New Media Technologies Social Media and News Agenda

New Media Technologies: Social Media and News

Agenda • From Open Source to Open News? • Discussion Leaders & Small Group Discussion • Diigo Assignment

GNU Project (1/3) • Start of open source philosophy (1985) ▫ “The word `free’ in `free software’ pertains to freedom, not price” … think free speech, not free beer! • Four principles … Freedom to: ▫ ▫ Use the program as you wish Adapt the program Distribute copies to help your neighbor Improve the program and share it with the public to benefit the entire community

GNU Project (2/3) • Technologists used their social networks to develop new software … by using communication (technology) networks • Subsequently … Linux, Apache, TCP/IP, SMTP … ▫ Important: this internet infrastructure was not mandated by a “government” nor directed/envisioned by a for-profit corporation

GNU Project (3/3) • Arguably provided foundational philosophy of the web (and TBL actively arguing against a patent for HTML) • Mid-90 s battle between open & proprietary software; Microsoft won the battle but lost the war

Online News : Overview • Repurposing electrons from print to new media was a business decision but one reached reluctantly ▫ 1981 news clip ▫ “Repurpose” v “create for the medium” ▫ From one-way to two-way

Techniques … • … to reverse loss of eyeballs ▫ ▫ “Digg This” Most emailed/read Now, “Tweet This!, +1, Like” i. Phone, i. Pad, Android apps • Tip: how to bypass login requirements ▫ Bug. Me. Not ▫ Search Google. News

“News” v “Journalism” Journalism is “our day book, our collective diary, which records our common life. That which goes unrecorded goes unpreserved … The creation and preservation of collective memory…” is the practice of journalism. - James W. Carey, Columbia University

What Is Citizen Journalism? Why not just call journalism “journalism” — a word the citizens, amateurs, networks, distributors and professionals can understand? Journalism can be “practiced” in all sorts of ways, and by virtually anyone. You don’t even have to be a citizen or a professional; you could be a foreigner, or even an alien from outer space…journalism is not some exclusive club; it’s something that takes many forms… - Max Kalehoff, Nielsen Buzz. Metrics

Open Source Journalism • Characterized by expanded two-way communication between media and readers. • With blogging, reader becomes author and author (journalist) becomes reader, ending the one-to-many model of communication.

Shaping the News Hole • Trent Lott story (2002) ▫ Covered by only one reporter following event ▫ Kept alive by bloggers - liberal and conservative • LA Times (2004) ▫ Supreme Justices Scalia v Ginsburg • • Colbert’s monologue – Press Club Dinner (2006) Josh Marshall – Attorney. Gate (2007) Iran Elections – Neda (2009) Egyptian Uprising (2011)

Podcasts • Time-shifted “radio” • Audio file + RSS = Podcast ▫ Not just i. Pod, it’s just that i. Pod created a broad audience ▫ Incredibly fast adoption • Entered Oxford English Dictionary in 2005 ▫ Started in 2004 by Adam Curry (see Wikipedia on trademark challenge)

Videocasts & You. Tube • Time-shifted “TV” • Rupert Murdoch buys (then later sells) My. Space ▫ Music distribution : forever disrupted ▫ Now Pandora, Spotify, etc • Google buys You. Tube ▫ Army launched You. Tube Channel, “cracks down on” soldier blogs (E&P, 2 May 2007)

Two BIG Points • Bottom Line Impact – Revenue Model Broken ▫ Newspapers Craigs List e. Bay ▫ TV Ads The commercial before watching a TV clip on line and network angst over You. Tube (et al) • Bottom Line Impact – Copyright ▫ No longer rival or excludable (last week’s lecture) ▫ The ease of the remix

Summary • Blogging (and social networks) technology is having a profound impact on Web content and established media business models • Neither news nor politics will be the same • Next week: spotlight on politics

Credits • Kathy E. Gill, @kegill ▫ 1 August 2011 • Title Slide : Journalism That Matters (2008) • Creative Commons – non-commercial, attribution, share-and-share alike