change and transformation
- the transformation of social interaction and audience consumption (audiences);
- the transformation of individual identity (audiences and representation);
- the transformation of institutional structures (industry)
- the changes in textual content and structure (language).
- overall, the changing nature of symbolic interaction
share | active | creative | host | |
| sharing between social media platforms | widgets on home screen | Radio 1 | ||
| stream | story | re-connect | personalise | |
| Football/World Cup | Tiktok stories | social media allows people to reconnect old friends, family etc | creating your own profile/ fyp and explore pages are personalised to your | |
| immerse | experience | store | scale | |
| example or comment | snapchat stores memories eg year ago today | |||
| binge | interface | live | adapt | |
| TV programmes eg The Crown | Instagram live | |||
| endless | conversation | re-perform | circulate | |
| the internet – it is constantly expanding | Reddit allows people to discuss topics of interest | elf yourself | news |
David Gillmor
examines how new media technologies have had an impact on relationship between citizens and government / institutional power
three key turning points in media:
- printing press
- radio broadcasting
- the internet
claims that prior to the internet, ‘large, arrogant institutions’ were able to control and manipulate the news, but the growth of media allowed ‘regular people’ to have a voice – ‘news was being produced by regular people who had something to say and show, and not solely by the “official” news organizations... This time, the first draft of history was being written, in part, by the former audience. It was possible—it was inevitable—because of new publishing tools available on the Intenet’
as a result, news consumption transforms from a lecture, into a conversation
he claims there are three major sectors in a world where anyone can make the news, despite their blurring into each other:
- journalists
- newsmakers
- the former audience
Marshall McLuhan – The Medium is the Message
studies the effects of mass media on thought and behaviour – he believes the medium is the message:
“Societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication”
Its not about the content of the message, its about the form in which the message is expressed – the technology that transfers the message is what influences society, individual, family, leisure, family
does not suggest that the content is inconsequential, but when we pay to much attention to the content, we ignore the power of the form in shaping our experience – if you dont understand the medium, you dont understand the message
Essentially predicted the internet by claiming the world was entering a fourth, electronic age where everyone has access to the same info – he called it the ‘global village’
Alex Krotoski – The Virtual Revolution
we do not think in a linear or sequential way, but associatively and sensorily, so that information is linked to patterns, consequences, almost like nodes of hyperlinked information
| TOPIC | NOTE / COMMENT |
| The Printing Press (Gutenburg) in the Medieval period mid 1400’s | the impact of new technology expanded information access |
| Impact of new technology in South Korea as a result of promoting greater digital interaction (speed, connectivity, spread etc) | mental health internet addiction? Choices made? ‘A world without consequences’ ‘Senses over meaning’ |
| On-line / digital connection stats | 4.74 billion social media users around the world in October 2022 Worldwide, people spend an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes per day on social media average use of internet per day is 7 hours a day Nigeria, the Philippines, and Ghana spend the most amount of time on social media Japan, North Korea, and the Netherlands spend the least amount of time on social media on average USA check phone 344 times a day/ once every four minutes 73% of marketers believe marketing on social media is effective |
| Theodore Vail | The Network effect |
| Norbert Weiner Loop Theory | Loop Theory – predictive behaviour But is behaviour shaped and altered through networking and digital communications (pushing / pulling) Issues around privacy and individual psychology (mental health / wellbeing) and the environment Virtual worlds / virtual identities (hypperreality, simulation, implosion – Jean Baudrillard) (Judith Butler ‘gender performance / David Gauntlett, Anthony Giddens etc ‘fluid & multiple identities’ |
| Robin Dunbar – The Dunbar Number | The Dunbar number suggests that connectivity for individuals, communities or groups is typically 5 o 6, with an upper limit of 150 – impossible for humans to have a genuine connection with over 150 people shown in many primate groups So who benefits from greater connectivity? Companies, organisations, institutions – ‘small elites dominate’ (Andrew Kean) |
| Clay Shirky | |
| Vannavar Bush | associative not linear thinking the demise of long form reading So changing rules for logic, rationality, truth, understanding, knowledge. Baudrillard implosion (a culture imploding in on itself rather than expanding and developing?) |
| Tim Berners–Lee | the inventor / creator of the World Wide Web – developed and given to everybody for free?!! Why? What did he hope it would achieve? Is he satisfied or disappointed with how it has developed and made an impact on society? |
| Marshall McLuhan | The Global Village – ‘a sophisticated interactive culture’ |
| The impact on political and economic decision making | |
| Conclusions, suggestions, reflections and predictions |
B. F. Skinner – Behaviourism
Considering free will to be an illusion, Skinner saw human action as dependent on consequences of previous actions, a theory he would articulate as the principle of reinforcement: If the consequences to an action are bad, there is a high chance the action will not be repeated; if the consequences are good, the probability of the action being repeated becomes stronger.
He calls this operant conditioning – the ability of a person to change their behaviour based on the use of a reinforcement. three types of responses
1. Neutral. These responses would not increase or decrease the probability that a behavior would be repeated.
2. Reinforcers. This type of response would increase the likelihood of a repetitive behavior. A reinforcer can be positive or negative to encourage the repetitive response.
3. Punishers. This is the response that would decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. The goal of a punishment is to weaken the behavior so it becomes less desirable in the future.
Jaron Lanier
believes that social media and companies like Facebook and Google are practicing behavior modification that harms the individual and society and undermines economic dignity.
Lanier is no longer a fan of how the digital utopia is coming along. He’s called it “digital Maoism” and accused tech giants like Facebook and Google of being “spy agencies”
highlights the dangers surrounding social media:
- believes people are being subtly manipulated by algorithms as they change your behaviour
- Society had been darkened by the surveillance and behaviour modification which has been imposed by advertisers online sense of uncertainty regarding what is real and what is fake
- believes the companies internationally make social media addictive in order to manipulate the population through rewards and punishment (THINK ABOUT B. F. SKINNER) – EG rewards are gaining followers, punishments are receiving hate – allowing the advertisers to change the internet user’s behaviour
- whilst you are watching/observing/reading social media, the social media is also watching/observing/reading you – they find patterns in your behaviour, allowing them to alter it
Shoshana Zuboff – The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Surveillance capitalism – concept in political economics which denotes the widespread collection and commodification of personal data by corporations. This phenomenon is distinct from government surveillance, though the two can reinforce each other.
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ESSAY STRUCTURE
- Overview: New media always creates change (printing press, telegram etc)
- Q: so how has recent technology changed (society, individuals, organisations, ideas, beliefs etc etc)
- CSP 1 – show knowledge of CSP
- characteristics of new media (in reference to CSP 1)
- theoretical / conceptual analysis of new media (loop theory, network theory, Dunbar number, McLuhan, Krotoski)
- Critically thinking about new media (Baudrillard, McLuhan, Krotoski, B. F. Skinner, Zuboff, Lanier – are all essentially critical of new media technologies. But Gauntlett, Shirky, Jenkins are all very positive about new media technologies)
- CSP 2 – show knowledge
- Draw parallels and conclusions
- Suggest future pathways / developments