Digital ethnography Michael Wesch

Ethnography Is literally the study of people and cultures. Digital ethnography is the study of cultures and people in the new digital age. Theorist Michael Wesch explores this idea and used Youtube as a case study.

The machine is us/ing us E&spfreload=10 E&spfreload=10

Benefits of new media Digital text is flexible, moveable and can link (hypertext) Early websites were written in HTML and the producer of the text needed to know complex coding. It was very rigid/static. A blog is born every half second. Millions of people broadcast themselves and even have their own ‘channel’. Websites can mash data together making them more user friendly, intuitive, responsive and accessible.

However… We are having to organise all of this data. We are teaching the machine each time that we link text and ideas. We are sharing our data, our images, our likes, our dislikes. These can all be accessed through the web. It can be used against us. (Through marketing) Web 2.0 is linking people- which is good… But comes with a price…

Wesch says… “The computer is us/ing us” We need to rethink; Privacy Governance Identity Copyright Authorship Ethics Privacy How many examples can you think of where New Digital Media has been responsible for breaching these ‘rights’?

A few examples… Edward Snowden- Whistleblower- US spying on people though webcams and Internet. Julien Assange- Wikileaks Facebook breaching privacy rights of users. Following their ‘Likes’ Piratebay- torrents- websites Instagram selling your photos! Sony Hacking scandal- The interview and North Korea..

Democracy, freedom of speech and ideology

Democracy When we think about democracy, we think about freedom of speech, individual liberty and expression. But how far does new digital media provide opportunities for democratic space and equality? Are we free to participate equally or are dominant ideologies continually forced upon us?

Benefits… New media technologies facilitate small- scale media productions. This provides for alternative views that challenge dominant ideologies/values of society. Key word: Egalitarian (equalism) Each person has equal rights, values, worth. Reiforces democratic perspectives.

The Royal Commission on the Press (1977) defined alternative media as: Dealing with the opinion of small minorities Expressing attitudes hostile to widely held beliefs Espousing views or dealing with subjects not given regular coverage by publications generally available at newsagents.

Challenging dominant ideologies Answer: Look through the websites below. How has New Media allowed for opportunities to challenge dominant ideology? ADBUSTERS Liveleak The TREWS McSpotlight Can you find any other media websites that challenge dominant ideology?

What benefits are there to democratic space and NDM? Some critical perspectives suggest that alternative media are run in a more egalitarian & democratic way. They reduce the cost of media production. New media texts can challenge the consumerist norms of a capitalist society. They may create ideological disruption & disturbance in relation to values and ideas about areas such as gender/sexuality, religion etc. Alternative websites provide ‘citizen journalism’ – allowing ordinary people to give their own alternative versions of dominant news stories. In doing so, they politicise the repression of events & information produced in mainstream news, drawing attention to its selectivity. However, ‘citizen journalists’ are not necessarily restrained by professional or institutional codes of conduct.

Look at the following websites In what ways are they supporting democratic free speech? In what ways are they challenging dominant political ideology? What issues/ negative impacts might we consider from these websites? Include theory and terminology where possible. Are there any websites that might have an adverse affect on society due to its opposing ideologies?

Murdoch VS the BBC Rupert Murdoch and BSkyB “BSkyB is too powerful and threatens to "dwarf" the BBC and its competitors.”BSkyB “News Corp, in effect controlled by the Murdoch family, now enjoys unprecedented industry power in the UK. News Corp owns 39% of Sky and is in the process of buying the part of the broadcaster it does not already own.” "a concentration of cross-media ownership that would not be allowed in the United States or Australia". Murdoch sees the iPad as a potential lifesaver in terms of its reach among the young and its ability to attract subscriptions. 27/bbc-mark-thompson-murdoch-mactaggart 27/bbc-mark-thompson-murdoch-mactaggart

Who retains control and power?

Further Research So far we have looked at; The changing role of the BBC Michale Wesch- the machine is us/ing us (Digital ethnography) Globalisation and new media Non-mainstream media (including sites that ‘challenge’ dominant ideology and promote democratic values of free speech. Media theory and terminology sheets

Read the following article and answer the questions blog/2015/feb/20/will-cash-strapped-newspapers- be-tempted-to-get-cosier-with-advertisers blog/2015/feb/20/will-cash-strapped-newspapers- be-tempted-to-get-cosier-with-advertisers New digital media has impacted news in many ways. Fundamentally, it has impacted on the sales of traditional print newspapers as well as the readership figures.

According to the article… What corrupt practices have print newspapers had to do to ensure they do not experience financial difficulties? Why do you think the financial impact on the Sun newspaper has been less significant than others? (Consider ownership and how it has used NDM) Are there any media terms, theories or similar issues that we could relate to this article?

se/guides/about-cookies What are cookies? How do they affect audiences? What are the benefits and disadvantages? Why do you think the BBC defends the use of cookies? How could Althusser’s theory be used to challenge the BBC’s defence of cookies?

Homework Question New and digital media offer a wide range of competing ideas and opinions from experts and journalists to bloggers and social networkers, making it harder for audiences to know who to trust. In such an environment, how does the audience know who to trust? 48 marks