Updated NDM news stories

1: 'Europe finally abolishes mobile phone roaming charges'
2: 'How young viewers are abandoning television'
3: 'Wireless signals can detect your feelings with new device'
4: 'Why Facebook is public enemy number one for newspapers, and journalism'
5: 'Met investigates filmed confrontation between driver and police officer'
6: 'British men describe how they 'trolled the world' with fake story claiming they accidentally caught boat to Syria'
7: 'Yahoo secretly scanned customer emails for the US government'
8: 'Digital crisis looms as 'ruthless' fourth industrial revolution breeds startup fear'
9: 'I'm with you on the digital revolution, it's the lack of journalism I can't face'
10: 'It might be trending, but it doesn't make it true'
11: 'Jamie Woodruff 'hacked' Kim Kardashian – and he'll hack your company for a fee'
12: 'Facebook bans 'offensive' Swedish breast cancer awareness video'
13: 'Back to the future: were newspaper publishers wrong to go digital?'
14: 'Twitter to focus on live events for 2017'
15: 'Facebook isn't looking out for your privacy. It wants your data for itself'
16: 'Crime-reporting app Vigilante kicked off App Store over Apple's content concerns'
17: 'The rise and rise of fake news'
18: 'Politics has gone wrong. Is digital technology to blame?'
19: 'Facebook’s failure: did fake news and polarized politics get Trump elected?'
20: 'China's Xi urges cooperation among nations in governance of global internet'
21: 'Deals on drugs, weapons and stolen data - Black Friday comes to the dark web'
22: 'Twitter suspends 'alt-right' Donald Trump backers'
23: 'Avalanche: Online crime network hit in global operation'
24: 'Fake news and a 400-year-old problem: we need to resolve the ‘post-truth’ crisis'
25: 'Why Facebook's China adventure will need more than censorship to succeed'
26: 'This doll recorded kids’ conversations without parental consent'
27: 'Hackers rewarded for web attacks'
28: 'Facebook, Twitter and YouTube create database of terrorist images to fight online extremism'
29: 'Game of Thrones was the most pirated show for the fifth year in a row in 2016'
30: 'Murder suspect's Amazon Echo device could help solve the case'
31: 'NHS trials artificial intelligence app as alternative to 111 helpline'
32: 'Artificial intelligence could cost millions of jobs. The White House says we need more of it.'
33: 'MEPs vote on robots' legal status - and if a kill switch is required'
34: 'Tech Startups Are Spearheading A New Era Of Giving Back In The UK'
35: 'Porn videos streamed 'via YouTube loophole'
36: 'Popular porn sites blocked in Philippines'
37: 'Arrests after 'gang rape livestreamed on Facebook'
38: 'Cambridge scientists consider fake news 'vaccine''
39: 'Reddit bans far-right groups altright and alternativeright'
40: 'Social media 'echo chamber' causing political tunnel vision, study finds'
41: 'Why has Cameroon blocked the internet?'
42: 'Body cams are being trialled in UK schools to keep an eye on students'
43: 'Fake news is 'killing people's minds', says Apple boss Tim Cook'
44: 'The clock is ticking for Spotify'
45: 'Google and Bing to deprecate piracy websites'
46: 'Wikipedia bans Daily Mail as 'unreliable' source'
47: 'Facebook artificial intelligence spots suicidal users'
48: 'Twitter adds more anti-abuse tools'

MEST3 Identity/NDM stories: updated indexes

1) Reading the riots
2) Post-colonialism: theories and Destiny Ekaragwa film analysis
3) Post-colonialism: Orientalism theory and Yasmin clip task
4) Post-colonialism: Media Magazine articles and questions
5) Feminism: post-feminism and No More Page 3 research
6) Feminism: Feminist theory and Beyonce video analysis
7) Feminism: waves of feminism and online activism
8) Feminism: Applying feminism - Media Factsheet
9) Identity and Film - Media Factsheet
10) Identity and the wider media - Factsheet
11) Collective identity and the media

Collective identity: blog task

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 'Who are you?'

'Who are you?' - we are involved in constructing an image that reflects us, the significance of this is the culture surrounding us, the thing that makes us who we are and how we want to be seen.

'I think, therefore I am' - our identity is based on social constructs; class, religion, gender and predetermined roles that construct us, making the notion of the individual less central. 

'From citizen to consumer' - Edward Bernays said our identity is based not on behaving as active citizens but as passive consumers; consumer goods are about creating and satisfying desires, informing people about what they should want. 

