18/12/15 News Stories

Google’s new quantum computer is '100 million times faster than your PC'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/12042781/Google-D-Wave-quantum-computer-is-100-million-times-faster-than-your-PC.html

The article is about how Google has created a quantum computer that is faster than any other computer on the market by a big margin. The computer is said to be 100 million times faster than any other computer in 2013. However the computer is in early stages and can be beat by some algorithms. It is more than 108 times faster than simulated annealing running on a single core. The D-Wave X2 quantum computer, which they say is 100 million times faster than a conventional computer chip, in 2013. Proof-of-concept problem we achieve a 100-million-fold speed-up and we found that for problem instances involving nearly 1,000 binary variables.

Amazon releases video of new 'octocopter' delivery drone prototype

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/amazon-releases-video-of-new-delivery-drone-prototype-a6754116.html

Amazon’s prototype is an octocopter — meaning it has eight propellers and can take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. But the design also includes wings and a “pusher motor” so that it can transition from helicopter takeoffs to the energy-efficient flight of a plane at altitude. A pure octocopter wouldn’t be capable of a range of 15 miles. The video shows the drone switching into “landing mode” and descending onto a “delivery zone” in the customer’s backyard. The drone releases the package onto what looks like a sheet of plastic with an Amazon logo. The larger the yard and the less tree cover, the easier the landing will be.

NDM News: index

1) Institution: the impact of Google on the newspaper industry
2) Audience and Institution: how news consumption has changed
3) The future of newspapers: Build The Wall analysis
4) The decline of newspapers: the effect of online technology
5) Citizen journalism: Media Magazine article and questions
6) News Values: theory and updating them for digital media landcape
7) Marxism & Pluralism: Media Magazine article and questions
8) Media Conference: notes from speakers
9) Marxism and Pluralism: views and values question
10) NDM Section B essay on blog - consumption and production question
11) Marxism and Pluralism: Alain de Botton on the news - lecture and questions
12) Globalisation: questions and blog task
13) Globalisation: Media Magazine - Google Glass, techno-panics and data mining
14) News on the Tweet report and questions
15) Audience and Institution article and questions
16) Institution case study: NDM and News Corporation

NDM: Marxism, Pluralism and Hegemony

1) Research the Ian Tomlinson case. What would the traditional, hegemonic view of the police be in a case like this? How did new and digital media create a different story? What does the police officer's subsequent aquittal suggest about the power of new and digital media?


The power of the police officer's subsequent aquittal suggests that new and digital media has become more advanced and it shows the public the true side of what the ruling class are like. Also, it shows us that no matter what the ruling class have committed, they will still get let off as they are superior and dominant, which is discrimination towards others, causing them to act up.

2) What does the author argue regarding whether hegemony is being challenged by Web 2.0? 


The author believes that we, the audience no longer have to rely on traditional media such as radios and newspapers as we can easily produce texts ourselves. Moreover, the author stated that 'injustices can be challenged more easily; but the problem of political, and legal, controls will be harder to surmount.

3) In your opinion, does new and digital media reinforce dominant hegemonic views or give the audience a platform to challenge them?

I believe that new and digital media has lead to reinforcing hegemonic views due to how we communicate on social media. On Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram more and more people have embraced the free will that Twitter provides, people can write whatever they want on social media and as a result audiences will write board the line racist comment thinking that it is a joke but actually it's offence so I believe that new and digital media has lead to reinforcing and not challenging hegemonic views.

NDM: The key concepts of audience and institution

1) What was the relationship between audience and institution in the pre-digital age?

In the pre digital age, Marxism sum up the pre digital era with the big media companies proving the entertainment that they believe is suitable for viewers to watch and the audience powerless to change anything so the relationship between audience and institution was like teacher and their student the teacher runs the classroon telling everyone what to do and child has to obey by the rules set from the teacher.

2) The article gives a lot of examples of major media institutions. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them.

ITV relies on income generated by advertisers. This means that appeal to a large audience are seen as more valuable than ones with smaller niche audiences.

ITV focuses on the many and not the few to generate money.

The MailOnline receives more income the longer a reader stays on the site, so stories will feature lots of images and videos, and sensationalised or controversial.

Newspapers receive money from readers staying on the website so clickbait brings them in and pictures and the info they desire keeps them in.

Sky One needs an income from subscribers and may well invest in programming that attracts a loyal audience, who are more likely to invest in a long term subscription to guarantee early access to the shows they enjoy.

Sky One rely on customers getting subscriptions so that they can invest in programming which leads to better programming and an increase in customer loyalty.

3) The article ends with a section on the digital age. Summarise this section in 50 words.

