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ARTS2090 Final Essay: Question 1

LillyVVon — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:30:25 +0000

1. Digital network media make no essential difference to the relations between publishing institutions and society.

Publishing institutions have reacted differently to the rise of digital network media. Digital network media has seen the decline of print newspapers, and has shifted the way society receives news. While some publishing institutions have attempted to sustain the relations between publishing institutions and society by adopting traditional business models, such as Rupert Murdoch’s NewsCorp plans to charge users access to its online content, reflect a continuance of control publishing institutions have over its readership and its interaction with news. Many news distributors such as the ABC have embraced convergent technologies as a way of enhancing the way society interacts with news, allowing greater access to news and increase interactivity. The tension between the two business models reveals the uncertainty society faces in the wave of digitisation. Meanwhile, the publishing of books has embraced digital network media with e-readers, but copyright issues and software distribution undermine society’s interaction with publishing institutions.

In December 2009, Rupert Murdoch gave an interview to Sky News Channel (Youtube 2009). It was a significant moment in Australian media, as the knot of tension between traditional media and digital networks began to unravel itself before the media mogul himself. It was apparent Murdoch’s Empire built on newspaper publishing was in fast decline, threatened by the move of news online. Figures reveal News Corp’s UK newspaper wing News Group reported loses for the year to June 29, 2009, widened from £10.7 million ($16 million) to £18.5 million ($27.9 million) on “significant” online investment and higher newsprint costs—but the flagship Times of London’s losses worsened 17 percent to £51.3 million ($77 million), or nearly a million pounds a week (Roberts 2010). And yet Murdoch saw internet media as another medium, just like radio or television, to sustain the traditional business model which charges users for access to its content. It is a model which restricts access to its content, and counteracts the globalisation of internet. Murdoch commented that newspapers are the “cheapest things in the world” and so people will continue to be charged, and couldn’t comprehend the internet transforming new platform which could change how publishing institution interact with society.

The internet with its far reaches of a global readership, and depth of content and resources threatened the very stability and core of Murdoch’s powerhouse of print newspapers. And as Sky News Channel reporter, David Speers poked and prodded the powerhouse on how Murdoch’s News Corp would meet the move online, one thing was clear- Murdoch would not be deterred by digital media announcing that he planned to sue Google for stealing its content and would take Newscorp sites from the search engine. For Murdoch, digital network media would have no impact in the relations between publishing institution and society, it was just another medium to sustain his business.

This is despite, reports showing the rapid growth of digital network media. The SBS Connecting Diversity report finds that new media platforms such as internet and mobile phone technology are becoming more important forms of communication amongst youth audience. While broadcast media was the most significant form of media for 16-20 year olds, new media platforms such as computer media saw strong figures with 84% of respondents reporting they own at least one computer and mobile technology were heavily used. (SBS 2006)

Already, Newscorp has moved steadily in its approach to online content, with its Wall Street Journal charging users access to its articles. It was also announced in March, 2010 London’s The Times will become the first British newspaper to charge fully for its online content. The paywall, to be introduced in June, will result in readers being asked to pay £1 ($A1.65) per day or £2 ($A3.30) per week to access Times Online content. Those who already have seven-day subscriptions to the print editions of The Times and The Sunday Times will be able to view pages online at no additional cost. John Witherow, editor of The Times, predicted the death of his newspaper saying “We’ve got new presses that were supposed to last 30 or 40 years. We rather assumed the same thing, that these would be the last. Things are speeding up now and for us to predict how long print will be around is very difficult.” (Mumbrella 2009)

And yet, many have dismissed Murdoch’s business model as futile in its attempt to maintain ‘business as usual’ online, including ABC Mark Scott who described Murdoch as “a classic play of old empire, of empire in decline. Believing that because you once controlled the world you can continue to do so, because you once set the rules, you can do so again. Acting on the assumption that you still have the power that befits the Emperor.” It is not suprising the ABC has led the charge in establishing new initiatives which embrace digital network media and change the way media institutions communicate with society and dynamic of such an interaction. (Mumbrella 2009)

