Section B Exam question plan

New and Digital media offers media institutions different ways of reaching audiences. Consider how and why media institutions are using these techniques (48 marks)

1) Introduction:

The first industry that I have been investigating is news. Traditional print news has faced a decline in recent years, while new and digital media has allowed news cooperation's to remain successful through news online and paywalls. In addition, I have been researching political activism and focusing on 'The Everyday Sexism Project', founded by Laura Bates.

Technological convergence has allowed audiences to access the internet and several applications through one device. This includes smartphones, tablets and computers. Media institutions are using new and digital media to reach audiences as it has become easier to reach them due to technological convergence. It has increased convenience for audiences, as well as success and profits for institutions.

2) Social Media-Snapchat:

Social media sites allow audiences to access news as well as being able to view, comment, like pictures and interact with others through messages. Snapchat in particular has recently introduced a new page to the application where audiences are able to view the latest news of different companies. These include: Sky News, Yahoo News and Mail Online. The reason these News institutions use Snapchat as a platform to share their news on is because they are aware of the popularity of the social app and therefore helps them gain an audience. Moreover, Snapchat allow these companies to share their news with their users because it increases their profits.

3) Social Media-Twitter:

Other social media sites such as Twitter also work together with news institutions in order for both parties to gain publicity. For example, a recent 'News on the Tweet' article stated that Twitter and news companies must trust one another as news uses Twitters platform to reach audiences. Twitter is therefore good for news companies as they gain a larger audiences, as well as being beneficial for Twitter as people use the social site to read news.

4) Marxism and Pluralism

A Marxist view would argue that institutions are in power, have the control and it is all an illusion for Pluralists. Whereas, Pluralists would say that in fact audiences are even more empowered now as they can choose how to view media e.g. news, music, videos, programmes etc. For example, audiences can choose whether they want to support artists by watching their videos on YouTube, helping them gain views and contribute to their success by purchasing their music on iTunes.

5) Paywalls/Globalisation

Most online news companies such as The Times use paywalls in order to gain revenue, through audiences paying a subscription fee to access their content and news. It has proven successful with some institutions as audiences have been willing to pay for their news, however others have seen a fall in profits. The Guardian make revenue through advertising and sponsorship and have expanded into Australia and America. This can be linked to Globalisation. It has also meant that local areas are becoming the same as everywhere else and moreover, the local economy dies down. This is because audiences are able to access international news on a larger scale, therefore do not bother to purchase local newspapers.

6) Flip the question. It has also enabled audiences to reach institutions..

Feminist movements such as 'The Everyday Sexism Project' has allowed audiences to communicate via website and social media and protest together. It has also allowed them to share their issues and problems and gain advice from one another, using Twitter and Facebook as well as the Everyday Sexism website created by Laura Bates. Furthermore, citizen journalism has evolved and allowed audiences to challenge content created by news institutions. For example, a couple of weeks ago a boy was shot in South Carolina. Walter Scott had been murdered by a white police officer who killed the boy, then handcuffed him whilst he was dead and dropped a taser next to him. However, a man had videoed the event, therefore citizen journalism proved the police officer guilty so he was punished for murder. This may not have been possible without the footage as elite people such as the police officer would have made out that Walter did something wrong, therefore justifying his death.

7) Conclusion

Overall, I believe that new and digital media is used by institutions to reach audiences on a wider scale and gain a larger audience share. However, it also gives audiences a way to reach institutions e.g. through Twitter. This therefore allows audiences to challenge dominant forces and elite people/institutions as the Walter Scott shooting has shown, as well as cases in the past like the shooting of Ian Tomlinson.

NDM Story #56 Twitter's new quality filter removes abuse from your timeline

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/11491485/Twitters-new-quality-filter-removes-abuse-from-your-timeline.html

Twitter is rolling out a quality filter designed to remove threatening tweets alongside spam in the service's latest move to tackle online abuse. The filter aims to "remove all tweets from your notifications timeline that contain threats, offensive or abuse language, duplicate content, or are sent from suspicious accounts", and was first spotted by Twitter user Anil Dash. Twitter told the Verge that the filter was currently only applied to verified users, which tend to be high-profile individuals or those working for specific organisations. The new feature could result in celebrities and other public figures receiving significantly less abusive tweets than they are currently subjected to.

It is positive that Twitter are doing this as it will help prevent people from suffering from online abuse.

