Media Unit 2
Outcome 3: Media and change
What is the impact of new media technologies on us as individuals and as a society?
The official part:
'Developments in media technologies have dramatically altered the media landscape and the relationship between the media and its audiences. New media is a term that applies to contemporary technology used by media producers and audiences, and the social, cultural and economic practices that arise from these contemporary forms.
Digital technologies, interactivity, immersive content and participatory practices have become a feature of the creation, production, distribution, engagement with, consumption and reception of the media. Media industries and institutions have adopted and adapted aspects of convergence to build and maintain audience share through new forms of interaction.
All engagement with media is creatively, culturally and economically situated. Audiences are media consumers, producers and products, often simultaneously. This is particularly evident in social media where public and personal communication is combined. Such platforms facilitate convergence between communities and commercial opportunities that are developed, built and maintained through common interests and creativity.
Changes in the media have social, emotional and ethical consequences for individuals and society. New media forms, products and processes are often controversial and may be mistrusted or devalued by existing media institutions, some audiences and groups in society. Students examine the technologies, processes of production, characteristics, distribution, engagement with, consumption and reception of media products in new media forms. Students investigate the relationship between emerging and pre-existing media forms, products and institutions. They evaluate the impact of developments on individuals, society and culture.' (VCAA, Media Study Design, p30 https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/media/2024MediaSD.docx).
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Outcome 3:
On completion of this unit you should be able to:
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discuss the influence of new media technologies on society, audiences, the individual, media industries and institutions.
To achieve this outcome you will draw on key knowledge and key skills outlined in Area of Study 3.
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Key knowledge:
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the nature and forms of new media technologies
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characteristics of new media audiences
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the ways audiences interact and engage with the media as a result of the growth of technologies across media forms
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the influence of technological development, audiences, the individual, media industries and institutions
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social, ethical and legal issues in the media industry in the last two years.
Key skills:
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identify the nature and forms of new media technologies
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discuss the characteristics of new media audiences
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explain the ways audiences interact and engage with the media as a result of the growth of technologies across media forms
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analyse the influence of technological development, the individual, media industries and institutions
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analyse social, ethical and legal issues in the media industry in the last two years.
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​Success Criteria:
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Read:
Chapter 2 of the textboook
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READ:
MAKE:
Your social media feed has been infected by false information. Your job is to learn the skills of verification, so you can sort fact from fiction — in the game, and in real life.
To play the game, review each post, and choose ‘thumbs-up’ if you think it’s true, and ‘thumbs down’ if you think it’s false. It’s not always easy to tell the difference.
Be careful and good luck!
Play Now
PLAY:
WATCH:
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"Motion pictures were the claimed root of all societal evil a century ago, before giving way to the news media as the alleged propagators of misinformation and societal strife and today it is social media that has stepped into the role of societal bogeyman." (Leetaru, 2019)
READ:
WATCH:
As you watch the documentary Everything is a Remix (2015), take notes on remix culture and copyright.
READ:
LISTEN:
Since the turn of the century, social networking has become and integeral part of the way people communicate and share information.
WATCH:
The Social Network (2010)
Director: David Fincher
READ:
WATCH:
Both The Circle (2017), The Great Hack (2019) & The Social Dilema (2020) are available on Netflix. Watch & Take notes.
WATCH:
Audiences have changed dramatically! Te way we consume media products has changed.
WATCH:
After watching, consider some of the positives of Social Media. Consider how the social media has changed how the audience consimes media products. Think of a social Media/Online Activism campaign that had positive effects.
Think, Pair, Share
WATCH:
Student example presented as a YouTube clip.
LISTEN:
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WATCH:
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As you watch the documentary PressPausePlay (2012), take notes.
Gaming
READ:
On Demand/
Streaming:
Student example presented as a Documentary. https://drive.google.com/file/d/18oE8aZqZJfcGc39zraELjMLsTfedAHzH/view?usp=drive_link
Interactive titles on Netflix:
Watch & PLAY:
YouTube has given every day people like you nd I the agency to be active media makers even for interactive and hybridised media forms such as this Among Us - You Choose interactive clip.
FAKE NEWS:
“Fake news” is a term that has come to mean different things to different people. At its core, we are defining “fake news” as those news stories that are false: the story itself is fabricated, with no verifiable facts, sources or quotes. Sometimes these stories may be propaganda that is intentionally designed to mislead the reader, or may be designed as “clickbait” written for economic incentives (the writer profits on the number of people who click on the story). In recent years, fake news stories have proliferated via social media, in part because they are so easily and quickly shared online.
Misinformation and Disinformation (other types of "fake news")
The universe of “fake news” is much larger than simply false news stories. Some stories may have a nugget of truth, but lack any contextualizing details. They may not include any verifiable facts or sources. Some stories may include basic verifiable facts, but are written using language that is deliberately inflammatory, leaves out pertinent details or only presents one viewpoint.
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"Fake news" exists within a larger ecosystem of mis- and disinformation.
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Misinformation is false or inaccurate information that is mistakenly or inadvertently created or spread; the intent is not to deceive.
Disinformation is false information that is deliberately created and spread "in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth"
(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disinformation).
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Claire Wardle of FirstDraftNews.com has created the helpful visual image below to help us think about the ecosystem of mis- and disinformation. And as she points out, "it's complicated."
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(Source: https://guides.lib.umich.edu/fakenews)
READ:
PLAY:
PLAY:
Can you spot the troll?
Take the quiz and find out!