In its response to the growing scope of internet, the ABC has announced the launch of three new internet based television channels, and another sixty regional and local websites. The internet websites will be full screen and viewable on television screen. The first channel will be catch up television, second will be a channel of natural history programmes and a third would be dedicated to the ABC Shop Channel. In addition, Mark Scott has announced a 24 hours news service, turning local radio stations into media hubs – full of content generated for broadband and will be user-generated content. Such initiatives give audience greater power in programming and scheduling and assigns power to them. ABC has also embraced Twitter, because it is “where our future audiences and communities may choose to spend their media time”. (Mumbrella 2009)

With the slow decline of print newspapers, comes the steady embrace of digital books. The e-readers have the ability to store thousands of books, but most notably lack the tactile pleasure of crisp paper and leather bound covers. The technology seems convenient enough, however the power relations between book publishers and society has shifted to undermine society and reveals unprecedented legal issues. In August 2008, Amazon without notice removed electronic copies of George Orwell’s 1984 without notice, explaining copy rights issues behind the move (Naughton 2009). The incident raises serious questions about who owns the books, in their electronic form, and the power of publishing institutions have in controlling access to their books. What once would have been a very simple equation , established through years of developing legal traditions is now in doubt. In light of this, the relations between publisher Amazon and its readership has moved to undermine the buyer of the book.

The Apple iPad has also been criticised in its monopolization of hardware and software. Apple distributes applications, and decides which applications developers will be allowed to create. The iPad also only supports iTunes which means critical files for media and reading are controlled by Apple’s iTunes application (Kirn 2010). This is no different from Amazon’s Kindle which is tied to its own book store. However, such relations undermine the freedom of choice which consumers once had. The task of purchasing a book once involved visiting a book store, of your choice, and purchasing your book which became yours has been challenged. The idea that each e-reader is tied to its own software and business undermines the freedom of choice consumers once had.

The growth of digital network media has seen the rise of new technologies which change the way society interacts with publishing institutions. While some publishing institutions have tried to sustain traditional models of interaction with society, most notably through Murdoch’s plan to charge users access to online content and his plans to sue Google for stealing Newscorp’s content. Others have embraced it wholeheartedly. In Australia, the ABC has used convergent technologies to change the way we receive news- users have greater power in scheduling and increase interactivity, this has changed the dynamics of power institutions and the audience. Book publishers have also changed the way society reads, with the rise of e-readers. However, copyright issues, constraints on what software is compatible with e-readers and business interests undermine society’s role in its interaction with publishing institutions.
References

ABC Mark Scott: The great days are gone and Murdoch doesn’t realise his empire is in decline, Mumbrella accessed 6 June 2010

“Connecting Diversity Report”, SBS accessed 4 June 2010
Kirn, Peter. “How a great product can be bad news: Apple iPad, and the closed Mac”, accessed 7 June 2010.

Naughton, John. The original Big Brother is watching you on Amazon Kindle, accessed 7 June 2010.

Roberts, Andrew. “Report: Murdoch Planning News Corp-Wide Paid Content Program”, accessed 8 June 2010.

“Sky News – Interview with Rupert Murdoch”, Youtube accessed 8 June 2010

Photojournalism Exercise MDIA2002

LillyVVon — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 07:51:25 +0000

Jason Vongratsavai, 23, will step into the workforce this month

For most, stepping out into the workforce is daunting. Extensions, tardiness and exasperated emails to tutors for help disseminate quickly into the past. Jason Vongratsavai has spent 17 arduous years in the education institution- moving from primary school, to high school and finally tertiary education. This month he will proudly throw his graduation hat high into the air and begin full time work at a law firm. While Jason admits that his fishbowl existence in school and university has coddled him, he believes that he is prepared to take on the workforce.
“I think my five years at UTS was an essential stepping stone into the work force. I wouldn’t have been prepared to take ‘home the bacon’ when I was seventeen and just finished high school,” Jason says.

While employers may be less forgiving than teachers, and forgotten assignments and tasks may be easier to get away in while at university (oops!), Jason muses that it would be nice to finally supersede the “university poverty line”.

Susan Herring’s Questioning the Generational Divide:Technological Exoticism and Adult Constructions of Online Youth Identity

LillyVVon — Fri, 29 May 2009 04:26:40 +0000

In Herring’s Youth Identiy and Digital Media’, Herring focuses on the Generational digital divide between those youths who have been born into the ‘internet generation’ and those who haven’t. This digital divide reveals the differences between the adult perspectives on new media and youth media consumption and the implications and effects of this.

