1. How
does online redefine the notion of Mass communication? Discuss with suitable
examples.
Mass
Communication is a broader term that encompasses the process of exchanging
information in between sender/s and the multiple audiences. Today, the communication
facilitated by traditional media (Radio, Television, Newspapers and Film) is
being less effective and less efficient due to the shift of audience attention
towards online media. The traditional media assists the mass communication
which seems to be more like a linear communication when we take into account
the degree of interactivity between the communicators. However, the advancement
in the internet technology has given rise to online media often known as new
media. With several features of online media the notion of communication has been
redefined these days. Some of the important notions brought by online media
regarding mass communication can be discussed as follows:
'One
to many’ versus 'many to many'
Traditionally
mass communication was like 'one to many' function where the media organization
or sender used to send message but there was no efficient channel for
retrieving feedback. Such feedback then couldn't be the part of what was being
communicated further. In this process, there is a sender sending a common
message to the undefined audience on the other side. However, online media
considers that these are many senders and many receivers at once. For instance,
group chat on Facebook or Skype. In this process there is a possibility at many
senders can send message at a time and also receive many message at once.
User
control communication and greater interactivity
Unlike
in traditional notion of mass communication, online has invited newer
facilities for the audience. It is now possible for the audience to have
control over information. For example, in a website with use of convergence, a
user can watch a related video by clicking to the hyperlinked content. OR else
the user may just go through other contents which he wants. This has increased
the interactivity because it demands for the active participation of users
highlighting the notion that a reader rules over the content.
Competition,
Convergence and Symbiosis
The
online media can incorporate the multimedia content in a web page. This can bring
all the contents of radio, television, print and film into one interface of an
online page. The same content can be viewed, read and listened. Likewise,
online media has increased the scope for media symbiosis by creating platform
for the exchange of information between different media. This has made the
communication business more competitive. This is why the online sites have to
make their appearance and service more effective and efficient.
Promotion
of Freedom of expression with limited gatekeeping
Online
media has a feature that it has less control over information flow. Unlimited
space and access of everyone as an author has made it possible the content
appear without being much gate-kept. This has promoted the freedom of expression.
For example; it is possible for anyone to hide their identity and anonymously share
their views or information which they couldn't do it using the traditional
media.
Fastest
medium widens scope for more credibility and accountability
These
days it is possible to disseminate information upon demand within very less
time. For instance, if a user from a distant place tries to explore more about
an event being happened in Nepal then he may comment on the news of a news
portal. And the authors may call for gathering information to the reporter who
is still in their field. Then the reporter using his/her phone can upload the
demanded information. This has increased the scope for credibility because
there is less change for gatekeeping. Since everyone has access to channel for
providing information, one can't have total control over anything. Also another
important aspect of online media is that quick correction is possible in case
of any mistakes. This can increase the degree of accountability.
Thus,
in the face of mass communication as perceived traditionally, the online media
has brought many advantages. Among many of them the special feature like speed,
interactivity, etc have changed the notion of mass communication that
distinctly remain apart from that of traditional notion of communication.
2.
Discuss citizen journalism. Also
discuss how the online media have been vital in the development of citizen
journalism
Citizen
journalism redefines the notion of journalism. Journalism as a profession was
conventionally taken as the job of those experienced, professionals and
experts, who could collect, edit and disseminate the information by maintaining
the traditionally established standards. However, with the increasing access of
the public towards the tools of mass communication, it has become possible that
everyone can perform the role of a journalist by sharing of information
whatever they have of the public interest. For instance, blogging can be taken
as an example of citizen journalism.
The
concept of citizen journalism is based upon the common individuals taking an
active participation in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and
disseminating information. This concept was derived from the integration of
words like "public", "participatory",
"democratic" and "street" journalism.
Citizen
journalism is even practiced in the places where there is no access to internet
or the time when internet technology was not so much developed. Telephone,
letters and other means of personal communication could be used to report about
certain events by the ordinary people. But with the advent of internet
technology, the online media have increased public participation in the process
of news manufacture making it possible for the individuals to share news and
information to wider community within no time.
It
is the internet that provided the common people to transmit information
globally. That was a power once reserved for only the very largest media
corporations and news agencies. This promotes the concept that news is
everywhere, everyone can explore and find out and hence share the truth and
everyone has the right to seek, receive and impart information which the rise
of online media has made it possible. For, example a user kept the video of
Seti Flood in the facebook and informed the public of Pokhara to be aware about
it before the arrival of flood to the city. It wouldn't be possible to share
information this quickly unless there wasn't any media to facilitate citizen
journalism.
Today,
online media has been a vital medium for the growth of citizen journalism.