EXCURSION:
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Task:
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Media & Change Podcast
Using an app (such as Anchor), prepare a 2 minute podcast about a form of new media technology or phenomenon such as:
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Mobile phones/smart phones
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Web 2.0 technology
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Social media - Instagram/Snapchat/FaceBook/Twitter
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Citizen journalism - Blog/Vlog/Podcasts
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Online/interactive Zine, Flipbook/Magazine or Graphic Novels
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eBooks
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Gaming
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TV/streaming
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News/Fake News
The presentation must include:
1. Information about the relationship between new media technologies and other technologies.
2. Information about how new media affects individuals, groups and society.
3. Information about the creative and cultural changes, possibilities and issues developing in society as a result
of the use of new media, for example user generated content, collaboration, privacy, intellectual property
rights and other legal and ethical rights and responsibilities evolving in the use of the technology.
4. Documentation of pre-production (Script), production (recording/editing), post production (save/upload/distribute/embed).
5. Referencing.
Codes & Conventions of a Podcast:
MUSIC:
Introduction with music/jingle, Highly important, Sets the mood, tone and setting of a scene, Most considering the audience, Not louder than the speech
SPEECH:
The manner in which words are spoken, enunciation, pitch, accent, timbre, clarity, Prevent ‘popping’, ‘fillers’. Be careful of ‘p’ and ‘t’ sounds into the microphone.
SOUND
Intro music initial credits/Exit it with the same music
foley indicate natural sounds /instrumental
Ambience sounds, Special sound effects, foley sound, sounds/tones in podcasts are often used to keep the viewer interested or to denote that the topic is changing/moving to the next phase/component
SILENCE: Dramatic effect, Ending of scene, Thinking time within the silence, Breaks dialogue
NARRATIVE: Linear chronological, non-linear not in an order, single strand by yourself, multi strand with others.
POINTS OF VIEW
Monologue Individual presents their own views/Interview semi structured/vox populi ("voice of the people"/same question different people)/panel a group discussing the theme/debate opposing sides and a neutral person
LENGTH: 2 minute presentation
Assessment:
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Drawing upon your theoretical knowledge from AOS3 identify a range of creative and cultural implications of the new media fom and will be assessed on your ability to include the following:
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Ability to plan appropriately using information you have received in class and logically presenting your presentation within the time constraints.
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discuss the characteristics of and cater appropriately for your intended audience, including the ways in which the audience interacts/engages with it
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Ability to describe how the new media technology works and what it is capable of doing & and discuss their relationships to traditional media technologies and forms.
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Ability to discuss implications of your chosen new media on an audience and society at large. Analysis of the influence of technological development, media convergence and hybridisation on society, the individual, media industries and institutions.
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Analysis of social, ethical and legal issues in the media industry in the last two years.
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Ability to demonstrate knowledge of codes and conventions.
Helpful stuff:
Advice from LessonBucket:
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"Here are some hints for writing a broadcast script:
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Be clear. When you are writing a script for radio or a podcast, ensure that your meaning is immediately clear to the listener. When you’re listening to audio it is often inconvenient or impossible to go back and register for clarity. Ensure your writing is immediately clear to the audience.
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Simple sentences. Write simple, direct sentences with a single idea. Try to keep the number of words in a sentence down to twenty.
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Be conversational. When you’re writing broadcast copy, imagine that you’re talking to a friend. Use contractions like don’t, won’t or can’t. Remember that the most engaging copy acknowledges that you’re talking directly to the audience. Avoid overly formal, stilted language or jargon.
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Avoid alliteration, sibilance and difficult words. When you are writing broadcast copy, ensure that you read back over it aloud to identify stumbling blocks. Alliteration, a series of words beginning with the same letter or sound, is one example of something that is difficult to say. Sibilance, or successive ‘s’ sounds, also make copy difficult to read. Avoid words that are difficult to pronounce, especially if there are simpler alternatives.
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Simple words. George Orwell once wrote, “Never use a long word when a short word will do.” This advice particularly applies to broadcast writing. Avoid language intended to obfuscate and inveigle.
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Active voice. Every sentence has a subject. The subject of a sentence is the person or thing that does something. In an active sentence, the subject does something. In a passive sentence, the target of their action takes the position of the subject. The passive voice is awkward and unnecessarily wordy. Avoid it.
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Active: John (subject) looked (verb) at the train (object).
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Passive: The train (object) was looked (verb) at by John (subject).
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Cut words. Cut unnecessary words from sentences whenever possible.
(Source: https://lessonbucket.com/vce-media/unit-1/australian-stories/australian-film-podcast/#more-3310)
Podcast Inspo:
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Audio programs to explore different styles of audio form reporting:
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Download This Show, published on the ABC Radio National website
Hack, published on the ABC Triple J website
Reply All, published on the Gimlet podcasting website
Note To Self, published on the New York Public Radio website
MAKE:
How to Start a Podcast on Your Phone | Anchor Podcast Tutorial (Pod Sound School 2019)
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Narrative Podcast & scripts:
Of all the media forms, a podcast could be the one where a good script can matter the most. “A narrative podcast is telling a story,” so it should include the basic elements of a dramatic structure. These are often the same elements that come into play when preparing a ‘regular’ film or a video.
These are:
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Story arc: beginning, middle, and the end to your story
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Exposition: the introduction of background information, such as setting and backstories
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Conflict: situations where characters are challenged or must overcome some adversity
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Climax: a turning point for the characters’ story; the beginning of overcoming the conflict
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Denouement: resolution to the conflict
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(Source: https://bunnystudio.com/blog/a-good-narration-script-could-be-the-key/)
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Student Podcast & script examples:
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This example is too lengthy, but a good example of a script & covers the content well. The student seems to be "reading" - consider ways to be more conversational, concise and punchy.