Herring argues that (adult) journalists reflect and voice the dual spheres of existence, and therefore moral awareness and perspectives from the youth internet generation. Journalists and media commentators, Herring argues, represent many notions that adults have toward this mysterious cyberscape of abbreviated and incoherent ‘net speak’ and social networking sites where a peadophile is lurking around every corner. To some extent, I agree. Of course, the media, namely traditional sources of media have created unnecessary hype and moral panic towards the internet. However, pedophiles on networking sites do exist, kids do type in mumble jumble, and it is only natural for the media to commentate on such circumstances. Herring to me focusses too much on the dual and separate existence of ‘internet generation’ and an adult generation. I consider myself part of the internet generation, having been born in 1990, was first wired up to the internet when I was 8 or so and soon after an email account and msn account. According to this definition, Herring would agree I was born kicking and screaming an internet generation, perhaps not true internet generation, but I’ve been raised in the internet generation. And yet, I have always been wary of the dangers of the internet, inclusive of pop ads telling me I’ve won a great wad of cash, and everytime a stranger insists that he is really the 18 year old male model in his myspace profile picture. Might I also add, I loathe Twitter, having recently joined I find it totally underwhelming. I think Twitter is the equivalent of ‘net speak’ but abbreviated thoughts. The most frequent twitterer I have on my account is Max Markson, celebrity PR agent for the celebrities, who is well over 50 (I suspect), and who does not god damn stop twittering! He bombards my news feed that I’ve had to unsubscribe to. I have concluded that age is no barrier to how we use technologies.
The problem with making such huge generalisations and assumptions in attempting to classify and explain the discrepancies (if such exists) of adult and youth behvaiour and attitudes is that where dealing with great masses of people and we are classifying them in two classes: internet generation and a generation that isn’t but is always in the background (whether it be creating media for youth consumption, acting in hysterics or ‘moral panic’ in response to the deterimental impacts of internet and so on). While Herring initiates the idea of a transitional internet generation, who go from unsuspecting, innocent, vulnerable media users to savvy. There are a lot of grey areas that he hasn’t addressed, and lots of room for ‘buts’. But what about the old twitter guy who’ve I had to unsubscribe because he keeps bombarding my news feed? Doesn’t he utilise cyberspace just like the internet generation. Does it matter he was born a good 50 years before me?
To be fair, Herring does address this in the last turn of the article. Youths, like myself are self policing, protesting against the illiteracy of net speak, refusing to join Myspace without questioning the dangers, though I think he should have adressed this issue earlier on.

Herring, Susan ‘Questioning the Generational Divide:Technological Exoticism and Adult Constructions of Online Youth Identity’. In Buckingham, David (Ed.) Youth, Identity and Digital Media. Cambridge MA:MIT Press, 2008 79-91

Dorothy Economou ‘Pulling Readers In: news photos in Greek and Australian Broadsheets’

LillyVVon — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:18:15 +0000

In Dorothy Economou’s comparative analysis of the news photos appearing in Greek and Australian newspaper coverage of the asylum seekrs ‘children overboard’ crisis, Dorothy Economou explores how the choice of news photos, its composition and relationship with headline, draws readers in and positioning them toward a news angle. Her analysis involves the two broadsheet, middle brow, highly circulated newspapers, the greek Eleftherotypia and Sydney Morning Herald, selecting three examples from both newspapers. She finds that the news photos are cinematised or appealing to the audience’s aesthetic awareness (film, art). This is true of the first SMH picture, whereby the far distance, cropping, high angle makes the boat seem very small, and thus vulnerable. Indeed it reminds me of some war film or documentary that creates drama through cinematic techniques, the vulnerable victims being circulated from far above, the hopelessness of a stranded boat in blue waters. Another layer to the news photo, is that the boat is wedged in between ‘Heaven’ and ‘Hell’ quite literally. This adds to the notion of the extreme response (or lack thereof) of the Australian government and again the vulnerability of the asylum seekers. In light of this, Economou stresses how news photos help create meaning, and story angle.
Similarly Greek newspaper Eleftherotypia draws on the visual art genre in its depiction of the asylum seekers as ‘the other’ (in the first photo). When I first saw the news photo, the children look animated or cartonised depicted on perfect blocks of square canvasses. But Economou suggests otherwise.
It’s suprising that the currency of the events draw on cinematic and visual art components. While Economou has thoroughly explored how we create meaning and the frameworks of which we respond to the news photo, it would be interesting to see televisual analysis of events. In the interview with victim in the 4 corners report, the blackening of faces contrasted with the un-censored back view of the lady and close up of wedding band painted a normal, every day picture of a woman who was so extraordinarily not. This contrastd to the ‘cougar’ with bodily close up shots of her bronzing her legs, filming her in her natural habitat of the club. This all created meaning, and influences to a great extent how we percieve the women in the documentary.