It's all about how the media is changing from before, before it was the big companies having all of the control now we're in a new tech age with a pluralist view with the audiences having all of the power and the power to decide what they want to watch

4) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media institutions hold sway?

I believe in a very pluralist view on TV and how the audiences more than ever have all of the power when it comes to what they want to watch. TV companies are trying anything to get TV views up due to people all switching to online platforms instead with Netflix, Amazon Prime and the big one YouTube, and audiences are now becoming more tech knowledgeable when it comes to using the internet as well so more and more people will rely on the internet for their entertainment. So I believe that the relationship between audiences and institutions will be one sided when it comes who has the power and I believe it all belongs to the audience. 

NDM case study: News on the Tweet

Why are respected news brands good news for Twitter?

The role of news in all of this became apparent when we asked the Twitter sample how much they agreed or disagreed with a range of statements about their interest in news content. They like to follow the news as it happens; like to see it breaking on Twitter; and enjoy the combination of Twitter and news content. They also enjoy the personalisation, debate and finding communities of like-minded people, which are all elements of their news experience. Across all of these dimensions, a significantly higher percentage of Twitter users agreed than disagreed.

Why in turn is Twitter good for respected news brands?

Twitter helps them feel more connected to their favourite newspaper brands. There was significant agreement that Twitter helps them to engage with brands they would not normally read in print or online, and that most of those who do so feel better connected to those newsbrands. 

The report suggests that old and new media “are not, in fact, in direct competition, but often work extremely well together to enhance both the media eco-system and the consumer experience”. What evidence do they provide to support this idea? Do you agree with it?

The key statistics that the report provides is that 59% of people who are on twitter follow a newsbrands and 62% of newsbrand followers think it is "important that news is on Twitter is verified by a respected brand". I believe in part that newspapers and social media help each other. In one hand with newsbrands really help social media when it comes to consistently staying updated with the latest information available around the world and also completes the overall experience of social media. However it doesn't enhance traditional social media as much, it increases page views on their websites but due to adblocker they are not making much money on their websites so overall I don't believe that traditional newspaper companies don't benefit as much in comparison to social media does.
On page 24/25 of the report, the focus turns to 'gossip' or 'banter'. What example tweets from journalists are used to illustrate this? 

Do you think the increasing amount of 'gossip' or 'banter' is harming the reputation of news and journalists?

Yes because of the fact that journalism is becoming the case of everyone is willing to do this for free and as a result the type of news becomes more dubed down and becomes less insightful. It's easier for a journalist to write a story about Kim Kardashian or Cheryl Cole instead of writing an in-depth report about the moral issues of the Syria bombing from France.

What does the report say about trust in Twitter and journalists (look at pages 34-39)?

Almost half of all Twitter users, and almost two thirds of newsbrand users, say it is important that news on Twitter is verified by a respected brand. This helps build trust in the content. A great deal has been reported about the deep and rewarding relationship many Twitter users have with their favourite newsbrands, but the personalities associated with those newsbrands are even more attractive to many Twitter users.

Finally, do you think new and digital media developments such as Twitter have had a positive or negative impact on traditional newspapers?

I believe that Twitter has had an overall negative effect on what we see as current news. I believe that Twitter has become a catalyst to the negative impact that the traditional newspaper industry is having right now. The newspaper sales where already falling in the early 2000's with the The Sun and Daily Mail recording record low sales then social media starting to play a key part in peoples day to day lives with the BBC launching their official twitter page which lead to rapid declines in sales as a result newspapers had to launch a social media account just to keep up with this new tech age. Even if social media has allow a variety of different news stories in comparison to the traditional news stories of old and it's lead to the importance of having the news as it happens as quickly as possible and because of this I believe that it's had more of an negative effect than a positive effect due to the fact that news has changed to how quickly news comes out in comparison to the old age of quality and traditional newspapers can't keep up with it.

11/12/15 News Stories

Donald Trump is no longer funny, he's dangerous, says Hillary Clinton

http://gu.com/p/4fxqa?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

In the aftermath of attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris and in San Bernardino, California, Trump has called for monitoring mosques and barring Muslims from entering the United States.

In relation to NDM the majority of Trumps actions and press has come from Twitter. The majority of the horrible things he is saying is on Twitter and as a result it trends worldwide and that's more money for Trump and more awareness for his campaign to become president as well. 

Tim Cook defends Apple iPhone Smart Battery Case, says it's not a 'hump'

http://gu.com/p/4fx4t?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Given Apple’s iPhone is notorious for its battery, with many users needing to charge their smartphones at least once during the day to make it through to bedtime, Cook might not be using his iPhone as much as other users if it lasts a day.

