17
August
2008
When looking for news updates or information on a particular topic it’s more often then not that I turn to the internet. As mentioned in my previous blogs convenience is why so many utilize the internet for so many different purposes, from buying Saturday nights outfit to paying bills.
Just because the internet provides free information doesn’t mean that we’re not paying. How many times have I used MSN for news content and been swayed by adverts (don’t all judge now just because I’m not reading The Age or CNN live, what can I say I enjoy my gossip sites). Honestly, a few weeks ago I even bought an anti-wrinkle cream. Who needs anti-wrinkle cream at 22, obviously this young online consumer?
Advertising on the internet is becoming ever so popular with an increasing shift from print adverts to online. Top one hundred advertisers shifted $1 billion to the web last year at the expensive of TV and newspapers. Guess who’s cashing in, all the newspaper giants who are supposedly being generous enough to provide FREE content and information online.
The Herald Sun online had two main adverts on their home page from two large players in the consumer market. As I clicked on the confidential section (gossip again I know) to view a story, a full sized advert popped up on my screen before I could read the content that I was ever so desperate to analyse. The advert it self was targeted at the techno savvy, young female consumer. Now try and tell me The Herald Sun isn’t making money from its online stories?
I laugh at the very thought that we can actually believe that old media is losing out with the decline of newspaper sales when new media (the ever so friendly information free provider) is cashing in with tailored adverts that can reach specific audiences more effectively then ever before. Therefore companies are paying top dollar to have their advert appear online.
Traditional print and broadcast outlets have their own websites, and have converged with technology, but they are not posting free information just generating more money. Media is a business that needs to survive just like every other company. Free information comes with a price.
Posted: Uncategorized
10
August
2008
Society as a whole puts so much emphasis on new, innovative products, services and behaviour that it consumes the way structure in the community is developing. We all want to be the next entrepreneur because society has come to expect NEW, NEW, NEW all the time!
Citizen journalism has been developing over the past couple of years. It is a way for civilians to record (whether it be audio, video or still images) eyewitness accounts of events and then distribute this to the greater public. An overview of citizen journalism can be found at: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/09/digging_deeperyour_guide_to_ci.html
Technology, such as camera phones with the acceptance of the public and therefore the support of media organisations has made it easy for citizen journalists to evolve. As an example citizen journalism set the agenda of slavery amongst China’s media, a country governed by strict regulations and limitations in the way of public affairs. To find out more about the story visit http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/06/26/1962255.htm.
Does this make you a responsible citizen? Far from it as the disadvantages of this form of journalism is that people can tape case sensitive material such as children, defamatory images, etc.
This is a huge step forward for mainstream media as we bridge the gap between a professional newsmaker and citizen and make it more accessible for the public to view current stories from different points of view. In my opinion it is a great way for citizens to get involved and debate, lobby and revise media content/ stories that may potentially affect us all.
Below: Citizen Journalist Doug Aberg reports about his eyewitness account of the California flames on CNN i-reporter. http://www.cnn.com/exchange/ireports/spotlight.html
Posted: Uncategorized
3
August
2008
“I am so busy.” “I don’t know if I’ll have time to do that.” “There are just not enough hours in a day.” These are sayings that are just all too familiar in society and something that is heard and said a little too often. Why are we always in a rush and for what reasons? A rush to live life, yet we’re not living if we are always too aware and too worried about time constraints.
Society has changed and will continue changing whether that is for better or worse. The busy, hectic, modern 21st century lifestyle is the reason why convergence is happening in the newsroom. With the latest technology so readily accessible and busy lifestyles, society is demanding convenience. The convenience to access unfolding news stories 24 hours a day 7 days a week on demand, accessing television programs when we want with Foxtel IQ and controlling what we want to read and see not what we are told to see and do. This has caused a culture shift in society as we begin controlling companies and news content, and filtering through what we want, when we want compared to 10 years ago where television station believed if they could get a family to watch the evening news that they would stay tuned to that channel for the entire night.
The culture shift in society “with time more scarce than money,” (Steven Quinn) and a push by the audience as we become the generation of information overload has seen companies adopting convergence in order to keep up to speed with their audience and not fall behind.
Society looks for change and innovation and isn’t merely threatened by it in fact embraces it. Unlike the older generation whom are wary and some what threatened by change. We are a generation accustomed to change, a generation who continues to look for change and better ways of doing things. Are we a generation naïve to the facts that change may not be the answer to progressing our future but instead it can be seen as eliminating the social structures built around human interaction? Should we be wary of too much change in too little time?
Posted: Uncategorized
16
July
2008
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