NDM Story #55 Sexting: Young girls and boys bullied for explicit sex videos

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/child-protection/11503577/Sexting-Young-girls-and-boys-bullied-for-explicit-sex-videos.html

Increasing numbers of children are being bullied into taking explicit sexual pictures of themselves online, an expert has warned. More and more young girls and boys are becoming victims of “sextortion” cases in which they are lured into sharing naked photographs and then blackmailed into producing ever-more explicit material. The children are told if they do not co-operate their sexual images will be distributed to friends and to their parents – luring the frightened youngsters to produce highly sexual photographs and videos. Bob Lotter, the creator of online safety tool My Mobile Watchdog, said his company is dealing with growing numbers of sextortion cases, while other types of sexting have become an “epidemic” among young people. “We have seen children involved in revenge porn and sextortion, and this is on the increase,” said Mr Lotter.

It is sad that people have to use sexual images and content of children to threaten them into getting what they want. However, I do not believe that it is always completely innocent from the child's side as some people may choose to produce their own content in which they then get themselves in trouble with.

NDM Story #54 Instagram deletes woman's period photos - but her response is amazing

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11503621/Instagram-deletes-womans-period-photos-her-reply-is-great.html

Photographer Rupi Kaur has effectively made Instagram, one of the most popular photo-sharing websites in the world, accept that periods are not inappropriate. Last week she posted a photograph of a fully clothed woman lying in bed with a period stain on Instagram. It was deleted twice by the social media site because it didn’t “follow [their] Community Guidelines.” The guidelines prohibit sexual acts, violence and nudity, they do not mention anything about periods. Kaur took to Facebook to write: “Thank you Instagram for providing me with the exact response my work was created to critique. You deleted my photo twice stating that it goes against community guidelines.“I will not apologise for not feeding the ego and pride of misogynist society that will have my body in an underwear but not be ok with a small leak when your pages are filled with countless photos/accounts where women (so many who are underage) are objectified, pornified, and treated less than human.”
She explained that she created a series around menstruation to “demystify the period and make something that is innate ‘normal’ again.”

It is obvious that this image does not go against Instagram's guidelines as they quite clearly do not state anything about periods. Moreover, the woman in the image is fully dressed therefore there is no 'nudity' involved. I believe it was wrong of Instagram to take down this image twice as it shows something perfectly normal.

NDM Story #53 Teachers 'facing more abuse on social media'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-32145849

Sexist, racist and homophobic remarks were being used by pupils against school staff, as well as offensive comments about appearance, the NASUWT said. There were also examples of parents being abusive on social media, it added. About 60% of 1,500 teachers questioned in a poll said they had faced abuse, compared with 21% last year. In one case, a photograph of a teacher was posted online with an insulting word underneath. In another, pupils used the name of a heavily pregnant school worker to post insults, the teachers' union said. Of those who had been subjected to insults, nearly half (48%) said these remarks were posted by pupils, 40% said they were put up by parents, and 12% said both parents and pupils were responsible. Almost two-thirds (62%) said pupils had posted insulting comments, while just over a third (34%) said students had taken photos or videos without consent. A third (33%) received remarks about their performance as a teacher, 9% had faced allegations from pupils about inappropriate behaviour and 8% had been subjected to threatening behaviour. More than half (57%) of pupils responsible were aged between 14 and 16, and 38% were 11 to 14, the teachers' poll found, with a fifth aged 16 to 19 and 5% were seven to 11.

Although it is not right that pupils and teachers use social media to abuse teachers, I do not think that it is something that can be avoided either. Social media gives users the power to do anything online and this is one of them.

NDM Story #52 A third of young people think social media will influence their vote

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2015/mar/10/a-third-of-young-people-think-social-media-will-influence-their-vote?CMP=dis_2831

A third of young people think social media will influence their vote, according to research by Ipsos Mori and King’s College London. However, looking at the electorate as a whole the report finds that voters have a mixed attitude towards the impact of social media on the political debate. More than a third (34%) of those aged 18-24 said that reading something on social media was likely to influence their vote - second only to the TV debates. Across Britain as a whole, social media is listed fourth as a potential influence on voting - after the TV debates, newspapers and election broadcasts, and just ahead of leaflets through the letter box. Ipsos Mori’s results also show that while 71% believe that social media provides a platform and voice to people who wouldn’t normally take part in political debates, there is concern that social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, are making political debate more divisive and superficial. The feeling is shared both by those active on social media and by those that aren’t. Among social media users, 57% and 50% agreed that social media has made the debate more divisive and superficial that it used to be.

Young people are prone to being influenced by social media, whether it is about voting or anything else. However, with this particular topic not all young people are educated when it comes to political parties and voting, therefore have a higher chance of being influenced by others opinions and votes.

