Revision plan

Thursday - media theories memorisation
Friday - Theory qoutes memorisation
Saturday - collecting all the news stories / statistics from blog then memorising important ones
Sunday - identity and the media lessons
Monday - Section A essay / Section B essay
Tuesday - new and digital media lessons
Wednesday - going over case studies for NDM + identities
Thursday - Marxism and pluralism
Friday - Section A essay / Section B essay
Saturday - go over textbooks + glossary/memorisation
Sunday - section A essay / section B essay
Monday  - go over theories, issues and debates
Tuesday  - go over news articles and statistics again, check if everything is memorised
Wednesday 6 - section A essay/section B essay

4 essays in total

Weekly news articles

Inquiry launched into targeting of UK voters through social media (73)

This article goes into the investigation launched by the information commisoner on the ways in which UK political parties target voters through social media. The information comissioners have warned about political messages being sent to people based on their individual data and how this could mean they could be breaking the law. The "data revolution" has resulted in many companies using the habits of their consumers to create an ideal experience for them while also targeting their target audiences. The information commisoner has staed that "it is understandable that political campaigns are exploring the potential of advanced data analysis tools to help win votes,” but this has to take place in accordance with the law as it "relates to data protection and electronic marketing". The Information Commissioner’s Office have met representatives of the political parties in London, where they reminded them that the law applies to the collection of data even when it is on Facebook feeds and Twitter feeds. The General election this year has seen Labour and the Conservatives setting aside about £1m each to spend on advertising directly to voters through Facebook where they can target specific messages to groups of voters defined by data collected from their activity on the platform.

I believe that the combination of campaigning and social media does come with its risks, and that the information comissioners have made the right decision to launch an investigation to make sure that no laws are being breached. 

'Trump has declared war': journalists denounce any attack on press freedom (74)

This article discusses a recent claim of President Donald Trump’s suggesting that the FBI should “consider putting reporters in prison”. Many journalists and publishes consider this to be a new dangerous assault on press freedom and journalists who have been jailed in the US for their work have called for action to be taken. Donald Trumps claim has been viewed as deteriorating the relations between the White House and the media. The article goes into various similar cases, where the government have attacked journalists. New York Times journalist, Judith Miller, spent more than two months in jail in 2005 under the Bush government for refusing to appear before a grand jury investigating a government leak involving CIA operative Valerie Plame. Similarly, the Bush and Obama administrations spent seven years trying to force New York Times reporter and author James Risen to reveal his confidential source in another government leak case.

I believe that government intervention in the media is becoming a serious issue as it is a violation of the freedoms that journalists hold. Trumps presidency has also seen a lot of criticisms towards the news industry, an example being the whole "fake news" case. 

Facebook facing privacy actions across Europe as France fines firm €150k (75)

This article goes into the recent fine Facebook had to pay (£129,000) by France’s data protection watchdog. The social networking site is also being investigated by Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain for data privacy violations around the tracking of users and non-users and the use of user data for advertising. Facebook had been fined by the French Watchdog because they did not stop tracking non-users’ web activity without their consent, and an order to stop some transfers of personal data to the US. However, Facebook has argued that the Irish data protection authority, not the CNIL or any other EU data regulator, could give out such orders, as the social media company’s European headquarters are located in Dublin. Various other data watchdogs around Europe have been taking similar action. The Netherlands found that Facebook violated Dutch data protection law, Germany has taken issue with Facebook’s combining of WhatsApp user data with Facebook data, and the Spanish data protection authority has opened two infringement procedures against the social network.

I believe that this is a sign of governments across the world taking action against various infringements of privacy by Facebook, and that as the power of Facebook continues to grow the more it will continue to be attacked by various institutions. 

weekly articles

Fake news or not, the future belongs to Facebook (71)

This article discusses the growing powers of Facebook, it had been a game-changer for both Brexit and Trump and its influence on politics is continuing to grow with Facebook recruiting its own political advisers. However, this is not surprising, newspapers have been rapidly declining because of Facebook and Google taking up 90% of advertising growth. Television too is beginning to see an impact as ad revenue take stalls. The article looks into the possibly bleak future, where there will be no print papers any longer if things continue in this manner. TV will also be become a dying medium and media outlets such as the BBC may end up becoming a much-diminished force. On the other hand, social media may continue to grow with its reach more complete. The regulation of global media giants has become a popular topic recently, and this is explored in the article. Some countries such as Russia see the internet as just another tool in propaganda. Turkey has aimed to to wipe media communities off the map and China has created their own, carefully supervised, alternatives to the internet. Germany on the other hand has threatened heavy fines if Facebook doesn’t take down offensive posts within 24 hours. The lack of international law also accentuates this problem, Facebook is growing in power and there is nothing to regulate it.

