Weekly New Digital Media - 11.01.17 (36)

Facebook hires TV journalist Campbell Brown as media liaison after fake news fallout

                              

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jan/06/facebook-hires-campbell-brown-media-partnerships

Facebook has hired former CNN anchor Campbell Brown to help build better relations with news organizations in the wake of the fake news scandal.e social media giant already has a team of staff to liaise with media within the markets it operates but Brown – an Emmy-winning TV veteran who also worked at NBC – at will lead this team, reporting into Nick Grudin, vice-president of media partnerships.I will be tapping my newsroom experience to help news organizations and journalist work more closely and more effectively with Facebook,” she said, announcing the news on her Facebook page. The social network has been under pressure to take more responsibility for the content that’s distributed on the platform since it has become one of the main ways many people get their news. At the same time the social network has been accused of censorship for deleting from the site an iconic Vietnam war photo, nicknamed “Napalm girl”, for showing child nudity. The company overturned the decision, but not before engaging in a very public squabble with the editor of the Norwegian newspaper, whose journalist first posted the image, and the prime minister of Norway.

[] News organizations increasingly rely on Facebook, which has 1.79 billion users, as a distribution channel.

[] Facebook needs high-quality content to keep its users entertained and informed, which in turn generates advertising revenue for the platform.

in 2016 alone Facebook sucked more than $1bn from the newspaper industry.

In my opinion: I am glad that Facebook are trying to tackle the issue of fake news by hiring Campbell Brown who can build better relationships news organisation, but that in reality wouldn't stop fake news or control it. In a way it can be seen that Facebook are just trying to distractpeople from the fake news issue and try to make the social networking site refer to something else and not just repeating discussions about fake news. 

Weekly New Digital Media - 11.01.17 (35)

Twitter's controversial head of China leaves after eight months

                                 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/01/03/twitters-controversial-head-china-leaves-eight-months/

Summary: Twitter's manager for China, whose appointment just eight months ago sparked controversy, has announced her resignation. Kathy Chen, appointed in April as general manager for the China region made the announcement on her own Twitter account she stated the following; "Now that the Twitter APAC team (Asia-Pacific team in Singapore) is working directly with Chinese advertisers, this is the right time for me to leave the company' Like other Western platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, Twitter is inaccessible in mainland China, blocked by the communist regime's vast system of internet censorship. Unable to reach local users, Twitter has tried to persuade Chinese companies and media to open accounts to reach a global audience.

[]China region had grown almost 400 per cent.

[] Twitter cut nine per cent of its global workforce and as the company struggles to attract new users.

[] Twitter is home to a very active community of Chinese intellectuals and dissidents posting from abroad and also from within the country through the use of virtual private networks.

My opinion: It is becoming harder for the chines government is becoming very strict on their citizens, they are limited their sources on what their people are allowed to visit and can not visit. Twitter is very open and controversial, it allows discussion to be open and wider issues to be seen by trends and hashtags, by China blocking out Twitter is making it harder for the people to be opened to such wide issues and be engaged to external sources, which i think is being very unreasonable. 

Weekly New Digital Media - 04.01.17 (34)

Uber is tracking your location even when rides are finished 

                                 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/12/05/uber-tracking-location-even-rides-finished/ 

Uber has begun collecting passengers’ location data even after journeys have finished. An update to the app allows Uber to follow users' GPS signal while it is running in the background. Previously, it would only do so when Uber was open on the phone. Uber said it would only be tracking users from the moment they request a trip until five minutes after the journey had ended. The company said the change would improve the app by allowing for more reliable pick-ups, improving customer service, and enhancing safety. The additional tracking is meant to help prevent fraud, such as when a driver charges passengers extra by marking a journey as finished several minutes after it has actually ended. However, many users voiced their disappointment at what they saw as an intrusion into their privacy. Although  you can use Uber without giving it location data, simply by entering the pickup and drop-off points on your journey instead of your phone’s GPS signal. Selecting "Enter pickup address" allows users to use the app without providing it access to their location. 

Privacy is important to a lot of people, especially over the internet or the apps they use.  Even if it is just Uber using the accessing your location on the go - apps should never intrude into peoples privacy. In my opinion, through this i think that Uber can lose a lot of loyal users thereby, they lose revenue they gain from this, as shown on the report, people have already expressed their ager and disappointment to the company through Twitter. Things can be done without using peoples location access as mentioned above. 

Weekly New Digital Media - 04.01.17 (33)

Google plans UK launch of paid-for YouTube Red service

                  

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/12/31/google-plans-uk-launch-paid-for-youtube-red-service/

Google is planning to launch a paid version of YouTube in the UK in the 2017, as the internet giant expands its competitor to Netflix and Amazon’s subscription video services.
YouTube Red, which was first released in the US last year and has since expanded to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Korea, allows subscribers to watch videos without viewing adverts beforehand, as well as gaining access to a roster of exclusive shows. Google is understood to be in negotiations with rights holders about bringing the service to the UK and other European markets in 2017, although YouTube Red’s launch is not a certainty and is dependent on signing deals with music labels. As well as removing adverts on currently-available videos, YouTube Red, expected to cost £9.99 a month in the UK, is positioned as a competitor to other online video services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It gives viewers access to a range of original shows and films from independent video makers. It also allows subscribers to download shows to watch offline and in the background on smartphones, and includes access to Google Play Music, the company’s music streaming competitor to Spotify and Apple Music. It is believed the new revenue model, as well as features such as video downloads, can require contracts to be renegotiated.

[] YouTube Red, which was first released in the US last year

[] YoutTube paid out $1bn (£800m) to the music industry last year as the mosts popular content on youtube is music videos. 

