MS10 Guide Final PDF

Readings - Reread readings - Take notes - ~WEEK 9 : CONTRUCTING THE AUDIENCE ~ - broadcasting vs. narrowcasting - Broadcasting Narrowcasting Focuses on mass audiences (anyone Focuses on Niche Target...

Readings - Reread readings - Take notes - ~WEEK 9 : CONTRUCTING THE AUDIENCE ~ - broadcasting vs. narrowcasting - Broadcasting Narrowcasting Focuses on mass audiences (anyone Focuses on Niche Target (only specific and everyone) groups) GOAL GOAL As advertising : As advertising: - Reach as many people as - Focuses on a niche target possible desired by advertisers It is FREE - Quality >> Quantity Use ads to make revenue Produce content for a niche THEN sell - ACCESS to niche to advertisers - Eg. Nick/Disney → toys LOGIC LOGIC “Least objectionable programming” Divide audience into categories useful - Broad appeal for marketers - Eg. sitcoms, novelas, med dramas, etc. - - audience segmentation & segment types - Audience Segmentation == media products targeted to reach different groups of people - TARGET AUDIENCE: desired segments producer wants to reach (spend money similarly) - SEGMENT TYPES Geographic Location (not useful w/ national brands) Demographic Categories such as : gender, race, education, political id Lifestyle Interests and hobbies (eg. traveling) Psychographic Personality and characteristics (attitudes and motivations)  (eg. Bravo → affluencers) - - data collection - Profile = collection of data points on individuals - Databases = user profiles sorted bt relevant info desired by advertisers - First party - Data direct from site/platform - Third party - Data purchased by data brokers - interactive microtargeting (Einstein) ~WEEK 9 : YOUTH~ - two understandings of the child audience - Consumerist - Sees child audience as target demographic - Protectionist - Vulnerable population that must be protected lest the media permanently damage them - children & TV - WHY - Assume consumption is passive - REALITY: Kids TV focuses on education &/or social-emotional curriculum - Pro-social tv - HOW - Assume kids consume media as adults do but w/o critical skills - REALITY : three ways they engage 1. Direct participation a. Answer qs, repeat songs, dancing, etc. i. Eg. Dora 2. Problem solving a. Narratives thart need multiple views to understand i. Eg. Dora // Elmo 3. Repetition a. Learn to understand storytelling conventions - “screen content” for children (Potter & Steemers) - ~WEEK 10 : FANS ~ - online affinity networks (Pfister & Martin)  -Youth online participation - 1. Friendship driven : offline relationships and experiences - 2. Interest Driven: Interests / affiliations outside of their local community - OANs - Sense of belonging, especially when geeking out / not found IRL - Most people just browse/ lurk - Community sustains network through relationships, culture, activities, expertise, responsibilities - Can also reinforce problematic perspectives/pursuits - three common features of OANs (Pfister & Martin) 1. Specialized a. Centeres arrond affinity / interest b. Niche engagement 2. Intentional a. Opt in/ opt out i. Choice whether or not to be a part of it b. Outside of offline relationships , status, and stigmas c. Easy to escape 3. Open a. Discoverable and easy to join b. Easy to share content that you make - productive practices of consumption 1. Interpretation 2. Speculation 3. Projection 4. Discussion - defining fandom 1. High engagement 2. Close scrutiny 3. Social practice 4. Public display AND heightened examples of typical behaviors/pleasures - black fandoms (Martin Jr.) - Three interlocking discourses - Must-see blackness - Civic duty to support other black artists - Economic consumption - Monetary support - Vote with dollars - Pedagogical properties  - Teaching tools and role models - fandom online 1. Info Seeking a. Eg. wiki, blocks, reddit, etc 2. Consumption a. Purchases (easy) 3. “Backstage access” a. Look at the day-to-day doings of fav celebs b. Usually through socials 4. Social media/ online affinity networks a. One engages in practices, fans share online 5. Cultural production a. Unauthorized content made by fans i. Eg. steven universe tribute videos , fanart, cosplay, etc. - cultural production - Fans building on and transforming texts 1. Products of art and craft 2. Enabled by new tech of production, distribution, and exhibition 3. Can express underserved audiences and needs - cultural production vs. copyright (Gwenllian Jones) - Cultural production can violated IP laws - BUT IP tolerance helps fandoms flourish - Let it happen for a large + active audience - industrial utility of fandom (Gwenllian Jones) - Fandom = industrial construct - For benefit of industry 1. Transmedia consumption a. Fans go on diff mediums 2. Heavy consumption a. Fans invest a lot of time and money 3. Brand advocates a. Fans promote brand FOR FREE ~WEEK 10 : CONGLOMERATION ~ - critical media policy (Kirkpatrick) - Lens to explore countries questions abt media/power/society 1. Interpretive Policy Analysis a. How values/meanings/systems of power influence policy b. Eg. who decides what is sexual content 2. Political Economy  a. Economic powers influence on policy i. Wealthy donors set the agenda ii. How sexual content moderation impacts what we see as “appropriate sexuality” - regulation vs. deregulation - BEFORE : - Regulation : govt oversights to prohibit anticompetative practices - NOW - Deregulation : removal of censorship rules - GOAL - Allow free market competition → increase choice and lower costs - media mergers - Media companies merge rather than compete - Diff media divisions under same corporate umbrella - vertical integration & horizontal integration - Vertical Integration Horizontal Integration