Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Let's pinch ideas from other sixth form colleges
In the advent of the web 2.0 era us teachers believe that sharing is very important. We know that lots of other Colleges look at the websites that we've created for you, and we also think it's important that you look at what other colleges are up to. Have a look at this link to another Sixth Form College's MOA blog.
Hugely important weblink!
This link will take you through to special advice about responding to a Media in the Online Age exam question. The link is for Pete Fraser's blog. Pete Fraser is the chief examiner for A Level Media Studies at OCR. On his blog, he takes you through ways of approaching exam questions and how to apply case studies. Please read it!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Previous Exam Questions
January 2011:
"The impact of the internet on the media is exaggerated". Discuss
Evaluate the opportunities and the threats offered to media producers by the internet.
June 2010:
"For media audiences, the internet has changed everything". Discuss
Explain the extent to which online media exist alongside older methods of distribution in 2010.
January 2010:
"The impact of the internet on the media is revolutionary". Discuss
Discuss the extent to which the distribution and consumption of media have been transformed by the internet.
"The impact of the internet on the media is exaggerated". Discuss
Evaluate the opportunities and the threats offered to media producers by the internet.
June 2010:
"For media audiences, the internet has changed everything". Discuss
Explain the extent to which online media exist alongside older methods of distribution in 2010.
January 2010:
"The impact of the internet on the media is revolutionary". Discuss
Discuss the extent to which the distribution and consumption of media have been transformed by the internet.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Super injunctions and news
Twitter has run rings around the super-injunctions that leave newspapers unable to print details of the people involved. Read this Guardian article about how social media is streets ahead of traditional media output in the world of the super-injunction. Could be a really interesting case study for the exam http://gu.com/p/2p9dk and http://gu.com/p/2p9ac
Friday, May 20, 2011
Exam tips
There are a few things that you must remember to do in your exam answer for Media in the Online Age:
- you must refer to more than one media- we have studied television and film, and so you must refer to both in your answer, but should also bring in other case studies that we've looked at;
- you must remember to refer to historical position of the media that you write about - this does not need to be in masses of detail, but you must reflect back on film and television before the web 2.0 era;
- you must future gaze - where do you see traditional media in the web 3.0 era? will media become more fragmented? more personalised? less 'controlled'? You don't have to have definite answers, but you must make some acknowledgement about the future.
- lastly, and very importantly, you must refer to theory in your answer - at least 2 and ideally 3 'ideas' or theories that you've studied through the unit.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Prize
Fascinating article in The Observer this Sunday, which contains powerful evidence of the impact the Internet is having on film distribution In the US. Last year there was an eye-watering 20% fall in DVD sales, largely due to increased competition from streaming and downloads. This is the emerging market that Amazon and Tesco recently grabbed a big piece of in the UK, when they bought out Lovefilm and Blinkbox respectively.
The article also reveals that for the first time in over 20 years the proportion of US homes that own a TV has also fallen. OK we are talking about a tiny drop, from 99% to 97% but could this mark the beginning of the end for traditional TV?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/may/08/tv-sets-fall-america-naughton
The article also reveals that for the first time in over 20 years the proportion of US homes that own a TV has also fallen. OK we are talking about a tiny drop, from 99% to 97% but could this mark the beginning of the end for traditional TV?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/may/08/tv-sets-fall-america-naughton
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Lies, damn lies, and statistics
According to last year's figures from the Office for National Statistics only 73% of UK households are connected to the internet. 1 in 4 UK homes are still not hooked up to the web. This puts the arguments about changing patterns of media distribution and consumption into context and also demands that any talk of a digital media revolution is at least tempered with consideration that a very large minority of audiences are not currently party.
Another set of figures in the report lend weight to Prensky's emphasis on the generational divide in his natives/immigrants/dinosaurs theory:
The chart shows that a far lower percentage of older sections of the population are using the internet and also that a sizeable proportion amongst that group have tried and decided, cheers no thanks.
Finally the report also gives some raw data on usage of online tv and radio. The trend here clearly shows that participation is widening, but also that the rate of growth appears to be slowing. This perhaps hints at as yet unreached sections of TV and radio audiences, who are either economically disenfranchised from the digital revolution or simply satisfied with traditional forms of distribution.
You can view the full report here and fish out a couple of stats to add weight to your own arguments about the impact of the internet on the media industries.
Another set of figures in the report lend weight to Prensky's emphasis on the generational divide in his natives/immigrants/dinosaurs theory:
Finally the report also gives some raw data on usage of online tv and radio. The trend here clearly shows that participation is widening, but also that the rate of growth appears to be slowing. This perhaps hints at as yet unreached sections of TV and radio audiences, who are either economically disenfranchised from the digital revolution or simply satisfied with traditional forms of distribution.
