Cultural Optimist /Neophiliac View
This view of the new media generally sees it acting positively on modern society and promotes its growth and use.
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More Informed Consumers
Wider choice and user participation | over 500 TV Channels – 699 website | Users (ordinary people) have access to reviews and opportunities to participate e.g. Trip Advisor/You Tube.
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Greater Democracy
Refers to two aspects –
Narrower Political Aspect concerned with empowerment of people and right | Reject government | Initiate Change
Wider Political Aspect Right to freedom of ideas and expression – shown in Cit. J.
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Internet Not Exclusive: Vast amount of info. and greater opportunities to report and critique – e.g. Twitter.
Mass Audience: Can be attracted – rapidly promotes culture of questioning via protest group – E.g. Wikileaks/OccupyTogether.Org | Puts power in hands of ordinary people. – those in power more accountable.
Citizen Journalism: Influence on media agenda – respond to raise or distorted output | Difficult for mainstream to drop stories may have dropped in the past e.g. Ian Thomlinson – filmed being attacked by police.
Driving Revolutions: WEB 2.0 and phones – protesters receive coverage outside of control of established media organisation – E.g. Arab Spring – series of oppressive regimes exposed on facebook.
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More Access to Varity of Information
High culture and national cultures and social media enable news to be brought to attention of others | People access info themselves – don’t rely on others – Less dependency of news. | E.g. NHS Direct – check symptoms online rather than see a doctor | Trip advisor – no need for travel agents.
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World Becomes a Global Village
New media collapses space and time barriers | Users connect instantaneously making world like a community | Diversity promoted – national barriers reduced an greater understand of diff. cultures.
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Social Life and Interaction Enhanced
New media opens up new channels of communicating | Social and geographical constraints removed – online communication and communities. | Social networking accounts for more than a 5th of time spent on internet | Facebook 52% of population signed up – average usage 2.5 hours a month per person.
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Cultural Pessimist View
Generally assumes that the new media is a threat to society and people should be more critical of its output.
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Problems With Validity of Information
Hard to validate as much content is recycled without being checked | E.g. KONY 2012. – deflecting attention from atrocities in Ugandan army.
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Cultural and Media Imperialism
Imposition of western and American cultural values which undermine local cultures | Creates a mass culture in which we are vulnerable to.
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Threat to Democracy
Under-estimated divide which restricts access to poor and oppressed.
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Unelected Commercial Companies
Such as Apple and Amazon hold power that gov. have but not accountable to public – enormous power and free expression. I E.g. google can render websites ineffective by block them | Facebook removed and tampered with Arab spring.
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Censorship and Control:
Censorship: Oppressive undemocratic regimes monitor media | Western democracy also surveys discreetly | E.g. revealed GCHQ conducting surveillance.
Major corporations: Still dominate web | Dom. Ideology still present | Alt. views undermined | Issues of ownership and control replication – on a larger scale.
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Commercialisation and Limited Consumer Choice
Social media not about connecting people – another means of advertising | Commercial Surveillance through ‘cookies’. to bombard with adverts.
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Preston
Doesn’t increase choice just means consumers no longer confronted with stories they don’t want to look at. Also media is now dumbed down to celeb. culture and tabloidization to attract large audiences and advertisers.
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Increasing Surveillance
Can be used to monitor non –conformist behaviour | Many agencies track via mobile signal E.g. MET police use facial recognition.
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Undermining Human RLPs and Communities
Increase in social isolation | people spend more time in ‘virtual world of solitary electronic media’ | Consequence – loss of social capital/real life network | Less time spent engaging with communities in which they live.