'The rise of the individual' - by the late 1960s and 1970s the notion of individualism began to take hold. Freud’s ideas about the Self seemed to imply that beneath the surface there was an ‘essential self’ – the core of who you actually are.

'Branding and lifestyle' - branding is the association of a personality with a product. advertisers sell the personality rather than the product, people therefore choose products that match their own self-image. 

'Who will we be?' - Participants in the former are forced to construct their identity within the confines of the template provided; data mining – allows corporations to create products designed to meet the needs we reveal in our personal information.

2) List five brands you are happy to be associated with and explain how they reflect your sense of identity.

DC Comics - Reflects my identity as I like superheroes and villains, explains my particular film choice, interests in fiction and action. 

Nike - Portrays my lifestyle choice, the comfort of Nike but also the brand name as something that is well known and well respected. 

Levi's Jeans - Well established, traditional 

Lacoste - Sport, wealth, well established brand 

Maserati - Class, sophistication

3) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?

I agree to some extent that modern media is all about 'style over substance' however I do not think the most mainstream media texts are about this. There is more pleasure brought to the individual by the fashion labels and the most established brand names, rather than the reliability of products and the actual value.

4) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more.

The increasing dominance of the mass media and what Baudrillard calls ‘media saturation’ results in high cultural value being placed on external factors such as physical beauty and fashion sense over internal traits such as intelligence or compassion. The influence of the media in providing the images, the products, the role models and the ideas that we use to help construct an idea of identity and image has been tackled widely infilm. Fight Club (1999) is direct in its exploration of the construction of self-image and the de-centred self; more recently films such as Shutter Island (2010), Ghost Writer (2010) and Inception (2010) have played with similar ideas.

5) Is your presence on social media an accurate reflection of who you are? Have you ever added or removed a picture from a social media site purely because of what it says about the type of person you are?

I think my social media is definitely an accurate reflection of me as I hardly even use social media. The main source I use is Whatsapp; I hardly ever upload on Snapchat or Instagram purely because I do not like to reflect my life on social media or show others what I am doing all the time. I simply prefer reality rather than the constructed realities online and therefore would never construct myself to suit an online persona.

6) What is your opinion on 'data mining'? Are you happy for companies to sell you products based on your social media presence and online search terms? Is this an invasion of privacy?

I think once personal information is revealed, it feels as though you are being spied on and therefore it does become an invasion of privacy, however I am happy for products to be sold to me through my social media presence as it becomes helpful to see things that I personally like without searching for it.

Identity and the wider media

1) The Factsheet discusses how identity is a complex subject. What does it suggest defines our identity?

Identity is a very complex subject. How we define ourselves is based on a complex set of relationships but we can think about our idea of ‘self’ as being:

• who we think we are

• who we want to be… and

• who we think others think we are

We define ourselves in many different ways and our identities come from the individualised experiences we have. We create a range of identities that change depending on the context we find ourselves in and our relationships with other people. Part of the process of constructing our identities comes from our relationship with the media. As an audience member we may select and use the media that we feel best reflects our identity at any given time.

2) Complete the task on page 2: suggest media texts that could reinforce that someone is non-mainstream; edgy; a pleasure seeker; fashionable; witty and fun; cutting-edge.

Non-mainstream = Alternative music magazines; Indie

Edgy = The Human Centipede

A Pleasure Seeker = Adventure magazines, holiday/trip magazines 

Fashionable = Fashion magazines; Vogue

Witty and Fun = Comedy films; Sean of the Dead

Cutting-edge = Technological advancements in broadcast, futuristic programmes/films; Humans

3) What examples are suggested for a case study on urban youth?

The Jeremy Kyle Show - portrays chavs and the working class in a negative light 

Eden Lake and Harry Brown created moral panics as they put the role of the working class urban youth in the position of the villain. 

4) What does Hebdige argue with regards to youth culture?

Richard Hebdige says that youth cultures show their resistance to the dominant culture through their style choices. Urban youth can show itself to be outside the mainstream by adopting the uniform that is feared by mainstream culture and they learn about this fear in the media representations. 

5) What other theorists are referenced alongside Hebdige? How do they link to the issue of youth identity?

The media continues to represent these youths as deviant in an attempt to reinforce mainstream values (Acland) but of course these representations are constructed by people outside this group (Perkins) and in this case can be seen to be a reflection of adult culture’s fear of urban youth (Giroux). Those within the group though have their status as outsiders reinforced.