NDM Story #51 Knowing ploy or social media fail? Penguin Books runs #YourMum Mother’s Day Twitter campaign

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2015/03/09/knowing-ploy-or-social-media-fail-penguin-books-runs-yourmum-mother-s-day-twitter

To celebrate Mother’s Day this year, Penguin Books launched a dubious social media campaign asking users to tweet with the hashtag #YourMum. Predictably, the scheme was hijacked by social media users who repurposed Penguin’s well intentioned buy-a-book-for Mother’s Day brand proposition with crass ‘Your Mama’ jokes – the staple insult of playgrounds throughout the world. The hashtag, which somewhat clashed with the tone of Sunday’s top trending term ‘#InternationalWomensDay’, saw social media users spout filth about #YourMum. It took the publishing house some time to realise the error of its ways.

It is interesting and amusing to most audiences that Penguin Books decided to use a #YourMum hashtag in order to promote their books as gifts for mothers day. Whether it was intentional or not, it definitely caught attention and caused controversy on Twitter.

NDM Story #50 Apple Watch: are you feeling the terror?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/mar/11/apple-watch-are-you-feeling-the-terror

From the printing press to the telephone to the tablet computer, new technologies have usually passed through three stages. First, they are laughed off as stupid novelties with little use other than to entertain geeks. Then, as they begin to become popular, they are deplored as threats to civilisation which will turn into mindless, atomised narcissists. Finally, everyone uses them and we wonder what all the fuss was about.The launch of the Apple Watch heralds the arrival of stage two for the smartwatch. This time, however, I think it’s true both that we have good reasons to raise a few alarms and that in time they will come to be seen as perfectly harmless. That the smartwatch is going to normalise several things that should appal us is precisely what we should fear.

As technology increases and develops, so will companies products such as the Apple watch. It is not something to fear as audiences are excited about new releases and new products.

NDM Story #49 TripAdvisor removes 'feminist' review

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/mar/12/tripadvisor-removes-feminist-review

A review in which a customer described seeing a manager biting a waitress and slapping her on the bottom has been removed by TripAdvisor for contravening its guidelines.A review in which a customer described seeing a manager biting a waitress and slapping her on the bottom has been removed by TripAdvisor for contravening its guidelines. Christina Fowler of Bedford left the review on TripAdvisor on 8 March, also International Women’s Day, after eating at The Bell at Westoning in Bedfordshire. In her original review, she wrote: "Today, on International Women’s Day, I saw the pub owner bite a young waitress on the shoulder, which she tried to shrug off but then appeared to complain to her fellow waitress. Five minutes later he slaps her on the bum and made kissy noises when she jumped. A huge reminder that we still need feminism, even in 2015". Fowler said: “I was quite surprised I don’t really understand what was wrong with it. I was allowed to repost it in the end removing the words ‘misogynist’ and ‘feminist’, but I don’t see that either of those words are particularly shocking.”

This comment was removed by TripAdvisor because it did not meet the the review guidelines. I do not think it was moved particularly because it is related to feminism, but possibly because of the image it creates for the pub and the people involved (management and staff).

MEST3 Independent case study: New and Digital Media

My chosen industry is: Political Activism

My case study is: The Everyday Sexism Project (http://everydaysexism.com/)

Audience

1) How has new and digital media changed the audience experience in your chosen industry?

New and digital media has given audiences a platform to conform together and fight for their rights and beliefs. This is done through social media and online websites, therefore has enhanced audience experiences.

2) Has new and digital media changed the way the audience consume your chosen product?

Audiences involved in political activism would have to find other ways to communicate e.g. phones, letters and face to face meetings. However, new and digital media now allows audiences to easily connect and communicate through the internet e.g. social media, forums, chat rooms etc.

3) Has the size of the audience changed as a result of new and digital media?

New and digital media has drastically increased the size of audiences involved in political activism. It allows people to get together and protest as a mass. 

4) What are the positive changes new and digital media have brought to the audience of your case study? (E.g. greater choice, easier access etc.)

In particular, I will be looking at Everyday Sexism. This has bought positive changes to audiences through new and digital media as men and women all over the world are able to connect through the website and social media e.g. Twitter and share their stories/experiences. This has been a positive impact on others as they have found confidence to stand up for themselves and speak out against sexism.

5) What are the negative changes new and digital media have had on your chosen audience? (E.g. quality of product etc.)