One division controls Owns many diff media divisions - Production - National distribution - Local exhibition Profits remain in-houses // decreases Spreads risk // allows synergy costs Increased efficiency - - synergy - Coordination across diff media division so that whole is greater than sum of parts (1 + 1 = 3) - Make more money from content convergence than when working separately to create separate brands - Mismatch == loss of efficiency and drain on profits - conglomerate power critics vs. defenders - Critics say it leads to oligopolies and make it harder for outsiders to compete - Oligopolie : few companies dominate industry - Results - Illusion of diversity (more choice NOT more voice - power is knowledge - Few control circulation of ideas // restricts access to diff ideas - self-regulation  - Says industry regulates itself through pressure from : 1. Lawmakers a. Control your own or have the govt control you 2. Collective audience perspective a. Advocacy groups 3. Advertisers a. Want to be promoted for on-brand content ~WEEK 11: GLOBALIZATION AND ECONOMICS ~ - media globalization - Importing and exporting with national consumers in mind - Institutions - Crosses time + space - Interconnected - Comms // relationships across culture - Interdependent - Econ // global economy - rise of media globalization 1. Political a. Opening up of foreign markets 2. Econ a. Deregulation b. Loosesing ownership c. Regulations d. Trade treaties 3. Tech a. Satellite b. Digital networks 4. Cultural a. New migration patterns and movements of ppl - globalization of film - More ppl interested in foreign markets (more $$) - Big studio == high-budget blockbuster - WHY = maximize investment capital (economies of scale) - Easier to promote and distribute - Free publicity as “media events” // allows synergy - 4 obstacles for Hollywood in China (Song) 1. Import Quotas (39/year) 2. Censorship review (has to follow CCP morals) 3. Leaves only a short window for promo in China  4. Outside films must “share revenue” with local distributors - Importation - Producers → position of power - Broadcast strategy works internationally - Importing costs less than producing - US performance usually predicts international performance - ADVANTAGES - American is cheaper - Less risky than local production - COMPETITION - US faced international competition from other markets - Co-production - Between producers from different markets - Producers from diff countries make it appeal to a broader audience - ADVANTAGES : 1. Shared costs 2. Tailored to the cultural specificities of both 3. Get tax credits / funding incentives from all countries involved - DISADVANTAGES: 1. Language and industrial differences create conflict 2. ad/program structure, scheduling 3. Needs of stronger partner wins out 4. - formatting - Import premise to adapt to local contexts - - multiple proximities (La Pastina & Straubhaar) - Proximity and familiarity with diff countries media (bc of culture) - - ~WEEK 12 : TECHNOLOGY~ - Technological Determinism - With McLuhan - Can be utopian or dystopian (good and bad) - Tech is primary cause of why/how society changes - Eg. printing press extended democracy - Technologies that extend our capacities in different ways - “the medium is the message” (McLuhan) - Sensory experiences shape our thinking  - Transform experience → transforms way of thinking - Content is less important than the medium - EXAMPLE - Electric light → light is more important than what the actual medium is - development of new techs (Newman) - Tech is guided by stakeholders at every lvl 1. Invention and development a. What tech can do and what it is for 2. Distribution a. Business // the market 3. Govt Regulation a. Legislation and stuff 4. Domestication a. People’s homes // integration into domestic life ~WEEK 12 : SPACIAL CONVERGENCE~ - changing discourses on mobile media - Previously - Media use based on home/work - OLD: There used to have to be specific locations to use media/tech, couldn’t really be on the move - Late 90s - Tech can encourage people to go out - Ex. mobile phones, laptops, cybercafes - 2000s - Free wifi - Used to be a good selling point to invite people in, now it is expected - “Haptic” and customizable mobile techs (especially smartphones) - Touch screen stuff - Radically customizable - They are what you make of them through their app stores/what you download - Can be on the go, someone can join wherever they are - Location-aware apps reliant on location to function - spatial convergence & its three forms - Privatized mobility == bring your home/device with you Eg. people bringing their laptop with them to a cafe - Ambient Awareness == communication technology’s “ubiquitous connectivity” to maintain a sense of connection  - Net Locality == “location-aware” mobile media merges with www + local, influencing mobility & “character of locations” (de Souza a Silvia) Eg. Maps, Yelp, Tinder, Hinge, PokemonGo! People use app based off internet information about it - “mobile kits” (Ito et al.) - What “mobile kits” do we take with us to fill our time and needs? - When we are mobile/out in the world - Methods - Young, urban professionals - Complete two days worth of diaries - Shadow them for a day - Interview - Two diff kinds of kits - Primary == always take with us - Secondary == when we work/study in away from home (being out for a while, we usually take sm more) - “forms of placemaking” (Ito et al.) - Cocooning == shelter from engagement or for killing time - To avoid people; form private space around us - Can make our in-between time less boring - Youths use phones to avoid boredom at a higher rate - Eg. headphones // being on your phone on the bus - Camping == temporary