NOT CURRENT YEAR Media Agency and Control Revision VCE Unit 4

agency

The capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. When media audience, producer or institution has agency, they feel they can use a medium or platform however they choose, to communicate a message.

control

The power to influence or direct people's behaviour or choices. In relation to the media, control exists when they use that power to shape message or direct how the media is used.

media audience

The person or group that reads, consumes and engages with the media product.

media institution

· An established and regulated organisation that owns, and produces different media products, systems and texts.

web2.0.

The second stage of the development of the internet, characterized especially by the change from static web pages to dynamic or user-generated content and social media.

example where audience has influenced the media

Fandom: Brooklyn Nine Nine & Sonic the Hedgehog & George Floyd Protests.

example on how the media has influenced the audience

Violent Video Games

Two-Step Flow Theory

Paul Lazarsfeld 1940s - the idea that media's influence on people's behavior is limited by opinion leaders—people who initially consume media content, interpret it in light of their own values and beliefs, and then pass it on to opinion followers, who have less frequent contact with media

Reinforcement Theory

o Joseph Kappler, 1960's The theory suggests that media is just one of the many influences in the lives of audiences. Rather than forming new opinions, the media is likely to just reinforce existing views and values rather than change them. Instead, our attitudes, behaviour and beliefs are more likely to be influenced by religion, school, community and family.

Agenda setting function theory

o Maxwell McCombs and Donald shaw 1970s Media does not determine what audiences think but it does determine what audiences think about, for example level of media coverage of a topic or event leads to how important it is in the audience's mind.o The media will use a number of cues to indicate the importance of an issue, for example by putting an issue on the cover of a paper it will be deemed more important

agenda setting

the power of the media to bring public attention to particular issues and problems

reverse agenda setting

when audiences interests and concerns influence the medias agenda

cultivation theory

saturation of ideas in the media influence individuals values and beliefs

convergence culture

media merging in an ongoing process at the intersection of technology, industry, culture, and audience

participatory culture

Media producers and consumers no longer occupy separate roles; they interact with each other

cancel culture

act of social media users criticizing celebrities or programs for problematic behavior which does not align with societies current morals and values

filter bubble

when the internet's personalisation tool isolates us from opposing viewpoints

media regulation

The rules whereby governments attempt to control areas of media ownership and output to protect audiences from harmful material

media ethics

principles that help individuals and cultures understand responsible behavior and actions in media

legal issues

arise when the laws or the policies put in place to protect media producers, distribute and users are broken. This can refer to intellectual property and copyright laws

Why we regulate media in Australia?

Copycat behaviour, Protecting children, Protecting adults., Protecting cultural identity., Media ownership."

Arguments against regulation in Australia

"harmful content is still accessible its not the govs responsibility to protect children prevents media creators to distribute their work"

How do we regulate Australian Media?

"ACMA, National classification system, ASB, code of conduct on body image, industry self-regulation"

ACMA

responsible for regulating broadcast and online media

National classification system

board that review and make decisions about the classification of products available for sale and hire in AUS

industry self regulation

when organisations have codes of conduct for their employers that aim to protect editorial independence.

how has the role of the audience changed

"20th century - there are large media organisations which exerted control over production and distribution of the media. The production of media to a mass audience was expensive as there was a need for TV broadcast towers. Now (web.2.0)- traditional (TV, film studios) and new media (social media) exist together and although this can increased audience agency theorist content that although audiences are granted more ability to distribute and produce media, they still have little agency as platforms are run by larger media institutions. For example there are barriers to what users can post"

fandoms

Fandoms are a community of people who share your passion and actively contribute to it OR a community of fans who create art and support towards a show, as well as developing theories or fanfictions about the show.

What are some of the arguments about violent video games?