Economou, Dorothy. ‘Pulling Readers In: news photos in Greek and Australian Broadsheets’ In White, P.R.R. and Elizabeth A. Thomson Eds. Communicating conflict: multilingual case studies of the News MEdia. London: Continuum, 2008, 253-280

Kate Clark ‘Linguistics of Blame’

LillyVVon — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:14:04 +0000

Kate Clark explores the representations of male violence against women through language, in conveying blame. She specifically locates her findings in The Sun newspaper’s reporting of such incidents, examining them through two frameworks: naming analysis and transitivity analysis. Her analysis of The Sun’s newspaper’s use of labelling the attacker and victim, reveals linguistic patterns that subtly shift blame onto either attacker or victim. Different names will affect different ways of perceiving it, in regards to the language patterns of the Sun Newspaper, they generally have two naming choices for the attacker, either dehumanising him with names such as ‘fiend’, ‘monster’, ortreat him with social normality – name, address age. The latter subtly subverts blame from him, while dehumanising heightens his actions. The victim similarly has naming conventions, taking on the form of a selection of personal details. Transivity can also portray blame and spin on a story.
The past week the news has been embroiled in the Matthew Johns sex scandal. On Monday night, 4 corners aired ‘Breaking the code of silence’, in which it explored the issue of group sex in regards to male bondage in professional rugby league. Women spoke out, each had experienced some kind of sexual assault by professional rugby league players, but the story that caused the greatest reaction was the harrowing story of the then 19 year old New Zealand woman, who was ‘gang banged’ by a number of high profile, Cronulla Sharks rugby league players in 2002.
The media was set in a frenzy- assessing the victim and instigator of the situation. One article that caught my attention was a piece written by Patti Chong’s titled ‘Johns pays the price of fame’ which appeared in WAtoday newspaper. The article portrayed women as ‘groupies’ who willingly slept with famous men for power and attention. Chong observes that, ‘She has spoken of the incident being degrading, but not once has it been reported that she did not consent to what was happening to her.’, adding, ‘It is understandable that after such an event, a person may feel degraded, humiliated and used, particularly if the reception of her after the night was cold the next day.’ In regards to Clark’s ideas of individualisation of the victim, or picking out certain characteristics of the victim to cast the attacker in a different light, it seems Chong is dismissing the victim as a ‘groupie’. Chong provides similar accounts of women who only ‘claimed’ to have affairs with David Beckahm for ‘huge amounts of money for their stories’. Further the title almost victimises Johns, he is paying the price for the supposed false and petty allegations.
The problem for me in newspapers trying to shift blame on either the attacker or the victim, is that cases such as domestic violence, sexual assault should be treated with the utmost care and respect. There’s been a lot of speculation toward the integrity of the New Zealand woman’s account, and allegations of the her intentions… but that’s all they will ever be speculation and allegations, with very little substance. Is the media in a position to cast judgement, as subtle as they may be? I really don’t think so.

Clark, Kate ‘The Linguistics of Blame’ In Toolan, M.Ed Language, TExt and Context LongdonL Routledge, 1992, 208-224

