the impact of new and digital media on celebrity culture

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

http://www.blogussion.com/social-media/uses-social-networking/ 5 common uses for social networking sites and effects on audience.

http://techcrunch.com/2008/08/10/why-twitter-hasnt-failed-the-power-of-audience/

social network profiles are all about self-expression and being seen, but a platform for self-expression isn’t necessarily designed for the audience that does “the seeing.”

The news feed is cluttered right now with people I don’t care about.” Anything that’s unpredictable produces a feeling of uncertainty — and that’s never a comfortable feeling.
( on fb)

A useful premise but it also has a catch: the word “more”. Too much content, too many people — which is exactly the problem that Facebook is trying to address with its algorithmic feed.
(0n twitter..constant updates)

The backlog of all previous tweets is a guarantee of permanence (you can even search it) and you can catch up on it anytime..although with fb the news feed hogs up your homepage with people you might not even care about such as when they join groups.

This simple premise holds the key to Twitter’s success: messages go to a well-defined audience. In the moment you release a tweet, you know who’s on the line and you have an idea of who can catch a glimpse of your message.

Blogging on the other hand has no such clearly defined audience. An aspiring blogger who hasn’t crossed the chasm speaks into the void. Direct feedback can only come in the form of written comments (a relatively high barrier of effort) and it’s diminished by spam and vocal trolls these days. ( myspace)

celebs use these sites to promote themselves as they have followers on twitter or fanpages therefore it makes the audience feel like they are addressing them directly when their message is going out to all their followers. sometimes social networking sites can be used as a weapon to attack other people with publicly e.g Cheryl Cole tweets about missing ring finger in relation to her marriage falling apart.

http://www.zimbio.com/Cheryl+Cole/articles/5-NPzhuKh9a/Chezza+releases+Twitter+Msg+missing+ring

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/22/social-networking-cyber-scepticism-twitter

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? (SHEP)

MySpace wasn't long lasting but Fb and Twitter had more options to interact. There are applications such as games like Farmville, fan pages. groups.. audiences are more selective and have more choice over the content they choose to show through features like uploading pictures,sharing links and videos. The rise in UGC has replaced old forms of media like newspapers and letters. Although celebs mainly use Twitter and have followers on their there are other forms of accessing celebrity gossip such as digital spy.

Also the banner ads targets people specifically based on their activities they're interested in this is to generate profit.

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?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jan/22/social-networking-cyber-scepticism-twitter

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/jan/23/effect-of-internet-on-celebrity

Turkle's thesis is simple: technology is threatening to dominate our lives and make us less human. Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber-reality that is a poor imitation of the real world.

Social media has bred a generation of "slacktivists". It has made people lazy and enshrined the illusion that clicking a mouse is a form of activism equal to real world donations of money and time.

real life example of Simone Back - fb suicide- 'took all my pills, be dead soon. so bye bye everyone- 1082 friends didn't help her.

convergence ..iphone, ipad- higher bills :o

4.Is the size of the audience any different now than before the impact of new and digital media (or has pattern of usage changed)
Twitter and Facebook available in different languages

http://everyjoe.com/technology/facebook-losing-18-25-audience/

http://techcrunch.com/2008/08/10/why-twitter-hasnt-failed-the-power-of-audience/

5. primary target audience now and how has this changed? who was it before and how do you know?

UK audience spends roughly about 6 hours on fb per day compared to Japan who spend 2 hours and 50 mins

in the past the age range used to start roughly from 18-24 but now the age range has expanded and children who are 12 can have fb. The different applications prove this such as games for the younger audience..and fan pages for older possibly.

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?

In the past social networking sites where just simply used for socialising but now celebs use them to promote themselves in the media and to get their name in the papaer..e.g Jordan (Katie Price)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1153583/Social-websites-harm-childrens-brains-Chilling-warning-parents-neuroscientist.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7644627/US-senators-demand-Facebook-privacy-changes.html

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/10_ways_social_media_will_change_in_2010.php

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-changing-face-of-Facebook-social-networking-site

7. what concerns are there for any media institutions involved in your case study as a result of the impact of new and digital media?

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16681-innovation-how-social-networking-might-change-the-world.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8225338.stm

8. what are the political and social implications of the new and technologies and the methods of consumption? e.g moral panic

privacy concerns ( leaked pics of celebs)..identity fraud..child pornography..

9. consider the effects so far and possible effects in the future on media instsitutions involved in your case study. ( media production)

http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/05/social-networking-future/

10. what issues may there be regarding media effects and/or regulation/ censorship as a result of changes due to new and digital media?

more profit (through business promotion as they have their own pages)

11. are there any cross cultural factors and / or effects if globalisation involved in the imapct of new technology on your case study.

'consumerism generates hunger for material status, symbols, new material needs.'

Marshall McLuhan (understanding media the extensions of a man) -'the medium is the message'
The medium is the message: an inventory of effects -'The medium, or process, of out time electric technology is reshaping and restructuring patterns of social interdependence and every aspect of our personal life. It is forcing us to reconsider and re-evaluate practically, every thought, every reaction.'

'the future of the book is the blurb'

'as technology advances, it reverses the characteristics of every situation again and again. The age of automation is going to be the age of 'do it yourself' -1957

Language is a process of free creation; its laws and principles are fixed, but the manner in which the principles of generation are used is free and infinitely varied. Even the interpretation and use of words involves a process of free creation.
-Noam Chomsky

Karl Marx (1875 critique of the gotha programme
In a higher phase of communist society... only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be fully left behind and society inscribe on its banners: from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

Gramsci (selections from cultural writing,1985) Nothing is fixed , riggid or definitive and nothing ever will be.

Karl Marx In bourgeois society capital is independent and has individuality, while the living person is dependent and has no individuality. ...( can link it to celeb culture of people following eg people following celebs on twitter)

'The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs.' ( can link it to the lack of privacy of celeb culture)

The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people.'

12. consider theoretical perspectives in relation to the impact of new/digital media in your case study. E.g representation of certain groups as a result of changes, Marxism and hegemony, liberal pluralism, colonialism, audience theories..etc.

pluralistic model - freedom of choice
globalisation of social networking sites - e.g different languages

representation of certain celebs as sad for publicly attacking people e.g Jordan.
although celebs can show appreciation to their fans ..Katie Price thanked her fans for their 'support at this sad time' on Twitter when she issued a statement declaring the end of her marriage with Peter Andre.