I believe that the article gives an interesting insight into the potential future that Facebook poses on society if things continue to go in this manner. Additionally more should be done to regulate Facebook as it is increasing in power without much regulation.

Is this the year advertisers wake up to perils of cultural appropriation? (72)

This article highlights the various controversial advertisements that have been linked to the concept of "culture appropiation". A key example of this is the Pepsi advert in which Kendall Jenner took part in a protest that ripped off images from the civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements, only to climax with the model sharing a Pepsi with the police. Another recent example is also the Shea Moisture advertisement, a small brand used more often used by black women. Last month it unveiled an ad featuring three white women and one black woman whose long hair was atypical of most with afro hair.This also created outrage as it suggested that the formula was now being changed from a specialised product to one to accomodate all hair textures for the sake of profit gain. The article also highlights a popular debate on braided hair, a millennia-old black hairstyle – only became a “thing”, according to the online fashion giant Asos, when Cara Delevingne decided to wear them. However, a black woman wearing her hair in braids to a job interview would still get told she doesn’t look suitable for selling “high-end” products. Jordan Dunn, one of fashion’s most recognisable faces, was told that the reason black women didn’t feature in a high-end fashion publication was that “black models don’t sell magazines”. The article also goes into social media advertising through promotional products, and describes it as a rapidly growing field. Reports say 200,000 posts per month on Instagram are now tagged “#ad”, “#sp” or “#sponsored” which demonstrates that they are making financial gain from posts. It’s a serious business. A pay chart created by the internet marketing firm Takumi calculated that major influencers with more than 100,000 followers could quite easily make £150,000 a year from sponsored Instagram posts. 

I believe that culture appropriation is a major issue and often has to be considered when creating products or advertising, as various adverts have been accused of this, however I do believe that this is in some cases exaggerated. I find the statistics on social media promotions interesting as I never thought so much money could be made from promoting products, this however goes to show the relevancy of social media when selling products.

weekly articles

Facebook nears two billion monthly users (69)

This article assesses Facebooks growth in users and highlights how most of these new users coming from outside of Europe and North America. According to the article, a quarter of the worlds population now uses Facebook every month. This hints at the impact of globalisation,because more and more users seem to be using social media sites such as Facebook on a daily basis. However, Facebook has come under pressure in recent weeks over its handling of hate speech, child abuse and self-harm on the social network, and has responded to this by announcing that it was hiring 3,000 extra people to moderate content on the site. Mr Zuckerberg is planning to use this growth in size of its user base as an opportunity to expand the site's role, moving into TV, health care and politics. According to the article, the company grew its revenue from advertising, which accounts for almost all of Facebook's income by 51%. However, this is to slow down due to the fact that Facebook is hitting a limit on the number of ads it can squeeze onto users' pages without being a nuisance. 

I find the fact that a quarter of the worlds population uses Facebook fascinating, and this demonstrates the capabilities of a social media site to have influence over a vast amount of the population. 

Facebook employs ex-political aides to help campaigns target voters (70)

This article discusses how Facebook has given jobs to former senior Conservative and Labour campaign officials to help build up its influence as a political tool. These include a former Downing Street adviser to David Cameron, a former aide to Ed Balls and a social media expert who worked with the Conservatives’ election strategist Lynton Crosby. The new officials have inside knowledge of how the major parties’ general election campaigns are likely to work, which will be utilised by Facebook. According to the article campaign strategists for both Donald Trump and the EU referendum believe that reaching voters on Facebook is key for success in the elections. Both Labour and the Conservatives have teams dedicated to targeted Facebook advertising and are thought to be preparing to pay Facebook £1 million.

• During the 2015 general election campaign, the Conservatives spent more than £1m on Facebook advertising

I believe this highlights the growing link between politics and social media, as demonstrated by Facebooks attempts to influence politics and play a role in elections. 

Section B exam practice

Does your case study suggest that new and digital media have had a positive impact by offering audiences a more diverse range of values and ideologies?