Internet has allowed the citizens to share the information of any kind like text,
pictures, audio and video. And this is the difference that online has brought
to the concept of citizen journalism. Online facilitates citizens to have their
crucial role as news gatherer, analyst, editor and audience. This has made it
easier to share the realities in the original forms. There are many kinds of
platform for the citizens to share their information. Such as, the emergence of
the Internet - with blogs, podcasts, streaming video and other Web-related
innovations - is what has made citizen journalism possible.
3. Discuss
functions and dysfunctions of web 2.0 and social media with suitable examples.
Web 2.0 is a concept which can be
understood as the version of World Wide Web that works as a platform for the
sharing of information in a more interactive way. This type of web network
allows the users to collaborate and interact with each other. Unlike the
previous versions of web technologies, web 2.0 is more about how the use of the
internet is changing. These days "the Internet has become more of a
platform for existing technologies, many of them collaborative, and a perpetual
beta site for new technologies."
Experts often argue whether Web
2.0 is something new, or merely an extension of existing technologies. The
bottom line is the magnitude of the impact of the current generation of services.
Web-based communities and hosted services such as social networking sites,
wikis, and blogs, aim to facilitate creativity, collaboration, and sharing
among users; but the very openness of these sites makes them vulnerable to new,
multi-layered malware attacks. In this scenario, web 2.0 and social media as its
compartment are posing different functions as well as dysfunctions
Functions of Web 2.0 and social media:
·
Provide
the platform for socail bookmarks
·
Comment
and reputation: The success of social media applications, such as news groups,
blogs, online forums, question-answering systems, and social news services,
depends highly on the quality and attractiveness of the contributions from
regular users. Usually, good contributions are produced by a relatively small set
of “reputable” users and consumed by a large user population.
·
Crowdsourcing
content: the websites like answers.com and wikipedia.org are base on
crowdsourced content. Since eveyone can openly contribute for the sites to
generate content more information can be archived and explored due to this
function of the web 2.0
·
Blogging:
Somehow similar to maintaining personal websites in the previous web 1,
blogging is possible due to web 2.0. Blogging lets anyone own space through the
means of cloud computing. This has made it possible for the individual to share
information, create platforms for conversations and represent certain
communities.
·
Documentation:
Storage and archival of multimedia contents or information of all kinds sush as
text, image, video and audio is possible on the unlimited space in the
internet. This makes the archival system more effiecient and effective due to
ease in search options and arrangement of similar or related items in a proper
order.
·
Audio-video
livecasting: Web 2.0 has made it possible for the transfer of audio-video
content live through the chat tools like facebook, skype, yahoo etc. This has
made the web possible to bring communicators closer to the real life situation.
·
Social
Networking: People of anywhere in the world can involve in the network of a
virtual social sphere or communities. Facebook, twitter, linkedin etc are some
examples of socail networking sites. Through these sites people can maintain
new relations and remain as equal golbal citizens.
·
Business
facilitation: The advancement in the internet technology has created newer
opportunities to business activities. The scope for business is now unlimited and
can reach anywhere at anytime due to the development of interactive sites.
·
Function
of wikies and RSS feeds: Wikies allow the users to add, edit or remove content
in a website. RSS feeds generate contents for the web by adopting the
syndicated contents from other websites such as: news feeds used in a blog.
Dysfunction
of web 2.0 and social media
Dependence,
a barrier to creativity: With a lot of information available online, use of web
2.0 and social media can make people depenent upon what is already there.
People spend their more time surfing internet rather than finding something
from the nature and the outer world.
Reduce
social cultural spaces: The social networking sites make people unaware about
their physical, social and cultural relationship.
Virus,
piracy and frauds: With the rise in social media virus threats have increased.
The possibility of using pirated software is a problem. The torrent is an
example of such act. Likewise there are a lot of frauds happening due to misuse
of the facilities provided by web 2.0.
Misrepresentation
or fake identity: Hiding identity can be a serious threat when it comes to
fraud activities and misrepresentation. For example: users with fake idenity can
defame others. Slander and libel are some example of the dysfunction of social
media. Pornography is yet another dysfunction of social media and web 2.0. This
is considered to lead the society towards disorder and misuse of the internet
media.
4.
Write
Short notes: Zukerberg
Mark Elliot Zuckerberg is
the chairman and one of four co-founders of Facebook, a very popular social
networking site. Zuckerberg who always opposed the idea of having media
corporations owned by the conglomerates, with a thought of creating an open information
flow for the people, launched Facebook in the 2004.
Zuckerberg was born in
1984 in New York.
He graduated from the Harvard and made his career as a software developer. In
the 1990s he learnt programming from his father. He enjoyed developing computer
programs, especially communication tools and games.
