NDM Story #46 - 25/03/15

Apple reveals the secret fitness lab it has been using for TWO YEARS to develop its health tracking watch
Apple have revealed that they have been using people to test out the product that they were going to be releasing to the public. They have been found that they have had people testing their health and using the new apple watch that will be released soon to the public in England. They have been using these people for 2 years just testing it out to see whether it works good and was accurate with peoples health.
Lab has been running in this unmarked building for two years
Apple employees wear special masks and equipment to monitor breathing
Were not told what they were testing - and used covered Apple Watches
Fitness app was installed by Apple as part of this week's iOS 8.2 update
I believe that there is nothing wrong with testing out products as long as the peoples who they have chosen to do it agrees to the terms and conditions. They must also be treated fairly and not overworked.

NDM Story #45 - 18/03/15

Twitter Latest To Face Sex Discrimination Lawsuit
This article is about a woman Tina Huang who was a twitter engineer and had worked with twitter for a long time. She has filed a lawsuit against her former employer for being biased and not giving woman the promotions but only the men. She had missed out on many promotions which she finds unfair and believes that Twitter are in favour for men and only the men. Which is why most of the men at her workplace are all in high places and keep moving up, whilst the woman always stay where they are and due to this she has filed a lawsuit and is suing he ex employer.

• Twitter being biased 
• Promotions only to men
• Filed lawsuit against ex employer 

I believe that Twitter is not biased, i believe that its a case of men doing a better job than woman and woman believing that they're being biased, if they did their job to an outstanding level maybe they'd be promoted.

NDM Story #44 - 18/03/15

Twitter 'could be vital tool in general election'
Research from social media platform says 45% of users aged 18-34 became interested in a cause they learned about through the site


Twitter could be an important tool for political parties to persuade young voters ahead of the general election, research from the social media site suggests. Of the Twitter users aged 18 to 34 surveyed, 45% said they had become interested in or joined a political or social cause that they learned about through the site, and 37% said they used the site to actively look for information about politics or the UK general election.
One in three 18- to 34-year-old users had changed their vote from one party to another, 47% had reconsidered their views on a specific issue based on what they’d seen on the site, and 20% said they were still undecided about how they planned to vote.

This shows that new and digital media in the future can prove to be something that is beneficial not only for tasks such as shopping and ordering take-aways and online petitions, but take part in the actual electoral/voting process and that to in the comfort of their own homes, saving the government a lot of money on having to set up events and venues! 

NDM Story #43 - 11/03/15

Twitter's new bid to end online abuse could endanger dissidents 

Twitter is making people register their numbers on twitter through their phones so they can keep track of the abusers but this may be a bad idea.

• started forcing users of the Tor anonymity network – along with serial trolls – to register their phone numbers, in order to stop abuse.
• Users given short-term suspensions for abuse will be required to register their phone number with Twitter, a step that is currently optional, so the company can track trolls and block them from creating multiple accounts.
• The clampdown may stop causal abusers, but those that have gone to the trouble of using Tor to set up accounts and protect their identity to troll and abuse users are unlikely to be deterred by a phone number requirement.
• But in other countries, such workarounds may be less available. In Turkey, all mobile phones have to be registered, including those bought outside of the country. A passport is required to obtain a sim card and phone number, which makes any phone number that could be subpoenaed from Twitter by the government a risk of exposing identity

This may be a good idea to track the abusers, it would also decrease the amount of trolls online.

NDM Story #42 - 11/03/15

Google to launch YouTube subscription service without ads 

This article is about Google getting rid of advertisements on YouTube videos as a way of fine tuning it to consumer satisfaction, this is because they are rival to other sites such as Netflix. 

• subscription offering was important to YouTube because some viewers did not wish to sit through advertisements.
• The move would allow YouTube to compete with companies such as Netflix and represent a significant change for the site, whose free ad-supported videos attract more than one billion users a month.
• YouTube has been exploring a paid, advert-free version of its service for some time, launching a pilot program in 2013 that allowed individual content providers to charge consumers a subscription fee to access a particular video channel.
• Launched last year, Google Preferred packages together the most popular YouTube channels and sells ads across them up front, in the same way that traditional TV ads are sold.

YouTube are trying to keep their consumers as there are other rivals out there and they want to stay in the game so are getting rid of things people do not like such as advertisements.

Collective identity and the media

Self-image and the Media (MM41 - page 6).
Our Media Magazine archive is here.