Some people (particularly men) have been provoked through Everyday Sexism campaigns instead of enlightened. Therefore, have tried to blame women for their actions e.g. women dress in revealing ways to attract attention from men, whether it is positive or not it is the females fault. It has even encouraged men even more to be sexist against women as they do not like the fact that they are standing up for themselves.

6) What about audience pleasures - have these changed as a result of new and digital media?

• Surveillance has increased as people are more aware about activist situations and sexism through social media e.g. Twitter and Facebook.

• Personal Relationships have developed as people are able to get together through social media and stand up for their beliefs.

• Personal Identity has improved as people involved in The Everyday Sexism Project for example were able to realise the situations they have been in are not right and they need to put a stop to it.

7) What is the target audience for your chosen case study? Write a demographic/psychographic profile.

Demographics:

A-E. The Everyday Sexism Project does not depend on a person's class or status. Everyone who has been involved in a situation where they have felt assaulted or abused by the opposite sex is able to take part in the project and share their story.

Psychographics:

I believe Strugglers and Reformers would be the audience for Everyday Sexism as they seek enlightenment and escape from their situations/past experiences.


Institution

1) How has new and digital media had an impact on ownership or control in your chosen industry?

New and digital media has lead to a greater ownership and control in political activism. By more people conforming together, control of situations has heightened.

2) What impact has new and digital media had on ownership in your chosen case study?

Laura Bates started and is the founder of The Everyday Sexism Project. New and digital media has not changed this, however more people are taking charge of their personal situations.

3) How has new and digital media changed the way institutions produce texts?

New and digital media has allowed Laura Bates to make pages on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as oppose to having a website only. This has helped increase awareness of her project and sexism.

4) How has new and digital media changed the way institutions distribute their product?

Institutions are able to distribute their activism projects through a mass basis through social media and online sites.

5) How might new and digital media threaten your chosen industry?

Although new and digital media gives activists a voice to stand up for their beliefs, it also gives people a platform to criticise. This can be a threat to those who are fighting for their rights as others can easily put them down through social media and comments etc.

6) How has new and digital media changed the way your chosen industry is regulated?

New and digital media means that Laura Bates has to spend more time regulating content as it is on a wider scale such as social networking sites as oppose to just the project's website.


UGC

1)What examples of user-generated content can you find in your case study?

Social networking sites e.f. Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, books, blogs, speaking out against sexism.

2) How has UGC changed things for audiences or institutions in your chosen case study?

User generated content has enabled audiences to share their thoughts and stories. It has also been beneficial for the original project as more people are aware of sexism issues happening in society today.


Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony

1) What would be a Marxist perspective of the impact of new and digital media on your chosen case study?

Marxists believe that large cooperation's control online content in which new and digital media is shown through. Therefore, they would argue that they are able to control what generates through social media and what gets taken down.

2) How would a pluralist view the impact of new and digital media in your chosen industry?

Pluralists would argue they have power to leave comments and make social media pages in order to protest. Moreover, Twitter and Facebook has allowed people to plan protests, which has heightened their success. The Everyday Sexism Project has been shared virally, where people have come together to share their stories and personal experiences.

3) Are there any examples of hegemony in your chosen industry or case study?

An example of hegemony is male dominance over females as The Everyday Sexism Project fights against those who think it is okay to get away with sexually harassing or abusing women.


Globalisation

1) How has globalisation impacted on your chosen industry or case study?

Globalisation has helped raise awareness for sexism not only in the UK, but all over the world. For example, it has encouraged protests in other parts of the world such as India where a group of females carried out a protest for justice against a nun that was recently involved in a gang rape. By women all over the world sharing their experiences, they are also able to get together and fight for their rights as other women give them confidence.

2) In your opinion, has globalisation had a positive or negative impact on your chosen industry and case study? Why?

I believe globalisation has had a positive impact on my case study as it has given women all over the world confidence to stand up for themselves. Without this, women would be unaware of their rights and continue living lives where they feel at threat by men who are more dominant.

3) Can you find examples of cultural imperialism in your case study or industry? (The 'Americanisation' of the world)

The Everyday Sexism Project is an example of cultural imperialism. This is because it is carried out in countries such as India, where in the past protests carried out by women fighting for their rights never would have occurred. However, this project has given women from all over the globe confidence to stand up for their rights and speak out against sexism and put an end to it.


Social media

1) How has your industry or case study used social media to promote its products?

Pages have been created on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. These have been popular as the Twitter page @EverydaySexism has 197K followers. The Facebook page has 12,356 likes/supporters.