The Extended Audience

LillyVVon — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:09:47 +0000

She had us fooled. Between June 2006 to late 2008, millions of viewers tuned into the youtube channel named simply as lonelygirl15. How original, too original if you ask me..The supposed creator of the channel, was a seemingly normal teenager who vlogged on her everyday life and teenage issues. She was the relatable girl-next-door, except for one important fact she forgot to mention. Lonelygirl15 was a complete hoax. Everything was pure fantasy, behind the webcam was an actress, and behind lonelygirl15 were screenwriters.
Nick Couldry explores the changing nature of the audience. He does this by assessing Abercrombie and Longhurst’s theory of the three main classifications of media audiences: simple audience whose media consumption can be located pre-media age (eg. theatre and books), mass audience that consume media such as newspapers, radio, films and television (late 19th century to early mid 20th century) and contemporary ‘diffused’ audience whose media usage is pervasive of their social and private life, and whom are almost always connected to one electronic media or another. Couldry adds to Abercrombie and Longhurst’s ideology of audience with his notion of an extended audience. In Couldry’s understanding of an extended audience, he recognises the complexities of new contemporary ‘diffused audiences’ – one in which Abercrombie and Longhurst fail to deal with. For one, there is this idea of power relations. Couldry initiates the different power standing between media producers who are formally employed by media corporations, who are ultimately in charge of media- content, broadcasting times etc. and just about anyone who can be media producer.
Lonelygirl15 for me embodies so many notions that Couldry explores and introduces, the idea itself reveals the subtleties and complexities that pervade media audiences today. Initially, lonelygirl15 was just another media producer on youtube, she represented a new diffused audience. However her popularity and just through pure talent of the filmwriters, she represents a power dynamic that exists in citizen media producers. While Couldry introduces the idea of power relations in the extended audience, I think youtube (which is accessible by everyone) creates power relations through view counts. It’s quite simple, the more views, the higher standing you have in youtube land. Lonelygirl15 also represents the liminal stage between media producer and consumer, and the shift from a discernible media producer who controls what is broadcasted and media audience, who solely consumes media.

Couldry, Nick. ‘The Extended Audience: Scanning the Horizon” In Gillespie, Marie. Ed. Media Audiences. Berkshire: Open University Press, 2005, 184-196

Week 6 Networks

LillyVVon — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:21:27 +0000

As a Western society, we pride ourselves on democracy and freedom. We feel that it’s our damn right to elect power, to chose our Australian idol, the songs that we listen to on our iPod and the ability to watch Seinfeld in the early hours of the morning, flicking past all the seedy ads. In Teresa Rizzo’s chapter ‘Programming Your Own Channel’, Rizzo explores the interrelations between the democratisation of media with mobility, personalisation, flow of programming and creating our own playlist of media.

First up, Rizzo recognises the changing nature of media in the form of an increase in power of viewers, and their ability to make their own media, customise their media – when and what they watch, transcending the traditional flow of broadcasting times and media. Rizzo draws on a number of contemporary media technologies such as Foxtel iQ, youtube and the iPod. Such technologies represent the shift away from the normal flow of media, and traditional ways we once consumed media. Foxtel iQ allows us to customise viewing times and content, youtube allows us to create our own channel inherently allowing us to manipulate broadcasting times and the iPod allows us the freedom of mobility and content.

I support the increase of power amongst media users/producers. Their ability to determine broadcasting times suited to their lifestyle, choose what their own media content according to their own tastes and preferences, and hey, if they so really wish, broadcast their own work and media. It seems like to me a natural and progressive move in the media. Rizzo brought up a point that personalisation and mobility may lead to the disintegration to familial connections and relationships. I don’t think we can entirely place blame on new technologies, there’s a great responsibility for people to show initiative in personal bonding and relationships. I see the whole debacle surrounding the disintegration amongst people because of new technologies, like suing McDonalds for making you fat. I see the idea of people making their own channels, very much like citizen journalism. They are a potential threat to traditional media, and yet it encourages quality work from established journalists, film makers, photographers, writers. Anyone can open up a blog, but not everyone can be a published writer. There has to be a great incentive for journalists, published writers to keep producing quality work. Part of that falls on the responsibility of us to consume their work – to keep buying novels, newspapers, going to theatre, movies.

Please don’t give up on print newspapers, Bert Newton’s family feud and Christmas cards

LillyVVon — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:21:37 +0000

When I was your age the paper boy would deliver my newspaper, the only reality television show was the ‘Price is Right’ and we sent Christmas cards by post not email. I think I will have great pride when I tell my children this because the truth is no matter how much I like the convenience of the internet and mobile phone, I will never stop reading the newspaper in paper form, I choose Bert Newton’s ‘Family Feud’ over the countless season of ‘American Idol’ any day, and will continue to send Christmas cards by post.

