case studies

 crowdfunding example: night in the woods gained funding through kickstarter, GoFundMe

crowdsourcing: gaining skilled practitioners for a media product through social media/web technology: LinkedIn, Freelancer.org

ethical issues: promoting products to children, 

legal issues: copyright

globalisation +examples

collaboration example- Ryan Reynolds, D+, Hulu promoting wrexham, BBC+ D+ promoting Dr Who

production + project management tools: Trello, Monday.com, Asana

what is a moral panic + examples

wikinomics examples/ principles: acting globally, peering 

electronic agoras: online meeting spaces for discussion such as reddit, web utopia is that electronic agoras drive positive change, however trolling

global village: world has access to huge range of information allowing collaboration across borders, such as WETA/WingNut Films producing Thunderbirds are go in new Zealand while VAs record in the UK

crowdfunding/sourcing

long tail theory 

negative effects of social media

examples of regulation/censorship

Revision notes H2

Globalisation: a media product/company being accessible in multiple countries. E.G. Meta, Disney, Warner Bros

Specific products: Star Wars Films, Stranger Things, Instagram

Barriers: Regulation, Censorship, cultural censorship/value issues

Production: Utilising Web 2.0+ technologies to allow production across geographical borders within the same company or media production

Benefits: Reduced costs and timescales  due to meetings taking place online or projects being managed digitally (Asana, Microsoft Teams, Trello).

Drawbacks: Working across Timezones can be difficult as it makes meetings and deadlines difficult, language barriers, technological advancement.

Moral Panic: When social media is used to circulate views some find morally upsetting resulting in widespread concern/challenge

Example: Blue whale challenge, Andrew Tate, Momo

Social media allows this to happen as the lack of fact checking and the rise of 'citizen journalism' means stories/panics are hard to limit. 

Wikinomics: the idea that through online, global collaboration, products can be made better and faster.

Example: Linux Operating systems, open office, Minecraft (Before MS bought it)

Principles: Sharing of ideas, non progeting file types, collaboration (Peering), acting globally

Benefit to media products: Using Wikinomics  principles, small producers, can create better products through online collaboration 

Electronic Agora: a web utopian idea that social media can be used for the advancement of humanity by sharing and discussion of ideas and theories in forums+ closed groups

Examples: Reddit, Stack Overflow, 

However: Trolls- a user expressing an unpopular, controversial or offensive opinion to create negative discussion

Crowdfunding: Using web technologies to gain lots of small funds from a larger online audience to create a media product, E.G. GoFundMe, KickStarter.

Crowdsourcing: using web technologies/ social media to source skilled practitioners to create a media product. E.G. LinkedIn, Frellancer.org, REED

Long Tail Theory- The principle that a media product which does not initially perform well financially can do so overtime given a better distribution method.

Examples: Anchorman, Bee Movie, Fortnite, Slades 'Merry Christmas Everybody'

Distribution: Online Streaming, VoD, MoD, traditional channels

 QR code on posters as audience are digital natives and use blackbox devices (Jenkins 2008)

Collaboration: UGC if they are designing something for you. Wikinomics 

crowdfunding example

Effects of Web 2.0 led to crowdfunding/crowdsourcing, which is an example (source) of wikinomics. Which has been made possible with technological convergence. 

Twitter has evolved but was originally used for news as it is one of the older social medias, this means its TA is much older. Kickstarter campaigns such as StarCitizen used synergy to promote the crowdfund. Backlash/trolling happened as they took so long to release, and still haven't. 

- another example 'Ever-space'- big on Instagram 

Answering exam questions

1) Social media to promote an album release?

Instagram, Tiktok, Snapchat

1b) Why?

Instagram would be a usable social media channel to promote a new album because the label could post audiovisual content to the account. This allows the artist a personal connection with their audience. 

2) Social media concerns:

1- Exposure to extreme viewpoints

2- Clickbait which exposes audiences to unwanted content

3- Grooming of children and vulnerable adults

3) Two examples of celebrities receiving negative publicity 

1- Nigel Fareje (Twitter/Instagram): Mad over not winning 'Im A Celebrity'

2- Noah Schnapp (Twitter/Instagarm): 

4a) Ethical issues before a product is promoted globally?