You can view the full report here and fish out a couple of stats to add weight to your own arguments about the impact of the internet on the media industries.
All watched over by machines of loving Grace
Adam Curtis's new series about how computers have not liberated us but distorted and simplified our view of the world around us. He argues that we THINK that the internet makes us feel connected and free, that it democratises society and allows us all to communicate and have a global reach, but actually it serves to reinforce existing heirarchies of power. It starts on Monday May 23 at 9pm on BBC2. WATCH IT IN IPLAYER!! This trailer is really cool.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Every Little Helps
Tesco has just gobbled up 80% of Blinkbox and has positioned itself as the main rival to Amazon (new owners of LoveFilm) for control of the UK video on demand market. Here's an article in today's Guardian that discusses how the move might effect the future of TV and film distribution.
Tesco is the original one stop shop in the UK - the place that people go to buy newspapers, bread, fresh fruit, barbecues, wine, clothes, toasters, meat, fish, insurance, and DVDs. Tesco's business model is based on getting consumers to buy everything from one place - theirs. It has been incredibly successful, today in Britain £1 out of every £7 spent in a shop, is spent in a Tesco. Only about 20 or 30 years ago you would probably have bought those 11 products in 11 different shops, from 11 different companies. That is a definition of convergence for you right there.
Over the last decade Tesco and other supermarkets have been rapidly expanding into selling books, DVDs and CDs. Alongside the huge sales growth of online retail giants (biggest of which Amazon) this has created a pincer movement, that has crushed specialist High Street retailers, who have been unable to compete with the low costs and scale of these gargantuan operators. Our Price, Virgin Megastores/Zavvi and Tower Records have gone to the wall since 2004 and HMV and Waterstones are in rapid decline and look like they are probably on their last legs too.
One of the most interesting aspects of Tesco's move into the VoD market is that it clearly demonstrates the new players entering the TV and film industries that are emerging as likely big-hitters of the future. How the changing ownership and methods of TV and film distribution will effect future production and patterns of exchange, only time will tell...
Tesco is the original one stop shop in the UK - the place that people go to buy newspapers, bread, fresh fruit, barbecues, wine, clothes, toasters, meat, fish, insurance, and DVDs. Tesco's business model is based on getting consumers to buy everything from one place - theirs. It has been incredibly successful, today in Britain £1 out of every £7 spent in a shop, is spent in a Tesco. Only about 20 or 30 years ago you would probably have bought those 11 products in 11 different shops, from 11 different companies. That is a definition of convergence for you right there.
Over the last decade Tesco and other supermarkets have been rapidly expanding into selling books, DVDs and CDs. Alongside the huge sales growth of online retail giants (biggest of which Amazon) this has created a pincer movement, that has crushed specialist High Street retailers, who have been unable to compete with the low costs and scale of these gargantuan operators. Our Price, Virgin Megastores/Zavvi and Tower Records have gone to the wall since 2004 and HMV and Waterstones are in rapid decline and look like they are probably on their last legs too.
One of the most interesting aspects of Tesco's move into the VoD market is that it clearly demonstrates the new players entering the TV and film industries that are emerging as likely big-hitters of the future. How the changing ownership and methods of TV and film distribution will effect future production and patterns of exchange, only time will tell...
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Magazines
You will have looked at how magazines are struggling to adapt to the challenges and opportunities of media in the web 2.0 era. This article is about Horse and Hound Magazine and how it now has one of the largest facebook pages for a magazine around. We realise that Horse and Hound may not be the first magazine that you will reach for in the newsagent but the article is worth a read and could be valuable in your essay answer!!
Another way to conceptualise the digital divide
Prensky writes about digital immigrants and natives, claiming that immersion in a digital world during childhood (or not) is a key factor that shapes the way we experience the world.
However this is just one way in which to make a case for a 'digital divide'. The most basic segregating factor is whether or not a community has access to an affordable, high speed, internet connection. This is not the case for approximately 70% of the world, according to these statistics. It is also not the case for many people in remote (ish) parts of the UK that are not connected to broadband.
However this is just one way in which to make a case for a 'digital divide'. The most basic segregating factor is whether or not a community has access to an affordable, high speed, internet connection. This is not the case for approximately 70% of the world, according to these statistics. It is also not the case for many people in remote (ish) parts of the UK that are not connected to broadband.
Communities that are not connected to a high speed connection are not totally cut off though. Some are finding innovative ways of accessing the digital world, solutions that fit in with their lives, as well as their economic and geographic circumstances.