2) Provide examples of how your case study has used social media and explain the impact this would have on audiences.

As The Everyday Sexism Project has created online pages on social media, audiences have joined the pages, following them and liking content. They have also shared links with other people on social media therefore more awareness of the project and real life scenarios have been shared.

3) Is social media an opportunity or a threat to your industry and case study?

Both. Although social media allows activists to get together and cause debate. There are also threats as people who disagree with their beliefs will try to bring them down by leaving negative comments or even making their own pages going against their protests.


Statistics

1) What statistics can you find to illustrate the impact new and digital media has had on your industry or case study?

• There are over 50,000 users of The Everyday Sexism Project
• 25,000 entries in over 15 countries
• Twitter has 197k followers
• Facebook has 12,356 likes/supporters

2) What impact have the statistics you have found had on institutions in your chosen industry?

The impact that The Everyday Sexism Project has had is that it has encouraged audiences to speak out in relation to other protests and subjects.

3) What has the impact been for audiences?

Audiences feel confident and have more encouragement than ever before to stand up for themselves and fight for their rights and against sexism.


Theories

1) What media theories can you apply to your chosen industry and case study?

• Judith Butler-Gender roles: Judith Butler talks about the way males and females are bought up according to gender stereotypes. For example, girls play with pink feminine toys whereas boys are associated with blue, masculine activities. This relates to my case study as it reinforces the reasons for sexism, due to the male upbringing.

• Levi Strauss-Binary opposites: Binary opposites can be related to my case study as sexism is about male vs females. It is about the domination of one gender over the other.

• Hypodermic needle model: This theory can be linked to my case study as it can be argued that society inject values into women, that male abuse/domination is acceptable and normal. This could be the reason why women accept it and do not speak out because society has made them afraid and ashamed. However, The Everyday Sexism Project is created to banish these values.

Issues/debates

1) What media issues and debates can you apply to your chosen industry and case study?

• Facebook and the misogynistic pages urging people to attack women: Facebook is in trouble this week for allowing people to set up groups about raping women.  Lots of companies that advertise on Facebook are withdrawing their adverts after finding out that the ads for their products could appear down the sides of these pages. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2332028/FBRape-campaign-Companies-pull-adverts-Facebook-refuses-remove-anti-women-content.html)

• American Apparel - Objectifying women? American Apparel branded 'sexist' over 'sleazy' ads for unisex shirt with half-naked women in g-strings... but fully-clothed men (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2325474/American-Apparel-branded-sexist-degrading-ads-unisex-shirt-featuring-half-naked-women-g-strings-fully-clothed-men.html)

• New billboard campaign launched in Chicago features images of pregnant boys to remind them that a baby isn't just the girl's responsibility: This is a positive example as it reinforces values of men and women being equal, as a baby is equally a man's responsibility. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2325100/New-billboard-campaign-launched-Chicago-features-images-pregnant-boys-remind-baby-isnt-just-girls-responsibility.html) 
  

What other texts or institutions are also relevant to your case study? What would be good secondary texts or examples to use to support the findings of your independent case study?

• 101 Wankers (http://101wankers.tumblr.com/):

101 Wankers is a page where female cyclists share their experiences of incidents where they have been riding on their bike and have encountered sexual/sexist comments/abused by men. For example, one female cyclist stopped on the road at a traffic light and had a man pull down her top and ask her whether she put this much effort into the bedroom. Women cyclists use this page to expose sexist people on the road and share their experiences.

• Catapult (http://catapult.org/fighting-everyday-sexism/):

Catapult is a website used to spread awareness on sexism. They deliver talks about sexism, gender stereotypes, body image, consent and many other issues in schools and universities across the UK. They also work closely with businesses, delivering talks on discrimination and harassment to make employees aware of their rights, and employers aware of their responsibilities.

• Emma Watson's 11 best responses for fighting sexism (http://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/1071079/emma-watsons-best-responses-for-fighting-sexism):

Emma Watson recently spoke out about sexism and revealed experiences she faced as a young girl/teenager in which she felt sexually abused but did not say anything. On this website, she reveals her 11 best responses for fighting sexism during her #HeForShe Twitter Q&A.

• #FBRape Campaign (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2332028/FBRape-campaign-Companies-pull-adverts-Facebook-refuses-remove-anti-women-content.html)

Laura bates, founder of The Everyday Sexism Project has started a #FBRape campaign. Companies pull adverts from Facebook as networking site refuses to remove 'anti-women' content: #FBRape campaign gets 50,000 tweets of support in just one week.