ESSAY -"How far do you agree with the view that the move to online media has been entirely positive for the audience so far?"
"How far do you agree with the view that the move to online media has been entirely positive for the audience so far?"
I would agree with the statement that the move to online media has been entirely positive for the audience so far to a certain extent as, while I understand the move to online media has been largely positive, there are some undeniable flaws to online media which highlight that it has not been an entirely positive change for audiences. The emergence of Web 2.0 as an area of online media, has had a dramatic impact on the development of online media as well as distribution, production and consumption habits, which is shown through the growth in the presence of prosumerism. For example, David Gauntlett described this day and age as the time of the 'prosumer' due to the modern prominence of Web 2.0, which has softened the demand for producers, considering in this day and age, anyone with a computer can become a producer of their own content. It is also essential to understand the consumption of media in the off-line as well as the on-line age and how they both effect consumer behaviour, distribution patterns and production traits in the film and music industries in positive and negative ways.
The move to online media in relation to prosumerism, provided audiences with net neutrality which operates in the interest of the consumer. Net neutrality is described by savetheinternet.com as ''the internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online''. In other words, it describes how ISPs should provide us with open networks with no restrictions against what audiences can or can't consume or produce. However, others would use net neutrality as an example to explain why the move to online media has not been entirely positive and there are many large corporate companies that would campaign against the 'one size fights all' solution that net neutrality offers. Some large production companies would agree that providing net neutrality and giving consumers the amount of freedom net neutrality provide encourages prosumerism to a level that overwhelms producers and undermines production processes. Overall, there are clear positives and negatives to this element of online media in particular.
The move to online media would have been impossible without the existence of Web 1.0. Before Web 2.0, there was Web 1.0 which was created by Tim-Berners Lee in 1989. The introduction of the internet ( first technically developed in 1969) and Web 1.0 provided consumers simply with a service that provides information of a range of topics and subject matters. However, at the time audiences and users of Web 1.0, were unknowingly restricted as it did not provide interactive content. Audiences used tv guides and cinema listings as sources of information which told them what they could consume and when they could consume certain products, highlighting the audiences lack of control in regards to consumption, production and distribution. This allowed institutions to dictate and control consumers as it was virtually impossible to consumers to produce and share their products, which nowadays, with the existence of Web 2.0 and the opportunities it provides for consumers to create and distribute, is practically unimaginable. This control held by institutions during the age of Web 1.0 created a reliance on distributors from audiences, however this reliance has faded since the recent proliferation of online media through Web 2.0. Julian McDougall highlighted the shift in contemporary media which operates in the interests of the audience and consumer by saying ''contemporary media, thanks to Web 2.0, has become more about the people, less about the media.''
Not only are we living in the age of online media but we are also living in a time when technology is constantly changing, converging and improving in synchronisation with online developments. Technological convergences such as smart phones, iPads, tablets and laptops have given audiences and consumers the opportunity to explore the internet and Web 2.0 services any time and any place as everything is now wireless. This gives audiences more freedom as consumers are not limited to stay indoors and consume media from computers or TVs. This has affected both the film/television and music industries in relation to distribution as audiences have the opportunity to expand to an online audience. SVODs (subscription video on demand) like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which make use of Web 2.0 as a form of online media, have benefitted the online television industry enormously. SVOD services allows audiences to consume content anywhere and anytime with features like catchup and on demand. Netflix, for example, has been uploading more and more content online with seasons coming all at once rather than weekly. This not only satisfies costumer demand but is suitable for bingewatchers which attracts a larger audience who are looking for this kind of service from SVODs. In February 2007, the company delivered its billionth DVD, and began to move away from its original core business model of DVDs, by introducing video on demand via the Internet. Netflix grew as DVD sales fell from 2006 to 2011. In 2013, Netlifx reported it held a revenue of $945 million which has since increased to $8.83 billion (as of 2016). Nielsen recently released a report that more than 40% of US households subscribe to at least one streaming service with many branching out to subscribe to more than one streaming service. This has had a knock on effect on television viewership which has decreased on average by 13 minutes with internet and phone usage increasing. CNN Money added to this by reporting that cable television executives are blaming the drop in live television views directly on streaming services, which shows how the move to online media may be a hinderance to those who prefer to use traditional offline media to watch television or for those who do not own devices like iPads, tablets, computers or laptops. Some would argue that the growth of online media is destroying offline media practises like televisions, newspapers and radios which is detrimental to the business of these institutions. However, I still believe online media has been more of a positive influence on the television and music industries more than it has been negative, and audience participation is an example of why.