6) How can we link our Year 12 case study on Ill Manors to youth and identity? What specific examples from the case study could be used to discuss Hebdige’s theory that youth culture challenges mainstream culture and dominant ideologies?

Wearing the same clothes and having the same values can allow audience members to identify with a group and so become an important part of the ‘construction of self’. Artists like Plan B and Jessie J use this sense of collective identity to tap into their target audience’s sense of both self and collective identity and uses this to promote the artists and their music. The fact that Plan B and Jessie J are graduates of stage school identifies clearly that these urban identity can be adopted and constructed.

7) What does theorist David Gauntlett suggest regarding the media’s influence over the construction of identities?

Theorist David Gauntlett claims that the media have influence on identity construction and so the way the media stereotypes groups may become part of how individuals see themselves and media institutions are able to use this to sell their products.

8) Do you agree that Hebdige’s view that youth culture will always seek to resist mainstream culture and challenge dominant ideologies?

I agree that the youth culture does want to resist mainstream culture and challenge dominant ideologies however it is also interesting to notice that they have created a new identity which most youths conform to. This reveals the power of role models upon youth and how the culture has become a mainstream brand. 

Identities and Film: blog task

1)Read Media Factsheet 142: Identity and Film.

2) Complete the Twenty Statements Test yourself. This means answering the question ‘Who am I?’ 20 times with 20 different answers. What do they say about your identity? Write the 20 answers in full on your blog.

1. I am a GHS student 
2. I am a media student 
3. I am an English Literature student 
4. I am a Graphics student 
5. I am a female 
6. I am a daughter 
7. I am a sister 
8. I am Asian 
9. I am Punjabi 
10. I am British 
11. I am average height 
12. I am unique 
13. I am funny 
14. I am going to travel the world 
15. I am creative 
16. I am imaginative 
17. I am 18 
18. I am artistic
19. I am motivated 
20. I am a big fan of the Joker

3) Classify your answers into the categories listed on the Factsheet: Social groups, ideological beliefs, interests etc.

Social groups and classifications: 

• I am a GHS student 
• I am a media student 
• I am an English Literature student 
• I am a Graphics student 
• I am a female 
• I am a daughter 
• I am a sister 
• I am 18 
• I am average height 

Ideological beliefs: 

• I am Asian
• I am British 
• I am Punjabi 

Interests:

• I am a big fan of the Joker 

Ambitions: 

• I am going to travel the world 

Self-evaluations: 

• I am creative 
• I am imaginative 
• I am motivated 
• I am funny
• I am unique 
• I am artistic 

4) Go back to your favourite film (as identified in the lesson). What does this choice of film say about your identity? Are there any identities within the film (e.g. certain characters) that particularly resonated with your values and beliefs?

My favourite film is the 1972 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This film shows that I am quite a unique individual in the sense that I am an 18 year old who is a fan of a children's film. The identity of Willy Wonka's character resonates with my beliefs as he is an imaginative eccentric who believes that the impossible is possible; this is something that I also belief and his morals are based closely around mine. He embodies the creative mind and imagination and so do I. The idea of Charlie's character as the struggler who just needs a big break in life is something that I also resonate with as good things come to good people.

5) Watch the trailers for the five films highlighted as examples of gay/lesbian representation in mainstream film. How are LGBT identities constructed in the trailers and how are audiences encouraged to respond to these representations?

Wilde - 1997 

Oscar Wilde reveals that he thinks "that the realisation of one's self is the prime aim of life." The idea of being yourself and being true to your identity is explored in this film, when a woman asks the lady why Wilde is famous, the woman replies "for being himself." This therefore highlights how audiences should be encouraged to support the identity of individuals as it makes them who they are. However, the fact that Wilde's lover gets locked up and stopped from seeing him reveals the issues and debates around homosexuality and how it is not supported by all, encouraging audiences to sympathise and empathise with LGBT groups. 

Philadelphia - 1993 

This film tackles the topic of AIDS as an issue and a 'moral panic' too, encouraging audiences to be aware of the issues but also encourages them to understand the fact that being gay does not stop you from becoming successful and accomplishing things.The fact that he is being discriminated due to the fact that he has AIDS, reveals the severity of homophobia as a problem that causes successful individuals to lose their jobs, causing audiences to sympathise with the issues discussed. 