"• Copycat behaviour, Desensitisation, Vulnerable Audiences, Interactivity, Catharsis"

Violent Video Games Case Studies: Columbine Massacre (Moral Panic)

"In the aftermath of the tragedy, there was little evidence to suggest that violent media texts could be blamed for it occurring: "If video game violence was an immediate catalyst, we would have difficulty explaining why none of the shootings involving teens have occurred in movie theaters or video arcades where the direct stimulus of game playing would be most acute. Instead, these murders have tended to occur in schools and we need to look at real-world factors to discover what triggers such violence.- Henry Jenkins"

Moral Panic

Moral panic is defined as a public mass movement, based on false or exaggerated perceptions or information that exceeds the actual threat society is facing. Moral panic is a widespread fear and often an irrational threat to society's values, interests, and safety.

Violent Video Games: Columbine Massacre

Moral Panic

"WHEN: 20 April 1999 HOW: Eric Harris (18) and Dylan Klebold (17) killed twelve students and a teacher. WHY: Commentators blamed mass media, including TV shows (South Park), music lyrics (Marilyn Manson) and violent video games (DOOM, Wolfenstein 3D) WHAT IS THE LINK TO THE MEDIA? Harris and Klebold acknowledged their love of these games before the massacre. In a school assignment, Harris wrote: "Doom is such as a big part of my life and no one I know can recreate environments in Doom as good as me… I know everything there is to know about the game, so I believe that separates me from the rest of the world.""

Data Harvesting

"Data harvesting is the process of extracting data from a given source. This data can be obtained from a variety of sources. Once this data is collected, it can be used for a number of different purposes. For example, businesses may use data harvesting to better understand their target market or to create more targeted marketing campaigns. Additionally, data harvesting can also be used for research purposes, such as studying customer behaviour or gauging public opinion on a certain issue."

Shadow Profiling

Shadow profile describes the situation when users' or non-users' information is collected without their consent. The most discussed case of shadow profiling is on Facebook, which is reported to collect information on people which they did not provide.

Ethical and Legal Case Study

Cambridge Analytica

Government Regulation

A system by which the government establishes independent bodies to enforce laws and legal obligations on the media industry. Eg. The classification board

Self-Regulation

A system by which an individual media organisation sets and administers its own codes of practice. Those who use the service must agree to the terms of this code. Eg, YouTube, Netflix, social media apps.

Industry regulation

A system by which a section of the media industry set voltuntary rules and standards of practice. Typically they create a code of practice and appointi an independent body to enforce them. Eg. ASB)

Spreadability

Spreadability is the wide distribution and circulation of information on media platforms. This theory suggests that in a contemporary media landscape audiences are crucial in the distribution (spread) of the media; therefore audience have great agency in how they engage with and share media content. Audience are the driving force known as participatory culture, that can include commenting, editing, distributing can shape the media in various ways.

Motivation behing the Spreadibility Theory

"Spreadibility: The potential both technically and culturally for audience to share content for their own purposes with or without permission of rights holders.Stickability: The aspects of a media product have the potential to attract audience attention and deep engagement. Transnationality: The ability for media to not be limited by geographic borders and instead be spread broadly in little time. Motivated Sharing: The audience 's reasons for continuing to spread media. Social needs, cultural influences, available technology and legal issues can affect a users motivation to share."

Cambridge Analytica

"Theory Link: Filter Bubble. In June 2014, a researcher named Aleksandr Kogan developed a personality-quiz app for Facebook. It was heavily influenced by a similar personality-quiz app made by the Psychometrics Center, a Cambridge University laboratory where Kogan worked. About 270,000 people installed Kogan's app on their Facebook account. But as with any Facebook developer at the time, Kogan could access data about those users or their friends. And when Kogan's app asked for that data, it saved that information into a private database instead of immediately deleting it. Kogan provided that private database, containing information about 50 million Facebook users, to the voter-profiling company Cambridge Analytica. Cambridge Analytica used it to make 30 million "psychographic" profiles about voters. Using this data, they were then able to target people with particular information which would hopefully change their opinions on certain matters. Specifically, the 2016 US Presidential Election and Brexit."