Contemporary media beg for and sometimes demand active participation, which is an element of online media that both audiences and marketing companies and campaigns can benefit from. They ask their users to intertwine contemporary media with as many parts of their lives as possible, and a modern audience will find it easier to do this through online media (which includes social media using Web 2.0) in this technological age. It is not simply so-called social media anymore. Magazines and newspapers push us to write back through reviews and explore new products on multiple media platforms. TV shows ask us to go online and participate in discussions and games or book, businesses and campaigns for example make their own Facebook pages where readers are asked to “like” them to show their loyalty. The success of One Direction is a testament to how, in this digital age of online media, UK record labels in the music industry have become experts in building fan bases around the world. In this case, the marketing campaign for the Take Me Home tour, embraced online media, using social media in particular and placing it at the centre of marketing campaigns as well as using active participation to ensure global success. Fifty five 'Go1Den Tickets' promising a 'once in a lifetime experience', were released globally. Each was won in a completely different creative way using online media. The band joined the dots with its constant presence via Facebook, Twitter and the official 1D site, where fans could find the Bring Me to 1D which enabled fans to follow the process of the band as they traveled around the world. Millions of fans took part and tens of millions engaged on a long term basis. One Direction's site achieved its biggest ever volume of users. Their Facebook likes and Twitter follower doubled and in the first week of release, their album Take Me Home, went straight to number 1 in 32 of the 40 participating countries, marking a new name for British music all over the world. Genevieve Ampaduh, Head of Digital Marketing at Sony Music, who masterminded One Direction's social media campaign says: "Social media has changed the face of music marketing forever. The ability for artists to reach out to their potential fans in every corner of the globe in real time is incredibly powerful and cannot be replicated by traditional media.'' In this case, the use of online media created a win-win situation for both the audience and the marketing company behind the campaign. Fans were able to benefit from online and social media to feel more connected to their favourite artists and the marketing company were able to expose their campaign to a larger, online audience. Therefore this is an prime example of how the move to online media has been positive for audiences.
However, an example of the downsides of online media would be when U2 partnered with Apple and downloaded their album Songs of Innocence onto all iPhone devices. This action failed due to the push marketing strategy being the motive behind this, which caused a backlash of complaints from customers who felt pressured with this unwanted material that was considered to be "worse than spam", especially since many listeners did not give positive feedback to the album when it was released in 2014. The push marketing strategy often takes longer to develop and is not always successful as this case study demonstrates. Push marketing strategies are more common in online media than offline which highlights that the move to online media has not been entirely positive for audiences, who responded that they felt pressured through technology.
I would agree that the move to online media has been positive for niche audiences in particular. There is a new drive for niche audiences since the move to online media as niche audiences are now more in control of what they watch as well as the fact that there are more options and content online that appeal to niche audiences. The idea that our culture is shifting from a focus on mainstream hits and there is now a broader outlook that includes content that is directed more towards niche audiences, and this is known as the Long Tail theory. This theory supports the view that the move to online media has been positive for niche audiences specifically. However, David Guantlett disagreed with this idea, stating that mainstream hits overwhelm and undermine niche products as these mainstream hits continue to dominate the market. Despite this there are more and more SVODs, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, are including niche content. While I understand that mainstream products in both the film/ television and music industries are still at the centre of online and offline markets, in my opinion the move to online media has been more beneficial to niche audiences than it has been detrimental due to the new availability of niche content.
In conclusion, I would agree with the view that the move to online media has been entirely positive, but only to a certain extent. There are clear positives and negatives to online media and offline media. I think it is important to acknowledge that we live in a digital age of modern, technological advancements that will continue for years to come and it is important to see the advantages of the services and options technology is providing for us rather than moving backwards.