The Wedding Banquet - 1993 

This film explores the theme of family and traditional ideologies and beliefs within a family environment. It also explores cultural themes as the family are Chinese, the gay partner is white which also brings about issues of race and culture. The fact that people have to lie to their parents and lie in society to be who they are reveals the idea of masking themselves and their true identity in order to be accepted, highlighting Frantz Fanon's idea of black skin, white mask - although not strictly in relation, the similar idea of hiding being a facade to fit into society is prevalent. 

The Kids are Alright - 2010 

This film explores lesbian parents with children - showing that the stereotypical family environment is being distorted by the fact that there are two mums. It also encourages audiences to see that two women cannot raise two kids as the kids want to see the father and therefore want to know who their dad is showing that there needs to be social order in a child's life for stability. This encourages audiences to see the negative aspects of LGBT groups rather than the positive. 

Pride - 2014 

This film shows the rebellion of the LGBT groups who want society to accept their identity and being different from the rest in terms of their sexuality. The elder generation reveal the stereotypes in society as they ask 'can you clear something up for me about gays.' This shows the ignorance within society and reveals how this film is actually a source of educating society about the LGBT group as a positive image. 

Media factsheet: Applying Feminism

1) What are the five types of feminism outlined on the first page of the Factsheet?

• Radical Feminism - cause of women's oppression as men; men deliberately exploit women in order to benefit them. Main aims of this theory is to address concerns over violence against women (sexual relationships). 
• Liberal Feminism - mainly concerned with gender socialisation in order to show that gender roles are not biologically determined. The main aim of this type of feminism is to change the ways children are socialised into stereotypical gender roles and to attempt to change social policy to improve the position of women within the family.
• Marxist-Feminism - looks at women’s oppression in relation to capitalism and the class system. One of the aims of this type of feminism is to look at the role of domestic labour within capitalism, namely that women work in the home for ‘free’, and the role women play in producing the next generation of the labour force.
• Black Feminism - primarily concerned with black and Asian women’s experiences of oppression and exploitation. It combines ideas about capitalism, patriarchy and anti-racism.
• Postmodern Feminism - associated with third wave feminists. It acknowledges the diversity amongst women and encourages individual women to find feminist ideas that combine with their own experiences of life to create a brand of feminism suitable for them.

2) Which category would Judith Butler fit into? What about Angela McRobbie? Laura Bates and Everyday Sexism? Explain your answers.

Judith Butler - she would fit into the category of Liberal Feminism as she believes that gender roles are not biologically determined; instead are a product of society and social issues. Therefore she bases gender around performance rather than biology.
Angela McRobbie - she would be classed as a Postmodern Feminist as she believes in the empowerment of women as individuals, encouraging them to create a brand of feminism suitable for themselves.
Laura Bates - she would fit into the category of Postmodern Feminism as she encourages individual women to find feminist ideas that combine with their own experiences, therefore acknowledging diversity.

3) What was the difference between suffragists and suffragettes? Which approach do you agree with?

Liberal feminists are known as suffragists and radical feminists are known as suffragettes. I agree with the suffragists' approach as they peacefully protested about the issues that they faced rather than reacting violently and illegally. The idea of fighting fire with fire is something that gets society no where and therefore I think the liberal feminist approach is a more powerful way of creating change, whilst the suffragettes approach would merely stimulate chaos.

4) What was Laura Mulvey's argument regarding Hollywood film? Do you agree with it? Why?

Mulvey argues that Hollywood film objectifies women and positions them in a way to appeal to men, hence her idea of the 'male gaze.' She believes that women are presented in highly sexualised way for audiences, however although I do agree with this, I also know that sex sells and therefore the representation of a glamorous woman being presented is something that would make profit. She also does not take into consideration that women today like to look at other women too and therefore the issue of the 'male gaze' is no longer the issue but the fact that these fetishised women are role models for young girls and therefore produces a negative image of the way a woman should act and appear. Therefore I think that Mulvey's point is not invalid, however transitioned and developed into a bigger issue where the 'male gaze' is not the primary problem but the effect on younger audiences.

5) Watch this YouTube video extract on Jean Kilbourne's Killing Us Softly series and list five examples she gives of the media objectifying women:

"I'd probably never be married if I hadn't lost 49 pounds" - weight loss

"If your hair isn't beautiful the rest hardly matters" - hair product

"Honey, your antiperspirant spray just doesn't do it" - antiperspirant product 

"My boyfriend said he loved me for my mind, I was never so insulted in my life" 

"Keep her where she belongs" - construction industry

6) What is Killbourne's argument regarding the representation of women in advertising?