If you haven’t of noticed, we’re experiencing a media revolution, one in which the traditional sources of media and broadcasting are taking on unconventional forms of communication. Waiting ’till 4am on a Monday evening to watch Manchester United live on SBS just isn’t cutting it anymore, we’re now getting live updates fed to our mobiles and laptops connected to the internet, replays of the game made available. Reading a tangible, daily newspaper no longer suffices our need to be informed. 150 words or less instant twitter updates, news websites and blogs updated minute by minute have been popularised as sources of news and current affairs. And on a serious note. A really serious note guys. Bert Newton’s ‘Family Feud’ hasn’t been going so well… applying to be on the show takes far too much effort to be part of the action, interactivity now comes in the form of voting of a Big Brother housemate, wannabe singer, wannabe dancer, wannabe model and the list goes on.

This is convergence, as Virginia Nightengale sees it in her article ‘New Media Worlds? Challenges for Convergence’. It’s not a total shift from traditional sources of media, we haven’t made the switch completely to watching tv on the internet and newspapers haven’t gone bust (yet), but it is the idea that the changing desires of the audience, cultural and social context have resulted in a new ‘mediascape’. This new mediascape sees ‘old media’ in the forms of television and newspaper converge into ‘new media’ in the forms of mobile phones, internet, an interaction of media systems, overlapping at times.

The article poses the question if traditional media will ever be converted to new media. Will we favour receiving the news online over television, downloading music files over waiting for the CD, similarly will we wait for the film to be released on movie screens over downloading it. I think the article is lacking somewhat, when it deals with the future of traditional forms of media and its uncertainty. I really don’t believe we will ever make the switch- that newspapers will stop printing, television programming cease. Because the experience of reading a newspaper on a Sunday morning, not connected by wires, juggling three window screens at once, and skyping to your brother who is overseas exceeds convenience and constant updates.

Society has become extremely wary of the changing nature of media- how are we going to deal with digitised media? Will we have the same ‘richness’ found in old media? What about jobs – journalists, editors, publishers, producers, film production crew? I think there is a great responsibility of ‘old media’ to market themselves better. I am sure there are many people, not only myself, who are still willing to buy the newspaper and magazines, watch films at the theatre, listen to the radio, buying that record you have been saving up for. While I see that convergence is a form of adapting to media surroundings, I think we should be equally focused on reconnecting media users back to traditional forms of media. We shouldn’t view reading the newspaper, going to the movies, buying a CD as some sort of high Art like we see going to the Art gallery or watching a play at the theatre.

Also, Nightengale points out some fundamental flaws regarding convergence. She points at the uncertainty of the traditional forms of media, and the ramifications of having media mass produced on the lassiez-faire system of the internet. Copyright issues are a main concern. Pirated movies and downloading television shows are examples of how the internet is detrimental to ‘old media’ industries, problems in advertising and generating revenue on the internet is also a concern.

Lillian Vongratsavai, z3290455

Reference: Nightengale. Virginia. “New Media Worlds? Challenges for Convergence”. In Nightengale, Vigrgina and Tim Dwyer, Eds. New Media Worlds: Challenge for Convergence, South Melbourne, Vic:Oxford University Press, 2007, 19-36

BLOG POST 4 —– Space.

LillyVVon — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 01:36:32 +0000

Prior to my ‘critical engagement’ with this week’s reading, I have never really given much thought about the spaces media have concreted into our everyday lives- places of social interaction that can only ever exist in the wonderful land of cyberworld, intangible places we meet when we engage into a phone conversation, or traveling millions of miles through the lilting voice of David Attenbrough right into a snake’s pit in South America. The article presents the relationship between media and space as multifaceted. Space takes on a number of definitions and functions including the creation of interactive, intangible ‘spaces’ alongside the spheres we exist in reality when using media (thus, a doubling of place), the media’s ability to reduce our consciousness of space, our sense of belonging across space and inextricably the shaping of our identity.
Moores makes explicit reference to many academic sources to illuminate his argument, including our dear, old friend Paddy Scannell, whom we came face to face last week, in the often confusing and stress-inducing space of battling with our academic readings. Moores presents, develops and evaluates their ideas, usually through the framework of sociology, in a bid to come to a better understanding of the interaction and repercussions of media and space. For example Moores alludes to the paradoxical nature of ‘space’ which is introduced by Turnock, that people have become so entrenched into a virtual space created by media that we have become detached from the spaces we physically exist in, like knowing who Nelson Mandella is better than our next door neighbour. Another instance was Princess Diana’s death. Many were affected, traumatized by Princess Diana’s death, without personally knowing her. Moores explains that it was Princess Diana’s extensive media coverage, and her ‘ordinariness’ of character that could explain this sense of loss.
The idea that people are far more acquainted and knowledgeable on ‘celebrities’ than our own surroundings has been a major concern in the proper functioning of society. Indeed, this notion is sustained to some degree in the article, ‘How is it possible to grieve over someone [Princess Diana] that you have never met?’ Have we been gobbled up by the media, that we are so far flung from our own reality? I don’t think it’s necessarily wrong to be interested in public figures. Some like Nelson Mandella have the power to communicate universal ideas of human justice and liberty, and are just simply inspirational tales of perseverance and moral justice. However in recent years the idea of ‘celebrity’ has shifted from shy princesses and human rights fighters and increasingly taken on the form of ‘famous for being famous’. In this regard, I believe that Moores fails to develop the complexities of our engagement with public figures, who we can only ever know through the medium of broadcasting, internet or print.