I would agree with the statement that the move to online media has been entirely positive for the audience so far to a certain extent as, while I understand the move to online media has been largely positive, there are some undeniable flaws to online media which highlight that it has not been an entirely positive change for audiences. The emergence of Web 2.0 as an area of online media, has had a dramatic impact on the development of online media as well as distribution, production and consumption habits, which is shown through the growth in the presence of prosumerism. For example, David Gauntlett described this day and age as the time of the 'prosumer' due to the modern prominence of Web 2.0, which has softened the demand for producers, considering in this day and age, anyone with a computer can become a producer of their own content. It is also essential to understand the consumption of media in the off-line as well as the on-line age and how they both effect consumer behaviour, distribution patterns and production traits in the film and music industries in positive and negative ways.
The move to online media in relation to prosumerism, provided audiences with net neutrality which operates in the interest of the consumer. Net neutrality is described by savetheinternet.com as ''the internet’s guiding principle: It preserves our right to communicate freely online''. In other words, it describes how ISPs should provide us with open networks with no restrictions against what audiences can or can't consume or produce. However, others would use net neutrality as an example to explain why the move to online media has not been entirely positive and there are many large corporate companies that would campaign against the 'one size fights all' solution that net neutrality offers. Some large production companies would agree that providing net neutrality and giving consumers the amount of freedom net neutrality provide encourages prosumerism to a level that overwhelms producers and undermines production processes. Overall, there are clear positives and negatives to this element of online media in particular.
The move to online media would have been impossible without the existence of Web 1.0. Before Web 2.0, there was Web 1.0 which was created by Tim-Berners Lee in 1989. The introduction of the internet ( first technically developed in 1969) and Web 1.0 provided consumers simply with a service that provides information of a range of topics and subject matters. However, at the time audiences and users of Web 1.0, were unknowingly restricted as it did not provide interactive content. Audiences used tv guides and cinema listings as sources of information which told them what they could consume and when they could consume certain products, highlighting the audiences lack of control in regards to consumption, production and distribution. This allowed institutions to dictate and control consumers as it was virtually impossible to consumers to produce and share their products, which nowadays, with the existence of Web 2.0 and the opportunities it provides for consumers to create and distribute, is practically unimaginable. This control held by institutions during the age of Web 1.0 created a reliance on distributors from audiences, however this reliance has faded since the recent proliferation of online media through Web 2.0. Julian McDougall highlighted the shift in contemporary media which operates in the interests of the audience and consumer by saying ''contemporary media, thanks to Web 2.0, has become more about the people, less about the media.''
Not only are we living in the age of online media but we are also living in a time when technology is constantly changing, converging and improving in synchronisation with online developments. Technological convergences such as smart phones, iPads, tablets and laptops have given audiences and consumers the opportunity to explore the internet and Web 2.0 services any time and any place as everything is now wireless. This gives audiences more freedom as consumers are not limited to stay indoors and consume media from computers or TVs. This has affected both the film/television and music industries in relation to distribution as audiences have the opportunity to expand to an online audience. SVODs (subscription video on demand) like Netflix and Amazon Prime, which make use of Web 2.0 as a form of online media, have benefitted the online television industry enormously. SVOD services allows audiences to consume content anywhere and anytime with features like catchup and on demand. Netflix, for example, has been uploading more and more content online with seasons coming all at once rather than weekly. This not only satisfies costumer demand but is suitable for bingewatchers which attracts a larger audience who are looking for this kind of service from SVODs. In February 2007, the company delivered its billionth DVD, and began to move away from its original core business model of DVDs, by introducing video on demand via the Internet. Netflix grew as DVD sales fell from 2006 to 2011. In 2013, Netlifx reported it held a revenue of $945 million which has since increased to $8.83 billion (as of 2016). Nielsen recently released a report that more than 40% of US households subscribe to at least one streaming service with many branching out to subscribe to more than one streaming service. This has had a knock on effect on television viewership which has decreased on average by 13 minutes with internet and phone usage increasing. CNN Money added to this by reporting that cable television executives are blaming the drop in live television views directly on streaming services, which shows how the move to online media may be a hinderance to those who prefer to use traditional offline media to watch television or for those who do not own devices like iPads, tablets, computers or laptops. Some would argue that the growth of online media is destroying offline media practises like televisions, newspapers and radios which is detrimental to the business of these institutions. However, I still believe online media has been more of a positive influence on the television and music industries more than it has been negative, and audience participation is an example of why.
