1. Direct interviews with those involved in the demonstration provides massive believability. This is because the audience can receive the factual information straight from the protester, also adding a sense of authority. The sound heard in the interviews is diegetic, contrary to the voice-over heard, which is non-diegetic. To continue, the voice-over is used to explain context and to also persuade the viewer. Subtitles are shown instead of having someone translate to add authenticity. This ties in with the emotive and persuasive language used by both the presenter and the interviewee.
2. Audiences are very successful in using new and digital media to represent themselves. This is mainly because content can be controlled by the active audience. This is due to the fact that NDM is very accessible today because of technological developments and the subsequent fall in cost for said technology. Audiences are empowered and given a voice that they may not have in mainstream media. Audiences are also able to have multiple self-representations and identities of themselves due to the anonymity of the internet. This also allows the audience to have more control in terms of distribution. However, these representations are still constructed. There is also massive influence from present and previous mainstream representations on how self-representation is actually constructed. And this also reflects and reinforces the values of society produced and consumed.
3. There are many advantages for audiences of media products that do not rely on advertising, government, or business funding. The main advantage is that these is total (editorial) independence. This allows the provider to change their news values to suit their needs, and not just to bring in the mass audience that newspapers such as "The Sun" would need. A pluralist would argue that this is perfect as there is complete freedom of speech and press and it challenges a Marxist perspective as there is no elite looking over you to make sure the news you are providing influences the thoughts of the audience to keep them in their class. Furthermore, there is less pressure to produce media that pleases advertisers. User generated content comes into this as the audience becomes the product to deliver to the audience. There is also less pressure to produce media that makes a profit. Providers can also cater for audiences that are ignored in the mainstream media, being able to create news for niche audiences. The main example of all this is the Public Service Broadcaster. The BBC's source of income is from the licence fee that the public pays, but, they still have a relationship with the government. One example could be the coverage of the Scottish Referendum. Viewers felt that the BBC's coverage was biased to the side of England. This raises issues with the fact that their news may be sometimes influenced by outside sources, if it's in the BBC's best interest.
On the other hand, there are still disadvantages for audiences of media products that do not rely on advertising, government or business funding. The news provided can still be biased as a person or organisation can never truly be objective to the situation at hand. There is also a risk of being offensive with freedom of speech and/or showing extreme material. There is a debate on who decides what without being biased. There can also be problems with lack of funding, as this can lead to a decline in quality. If these institutions are struggling to survive, then ultimately the majors will still dominate.
No comments:
Post a Comment