G325 Section B Glossary (We Media and Democracy)
Blog
From ‘web log’, meaning a website updated regularly and chronologically by the author giving their views and opinions. Blogs have now become an important part of online journalism, The Huffington Post blog sold in early 2011 for $315 million.
From ‘web log’, meaning a website updated regularly and chronologically by the author giving their views and opinions. Blogs have now become an important part of online journalism, The Huffington Post blog sold in early 2011 for $315 million.
Citizen Journalism
When members of the public engage in journalism. Examples include providing pictures or film of events to news organisations or reporting events in blogs. A key part of democratic media.
When members of the public engage in journalism. Examples include providing pictures or film of events to news organisations or reporting events in blogs. A key part of democratic media.
The Cloud
Cloud storage allows users to store data on a company’s servers rather than their own hardrives. This has now evolved into a service where games can be played from the Cloud (Onlive or Steam) or music can be stored and played from the Cloud (Amazon Music, Google Music or iCloud).
Convergence
Devices are no longer used for just one thing, new media technologies are not limited by how they can be consumed or distributed. Convergence means PCs now play music, iPods can play games and phones are internet devices. Sometimes institutions plan convergence (the iPhone) but sometimes it’s the consumers who start it, Nook readers used as tablets for example.
Democratic media
The media used to be controlled by large institutions that had the money and power to print, publish and broadcast. Home computing and cheap media production means that anyone can be a journalist, film maker or broadcaster, making the media democratic. Blogs, video services, easy app development and podcasts make it easy to produce user generated content.
Long tail
Chris Anderson defined the Long Tail as an economic state where products have a longer sales pattern when they don’t rely on shop storage because they’re either downloadable (iTunes for example) or they’re sold online (Amazon). An Amazon employee described the Long Tail as “We sold more books today that didn’t sell at all yesterday than we sold today of all the books that did sell yesterday.” The long tail is important for niche items. Anita Elberse criticised the Long Tail by claiming that it’s still mainstream and mass market products that dominate internet sales.
Net Neutrality
Net neutrality is the principle requiring Internet providers to act as common carriers and not discriminate among content or users — for example, by providing degraded service to rich-media sites, by throttling file-sharing services, by penalizing customers who watch or download a lot of videos or by blocking Internet applications and content from competitors
Peer to peer
A system where content is shared between users across a network. Peer to peer can be used for illegal downloads with a central hub like the Pirate Bay linking users to other users’ content.
Social Marketing
Marketing and advertising that reaches potential consumers via social networking website, such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo. They appear at the edges of users’ profiles and can be targeted based on keywords in their profiles to match their stated interests or recent activities.
Marketing and advertising that reaches potential consumers via social networking website, such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo. They appear at the edges of users’ profiles and can be targeted based on keywords in their profiles to match their stated interests or recent activities.
Streaming
Delivery and distribution of media content over an internet connection direct to your device without being saved. Youtube and Spotify are both streaming services. Onlive is an example of a streaming games service.
Synergy
Synergy is the working together of two different institutions, often relying on each other’s expertise and reputation. Synergy has been around for a long time now but in the online age it’s evolved into something more pervasive; Vevo on Youtube, Facebook and Spotify are to work together in Europe and Fifa 12 will feature more affiliates than ever before (Real Madrid and Everton used the trailer to launch their 11/12 season kits).
Top down/bottom up news
Top down news focuses on news that focuses on groups in power; governments and business for example. Twitter and blogs now allow news to be ‘bottom up’. The revolution in Syria is a good example; traditional media has been gagged there so news focuses on individuals because it’s being reported by them.
Trending
Happens when a topic is widely discussed on microblogs like Twitter. Trending allows a subject to become big news without pushing from an established news agency. Think about Ryan Giggs, the traditional media couldn’t discuss him but it was trended on Twitter.
Viral marketing
A marketing strategy that encourages the audience to pass on the marketing material themselves. Examples include short films and clips sent by email.
A marketing strategy that encourages the audience to pass on the marketing material themselves. Examples include short films and clips sent by email.
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is commonly associated with web development and web design that facilitates interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and collaboration on the World Wide Web. It is understood to be a democratic forum, a flat arena in which all users may contribute and speak.