The apple battery joke has been as been relevant because of the fact that Apple haven't offered a better battery in the phones for years now and as a result is becoming a joke on all social media. Therefore they offered this battery pack solution to the iPhones infamous battery problems but instead it became another laughing stock because of its tab for appearance and expensive price. 

Globalisation and the media: wider issues

1) Why was Google Glass controversial?

The problem that people have with Google Glass is that people are concerned with the lack of privacy that Google Glass provide or the lack of. A feature of Google Glass is that it records everything that you see while you are walking about day to day as a result you don't have any permission from the general public to be recording them without their knowledge it's like a form of stalking. 
2) What are the positive elements to Globalisation that the article highlights?

The positive elements that come from this article relating to Globalisation is that people are now more than ever connected to everyone else and able to create a community between people and because of the fact that globalisation is all about connecting with each other through the worldwide web with Google Glass focusing on the feature strongly it shows how Google Glass sure a strong mentality with Globalisation
3) What are potential negatives to Globalisation?

A negetive is that only the rich and wealthy people are going to afford a product like this so as a result the community that would be developed through globalisation would consist of the same people and also the lack of privacy is a serious concern for people who like their privacy and as a result they are unaware that they are being watched by a device and could be exploited if fallen to the wrong hands.
4) What is a techno-panic? How does it link to moral panics?

A moral panic is a feeling of fear spread among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of society alternatively A techno-panic is therefore a moral panic that centres on fears regarding specific contemporary technology or technological activity. Therefore they both centre around challenging a great number of people through a specific topic at hand

5) What is your opinion on the privacy debate and major corporations being able to access large quantities of personal data?

My opinion on the lack of privacy from Google Glass is that I don't see it much differently from CCTV camera that we have in the general public in the sense that we are consistently being recorded anyway so I don't really care that somebody is unintentionally recording me 99% of people that will purchase a Google Glass wouldn't be using the recording function as a way to spy on people even if this could help people more than it will hurt people meaning that this could lead to a rise in citizen journalism with people using their Google Glass to get an exclusive or maybe the police being able to use Google Glass to help them day to day so in total I see more benefits than drawbacks when it comes to Google Glass when it comes to privacy.

Marxism & Pluralism: Alain de Botton on the news

1) To what extent do you agree with Alain de Botton's views on the News?

I agree with Alain de Botton's views on the media to a very high degree with a lot of his theory of how the media is run and how audiences and media production work in the 21st Century. Some of his key points I agreed with was the ideology of passively controlling audiences by flooding the audiences with all the news available so that their is nothing to grip on to which leads to the audience not being able to make their own opinions on current news stories. Another key point I agreed with was the idea of tragedy and reaction. It's when a tragedy happens in a country that we haven't reported on (properly a third world country) and as a result the audience doesn't care about it due to not finding out how the country used to be like and as a result I audiences has nothing to care about besides random strangers in a different country.

2) How can you link Marxism and Hegemony to de Botton's criticisms of the News?

Marxism and Hegemony links very well with Alain de Botton's views on the news because Marxism is all about the media companies having all of the control over the massive middle class that the UK has now developed throughout the years. And looking at how people consume media it true that the big media companies have all the power with every big media cooperation controlling every platform that the audience's believe that have control over for example blogger owned by Google, YouTube owned by Google and Daily Mail have their comments monitored so only the good comments can be seen and it helps with hegemony because the audiences are disalusioned to believe that people actually have freewill to believe what they want but in reality they are a bunch of monkey's writing a load of rubbish.
3) How could you use Pluralism and new technology to challenge de Botton's views on the News?

I don't believe so for the reason of his views fit so well with Marxism I don't believe that they would fit into the Pluralist point of view.
4) Choose two news stories from the last six months - one that supports de Botton's views and one that challenges his belief that the News is used for social control. 

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/06/bbc-journalists-shorter-videos-aimed-mobile

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/19/blacklivesmatter-birth-civil-rights-movement

NDM Essay Learner Response

WWW:

There are some very good points here and it’s particularly good to see a passionate argument in relation to Marxism and Pluralism. In addition, you structure the essay around good quality, detailed examples and this will gain you marks in the real exam. 

EBI:

Firstly, you’ve answered the wrong question – a pretty basic error. (Set question: The development of new/digital media means the audience is more powerful in terms of consumption and production. Discuss the arguments for and against this view.)

Written English is poor – this will hold you back from the higher levels. There are so many long, clumsy sentences and this makes it difficult to understand your points or argument. This will also be a major factor in your Critical Investigation.

