The Internet and Journalism

 

The video above discusses how the Internet changes journalism and the reach and power that the Internet possesses in this aspect.

 

Without the Internet and citizen journalism, much of the world’s news will take too long to reach everyone. And by then it would be old news. With the Internet, on the other hand, the world often finds out about something even before the mainstream media picks it up. It is interesting to consider whether or not the Internet will contribute to the demise of mainstream journalism.

Journalism cannot remain unchanged with the role that the Internet plays in people’s lives these days, but whether the Internet shapes journalism for the better or worst remains two conflicting schools of thought.

Consumers are turning to the Internet to obtain news at faster rate and at a no cost. Hence traditional news outlets have been struggling to remain competitive and attractive to consumers. While traditional journalism provides depth, one of the draws of Internet journalism is its width. When a story is published online, it is not just written by one journalist. The Internet allows many others to publish follow up stories or their comments and responses to it. This allows a single story to be told from many different perspectives and it allows the reader to see an issue from all angles.

However professional journalists criticize Internet journalism or citizen journalism for its lack of credibility. Citizen journalist may not be committed to reporting the absolute truth. Unlike traditional journalists, citizen journalists or bloggers are not required to support their work with credible sources. Furthermore, the Internet does bring about a phenomenon of users craving attention. Some online journalists may sensationalize their articles to obtain more subscribers to their blog or website.

Traditional journalists may also posit that online journalism contains more public opinion than objective facts and figures. On the receiving end, a large number of consumers may also place too much trust in online sources. To counter this problem, consumers should be more open and seek different sources before forming their personal impression of any issue.

Beyond the lack of accountability in Internet journalism, it is free from certain constrains of traditional journalism. This gives it an edge. One of Internet journalism’s most significant advantages over traditional journalism is its ability to deliver news to the people as soon as it breaks. While traditional newspapers deliver news once a day, online news sites or blogs can publish articles multiple times a day. And with the widespread use of RSS readers, users are immediately informed of any updates from sites they are interested in. With smart phones, consumers are also able to access information anytime and anywhere, instead of having to drop by a newsstand just to pick up a newspaper. With the superiority of the Internet’s timeliness, traditional news outlets are threatened in terms of relevancy.

Online news websites also tend to escape the space constrains which bog down traditional media. However, readers tend to develop different habits online. Most people tend to have shorter attention spans online. Furthermore, with online advertisements and links that can distract the reader and lead them away from the intended content, online news outlets develop constrains of their own.

To remain competitive and retain readers, many printed newspapers have released online versions. This is a sign that traditional media has also accepted and embraced this consumer culture shift.

As with every issue, there are always two side of the coin. I personally believe that the Internet would not lead to the demise of traditional journalism, as there are still aspects of traditional journalism that Internet journalism lack. The Internet shapes journalism for better and worse. As with all new media, the only way for people to get the most out of it is to remain discerning while consuming content.  It would definitely help for people to pursue knowledge while keeping in mind the nature and background of different sources and mediums. By considering possible biases and motives, readers can get closer to the truth.

Internet & politics

After Barrack Obama became president of the United States of America in 2008, many analysts started writing reports on how Obama succeeded because he was extremely savvy when it came to Internet tools, and effectively used web 2.0 to his advantage. The New York Times reported, “By using interactive Web 2.0 tools, Mr. Obama’s campaign changed the way politicians organize supporters, advertise to voters, defend against attacks and communicate with constituents.” Arianna Huffington, editor in chief of The Huffington Post also agreed, going further to say, “Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not be president. Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not have been the nominee.”

The Internet can indeed be a very powerful tool in terms of reaching out to people effectively, firstly because the videos, websites or any other type of political advertising on the Internet is more targeted. Websites and videos are usually shared between friends or sought by the individual user. Most people who are watching a political advertising video or browsing the web page of a political figure is already interested in finding out more, that is why the user is even there in the first place. Hence, they are already cognitively prepared to receive the information.

On the other hand, when political advertising in done on television, campaigners are unable to include heavy content as the viewer is not cognitively prepared for the overload. When people watch television programmes, most of the time they are not as focused. It is more like an activity that viewers seek when hoping to relax and clear their minds. Furthermore, political advertising happens in between television programmes during the commercial slots. In this sense, viewers may be more irritated that the programme they are enjoying is interrupted and become less receptive as a result. In comparison, the Internet definitely trumps in this area as it much more targeted and much less limited in terms of publishable content.

With Google+ hangouts, President Obama even managed to change his approach (towards potential supporters) to a much more personable one. On 30 January this year, President Obama answers questions from 225000 people who submitted or voted on questions and conversed live on Google+ Hangout with five lucky participants chosen. This was a historical event as it was the first ever presidential Google+ Hangout. This approach is effective as it puts President Obama in a very favourable light, taking the angle that he is concerned enough about the queries, doubts and worries of his people to take time off and answer their questions live. Now, more people are also watching presidential debates online.

However, the Internet can also be a threat for political campaigners. In the recent years, the Internet has become a medium for dirty political ads and the negative framing of political candidates. The most recent example being Mitt Romney’s statement that he is not concerned about the very poor in America. Romney said that the 47 percent of Americans are dependent on the government and see healthcare and education as their entitlement from the government and that his job is not to care about these people who pay no income taxes. Romney made that speech in what he thought was a closed environment, but somehow, one of the attendees video recorded everything he said and leaked it on the Internet where it very quickly became viral. 

That then set off a series of dirty political advertisements uploaded onto YouTube about the very poor that Romney does not care about despite their contribution to the American society. 

It is also common for any speech errors or things that are not meant to be heard by the public to go viral on YouTube, such as Obama’s open mic slip about having more flexibility after the election.

