Question 6

How have the audience responded to the changes?  Is there more customer choice? Is there evidence of a more pluralistic model?  What evidence do you have to support this?

Active audiences are aware of the rights that they have, and as a result their response to texts may challenge producers based on the reception theory – based on personality and individual experiences audiences interpret texts in their own way, this is known as oppositional reading which is seen as a threat to institutions however for consumers it’s an opportunities to reject the dominant values and to get their voice heard. It is 100% evident that audiences have more choices as they have the ability to refuse certain information through the OFCOM which is a regulation organisation which has the authority to ban materials if it’s seen offensive. This suggests that audiences are no longer “dumbing down” and reflects that they are alert.

Question 5

Who are the primary target audience now and has this changed?  Who was it before and how do you know?  

Text	Current target audience	Original target audience	How do you know?
Social networking sites	12+	18	Young teenagers are becoming familiar with the adult world.
UGC – YouTube Videos	12+	18	Children are becoming more aware of how to use technology as it’s taught in many schools.
Sky Plus – Red Button	10 – children are confident with interacting with technology and recording programmes	18 – must be purchased by someone who is working	The environment at home, e.g. the parents intellectual their children

Question 4

Is the size of the audience any different now than before the impact of new and digital media (or has the pattern of usage changed)? E.G. consider for the impact of new and digital media on TV broadcasting the change in audience ratings for programmes as a consequence of the deregulation of TV.  

 Due to the impact of new and digital media, producers are able to target a wider range of audience. For example the expansion of the E-media platform has enabled produced to upload their programmes online are target their mass audiences. This helps to target more audiences because people who miss their programmes and don’t have Sky Plus aren’t able to record their programme. As a result by having these online facilities for free, it encourages audiences to view the programme. This may have lead to deregulation of TV to a small extent as people can watch their programmes online for free rather than spending money investing in a TV, paying a licence fee and then subscribing to sky.

Media today has been fragmented and has diversified in terms of what institutions offer to its audiences. For example BBC which is a government owned organisation aims to educate, inform and entertain compared to E4 which simply aims to entertain and maximise revenue. The differences between to organisations, means that the content they deliver will differ, for example commercial channels will have adverts (to raise revenue) in between whereas BBC channels won’t.

Contemporary society surrounds plurism where there are a number of things for different types of audiences. For example CBBC channels target the young audience which increases the total number of viewers.

Question 3

What impact has there been on how the media institution now has to produce the texts and the way in which the texts/ products are distributed and exhibited?  

Social networking sites –

Firstly social networking sites are a major tool used to promote an institutions. Producers make facebook pages and inform their audiences about the latest. As a result producer creates a positive brand image as they are going to audiences and informing them. http://www.facebook.com/thesun?ref=ts&sk=app_219467128113751 here audiences can also sign up to competitions in the desire to win luxury products which increases circulation as well as brand loyalty. This is a cheap way in which producers can exhibit their product.

Promotion

Blair witch project is a popular example which was used to entice audiences. The producers used the narrative in real life to suggest that 3people missing, and when audiences began to identify these characters on streets, it promoted the film. This illustrates the different methods which are used to distribute products to audiences.

Question 2

What impact has there been on the way in which the audience now consume the media products/ texts involved in your case study?  How does it differ from what went before?  Consider (SHEP)

The web 0.1 and 0.2 theory explains the ways in which distribution of information has changed. First media institutions used to go to audiences to give news and build their image, however now audiences go to media institutions and pick and use the information they require. For example audiences can now access information online by subscribing to newspapers and pick out the specific information they need individually. This shows that new and digital media has offered its audiences more opportunities and facilities in terms of what they consume or what they want o consume. Also audiences are no longer only consumer; they can also become producers, as Alan Rusbridger talks about the concept of mutualisation. This suggests that audiences have more opportunities due to new and digital media e.g. UGC, which traditional media didn’t offer.

Question 1

Has new and digital media had an impact upon ownership and control of the media institution(s) involved in your case study area?  Explain in detail any impact and what exactly has changed.

Contemporary society is based on plurism where different institutions are completing amongst each other to create a unique selling point which will attract a wide range of audiences. This suggests that institutions are no longer homogenous. As a result producers feel that they have more control over audiences as they all offer different bits of information. Nevertheless this does create competition which makes it difficult for institutions to survive, this is evident as in the year 2008 60titles closed down out of the 300 that were available as the BBC shows. This reflects the impact new and digital media has had on ownership-many lost their jobs in this industry. Also due to UGC audiences have the abilities to create news which suggests that media institutions will be losing control in the long run, as consumers no longer dependent on the producers to gain information, they go out themselves and find the information. This is evident as Citizen Journalism has become more popular over the years, which once again indicates the problems producers are facing regarding their ownership in the market. To overcome these problems many institutions have attempted to merge together to maintain their survival in the market. For example in America the two biggest subscriptions based radio services are Sirius Satellite Radio  (owned by Martine Rothblatt )and XM Satellite Radio, which have recently merged to form Sirius XM Radio  to generate more audiences.

Step 3...

What will be my case study?
Audience response and contribution to new and digital media today

3 Texts that I will use to demonstrate this;
• Given audiences more rights e.g. OFCOM
If audiences are upset about certain content that has been published in the media, audiences have the right to complain and censor the product.
• UGC
Audiences have the ability to construct products online for free, for example they can upload videos on YouTube and get their message across. This has increased their participation as new and digital media offers better facilities. This illustrates that audiences are more activate and contributing towards new media.
• Citizen journalism
Moved away from traditional 1.0 web, where audiences go to producers to consume news. Now audience can go out their and make their own news. This is evident in many YouTube videos.

Social networking and relevant theories;
• Technological determination- nature of society has changed due to technology
• Sherry Turkle, Global village- small villages have been constructed behind the screen eg social networking sites
• Digital divide- technological facilities aren’t available to all countries, therefore they have no contribution e.g. internet only exists in ¼ of the planet which means that the rest are disprivleged.
• Globalisation- interconnectedness of societies
• Media 1.0 & 2.0- media comes to the audience. Audience goes to the media.
• Marxism- major institutions have power to manipulate the bourgeoisies and inject dominant ideologies into them.
• Mutualisation – audiences and producers have the ability to construct media products.

In the age of media;

How do audiences participate?

·         Blogs, forums, social networking sites, wikis

·         Audience revolution – democracy

·         Technological determination

Who is participating?

·         Gender differences – more women than men

·         Class differences – young people from middle class backgrounds

·         Digital divide – educational facilities

·         Early adopters – generation of technology

What are they doing?

·         Creating content

·         Few people are creating but consuming is always done

Media 2.0 save democracy?

·         Its empowered people

·         Creative media producers  have been driven by commercial imperatives

·         People are able to vote, for example 15 488 019million people voted on X Factor

·         Call in radio stations

·         Communicate ideas through social networking sites

·         Does this lead to a liberal plurist society – audiences influence media