In addition, this is not a complete NDM essay that would be suitable for the exam. You don’t mention the decline in the newspaper industry, paywalls, Hyperreality or News Values. Nor do you clearly introduce the News as your case study in the opening paragraph. Some of the ‘hackgate’ example is not linked to NDM at all – this is such a shame because it could make a really good example.

You also seriously lack examples, quotes and media theory. The quotes you do have are not always introduced correctly or linked to a name/theorist. Revision, planning and practice is the only way to improve this.

LR:

Write a new section for this essay on your blog – answering the question in relation to the decline in the newspaper industry. Stick to the question you answered (‘views and values’) and do the correct question (‘consumption and production’) over Christmas as preparation for the January assessment.

The decline of the Newspaper Industry started when Globalisation started to have a real grip on what we call news and how everything change arguably for the better. When social media finally started to have a dominant force on the news it became the case that the people didn't have to listen to the big news companies to get the news they desired instead they could go on Facebook or Twitter which 52% of people in the UK have to get their news for free with the big news companies corrupting it. This links well with Pluralism because of the fact that pluralism is all about the ideology of the many outweighing the few who stand in their way and fighting back against them and not surrendering all the power the public have to the big news companies. A key example of social media and globalisation having a massive impact on the news is the Ferguson saga. I say this because this story has sparked a revolution against corrupt cops with use their badge to do whatever they want and social media helps to get the word out about the tragic murder of Michael Brown which led of a campaign against the Ferguson police and then the police all over America to be fair to black people when arresting them and not judging them due to their colour and which came the #BlackLivesMatter campaign which has all come from social media which allowed the little people to report a tragedy that would have went unreported but thanks to social media and globalisation it's all played a part in the Newspapers decline because new and interesting stories are coming from the social media not Newspaper who report the same news everyday. Recently with ideology of getting news as quickly as possible Newspapers always being a day behind how now become more prominent than ever before always reporting yesterday's news instead of today's news which is consistently happening.

NDM case study: Globalisation

1) Is our news influenced by American cultural imperialism? What examples can you think of?

Yes it has with the ideology of focusing on our celebrities more in comparison to other more meaningful stories in different countries. What I mean is that news companies will be more likely to report a soap star having an affair than a tragedy in a third world country like Kenya for example. Also we copied the idea of having handsome news teams and reporters. This originally came from America with the news reporter all being in their late 20's to early 40's but they would dominantly be female and would be good looking and the UK has copied that and put it into their news services as well.

America has influenced by the news2) Has the increased globalisation of news improved the audience experience? How? Why?

Yes this is because of the fact that more and more people can now have an opinion on the news now and everyone has an equal chance to get their word out and really get some different opinions other than the stereotypical white people they get on every news report when they do interviews with the general public. Also with increased globalisation it's led to more and more people reporting the news as well with citizen journalism on the rise and traditional journalism on the fall with more and more people reporting the news for free.
3) Has globalisation benefited or damaged major news institutions? How? Why?

Overall I believe that globalisation has done more damage than it has benefited news institutions because of the fact that people are no longer paying for their news anymore or even TV anymore either. The BBC are consistently having to make cuts on their service because of the fact that TV licenses are at a all time low for the BBC because of the fact that the internet has replace all of the usage that TV used to have. Newspapers are now a dying format with less and less people everyday are no longer buying newspapers anymore because of the fact that with smartphones becoming a key part of the general public it's now the case that people will just read the news off their phone instead of having to go out to a corner shop and getting it. It has benefited in some way with news institutions now having more stories available to them around the world and more and more people becoming citizen journalists and helping news companies report the news but overall I think that Globalisation has done more harm than good.

News Stories 04/12/15

Oscar Pistorius set to go back to jail after appeal court's murder verdict

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/03/oscar-pistorius-set-to-return-to-jail-after-appeal-court-finds-him-guilty-of

South Africa’s supreme court of appeal has found Oscar Pistorius guilty of murder, marking another dramatic day in a case that has gripped the world from the moment news first broke of Reeva Steenkamp’s death. Pistorius’s sentence will now be revised at the Pretoria high court, although no dates for this have been announced, and the Olympic and Paralympic athlete is expected to return to jail.

Britain carries out first Syria airstrikes after MPs approve action against Isis

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/02/syria-airstrikes-mps-approve-uk-action-against-isis-after-marathon-debate

Britain has carried out its first airstrikes in Syria, hours after MPs voted overwhelmingly to authorise military action.The RAF jets carry a range of munitions including Paveway IV guided bombs and precision-guided Brimstone missiles. The strikes were focused on six targets in an Isis-controlled oilfield in eastern Syria, the BBC reported. The British defence secretary, Michael Fallon, confirmed that eight more jets – two Tornados and six Typhoons – were being sent to Akrotiri to join the attacks.