MEDIA OWNERSHIP: Who owns what and does it matter?

1.  Research who Rupert Murdoch is. Make a mind-map (using https://www.text2mindmap.com/) of his companies, who runs them and in which countries he has businesses.  

• Add a screen grab or a link of/to your mind map on your blog.

EXTENSION: Search for and read, ‘BBC News Murdoch attack on 'dominant' BBC’ (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8227915.stm).

Answer the following questions:

(a) In your own words, what are the points he makes about the BBC’s power?

(b)  What do you think? Does the BBC have too much power and should we have the licence fee?

 

2.  Imagine you are someone as powerful as Rupert Murdoch. You have decided you do not like the government in Britain. Think of ways you can USE the media YOU own to convince your readers and viewers that the government is no good.

• Write up your ideas on a PowerPoint Presentation.
• Upload your presentation to slideshare (http://www.slideshare.net/).
• Embed your slideshare PowerPoint on your blog (this link is a tutorial which shows you how http://www.slideshare.net/Daybird1987/how-to-upload-to-slideshare-and-embed-in-blogger)
  
  

3.  Media terminology: find out what the following words mean…

 

MONOPOLY                CONGLOMERATE                   MULTI-NATIONAL

MEDIA TYCOON         PLURALITY                              PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTER

 

4.  Pick one of the TV channels you have watched. Do some research into who owns it - how they are funded?

• Present your findings in any way you wish on your blogsite.

5.  Watch this video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zn6vcdm.

• Use 5-10 bullet points to summarise the main issues the video presents.

 

6.  Consider everything that you have learnt over the last half term, through this project, what do you think are the main issues related to media ownership?

• Explain, in full sentences (on your blog), giving evidence to support your points.

 

Is Social Media "Social"

My opinion is mixed on this statement. I do believe that now social media has gotten a little out of hand with Facebook having over a billion users everyday and other networks such as twitter and instagram close behind social media has in fact become unsocial. I think this as the question of how many friends you have on Facebook and how many you actually talk to. after all even if you talking all it is are pixels on a screen. From my experiences i have never recently had a conversation with someone or spent a day with someone without them picking up their phone and checking what's happening on Facebook. i myself try to avoid this as its completely avoiding the fact of social media. For example when you arrange to meet up with someone on Facebook most likely at some time they will check Facebook again for no reason even if you have already met up with them and the whole use of Facebook was to arrange to meet with you and be social however they completely blank out the world and use social media to escape the reality of having no technology for just a few hours. however responding to this point people from all over the world can contact each other in less than a minute which is truly amazing. Many people have met some amazing characters from all over the world using social media. plus this fact information is being spread faster than ever you can know anything that is going on by simply typing in the address or clicking on that f in the bottom corner of your iPhone or Samsung is a statement to what humans can achieve in just a decade. "It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity" - Albert Einstein.

My opinion on social media in society.

I agree massively with the statement "social networks don't bring us closer together" it's quite possibly the truest statement I've seen on paper in a long time. Whilst social networking is a fantastic tool for staying in touch quickly and efficiently, with friends across the globe, it's also a form of escapism for keyboard warriors, who cannot face real life. Social networks are a way to say things to other people in a way that masks inner feeling, but in my opinion, you're not saying it to the person on the other side of the web, you're talking to a screen with no feelings which aparantly suffices for human emotion. People of emotional capability are becoming vastly desensitized to others opinions and values due to the lack of emotional prosperity in solical networks. 

I understand how others may believe websites such as Twitter and Facebook are fantastic for "keeping updated" and yes I agree they are, however, some people take this "keeping updated" to an extreme level thus demolishing their ability to understand others and their feelings. 

I think that social networks are good as long as face to face communication is kept intact. As soon as the facal communication is lost so is the humanity.