Here's a fascinating example of how a remote Indian community are bridging the digital divide.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Way Back Machine
Look up your favourite sites on the 'way back machine' to see what they looked like when they first arrived online. follow this link
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
We Think - Charles Leadbeater
Charles Leadbeater - author of 'We Think'. LINK to an excellent site - worth reading and using in your exam answer if you want to impress the examiner!
Friday, March 18, 2011
David Gauntlett's new book is released
David Gauntlett has written a new book all about the social meaning of creativity in the Web 2.0 era. We are ordering a few copies for the library, and it can be bought at a discount on Amazon.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Future of TV
Here is a link to a great, short blog about the Future of TV. Will it be internet based, cable or satellite? Check out this blog and see what you think.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Will Facebook bring down society as we know it?!
Strange article about Facebook begin cited in divorce proceedings more and more frequently
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Brave New World?
Here is an article from today's Guardian about Warner Bros renting movies through Facebook. It is not happening in the UK yet, but surely that will follow if this trial proves successful? This could not be more relevant for the Media in the Online Age course and is another angle on your Facebook case study.
It is also something you might refer to when thinking about what the future might hold - one single interface that people go to for everything? Will it be run by one company (Googlezon?) as Casaleggio Associati predicted in the video you watched at the start of this course? Here's part 2 of that video (the original is the first post on this blog in case you want to revisit it).
It is also something you might refer to when thinking about what the future might hold - one single interface that people go to for everything? Will it be run by one company (Googlezon?) as Casaleggio Associati predicted in the video you watched at the start of this course? Here's part 2 of that video (the original is the first post on this blog in case you want to revisit it).
Prometeus - The Media Revolution Part 2
You're fired!
(and I'm hired).
Lord Sugar has been announced today as the man in charge of saving Youview. It is the new generation of Freeview, which is backed by BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, BT, Talk Talk and Arqiva. The intention of these organisations is to create a set top box that can rival Sky's all-conquering HD box. It will be a one-off purchase
charge (no monthly subscription fees) pricing model, similar to existing freeview. There will be oodles more services though that will allow users to series link, pause, record etc on a hard drive as per Sky's system. It will also allow users to access 4od, iplayer and other on demand services through their televisions as well as other internet sites. This is a prime example of technological convergence, previously separate technologies coming together in a single device that performs several functions.
The project has been hit by a series of delays, largely due to the technical challenge of creating a single box that carries out so many different functions (and also by the various stakeholders arguing about which of those functions should be retained and which sacrificed in order to speed up its development). Youview was originally due to be launched at the end of 2010, but that date has since been rescheduled a couple of times and it's now due out in the spring of 2012. Many commentators are saying that if it is put back any further and they miss the 2012 Olympics, they might as well not bother.
Summer 2012 represents a one-off golden opportunity for British retailers of TVs and set top boxes. There is likely to be a massive spike in sales, as sports fans upgrade their hardware in preparation for marathon (forgive me) viewing sessions of shooting, cycling, sailing and anything else the home nation has a chance of winning a medal in. If Youview isn't in the shops in time to receive that m
assive (anticipated) sales boost then it could be dead in the water.
Punters will not be looking to re-upgrade in the near future, so sales will be sluggish. Sky will have added another X million subscribers to its list of long term contracts. Worse still, the technology which is causing all of their delays will probably have become obsolete by the time the box does eventually hit the High Street.
Here are some links to a few newspaper articles which discuss Lord Sugar's appointment and give some of the background behind Youview (formerly known as Project Canvas). There is also a link to a very interesting radio debate that discusses Youview, the place that it may fill in the British broadcasting landscape and the consequences of it not being launched in time for the Olympics. It's an episode of The Media Show, which is aired on Radio 4 @ 13:30 every Wednesday and then available as podcasts here
The Media Show - Youview
Article from The Independent
Blog from worldtvpc.com
Lord Sugar has been announced today as the man in charge of saving Youview. It is the new generation of Freeview, which is backed by BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, BT, Talk Talk and Arqiva. The intention of these organisations is to create a set top box that can rival Sky's all-conquering HD box. It will be a one-off purchase
charge (no monthly subscription fees) pricing model, similar to existing freeview. There will be oodles more services though that will allow users to series link, pause, record etc on a hard drive as per Sky's system. It will also allow users to access 4od, iplayer and other on demand services through their televisions as well as other internet sites. This is a prime example of technological convergence, previously separate technologies coming together in a single device that performs several functions.The project has been hit by a series of delays, largely due to the technical challenge of creating a single box that carries out so many different functions (and also by the various stakeholders arguing about which of those functions should be retained and which sacrificed in order to speed up its development). Youview was originally due to be launched at the end of 2010, but that date has since been rescheduled a couple of times and it's now due out in the spring of 2012. Many commentators are saying that if it is put back any further and they miss the 2012 Olympics, they might as well not bother.