workspaces in public - A place to work/study away from home - Eg. studying in a cafe/library; crocheting in a public place - Footprinting == public place that tries to create a relationship with a person - Eg. member rewards, stamp cards, additional perks, personal relationships with employees - planned obsolescence - Design Logic == making a product with a limited useful lifespan requiring consumers to buy a new version - Marketing Logic == encouraging consumers to upgrade to a newer version - PRO: incentivizes improvement & innovation - CON: adds expense, frustration, & waste ~WEEK 13: VIDEO GAMES ~ - components of mobile gaming (Steirer & Barnes) Software accessibility (available thru a variety of devices) Everyday ubiquity (encourages daily play) Variable monetization (esp. “free to play” w/ adds &/or in-app “microtransactions”)  Gameplay accessibility (story & gaming mechanics) AND: reduced barriers to entry for developers - game & player spaces Gameplay simultaneous exists in two spaces Game space= virtual world of the game (the map/like how Mario cart has different tracks to race on) Player space= environment where person is playing - console games & spatial convergence Focus on immersive play & the game space GOAL: fully absorb your attention RESULT: “avatarial introjection” of identity in game space - video game spectatorship (Witkowski) ~WEEK 15: USER-GENERATED CONTENT ~ - Web 2.0 - 3 definition 1. Technology a. Open platform = encourages creativity and sharing 2. Socially a. Connect with others + share knowledge and culture 3. Economically a. Find a profit from this content - promise of Web 2.0 - Access to production + peer-to-peer sharing = participatory culture - viral video (Burgess) - *Showed us the video for chocolate rain* - Video that grows popular through radius user-led networked distribution - Commercially or non-commercially motivated - Can be professional or user-generated - Can start non-commercial and become commercial (and vice-versa) - Viral videos have “hooks” that encourage spreadability (inc replica ideas) - Hooks explain why people share the videos and make their own videos - SO : Viral videos (and memes) are networked practice, not separate texts - costs of Web 2.0 - Participatory culture framed as fun but its a form work under corporate platforms - Other corporations can take advantage if user-generated content - Convert user content and attention into profit - Turns their labor into money 1. Users are unwaged // mandatory content licensing 2. Subject to ads and data collection 3. Recommendation features steer users to promoted content ○ SO : Users may be participatory but that doesnt mean theyre powerful at an institutional level What they get vs what they give up - Influencers - Definition: Small-scale, entrepreneurial content producers - Top influencers with less resources then professionals sometimes do better than companies - Author consistent, popular content (in views and subscribers [subs]) - Views = watched - Subs = approval - Relatable “microcelebrities” with intimate, DIY aesthetic - More connected to audience, can influence purchase decisions - Must navigate web 2.0 technology + social + economics - intermediaries as productive (Lobato) - Eg. MCNs - Sign and professionalize youtubes from easily monetizable genres (& ignores others) - Popular with consumer goods = more content - Eg. makeup, cooking, etc. - Metadata application expertise to increase algorithmic visibility - Cross-promotion (collabs) between clients - Partnerships with brands - Help reach out to brands, help brands, help with partnerships - Extra profitable bc they do not have to split profit with youtube ○ SO : intermediaries privilege some videomakers / types of content and not others - definitions of surveillance & personal traces - DEF SURVEILLANCE: to see without being seen // to be seen without seeing the person - DEF PERSONAL TRACES : = the “footprints” ppl leave behind (surveillance cameras, browsing histories, cell tracking, etc.) - sensor society (Andrejevic and Burdon)  - Technology is a sensor, tracking events and states - They're always on - Collect info even when not “in use” via location, temp, battery %, etc. - Passive Interactivity - Making content without realizing it - New form of data collection & storage (for personal institutions) - Turns everything into readable data - Immediate needs + info for future analysis - Specific individuals + larger usage patterns ○ AND Current privacy laws are unequipped to handle such pervasive, undirected use - “cryptopicon” (Vaidhyanathan) - - An inscrutable info ecosystem of massive corporate and state surveillance - Massive and precise data gathering on people through less-than visible means - GOAL abstracted from the mechanisms of surveillance people are comfortable sharing their interests and activities - RESULT people “reveal themselves” to commercial and state interests - People overwhelmed by policy permissions (too long and confusing) people do not pay attention to their privacies as a result ~WEEK 15 : SURVEILLANCE~ - state surveillance - State surveillance - State == govt - GOAL monitor potential crimes (+ dissidents and critics in authoritarian groups) - Two types : - Direct Surveillance == screening, tapping, and tracking programs, etc. - Indirect Surveillance == laws that compel private companies to save and hand over user records and communications - reputation management - DEFINITION: Managing our privacy in different social contexts through controlling self-exposure - Kinda like code-switching (persona change // think finsta vs. insta) - Many platforms == contacts and sharing - managing our privacy/audiences online can be drought + time-consuming