1- Stereotyping: avoid where possible

2- Creating an unobtainable body standards for young people

3- Cultural Considerations: modesty 

4b) How can one of these issues be addressed?

1- Research laws and culture 

5a) Identify 2 ways in which online tools can be used to generate funding for new project

1- Sharing the CF campaign on social media 

2- E-mail in digital mailing list 

5b) One advantage of using social media to source personnel for a new project

1- 

6) Identify two social media channels used to promote a movie you have studied

1- 

Update on Laws

The new online safety bill in the UK is based on three fundamental duties: protecting children, shielding the public from illegal content and helping adult users avoid harmful -but not illegal- content on the biggest platforms.

- Ofcom is beginning to do more regulation on social media 

1. Primary priority content:

Porn and the promotion of suicide and eating disorders. If sites allow such content, children must be prevented from encountering it and age checks are put in place.

2. Priority content 

Bullying or posts that encourage children to take part in dangerous stunts or challenges. Children in age groups dubbed to be at harm from such content must be protected from encountering this kind of material. Ofcom will set out the steps for doing this in a code of practice that it will draw up. 

The Molly Rose foundation is a charity formed after Molly took her own life. Online she viewed thousands of images promoting suicide and self-harm, her father began the campaign to remove that harmful content from social media.  

Illegal Content

Primary offences include: child sexual abuse material, terrorist content, revenge or extreme pornography and threats to kill. The act wants this sort of content to be proactively targeted by platforms' moderation systems and processes. 

Protecting adults from harmful content 

This includes material related to suicide, self harm and abuse targeted at protected characteristics under the equality act (such as age, race etc). Platforms will need to offer features that allow users to avoid abuse for example. This could be a warning screen or an option to consent to someone following you.

Pornographic Content 

Sites that include any pornographic content will now require age verification, which will include taking a selfie and providing formal identification which matches up with face identifying technology. Ofcom will provide guidance on what are the most effective form of age verification or age restriction. 

Cyber Flashing and the taking and sharing of explicit images 

Sending an unsolicited explicit or nude is now illegal act. It is also illegal to share an explicit image that you have been sent or you have taken. This includes revenge porn, deep fakes, up-skirting and down blouses. 

In order to combat child sexual abuse material, ofcom have been empowered to order a messaging service to use technology to look for and take down certain content. Privacy engineers and tech firms have been warned that the clause poses a fundamental threat to end encrypted messaging- where only the sender and recipient can read the message. 

Tech executives- Criminal Liability 

Tech executives face the threat of a two year jail sentence if they persistently ignore ofcom enforcement notices telling them they have breached their duty of care to children. In terms of punishments for companies, Ofcom can fine impose fines of 10% of a companies global tumours for breeches of the act. 

Trends on social media revision

What trends on social media have fitted the models of:

- Globalisation: Disney using social media to promote 'Wish'. The use of twitter for Disney+ to promote the Percy Jackson premier.

- Online Collaboration: Ryan Reynolds, Hulu and Disney+ promoting 'Welcome to Wrexham', BBC and Disney+ cross promoting 'Dr Who'

- Moral Panics: Gaza/Peace protest vs EDL in London, Effects+ increase in children vaping, shooting of climate protest.

How can social media enhance audience engagement with a media product

- Avatar: A decade buildup had fans awaiting the 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' release. To keep audiences interested, the social media campaign encouraged viewers to re-watch the original film to form connections with the characters by using character focused visuals and trailers as well as using the actors such as the Twitter interview where users could submit questions.

How did the electronic agora have an effect on the UK attitudes to Palestine and the sharing of information/disinformation by both groups 

- Many celebrities post their strong sided opinions to tons of impressionable fans, leading to the spread of misinformation amongst those fans.

- Twitters: Replies to government posts from both sides making allegations 

- AI generated images shared on Instagram to share fake news

How are media products created using Wikinomic Principles?

- Nintendo Direct

Regulation & Censorship 

- Fortnite: regulation of showing guns/weapons in promotion and skins in attempt to make it more kid friendly

- Ofcomm  regulating M&S food advert with burning of paper hats in the same colour of the Palestine flag

- Eternal (Marvel) for 2 LGBTQ characters kiss in film. Saudi Arabia refusing to show it in cinema.