Contemporary media beg for and sometimes demand active participation, which is an element of online media that both audiences and marketing companies and campaigns can benefit from. They ask their users to intertwine contemporary media with as many parts of their lives as possible, and a modern audience will find it easier to do this through online media (which includes social media using Web 2.0) in this technological age. It is not simply so-called social media anymore. Magazines and newspapers push us to write back through reviews and explore new products on multiple media platforms. TV shows ask us to go online and participate in discussions and games or book, businesses and campaigns for example make their own Facebook pages where readers are asked to “like” them to show their loyalty. The success of One Direction is a testament to how, in this digital age of online media, UK record labels in the music industry have become experts in building fan bases around the world. In this case, the marketing campaign for the Take Me Home tour, embraced online media, using social media in particular and placing it at the centre of marketing campaigns as well as using active participation to ensure global success. Fifty five 'Go1Den Tickets' promising a 'once in a lifetime experience', were released globally. Each was won in a completely different creative way using online media. The band joined the dots with its constant presence via Facebook, Twitter and the official 1D site, where fans could find the Bring Me to 1D which enabled fans to follow the process of the band as they traveled around the world. Millions of fans took part and tens of millions engaged on a long term basis. One Direction's site achieved its biggest ever volume of users. Their Facebook likes and Twitter follower doubled and in the first week of release, their album Take Me Home, went straight to number 1 in 32 of the 40 participating countries, marking a new name for British music all over the world. Genevieve Ampaduh, Head of Digital Marketing at Sony Music, who masterminded One Direction's social media campaign says: "Social media has changed the face of music marketing forever. The ability for artists to reach out to their potential fans in every corner of the globe in real time is incredibly powerful and cannot be replicated by traditional media.'' In this case, the use of online media created a win-win situation for both the audience and the marketing company behind the campaign. Fans were able to benefit from online and social media to feel more connected to their favourite artists and the marketing company were able to expose their campaign to a larger, online audience. Therefore this is an prime example of how the move to online media has been positive for audiences.
However, an example of the downsides of online media would be when U2 partnered with Apple and downloaded their album Songs of Innocence onto all iPhone devices. This action failed due to the push marketing strategy being the motive behind this, which caused a backlash of complaints from customers who felt pressured with this unwanted material that was considered to be "worse than spam", especially since many listeners did not give positive feedback to the album when it was released in 2014. The push marketing strategy often takes longer to develop and is not always successful as this case study demonstrates. Push marketing strategies are more common in online media than offline which highlights that the move to online media has not been entirely positive for audiences, who responded that they felt pressured through technology.
I would agree that the move to online media has been positive for niche audiences in particular. There is a new drive for niche audiences since the move to online media as niche audiences are now more in control of what they watch as well as the fact that there are more options and content online that appeal to niche audiences. The idea that our culture is shifting from a focus on mainstream hits and there is now a broader outlook that includes content that is directed more towards niche audiences, and this is known as the Long Tail theory. This theory supports the view that the move to online media has been positive for niche audiences specifically. However, David Guantlett disagreed with this idea, stating that mainstream hits overwhelm and undermine niche products as these mainstream hits continue to dominate the market. Despite this there are more and more SVODs, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, are including niche content. While I understand that mainstream products in both the film/ television and music industries are still at the centre of online and offline markets, in my opinion the move to online media has been more beneficial to niche audiences than it has been detrimental due to the new availability of niche content.
In conclusion, I would agree with the view that the move to online media has been entirely positive, but only to a certain extent. There are clear positives and negatives to online media and offline media. I think it is important to acknowledge that we live in a digital age of modern, technological advancements that will continue for years to come and it is important to see the advantages of the services and options technology is providing for us rather than moving backwards.
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