A2 media exam - Section B

1. Holly Fairbairn

2. His six big ideas explain whyWeb 2.0 has had
such a huge impact:
 User generated content
 The wisdom of the crowds
 Data on an epic scale
 Architecture of participation
 Network effects, power laws & the long tail
 Openness

3. LongTailTheory:
 Culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on
mainstream products at the head of the demand curve and toward a
huge number of niches in the tail.
 In an era without the constraints of physical shelf space and other
bottlenecks of distribution, narrowly-targeted goods and services can
be as economically attractive as mainstream fare.
Examples:
 A key example of this in the media is in terms of gaming as many
consumers are showing a preference for niche games online rather than
buying console games from stores.
 Another prime example is in the film industry as web 2.0 sites such as
kickstarter allows people to share and view their own niche productions
rather than the mainstream films you can buy in store.
Relevance:
 This theory has high relevance asWeb 2.0 makes it easier for more
people to search for and buy a wider variety of products which has
resulted in a shift away from mainstream products

4. We think:
 More people than ever can participate in culture, contributing their ideas,
views, information.
 The web allows them not just to publish but to share and connect, to
collaborate and when the conditions are right, to create, together, at
scale.
Examples:
 A prime example of this theory in the media is the music industry as
there are now streaming websites both for profit and otherwise such as
ITunes where people can not only publish their work but can buy and
comment on them also.
 Another key example is in the news sector as web 2.0 websites such as
social media allow people to contribute their thoughts on the news as
well as comment on the news websites.
Relevance:
 This theory has good relevance as web 2.0 has allowed people to
contribute their ideas and views to websites such asYouTube andWiki’s
to collaborate on a larger project as well as share their views on existing
products.

5. Wikinomics:
 The effects of extensive collaboration and user-participation on the
marketplace and corporate world.There are four principles:
 Openness - open standards, content and attitudes towards external
ideas and resources
 Peering - replaces hierarchical models with a more collaborative forum.
 Sharing - less proprietary approach to products, intellectual property,
bandwidth, scientific knowledge e.t.c
 Acting globally - embracing globalization and ignoring "physical and
geographical boundaries" at both the corporate and individual level.
Examples:
 Key examples of this is in theTV and film industry as streaming websites
such as Netflix allow consumers from all over the world to view
programmes and films that were only originally shown in one country.
Relevance:
 This theory has some relevance to media as many streaming websites
allow people to act globally in both their producing and their consuming
in different industries. However, copyright still restrains sharing of
products.

6. We Media:
 A few big media corporations cannot control the news we get any
longer, now that news is being published in real-time, available to
everybody, via the Internet.
Examples:
 A key example of this is in the news as web 2.0 has allowed people
to have a lot quicker access to the news and to share their opinions
through social media rather than some aspects of the news being
kept from people.
 Another example of where this theory applies is the film industry
as many aspects of certain films can be leaked via the internet that
aren’t meant to be released, providing a hinder for many big
projects.
Relevance:
 This theory is quite relevant as many industries can be effected by
the news being online as specific news that companies don’t want
public can be easily linked and spread quickly through the internet.

7. Newspapers, Paywalls and Core Users:
 Online distribution has changed the newspaprer industry
from a mass market product aimed at a mass audience to
a niche product aimed at a niche audience.
 The news as a bundle of mixed content doesn’t work
online where people will only access the pages of interest
to them.
Examples:
 This has a big impact on the news as due to these changes
and the audience's attitude that material should be
available for free online, the news industry is faced with a
crisis over how to secure revenue.
Relevance:
 This theory has limited relevance to media as it only really
applies to the news industry rather than applying to more
than one.

8. The machine is changing us:
 Web 2.o allows us to connect with more people and to be part of a global
community.
 The way we communicate online is different to how we communicate using other
mediums.This can be explained by our anonymity and the physical distance from
those we communicate with.
 Web 2.0 has made big changes to society and established ways of doing things.
 These changes have implications for privacy, commerce and ourselves as a
whole.
Examples:
 A key example of this is in the news industry as the internet reveals private
information about celebrities which are then commonly shown on news
websites.
 Another example of this is in the gaming industry as due to the internet many
games have an online chat room where you can talk with other players no matter
where in the world they are.
Relevance:
 This theory has high relevance in regards to the media as due to the online age
we live in, many forms of media now have ways of communicating with other
people around the world.