The recent developments in new and digital media over the past decade have had a significant impact on audiences. Accessing a diverse range of values and ideologies has become far easier, and essentially could be argued that it has had a positive impact on audiences. Nevertheless, there are various implications that can come with new and digital media, and the extent to which it positively offers a diverse range of values and ideologies is debatable.

The rising power of the internet, often referred to as triggering the “information revolution” has resulted in traditional mediums of media being pushed aside in favour of online media. The “digital first strategy” which has been taken up by traditionally print newspapers could be argued to have had a positive impact on audiences as this “survival of the fittest” initiative has resulted in newspapers adapting to provide audiences with platforms in which they can engage with audiences, whether through forums or comment sections such as the Guardian site. This could be argued to have had a positive impact, as audiences which were once passive are now more active and can positively interact and come across a range of values and ideologies. However, it can be argued that each institution, whether online or not still have agendas and promote their own ideologies and values and this is guaranteed through the selection and mediation process. Although news institutions such as BBC are renowned for their impartiality, James Murdoch, criticises stating that state sponsored journalism is a “threat to the plurality and the independence of the news”, thus suggesting that state sponsored news regardless of its impartiality can also hinder audiences from coming across a diverse range of values and ideologies. Traditional forms of media are more biased, as they always carry and reinforce their own values and beliefs through their newspapers rather than allowing for audiences to come into contact with a diverse range of values and ideologies, but it can be argued that there is still a continuation of this regardless of whether traditional institutions have moved online.

A pluralist would argue that there has been a positive impact on audiences. Due to recent developments such as the rise of the internet, it has become easier for audiences to access a more diverse range of values and ideologies. The internet as a platform has provided a degree of flexibility, where audiences can “conform,accommodate or reject” these values and ideologies rather than a limited range of values being implemented on audiences (Hyperdermic needle theory). Audiences can easily come across various values on social networking sites, through bloggers and even the comments section of online media outlets such as the Guardian, thus highlighting the positive impact it has had.

However, it could be argued that new and digital media has had a negative impact in providing audiences a diverse range of values and ideologies. New forms of media such as the internet have accelerated the process of globalisation which then fuelled cultural imperialism. As a result, this has led to the “Americanisation” of the world, where majority of audiences end up holding the same democratic values as others.

In terms of social media, it can be argued that platforms such as Twitter have provided audiences with the opportunity of coming into contact with a diverse range of values and ideologies. Twitter has allowed for the creation of various communities, notably “Black Twitter” in which users challenge racial discrimination and discuss social and political issues to raise awareness. Audiences as a result can come across values from a diverse range of people, ultimately suggesting that social media has become a tool for the dissemination of different values and ideologies. Alongside this, movements have formed, a prime example of this is the BlackLivesMatter movement which has had a prominent presence on Twitter. Due to the “trending” mechanism on Twitter, more people have come across the values and ideologies of social movements such as BlackLivesMatter. The Arab Uprisings also had a notable presence on Twitter, with many tweeting their grievances on the site and organising marches. This has led to revolutions across various middle eastern countries while also raising awareness to global audiences. Whether this has had a positive impact is debatable, but it highlights the significance of social media sites such as Twitter in enabling worldwide audiences in gaining access to a diverse range of values and beliefs as this is capable of causing revolutionary change. However, this is counterargued by Malcom Gladwell, who argues that social media although an effective tool, does not have the power to bring great revolutionary change as traditional activism. The US General elections are also another prime example of audiences coming into contact with a diverse range of values and ideologies. Politicians such as Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton have taken advantage of the site to engage with audiences and implement the values and ideologies of their campaigns. This occurs on a daily basis, also demonstrated by the EU Referendum campaigns that took place on Twitter. Overall, this suggests that the internet and social media have had a positive impact because they have made it easier for audiences to access a diverse range of values and ideologies while also voicing their own.

However, new and digital media also have their implications. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been accused of creating “filter bubbles”. Facebook is a prime example of this, due to its algorithm based model, audiences only come across views and ideologies that reflect their own due to their reading habits. Tailored news on Facebook for example means that audiences will only be suggested to read articles from newspapers that are parallel to their own views.  Twitter similarly creates echo-chambers due to users only following those who reflect their own identities and hold the same values and ideologies as them. This suggests that also new and digital media has had a positive impact and liberated audiences, it has to some extent also limited audiences, as audiences are less likely to come across views that differ to theirs. This can be demonstrated through the EU referendum phenomena, where those on social media sites such as Twitter predominately thought the UK would remain in the EU. This is a clear example of the negative impacts of social media, as it acts as a form of hyper reality (Baudrillard) by distorting the reality of the referendum while also preventing audiences from coming across other ideologies and values.  Additionally, having a wide range of values and ideologies available can have its implications. Although these social media sites advocate for freedom of speech, this freedom can easily be manipulated through the spreading of dangerous ideologies such as terrorism and hate. ISIS are a notable example of taking advantage of these sites to spread dangerous views and values, suggesting that new and digital media may have in fact had a negative impact as it was much more harder in the past to access these types of content.

