How media convergence changed the news and the print industry pt 2: Everyone’s making the news . .

The convergence of media has completely transformed the news and print industry, but one of the more revolutionary changes to the news industry in particular would be the start of news generated by those who were originally considered the consumers.

Due to astounding technological advances and the explosion of the internet over the past decade, it has become very easy for the average person to capture a moment of their lives and share it with the world. The most obvious example of this is social networking sites, for example Facebook, the user shares the goings-on of their lives with friends and these updates they make to their Facebook are essentially news, perhaps not on a mainstream scale but the same principal applies.

Example, my Facebook page and updates I can post to my Facebook pals.

 Now take into consideration if someone captured a moment of their life on video, such as if events were unfolding in front of them like a train crash or a celebrity was doing something that could cause scandal, this footage would be of interest to not only friends of the individual but perhaps even a major news network and consumers of the news.

People now have the ability to record events in front of them that could be considered newsworthy, and this means the individuals previously considered as consumers of the news can essentially become producers of it, all they need is to be in the right place at the right time (or the wrong place at the wrong time, depending on the nature of the newsworthy events unfolding) and have a video recording device present with them. Most of the population are already carrying round with them video recording devices (mobile phones) so if a newsworthy event unfolds in front of someone they can capture it on their phone/video recording device and sell the captured footage to a mainstream news network.

This form of capturing the news is known as citizen journalism, and presents some advantages and disadvantages to society and industry. One advantage is that rather than the news having such a staged and scripted element to it, because the footage was not captured by a professional it may seem raw and more emotive. It also provides society with the opportunity to be creative and gain recognition through what they capture. This can be images or video, although video footage tends to attract more mainstream news attention. For example, people can photograph images of their favourite bands and gain recognition for it from the band themselves and fans.

Example: My favourite band on stage, as captured by a fan with decent camera, sweet. A link to their livejournal profile can  be seen on the right side of the picture as they want publicity from those who see the photo.

Example: My fave band (again heh) captured drunk at an afterparty by a fan in Russia, you can tell especially it is a fan picture as it has that blurry quality to it.

Citizen journalism can provide some disadvantages however to society and industry. When it concerns industry, industry might lose out in terms of if a member of public has captured better more newsworthy footage than the news network itself. A disadvantage to society is that society might start to gradually become dominated by technology, everyone might be prepared to get their phones out and start recording if even the smallest of things starts happening, such as a small fight and show the downfall of society.

Some very recent examples which show possible “downfalls” of society captured by members of the public and considered as excellent examples of citizen journalism include “My tram experience” which captures a very racist woman on a tram who following the uploading and rapid fame of the video was arrested for her racist slur.

Another great example of citizen journalism which is still gaining thousands of hits a day and has made it onto the mainstream news and caused those involved to be chased up by the police for their actions is “Scotrail no ticket” which is a video where a 19 year old student has the wrong ticket on a train and refuses to get off, so a member of the public throws the teen off the train, but so violently that people consider his actions assault and this has sparked a huge row over whether the man’s actions were right or wrong because of the way the student initially acted towards the ticket man.

So overall, is citizen journalism a good or bad thing?

It presents the opportunity for public to be creative with what they capture and get involved with the news certainly, but some of the things captured by the people are extremely negative and show the unpleasant side to our society, violence and racism as seen before from the recent examples. However without it, we wouldn’t have seen as much of a world-changing event, for example the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a lot of the footage was captured by the public and although an extremely negative thing it forms part of our history and shows how we lived in that time and coped with events.

It also breaks down the barriers between industry and society, industry are willing to pay for what people have captured themselves on recording devices, so in the end industry and society both profit from what was captured.

   

Posted by Louise

This Is England!

Well.. The new series was on last night; This Is England '88. A Follow up of TIE '86. I watched it to the very end, in awe of such an amazing director and such amazing talent and incredible social realism. When it finished a link came up on the bottom www. channel.com/thisisengland88. I spent about 2 hours going through every little thing on the website! Just brilliant and a prime example of media convergence!

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/this-is-england/articles/this-is-england-88-cast-interviews

Please, please, please check it out! The series and the online content!

Over and out: Josh
(hahaha)

Everything is possible

Media convergence leads us to an emergence (or probable appearance) of different kind of new multi-functional devices. Obviously, there is a strong need in new, modern and progressive software as well. Here is an example of innovative, futuristic and quite self-contained piece of software:

Aurora browser

Posted by Nikita

Virtual revolution

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n4j0r
The BBC had created a programme that engages with the audience through user generated content. User can make their own documentaries by interviews, graphics and sound available via the BBC virtual revolution licences.



-James-

The digital-Analogue switch over...

I know its old news, and it happened a while ago. But the digital switch over a a prime example of media convergence. As so much televisiona and radio now it being more widely consumed, and people have Sky and freeview, which can access radio through a television set. All the channels on terrestrial i.e. 1-5 were digitally switched over from the old school analogue.

This really shows, how media and technology are perpetually advancing, almost hand in hand. As the technology advances so does media alongside. For news ways to mediate and re-mediate news etc...

Digital TV, Freeview

DTV Services, trading as Freeview, is the name for the collection of free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television platform in the UK. The service is jointly run by its five equal shareholders, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and transmitter operator Arqiva. DTV Services is designed to market changes to the platform. DTV Services is responsible for marketing services such as Freeview+, the PVR brand and Freeview HD.The technical specification for Freeview is published and maintained by the Digital TV Group, the industry association for digital TV in the UK who also provide the test and conformance regime for Freeview, Freeview + and Freeview HD products. DMOL, a company owned by the operators of the six DTT multiplexes (BBC, ITV, C4, and Arqiva) is responsible for technical platform management and policy, including the electronic programme guide and channel numbering.
In addition, we would like to emphasize that this is a really nice example of convergent collaboration within the industry.


Posted by Nikita