[] YouTube Red, expected to cost £9.99 a month in the UK. 

[] YouTube Red had around 1.5m paying subscribers in the summer 

Yotube would be the highest visited page, all ages go on this site to watch some sort of videos, if its just streaming music or watching videos about DIY or watching youtube stars themselves or even creating and uploading videos themselves. This site appeals and is used by millions of people. By people visiting this page to watch people who they are able to create personal relationships and identities from but also learn from is becoming very popular in this day and age. The interacition between the internet and the young people especially; "millennials" is allowing bigger changes to happen in the future with how the internet delvoping but also with the opportunities that are held within the internet - just like the opportunity of becoming a 'Youtube star"

Weekly New Digital Media - 28.12.16 (32)

BBC1's idents get a makeover by photographer Martin Parr

                           

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jan/01/bbc1s-idents-get-a-makeover-by-photographer-martin-parr 

Summary; Broadcaster commissions British documentary photographer to create new idents to capture ‘modern Britain in all its diversity’ for 2017, based on the theme of “oneness”. The new campaign launched on Sunday, with the image of a group of sea swimmers from Clevedon, Somerset. Other images to have been shot include a Zumba class from Bristol and wheelchair rugby players from Wales. The BBC said the portraits will feature “different groups of people coming together across the UK, united by their shared passions and interests”. The groups have been selected “to reflect the diversity of modern Britain and the changing mood of the nation through significant moments in the calendar year”.  The images, of which there are expected to be about 20, will replace the circle-themed idents that have aired since 2006. idents were designed to reflect BBC1’s “role in bringing the nation together, with unmissable programmes and events and celebrating all the things we share and have in common”. Director of BBC; Charlotte Moore said: “I want BBC1, the nation’s favourite channel, to continue to evolve creatively and so it’s important that the channel idents continue to move with the times too – and feel relevant and in touch with its big, broad mainstream audience. BBC1 is a channel with its finger on the pulse of a fast-changing modern Britain.  “What better way to demonstrate this than by commissioning Martin Parr, one of the most celebrated documentary photographers of our time, to create idents from a series of portraits that reflect and represent the rich diversity of communities living in the UK today? “Renowned for finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, I hope that the series of images Parr captures across the year will document everyday Britain in all its glory and serve as a fascinating and lasting record of 2017.”

[] The BBC came under fire at the time for spending £1.2m on the images, which included a family of computer-generated hippos practising synchronised swimming, surfers, stunt motorbike riders and kite-fliers.

My Opinion: Brand identity is very important and crucial for a large institution such as the BBC. By renewing their idents according the culture and the society now but also relating it to their news values shows that BBC is moving along with everybody and trying to make audiences identify with their own channel in their own different way. 

Weekly New Digital Media - 28.12.16 (31)

Facebook break can boost wellbeing, study suggests

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/22/facebook-break-can-boost-wellbeing-study-suggests

Summary: Researches find that leaving social network for a week increases life satisfaction, especially among heavy users and ‘lurkers.  Research by the University of Copenhagen showed the effects of quitting for a week were also strong among heavy users and those who envied their Facebook friends, suggesting that people who pore irritably over the posts of others may benefit the most. In addition, they have also mentioned that questionnaires were conducted at the beginning and end of the week indicated that taking a break from the site increased life satisfaction and positive emotions. The effects of quitting were found to be greater among heavy users, passive users and those who envied others on the social network. There was no positive effect of taking a break for light users. 


[]one average, the age 34, had 350 Facebook friends and spent just over an hour a day on the social network, which had 1.79 billion monthly active users in the third quarter of this year. 

In my opinion, this research it is quite interesting, being a person who doesn't have Facebook or isn't a heavy user of social networking, I am not impacted by what is on the sites. From the research, I agree that people shouldn't be using and relying on social networking as it isn't healthy nor it benefits the person generally, many people forget their surroundings and the environment they are in because they are mostly engrossed in the networking sites and what is shown on there. Changing behaviour can be hard, as through in the long term it would be very beneficial to people, so i think the most realistic approach to this is that people take it in steps, firstly reducing the time they spend and then slowly go from there. Social networking can be addictive due to the the interactions and how people can relate but some of the ways which the internet is develpoing especially social networking sites, can be harmful towards an audience. 

Weekly New Digital Media - 21.12.16 (30)

News publishers contributed £5.3bn to the UK economy in 2015 

https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2016/dec/14/news-publishers-contributed-53bn-to-the-uk-economy-in-2015 

                                 

Summary: In a challenging era of falling newspaper profitability, due mainly to declining advertising revenues. “UK news media: engine of original news content and democracy”, says publishers are by far the biggest investors in original news content, accounting for 58% of the total investment in news production. But it warns that their future contribution rests on their ability to monetise newsbrand content, particularly on digital platforms, in order to fund newsgathering.

[] news publishing industry contributed £5.3bn to the UK economy in 2015

[] newsbrands generated £4.8bn revenue, supported 87,500 jobs and invested £97m in digital services while holding power to account 

[] The sector also supported an estimated 87,500 UK jobs; invested £97m in digital services; and added value across the supply chain because the average publisher dealt with nearly 2,600 suppliers.

Newspapers are struggling and are slowly declining even though news publishing industry contributed a lot of money to the UK economy in 2015. In the report it does also say they their future contribution rests on their ability to convert/adapt news brands content especially on digital platforms, this can be tricky because if this doesn't work, newspapers know they wouldn't be able to survive. Digital platforms are tricky to keep up with especially with the traditional media as they would have to find their orginialty and space for their platform to fit in. News is already online through applications of news sources but can be also searched online, if the public audiences are getting their news from news organisations or very well known newspaper brands how will more news organisation able to keep up and get their views?