She believes advertising is a 'powerful education force,' as '2 years of your life spent watching advertisements.' The most important thing is how we look; ideal female beauty. We must strive to achieve this look that is seen in advertising, absolute flawlessness, however this is constructed and is a fake reality. The supermodel Cindy Crawford said 'I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford.' The idea of photoshop and creating the ideal, perfect woman provides a negative effect on audiences.

7) What is Naomi Wolf's argument in The Beauty Myth?

Wolf claims that the notion of ‘beauty’ is entirely socially constructed and patriarchal. Men create the rules as to what is considered as the beautiful woman which changes and is constructed differently with different cultures.

8) Why is the representation of women in music videos a controversial topic for feminists?

This is controversial due to the fact that feminists are unaware if the women presented in these videos are objectified or instead being empowered. Directors arguments to counteract the idea of women being a product of patriarchal oppression is their idea that it is not reality and audiences are aware of this fantasy being constructed in music videos, however Sut Jhally believes that audiences are influenced in reality by this, using the Puerto Rico Pride Day parade (2000) in New York as an example of this, where men sprayed drinks over women and ripped off their clothes.

9) What is your view of female artists such as Nicki Minaj or Beyonce - do they empower women or reinforce sexist, patriarchal views?
I think that female artists like Nicki Minaj and Beyonce both reinforce sexist, patriarchal views but also provide a negative influence for younger audiences. I do not think they empower women as they present themselves in a way that reveals them as the 'perfect woman' with an overly sexualised body and fetishised appearance that is clearly a product of the male gaze and creates an aesthetic that young girls strive to want. Although they try to empower women by believing they themselves are empowered, it causes the debate of what their messages are as they become jaded by their appearance rather than their lyrics; how are we meant to take a barbie doll replicate seriously?

10) Has new and digital media given women an opportunity to challenge sexist views or is it simply another media platform for women to be oppressed? Explain your view.

I think new and digital media has definitely given women an opportunity to challenge sexist views as it allows women and men for that matter, to express their opinions and ideologies and therefore come together to understand the issues that we do still face today. However, I also believe that new and digital media has made the topic a much more exposed issue, which has now been catalysed and blown out of proportion to the point where conflicting views are easily challenged, creating arguments online and heated debates. It makes an issue that should not still be an issue today, an issue that is ever-growing. 

Week 24 - 'Twitter adds more anti-abuse tools'

'Twitter adds more anti-abuse tools'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39130826

• Users will be able to limit what they see from certain types of account, particularly ones with no profile picture or information
• The company said it would act only on accounts that its computer algorithms had thrown up as being abusive
• There has been mounting pressure on social media firms to deal with the growth of extremist propaganda, fake news and harassment on their platforms
• Nick Thomas, an analyst at research firm Ovum, said: "Given that cleaning up Twitter is imperative if it is to attract more advertisers to the site, there is pressure not just to act, but to be seen to act - which may explain why they are making multiple announcements."

This idea of 'being seen to act' which Nick Thomas mentions is an interesting one. Twitter and Facebook mainly have been seen prominently in the news about tackling the issues of fake news and extremist propaganda, but so far have done nothing to counteract this; from this we can see that the institution is giving the audience what they want to hear but not actually acting upon this to do anything in the short term. The drastic rise of fake news has therefore made it difficult to trust online news sources; algorithms that are to be implemented make it difficult to actually be fully aware of what is abuse and what is merely 'banter.' The problem is who decides whether a comment is abusive or not, therefore ethical concerns and social concerns are brought about from this as every individual is different. 

Week 24 - 'Facebook artificial intelligence spots suicidal users'

'Facebook artificial intelligence spots suicidal users'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39126027

• Facebook has begun using artificial intelligence to identify members that may be at risk of killing themselves
• A suicide helpline chief said the move was "not just helpful but critical"
• Facebook also announced new ways to tackle suicidal behaviour on its Facebook Live broadcast tool and has partnered with several US mental health organisations to let vulnerable users contact them via its Messenger platform

The positives of using artificial intelligence are clear here as it socially aids individuals online, creating a safer online network. However the issues with everything being constantly checked is also a privacy problem and therefore raises ethical concerns in terms of what individuals freely want to post online. Facebook have thought about ending live streams that concern suicide but realised this was not necessarily the correct thing to do but simultaneously it comes down to the issue of the internet being a democratic space and the freedom on social networking sites. If an individual chooses to voice their opinions on suicide, perhaps they also want people to reach out to help them.