section B exam Answer

New and Digital media offers media institutions a different way of reaching audiences. 

Consider how and why media institutions are using these techniques?

New and Digital media has had a huge impact the way audiences consume different media texts. Techniques in which the media is conveyed to audiences, has changed significantly over the years because of the dramatic upgrade in technology.

Social media networking sites have had an immense impression on the way people consume the news, in comparison to the traditional way of receiving news. Social media networking sites such as twitter allow media institutions to generate a greater interaction and collaboration with the institution and its audiences through the use of the comments section, where discussions may be held to controversial issues. This heavily displays democratisation, as people from of all backgrounds, religion, beliefs, sexuality, gender, high or working class and ethnicities can take part in the discussions and voice their opinion on there.

Conversely, traditional platforms such as newspapers and the TV, people are more passive when receiving the media. This taps into the hypodermic needle theory as it suggests that audiences are injected with hegemonic social, political and economic ideologies and opinions that the institution/ media conglomerates and other people in power may have. (Two step flow).

Furthermore, other social media examples such as Instagram also allow media institutions to reach out to audiences about the news. This is through the regular updates on the news and allow for hash tags such as #prayforParis, during the recent attacks. It helps people engage with the news corporations such as sky news or the BBC, as programmes are regularly updated on them, Instagram too includes a comments section underneath the picture/poster they post. Similarly, news corporations also use Facebook to update its audiences with the latest or breaking news. Facebook allows you to repost posts about the news which also helps promote the institution as well as the breaking news to audiences.

However, some may argue that institutions that use this technique to convey their content to audiences may be under threat by social media as news nowadays is likely to be exposed on social networking sites before the news. This can be done through citizen journalism and user generated content posted by members of the audience. A well-known example of successful user generate content is displayed though the video of Eric Garner which gained a lot of public attention. After the video was posted online police brutality was taken more seriously and even a campaign called black lives matter was organised by the general public, voicing their opinions on some of the injustices that had been marginalised by traditional media. Social media such as Twitter and Instagram also contributed to raising awareness on this matter though the increasing hashtags #ICANTBREATHE which symbolises the death if Eric Garner.

Additionally, websites are also used quite frequently by institutions to provide audience’s with up to date digitalised print news. This also allows space for comments in the comments section usually at the bottom of the page, an example of this is The Guardian a left wing hard news corporation who believes that ‘newspapers have to adapt’ just like Murdoch says. However, in order to increase revenue, some online papers have created a pay wall. This is evident though the Times going online and creating a pay wall in in order to receive the news making a huge increase to their revenue. However some corporations may fail to capitalise this technique and may find a dramatic decrease in their economy such the Sun whose audience were from the demographic of C2, D and E category.

On the other hand some news corporations may use technology negatively, this is apparent through the phone hacking scandal. Murdoch’s news of the world corporation which was involved in a phone hacking scandal.