Summer 2012 represents a one-off golden opportunity for British retailers of TVs and set top boxes. There is likely to be a massive spike in sales, as sports fans upgrade their hardware in preparation for marathon (forgive me) viewing sessions of shooting, cycling, sailing and anything else the home nation has a chance of winning a medal in. If Youview isn't in the shops in time to receive that m
assive (anticipated) sales boost then it could be dead in the water.Punters will not be looking to re-upgrade in the near future, so sales will be sluggish. Sky will have added another X million subscribers to its list of long term contracts. Worse still, the technology which is causing all of their delays will probably have become obsolete by the time the box does eventually hit the High Street.
Here are some links to a few newspaper articles which discuss Lord Sugar's appointment and give some of the background behind Youview (formerly known as Project Canvas). There is also a link to a very interesting radio debate that discusses Youview, the place that it may fill in the British broadcasting landscape and the consequences of it not being launched in time for the Olympics. It's an episode of The Media Show, which is aired on Radio 4 @ 13:30 every Wednesday and then available as podcasts here
The Media Show - Youview
Article from The Independent
Blog from worldtvpc.com
Youtube is...
the new google? This article looks how the use of Youtube has changed for some users, and is no longer primarily a place to share user generated content, but instead a worldwide video database of boggling proportions.
At first funny videos, now a reference tool - article
At first funny videos, now a reference tool - article
Monday, March 7, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
George Lucas in Love
i'm not sure if we'll be able to view this clip in the college or whether WEBSENSE will block it....let's see.
Thought for Today
Did you know that Youtube's slogan "Broadcast Yourself" was originally - "Youtube: Your Digital Online Repository." Catchy Eh? But it also shows how there was a significant shift between how the site was originally conceived: somewhere to store and save footage, and what it evolved into: somewhere where we can all share, communicate and BROADCAST our work to a massive potential global audience. Web 2.0 in action: a truly democratic process which grew into something bigger and wider reaching than the site builders could have ever intended.
Friday, March 4, 2011
How social media changed protest
Really interesting article about how facebook and twitter are changing the face of protest. Click here
Can Hollywood survive in the digital era?
Great link to a really interesting article about the future of Hollywood in the digital era: Link
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Handouts...
that have been given to you in class will be uploaded to this blog so you can access and download them. They will be labelled "handouts" so you should be able to locate them easily (via the tab on the top, right side of the blog) and will never need to worry about not being able to complete your homework. You will also be able to look back at theories and consider how different case studies you analyse shed new light on the arguments. Here are the articles you have had so far.
Me in the online age - half term activity
David Gauntlett homework exercise – Making is Connecting (student copy)
Digital Natives - full article
Interactive History of Internet
What is web 2.0
Mill and Plato for first MOA lesson
Long Wikinomics article for homework
Henry Jenkins
Contemporary Media Issues handout for lesson 1
Me in the online age - half term activity
David Gauntlett homework exercise – Making is Connecting (student copy)
Digital Natives - full article
Interactive History of Internet
What is web 2.0
Mill and Plato for first MOA lesson
Long Wikinomics article for homework
Henry Jenkins
Contemporary Media Issues handout for lesson 1
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
ME in the online age
This video of 'Me in the Online Age' was made by Andrea joyce, a teacher at Long Road Sixth Form College.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Can you really be prosecuted for online copyright infringement?
Guardian article arguing that securing a prosecution in file-sharing cases would be almost impossible: File-sharing crimes
You View news coverage
Later on in the term you will look at online television, including YouView. Here is a link to a recent news story about the delay of the rollout nationally which may help you when you come to write about it in the exam:
Attaque del Panico - short film
Here's a link to a very short BBC article about Attaque del panico. It's a film that was made on an incredibly small budget of just $300 but reached an audience of 1 million people in only 4 days thanks to Youtube. What do you think traditional film production and distribution companies would think about this?
Attaque del Panico
Attaque del Panico
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Reading List
IF you are interested in developing your knowledge of the unit alongside study in class then below you will find a selection of books that are recommended:
Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide, by Henry Jenkins
Wikinomics, by Dan Taspcott and Anthony Williams
Growing Up Digital, by Dan Tapscott
There are several copies of these books in the library.
Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide, by Henry Jenkins
Wikinomics, by Dan Taspcott and Anthony Williams
Growing Up Digital, by Dan Tapscott
There are several copies of these books in the library.
Interesting article
http://www.businessinsider.com/newmission-twitter-2011-1
Interesting article on Twitter.
Interesting article on Twitter.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Link to Little White Lies movie
Little White Lies Example of a film that has benefited from distribution via the internet. This film was at the top of the Amazon Download chart and is in the running to win the Amazon Studio prize of $100,000.
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