Overall, new and digital media has had a positive impact on audiences by offering a diverse range of values and ideologies through various new platforms, but the limitations that come with new forms of media have essentially hindered this. 

UWL lecture notes

Citizen Journalism: Social media in the newsroom 

1. The 7/7 attacks in London - Adam Stacey was on one of the underground trains, used mobile technology. This is an example of citizen journalism that constitutes as hard news
2. Various articles at the time referred to this as "the rise of the camera phone"
3. The death of Neda Aghan-Soltan -  Death was captured by mobile phone footage by bystanders, then broadcasted on the internet
4. Black Lives Matter (In particular Ferguson riots), led to social and political change, awareness.
5. Paris Attacks 2015 (Bataclan). Citizen journalism affected mainstream media coverage as most footage was obtained through citizen journalism, not media outlets. Social media also been used by civilians during acts of terrors such as Facebook safety checks and users on Twitter offering shelter

1. There is an argument whether social media is revolutionary enough
2. Key moment: 2011 Arab uprising 
3. It was the key to symbiosis between mainstream media and social media. Social media was instrumental to socio-political struggle and to covering these uprisings

1.  Gadaffis death was documented on social media
2. Citizen journalism showed Gaddafi being captured and being beaten death by Libyan rebels
3. This links to ethic debate. Ethical issues are present when it comes to airing graphic content, such as the death of Aylan Kurdi, some showed his face some didnt
4. Debate whether younger generation are more desensitised than others

Ethical considerations that need to be made 

1. Invasion of privacy
2. Airing graphic images which often go against public broadcasting
3. Dehumanising
4. Potential of spreading dangerous images (ISIS propaganda)

Problems with citizen journalism

1. Not always authenticated footage
2. Getting the story first rather than getting it right 
3. Alternative agendas, biased images (Activists, oppositions etc.)

Digital media in the news room 

1. Facebook and Buzzfeed investing in digital video content
2. Breaking news on social media E.g. Hudson river crash, it was first tweeted
3. Twitter hashtags make it easier to keep up with breaking news
4. United Airlines, first on social media then news. Citizen journalism can lead to PR disasters
5. Social media is useful for media outlets to find out what people think
6. Algorithims - we only see stories similar to what we usually choose to read, leads to a filter bubble/echo chamber
7. 80% of what circulated was pro-brexit such as the sun,broadcasting hid this, more impartial and showed both sides. In print there was a more prominent split between pro and anti brexit
8. 2015 - first year people globally spent more time online than watching Tv

Facebook: 1 billion active users per day

Youtube: 1 billion active users per day

Twitter: 350 million active users per day

1. Vertical video - creating content for mobile phones E,g, snapchat, hard news stories
2. BBC Media action campaign
3. Facebook live - reaching bigger audience

Fake news = Made up or someones interpretation

1. Lead to mistrust of the media
2. Social media has been a way to share what is going on but has led to problems with fake news + own agendas
3. Terrorists - Has to have political agenda. Tube planned bombs, had no political agenda so did not refer to as terrorist
4. Institutionalized racism? 3 Muslims killed in a parking lot by white supermacist should have been labelled as terrorism  

Media feedback

1) Type up your feedback in full (you do not need to write mark/grade if you do not wish to).

62/80 B 

WWW: Very good grasp and analysis of the news case study

EBI: You need to include your independent case study in section B

2) Did you succeed in meeting or exceeding your target grade for A2 Media? If not, how many additional marks do you need across Section A and Section B to achieve your target grade?

I met my target grade for A2 media. To exceed my target grade I would need 3 extra marks

3) Read through the mark scheme. Pay particular attention to pages 6-8 that have suggested content for each of the questions in Section A. How many of these potential points did you make? Did you successfully answer the questions? The original question paper is here if that is helpful.