Moores, Shaun. “The Doubling of Place: Electronic Media, Time-Space Arrangements and Social Relationships.” In Couldry, Nick. and McCarthey, Anna.,Eds. MediaSpace: Place, Scale and Culture in a Media Age. London: Routledge, 2004, 21-37

Lillian Vongratsavai, z3290455, ARTS1090, T15A

BLOG POST 3 — Dailiness

LillyVVon — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:31:30 +0000

When you wake up what is the first thing you do? Ask any 10 year old and the answer would probably involve a religious “ritual” of watching Japanese kung-fu cartoons or the latest music videos. A working person may respond that they listen to the breakfast radio or watch the morning news before scuttling to work. It is this idea of the media contributing to the shaping of our sense of day and time which Scannell explores in the article Dailiness.

Scannell uses the term dailiness to describe the ‘daily service’ from the media which affects how we run our day to day lives and maintaining the time structure of our lives. The article references to many British television shows to illuminate the relationship shared between the time of day and broadcasting times of particular shows. For example The Big Breakfast for morning viewing, Tonight ‘a major topical news magazine on television’ for tea-time viewing. In addition to the day to day broadcasting times, climate seasons sync with sporting seasons for the convenience of television broadcasting times.

Scannell employs the term ‘care structures’ to support his argument. From what I gather, ‘care structures’ is used to describe the radio and teleivison programmes which ‘work’ ‘everytime’. In effect this creates a normalcy to how the media works, a feeling of taken for granted entitlement the public has with the media. I think these ‘care strutures’ extend beyond the mediums of radio and television, which have set broadcasting times, to the internet, where we create our own care structures and rituals. Scott in our lecture talked about the hysteria caused by the changes with Facebook. Indeed the reaction was in response to the shift in established normalcy we have created with how we work with the internet (Facebook). The internet I also believe, can dictate our day to day lives, like Scanell has explored with television and radio. I know the first thing I do when I wake up is not watch television, or listen to the radio, it is to check my email!.. Which is really quite sad!

The article responds to the criticisms that attack the media for reproducing status quo, by suggesting that the media is always in the future. However I believe that Scannell fails to see beyond the media’s relationship with time, by ignoring the other ways in which the media preserves power structures in society. The media is firstly run and financed by powerful corporations and men with their own political, social awareness and opinions. I can think of many examples where the media has been used to sustain status quo. In Christmas, and indeed every Sunday for that matter, the ABC airs church sermons. Australia is a secular state, and while the predominant religion is Christianity, the media here seems to be sustaining the ideological beliefs of Western culture, dare I generalise. If the media attempted to faithfully (no pun intended) reproduce a changing Australian landscape (its culture, religious, political beliefs), why then do we have little (if any) media coverage on Ramadan celebrations and the like.

Another important area I believe the media maintains status quo is in regards to race. Australian television programmes are predominately caucasian, which totally misrepresents the race dynamics of the population. It is rare to feature indigenous actors on programmes, let alone a whole cast and other races. Even in New Zealand, there is a thriving indigenous Arts industry. Bro’ Town a cartoon featuring a Pacific Islander cast was a huge success, and movies such as Sione’s Wedding and Whale Rider earned national and international acclaim.

Reference

Scannell, P. “Dailiness” in Radio, Television and Modern Life. Blackwell, London, 1996, 144-178

Lillian Vongratsavai z3290455