreneurship from all four corners of the globe.

   

Key Statistics

• Facebook will hire an extra 500 workers in the UK, increasing British workforce by half (50%)
• Facebook came to London in 2007, with a handful of people
• By the end of next year, Facebook London plan to employ 1,500 people 
• Google are expanding too, going ahead with plans to build offices in Kings Cross, creating nearly 3000 jobs
• Amazon is leaving UK base in Slough, after 16 years and moving to 15th floor offices outside of the city. 

My Opinion

I think that Facebook expanding operations within the city is a bold move because city operations can be expensive. However, they could have a greater chance of success in the city because most other companies are leaving the city due to the expense so they do not have as much competition. The city location could also make it super easy for them to fill the highly skilled jobs that Nicola talks of in the article, as London is the epi centre for jobs that people look to first.  Though, stating the jobs on offer as extremely high skilled may cause problems because while this may be true it could take a while to fill the positions and therefore longer for the base in London to get up and running. 

NDM: Weekly News Article - W/C 5th December (25)

BBC awards £100m network deal to BT

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/12128365/BBC-awards-100m-network-deal-to-BT.html

Summary

BBC award £100m contract to BT to replace current deal with Atos. The work has been broken up into several sections under a delayed works programme called Project Aurora.BT's win comes as a blow to their biggest rival Vodafone whom are the current broadcast network supplier via Atos. The two telecoms giants are already at logger heads with BT acquisition of mobile operator EE and Vodafone's vocal role in calling for BT's Openreach infrastructure to be made fully independent. However, the row is really going to heat up next month when Ofcom are to publish reform proposals which are calling for a spilt. BBC say that their deal with BT will not only save money for them but it will also provide extra data capacity and ultra high definition pictures among other things.     

Key Statistics

• Deal with BT comes with plans to overhaul controversial £2bn technology outsourcing arrangments. 
• BT under fire from 121 MP's calling for a spilt. 
• Seven year deal with BT
• BBC claims that deal with BT will save 10's of millions 
• BBC already agreed to carryout cost of free licenses for over 75's at an estimated annual cost of up to £750m

My Opinion

I think that the BBC have made a good move awarding their network deal to BT, as they are the biggest telecoms provider in the UK. However, because the change over has been spilt into a number of different sections there in my opinion is bigger room for error, this could affect the daily operations of the BBC. The BBC have awarded the deal to BT but they are being held in the firing line for a lot of things such as the Openreach infrastructure being called to be independent. I think that the BBC should be careful that there name doesn't essentially get dragged through the mud with BT as well. The BBC claim that this swap to BT will save a lot of money and bring loads of pro's as mentioned in the summary. This is good because then the BBC can use the money they are saving from their outsourcing arrangments to make the overall experiences for customers better and maybe rethink this stuff about the licensing fee and readjusting the terms of who has to pay it. This is because there are still so many people who feel that nobody should have to pay the fee as well as people speaking up who say they can't afford to pay the fee.