I gave several similar examples to the potential points suggested by the mark scheme for question 1, but could have included more examples and analysis for the Russell Brand video. However, my analysis was not as sophisticated as it could have been and this limited answer has pushed down the mark. Similarly in question 2, the analysis was sufficient but there could have been more examples used. I could have also referred to production standards and the presentations of facts rather than opinions to create a stronger argument. Question 3 got a slightly higher mark, but could have been full marks if i referred to potential points such as the differences between certain institutions and gave stronger examples.

4) Which was your strongest question in Section A? Why did you do better in that particular question? Note the number of marks each question is worth.

Question 3 was my strongest answer in section A where I got 9 marks out of 12. I did better in that question due to the recent examples I gave and continuously referred back to the question. In question 2 I achieved 8 marks and question 1 I achieved 5 marks.

5) Which was your weakest question in Section A? Again, try and identify why this happened. Did you misinterpret the question? Did you run out of time? 

Question 1 was my weakest question in section A where I achieved 5 marks. I believe the reason for this is because I did not go into much depth with my analysis of the products

6) Now look at pages 11-12 of the mark scheme for Section B - New/Digital Media paying particular attention to the suggested essay content on page 12. How many of the broad areas suggested by AQA did you cover in your Section B essay? Did you successfully answer the question?

I believe I successfully answered the question as Section B was my stronger section in the exam paper. I believe this is due to the better essay structure and in depth analysis that included various media debates. I referred to most of the broad areas suggested by AQA such as the recent developments in new and digital media, the changing role of media producers and how they respond to it. I may have gotten the extra 8 marks if I included more examples or perhaps explained them more in depth. 

7) Read the Examiner's Report in full. For each question your answered, would you classify your response as one of the stronger answers or one of the weaker answers the Chief Examiner discusses? Why? What could you do differently next time? Write a reflection for EACH question in the paper: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q6 OR Q7.

Q1: I would classify my response as one of the weaker ones. Although i referred to some of the the desired points made in the report, I only focused on a few media language techniques which made me lose out on marks

Q2: I believe I done better in this question due to the fact that I referred to the marxist perspective, which the examiner report expects to see in the better responses. I believe that I should have mentioned the media products in addition to my examples, which were also limited. 

Q3: I believe I should have taken a stronger standpoint and referred to both sides of the argument in this question, which is a key point mentioned in the examiner report. However, I explained how various platforms such as Twitter have been used, which the examiner report points out as being in the better responses.

Q6: I could have referred to the BBC moving to BBC3 online, which is a recent development and the New Day newspaper. I however referred to various points made in the examiner report, such as paywalls. Although I did not include my own case study in the PPE I believe this would have enabled me to get relevant marks as Twitter is a recent subject. 

8) Choose your weakest question in Section A and re-write an answer in full based on the suggested content from the Examiner's Report. This answer needs to be comprehensive and meet the criteria for Level 4 of the mark scheme. This will be somewhere between 3-6 well-developed paragraphs (depending on the question/number of marks available).

Question 1

Various media language techniques have been used by each media product to make them appear authoritative and trustworthy. The use of a male voice as a narrator immediately creates an authoritative atmosphere,  as male voices are often associated with dominance and superiority. Product 1 takes advantage of mise-en-scene to portray a glitzy lifestyle which illuminates control and authority. The location, the city of London is a power hub in terms of political and economical life which links back to authority and superiority. The protagonist is also wearing a suit and tie which reinforces this image of authority and professionalism, which also links back to the theme of trustworthy. The flashback shot of the protagonist previous lifestyle creates a trustworthy image as it suggests that the protagonist was once in a similar position as the audience, this personal identification (Katz and Blumler) portrays the company as reliable and honest. The shift to a new equilibrium (Todorov) creates a sense of hope and opportunity for the audience, which makes the product seem more appealing and trustworthy. This is reiterated through language such as "stay true to yourself".

Product 2 creates a more trustworthy image as a news institution through the use of interviews with the residents of the estate. This sense of realism makes the product more trustworthy due to its similarities with traditional news. Alternatively, the use of victims adds onto the products validity and allows audiences to relate. The use of Russell Brand, a celebrity, also reinforces reliability to the Trews image due to Brand acting as an opinion leader (Two step flow model), while also implementing authority as audiences are more likely to listen to a significant figure. The use of hand-held editing reinforces the raw and and realistic image of everyday life, and by editing in headlines reinforces this image of the Trews as a reliable media outlet due to the relevant discussions on issues that are currently taking place.