1) Read the article and summarise each section in one sentence, starting with the section 'Who are you?'
The first section is about creating an identity for yourself and ideas about self image there is a certain way we want ourself to be seen.
The second section is about how identities were set to an individual according to many different things e.g class or race
The third part is about the need of having needs and meeting our desires, advertising has helped people to know what they want.
The fourth part is about a rise of an individual. which is about how a person start to become unique
The fifth part is about branding and lifestyle which is about the way people buy items to what match their identities.
The last part is about as individuals we make our own choices and are in control of our public imagine.


2) List five brands you are happy to be associated with and explain how they reflect your sense of identity.
Nike - Very comfortable shoes, and high quality clothing. I have been wearing this brand for a long time, as well as those around me, so it holds a strong sense of identity with me.
Apple - The company have been providing me with good service, and technology leading to me staying with them for many years, simple and pretty and I cant stay without, highly associated with me.
Audi - This is a brand I want to be associated with, as I like their cars and hope to own an audi when I am older. 
The Body Shop - I would prefer this brand over others as it is not only a good one for myself, but is against animal testing, thus I am a loyal customer and more than happy to see self identity with it.
Swarwoski - Their jewellery is really elegant, and I wear a necklace from there everyday, and it's really satisfying and looks good, thus reflects my sense of identity.


3) Do you agree with the view that modern media is all about 'style over substance'? What does this expression mean?
I do agree to some extent that the media is style over substance as the most popular things in media are to do with style, fashion and fame.


4) Explain Baudrillard's theory of 'media saturation' in one paragraph. You may need to research it online to find out more.
Media saturation is defined as media that is around use every for example radio, tv, online etc. To a large extent I believe that we do live in a media saturated world where every is very dependant on the the use of media for example we rely on the news to inform use and social media where we can access breaking news.

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?
Yes fairly, I pose mainly with family members in pictures I post, showing I am family oriented. I do post what's on my mind, or re-tweet on Twitter what I find entertaining or can relate to. I have removed a picture from social media of me and someone who I used to be friends with, so I'm no longer associated with them, not even on social media!!!


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

- I think that data mining is beneficial to an extent however companies may step out of boundaries, and the government may not be able to create set boundaries, which makes some cases be invasion of privacy, leading to it being seen as illegal.

Post-Colonialism: Destiny Ekaragha/Media Mag

Post-colonialism

1) Read the excellent article exploring the different representations of black people in British film and TV from Media Magazine 42 (MM42 from our Media Magazine archive - page 51)

2) List FIVE films, FIVE TV programmes and FIVE online-only productions that are discussed in the article.

Films:
Bullet Boy
AnuvaHood
Shank

Slumdog millionaire
Ill Manors

TV programme
55 degrees north
Luther
The Kumars at 42
Goodness gracious me
Citizen Khan

Online only:
Brother with no game
Venus vs Mars
The Ryan sisters
All about the McKenzies
Meet the adebanjos


3) Watch Destiny Ekaragha's clips above (more of her work is available on her website, including the short film The Park). To what extent can we apply Alvarado's and Fanon's theories to these films? Do they reinforce or subvert typical black stereotypes in British film and TV? Refer to specific scenes and events in the clips in answering this question and aim for at least 350 words.

We can apply Alvarado’s and Fanon’s theories to these films to some extent, as they have a links to both reinforce and subvert typical black stereotypes in British film and TV. 

In the short film, Tight Jeans, the exotic representation, as in the middle of the film, the three black youths are talking about the “size of their d****” and how they have “f***** everyone, to populate the world” to subvert Alvarado’s theory, the dangerous representation is challenged because the youths are simply sitting down, and not causing any trouble i.e. being anti-social. However this can be seen differently as they were swearing, and using foul language, thus may come across intimidating to some. Alvarado’s theory, the racial representation of being humorous, where they are making fun out of each other, in particular when the boy sat in the middle is questioned of knowing what a white man’s penis size is. With Fanon’s theory, there is evidence for infantilized, essentialized and in some sense primitivized. They were infantilized as they were arguing at the start like little children. In terms of being, essentialized they challenged as they had stood their own out with individual characters rather than being clunked as one group.

The “Gone too far” trailer, the pitied representation of black people is evident, when the Nigerian man is presented as typically outcast, emphasised by his costume, for example the sandals and socks. The representation of being exotic is also embodied in the Nigerian brother as he is arrives in the UK straight from Nigeria. The dangerous representation is subverted by the fact that there are no stereotypical representations of a black youth being violent, anti-social or a threat. The humorous representation of black people is evident as the Nigerian brother is entertaining, especially in the sense where he is singing in the chicken shop about being Nigerian. In terms of Fanon’s theory, the character of the Nigerian has been primitivized as he is unknown to the British lifestyle and norms; this is evident from the trailer when he attempts to flirt with women but is shot down. The representation is also infantilized as the Nigerian brother is seen as a child who has just entered the world and is discovering new things.