Therefore it is clear that the Internet is a double-edged sword when it comes to political campaigning. It has the power to promote as well as the power to destroy the reputations of political figures.

Fashion, Beauty and Multimedia

Perhaps when most people think of multimedia marketing, they may first consider brands and companies that produce electronics. However, these days, the fashion and beauty industry is undeniably also at the forefront of such technology.

In the recent years, many fashion and beauty houses and online retailers have included multimedia in their websites. Not only are consumers able to view the collections in terms of photographs in look books, fashion and beauty houses have also incorporated animation, video, audio, text and graphic design into their presentations to present customers an experience that is deeply engaging.

This offers consumers a retail experience that is multi-sensory, such that it is closer to reality. The usage of multimedia makes fashion and beauty much more accessible. With online retailers creating shoppable e-magazines and look books, as well as fashion documentaries to complement their websites, consumers can learn while they shop. 

Websites like Chanel make it easy for fans of the brand to learn more about its history through the production of a series of videos, which encompass a wide range of its legendary products. From the development and production of the Chanel No. 5 perfume to the craftsmanship of the Timeless Classic and 2.55 handbags, all these processes are documented in films and posted on the Chanel website for easy access.

Chanel also features fashion news and behind the scenes videos of its initially elusive fashion shows. Even designer-in-chief, Karl Lagerfeld’s photo exhibition can be accessed via the website.

 

American nail product brand OPI also uses multimedia on its website to much success. Not only are videos used to promote its products, videos and still images are also used to teach its customers how to get the perfect do-it-yourself manicure at home. The site is also interactive and offers users an individualized experience with some of its features. For example, its Try It On function allows customers to virtually “try-on” nail colours by changing the skin colour and nail length of the modeled hand to match their own, so as to get the most accurate representation of how each nail colour would look on them.

However, not all companies handle multimedia well and use it to their advantage. Certain websites have proved to be too ambitious and have instead brought out the disadvantages of multimedia. Luxury shoe brand, Christian Louboutin went over the top in its attempt to exploit multimedia. 

Fully Animated page on Christian Louboutin

 Christian Louboutin’s website contains a number of problems:

1. The site features a mess of audio accompanied animated icons, such as the pair of dancing red shoes clicking across the screen whenever a page loads. These animated icons seem more like a distraction than an enhancement.
2. The site in general contains many hypertext formatting errors and videos that are too large to run smoothly.
3. The site lacks structure, and consists of too many messy links, which may result in the user getting lost in cyberspace.
4.  Content on the site also takes too much time to load, thus causing the user to lose patience and wander to other sites.

Multimedia is widespread, and its benefits have become quite apparent in our daily lives. Just like social media, multimedia is one of those developments that businesses cannot ignore. Hence businesses of every sort jump onto the bandwagon of multimedia technology, some without giving it sufficient deliberation. When deciding to incorporate multimedia into their marketing efforts, businesses should not be blinded by the possible benefits of multimedia. Instead they should take note of its threats and disadvantages. Only then can companies strategise how to utilise it in a way that unravels its greatest potential. 

Internet Security

 

Cybercrime is international and Singapore has seen its fair share of them. Last month, ZDNet.com reported that the average Singaporean loses more money to cybercrime compared to citizens of other countries. The article stated that Singaporeans experienced higher incidents of credit card fraud and identity theft due to their affluence. Credit card fraud and identity theft were also listed as the main generators of cybercriminal revenue, as opposed to viruses, malware, and online harassment.

I even remember the few instances whereby I experienced Internet security issues in the past few years. A few years ago, I received an email from a friend’s account, pleading for help. The email included details that my friend was on a mission trip to South Africa, but got robbed of her hand carry luggage while she was there, thus losing her money and travel documents. The email, which appeared to be sent from my friend, then asked recipients (I am sure I was not the only target) to send her a sum of money to help her through this difficulty. I immediately knew that my friend’s email account was hacked and the cyber criminal was using her account to solicit funds. Fortunately I could tell that something was amiss about that email, so I left it alone.

This was not the only time I have witnessed friends’ accounts being hacked, sometimes I would receive emails detailing a personal testimonial of how a friend managed to lose a lot of weight and asking friends to try out the new slimming formula. Most of these emails contain a link.

Some of my friends’ emails were not only hacked and used as tools for scams but also infected with viruses or worms. Some of my friends’ infected accounts start sending out multiple copies of the virus in a seemingly harmless, casual email asking friends to check out an interesting picture. However once the target clicks the link, the worm automatically downloads onto the users computer and generates multiple copies of itself, thereby spreading throughout the system.

I have also heard about friends’ experiences with phishing scams. They unknowingly give out personal information because they thought that their credit card is updating their information for a new security procedure.

Basically I think that anyone can be a victim of such Internet scams once we let our guard down. People tend to take the Internet for granted once they use it often and not everyone is well educated on the dangers of the Internet. Even if people understand the dangers of the Internet and the potential of cybercrimes, many may still be unaware of how cybercrime has evolved over the years, and cannot recognize how a piece of malware behaves on their computer. However if everyone stays vigilant and stay updated in terms of cybercrime, many of us can protect ourselves from such online dangers.  

Computers can be installed with virus scanners and trackers, which are able to recognize which files are not safe sources. My personal practice is also to read the emails I receive carefully and take the text in the emails into context before deciding whether the attached file is indeed something interesting my friend chose to share with me or a malicious program in disguise. I also make sure I keep my software up to date and avoid pirated softwares altogether. I believe that Internet security is very important at home and at work. Downtime can cause a lot of inconvenience, not to mention loss of opportunities. Therefore, everyone should play an active role in the prevention of cybercrime.

Internet Tools

I decided to go with a short public service announcement for this week's Internet tools excercise. The video is short and simple, but I hope it conveys a strong message.