The Creativity of Consumption and Its Constraints - Term Paper Example

The Creativity of Consumption and its Constraints With the advent of the internet and massive computing systems that are increasingly becoming smaller in physical scale, the world is continually proportionately shrinking in sociological terms. National boundaries are becoming blurred. The current trend by companies in the United States to employ massive numbers of people from Southeast Asia, for example, forces an entire cultural group to both honor their unique culture while also embrace the American concepts of capitalism and individualism. The world’s civilizations are becoming more and more ‘Westernized’ with the onset of full-scale capitalism that pushes its ideologies and messages through various forms of media while these same civilizations are pushing back, thanks to the interactive and increasingly accessible medium of the internet, with messages of their own that serve to help shape and direct the media picture. Computers are becoming smaller, more readily available and more affordable for those in even small, out of the way places. Technologies are emerging that place computers in the hands of children who don’t even have access to electricity, providing instead a hand crank to provide the necessary power to run basic programs. Satellite connections are even making it possible for an individual to have global reach from the remotest regions of the deserts. This begins to illustrate the importance of the internet in greatly expanding the world’s available consumer base which itself both shapes and is shaped by these advancements. The worldwide establishment of the internet throughout most cultures and countries has revolutionized the way people live their lives on many fronts. With the introduction of the internet and communications occurring literally at the speed of light, new practices in modern living are evolving, such as e-commerce, e-trade and e-finance, creating a much more interconnected world even as we remain physically quite far apart. People are finding it possible to do everything they need to do from their own desktop, including receiving the news, interacting with others, working, shopping, banking, trading and any number of other activities. In addition, the internet’s content is relatively free of restriction which allows for the concept of free speech to be fully exercised and put to the test. These tremendous advancements that provide individuals with a means of communicating their ideas worldwide with little more than a bit of electricity, an internet connection and a relatively inexpensive computer has changed the media industry, the forms of consumption and the world of business, specifically as it relates to advertising, as the creativity of the consumer emerges to ever greater levels of strength. Yet this strength also has numerous constraints, particularly in the levels to which these same technologies open up the consumer to greater levels of manipulation and influence. The changing world of the media The ability of people to connect with each other across long distances at practically the speed of light via the web has changed not only the way people communicate, but also the expectations they have for the retrieval of information. Email is free and instantaneous causing its use by businesses and individuals to grow at a phenomenal rate over the past decade. Few people write letters or read the newspapers anymore as these are seemingly archaic methods of communication and have the added disadvantage of costing money, regardless of how little this sum might actually be. “Nowadays, we think nothing of emailing our aunts in Germany and getting an answer back within minutes, or seeing the latest streaming video full of up to the minute news” (Boswell, 2006). Neither letter-writing nor newspaper delivery can provide the instant information that is today essential for businesses in the modern world to compete effectively and simply a fact of life that is taken for granted for most in the developed world. People are now turning to alternative forms of receiving information, such as blogs, video blogs, webcasts, chatrooms and listservs. However, this introduces new challenges in determining just how to determine credible sources from noncredible and just how far the internet should be allowed to go in terms of free speech and expression. Decency, censorship, free speech, ethics One of the controversial aspects of the internet and instant posting is that the internet provides a means of gathering news that has not necessarily been filtered through the many regulations and restrictions imposed by national or state boundaries. The internet itself is not regulated. As efficient and enormously informative as the web is, its content is not overseen as are other communications mediums such as television and radio. It is a groundbreaking new technology that has amalgamated societies of the world. With its inception, it has introduced the concept of truly free expression and the perception that nothing is taboo. Everything is exposed and available at everyone’s literal finger-tip. The Internet has no physical, ethical or moral boundaries. Federal, state and local laws limit access to materials such as pornography but anyone, young or old can access this or anything else on the internet. A teenager cannot walk into a video store and rent an adult movie but can log on and quickly find many thousands of adult movies that can be viewed, downloaded and stored or even sold to other teenagers (Emmans, 2000). Although there are plenty of laws in many developed countries that govern children’s access to pornography, these laws are unenforceable and thus meaningless with the advent of the internet. More than just the problem of pornography, it has become increasingly difficult for children as well as adults to distinguish between those media sources that can be considered reliable and those that are created by uninformed amateurs. This becomes even more complicated when informed posters are working to blow the whistle on well-established, sometimes even reputable organizations that have adopted unethical practices. An example of this can be seen in the reports of Paul Kenyon (2000) regarding the working conditions for many factory workers in Cambodia. While the information is presented globally on the web, it is in the form of a text document, which lacks the colors and formal organization of the respectable news station from which it was generated, the BBC. Although he is blowing the whistle on unethical practices being conducted by the multinational powerhouse Nike, catching them in the act so to speak with hidden cameras and confidential interviews with factory workers, would this report be seen as credible by the browsing public? And how would this report stand out against the many uninformed posts that have been made against this company from individuals who simply assume they know the truth, but have no proof of such? These questions illustrate how much people typically depend upon polished presentations before granting credibility and the tremendous advantage this gives to the jokester trying to stir up trouble unnecessarily. These are important considerations as it is how individuals filter through these various news and information sources that determine the way they view the world around them. How the internet is changing the way we see the news and world The specific role of the media in society is often debated but what is not argued is that access to information is essential to the health of a liberal democratic society. Newspapers, radio, television and the internet allow citizens the opportunity to make informed choices and serves as part of the checks and balances of a society, a ‘fourth branch of government.’ Mass media is necessary as its existence ensures that those elected to public office are held accountable. For example, the Internet has revolutionized Canadian journalism and has already changed public discourse in that country. “Over the next 10 years, as a new political generation comes on-line, the Internet will probably surpass television as the main mode of communication. And with the Internet will provide an even greater ability for the public to talk back” (Ansolabehere, 2000). Reporters already have consummate access to government documents and databases, public and private libraries, and archives of newspapers and other publications through the power of the Internet. An effective media outlet must have editorial independence and serve a diversity of public interests uncontrolled by government or ideological influence. An adversarial relationship sometimes exists between mass media and the government regarding the public’s right to know balanced against matters of national security (Center for Democracy and Governance, 1999). Elected officials many times forget that the same democratic mechanism that allowed their rise to power is designed to monitor their progress. The media also serves to entertain and the line drawn between news reporters’ efforts to amuse and sources of entertainment attempting to inform is crossed continuously. Media acts as the link between people’s personal lives to events outside what they encounter in their everyday routine. Because of this connection, it serves as an important vehicle in the understanding of how society functions and strengthens the public’s involvement in those decisions that affect their standard of living. The media reflects and reports and, as some speculate, shapes collective societal thought, thus an understanding of these venues of information is vital to the understanding of our civilization itself. At the same time that mass media is shaping societal thought, the ability of the Internet to allow average users to post their own views and comments has the effect of shaping mass media. As Paul Ford (2001) puts it regarding the advent of the internet into the general world, “it felt like we were being listened to, taken seriously, and understood. We had a voice, we lonesome dorks evangelizing the Internet to our peers and betters, trying to explain how gopher, FTP, and the nascent WWW was a radical reinvention of all knowledge.” The addition of the internet has ushered in an age of highly technologically produced mass communication and has made it possible for us to gain access to far more information than ever before in the history of mankind. The powerful influence and far-reaching access of mass media and its evolving effects on society is a subject of vital debate as the level of freedom the media experience dictates the level of freedom of the country. Information is crucial to a complex and advanced civilization. Societies feed on an ever-increasing amount of facts to maintain and increase the standard of living. Determining which sites are informative and which merely fictional can have a significant impact upon the way in which an individual views the world. Realizing this, many are seeking reliable methods of discerning between ‘good’ information and that which is not based on truth, which does not always mean the simple searching for large, brand-name media outlets. Information has always been and is increasingly becoming a commodity that the public are willing to pay increasing amounts for. As society experiences ever increasing amounts of leisure time, it depends on mass media to provide much of its information and entertainment. Blogs, Video Blogs, Webcasts, Chatrooms, Listservs Through such user-directed content as blogs, webcasts and listservs, the common man is now, for perhaps the first time in history, able to have some form of interaction with the major news mediums of the world. Noah Shachtman (2002) points out how it was internet bloggers that created such a stir regarding Trent Lott’s racist comments that brought the politician’s past to the attention of major news organizations who would, in all likelihood, have ignored them otherwise. “They kept focusing on Lott’s hateful past – until the national press corps finally had to take notice. … Lott’s bile is one of several issues that this burgeoning community helped push on to the national agenda” (Shachtman, 2002). The term ‘blog’ is actually techno-geek shorthand for ‘web logging’, and, as such, has a well-earned reputation for being merely an online diary for a variety of people. However, as has been noted by Shachtman and others, blogs have been taking on new meanings in recent years as internet use and knowledge grows among the general public. “Blogs can be used to make political statements, promote products, provide research information and give tutorials” (Ng, 2007). As such, blogs can be found written by politicians, musicians, novelists, sports figures, newscasters and other notable figures as attempts to not only share their opinions, but to promote their own personal agendas separate from the restrictive and uncontrolled traditional venues of newspaper and television. As might be imagined, video blogs add the elements of sound and video to the presentation, providing these users with the added credibility of a news-type presentation. “The potential for everyone to self-publish has the ability to revolutionize the world by sharing video across cultures and countries” (Clint Sharp cited in Dean, 2005). By turning to video, vloggers are able to bring multiple subjects to the screen rather than being concerned about the filters of mass media publishers. Other methods of internet communication have opened up the concept of communication as well. Through listservs, internet users have been able to post their questions to the world even from its earliest days. This process is almost like standing atop a mountain and shouting a question out to the great beyond. The only difference is, with listservs, users can expect to receive an answer if they’ve selected an appropriate forum. Their question remains online for as long as the server cares to host it, allowing users from all places and multiple times to respond while providing ample room for further discussion. Chatrooms build on this concept by adding instant responses to this text-based mode of communication. As users type in their thoughts, other users can immediately respond, having ‘virtual conversations’ in real time. Organized in community groups of shared interests, chatrooms have enabled internet users to share information on a wide scale without dependence upon more traditional methods of news media and without the wait typically associated with previous community-specific publications such as magazines and newspapers (Pack, 2003). There remain several inherent risks with this method of communication however, the most pressing being that of internet predators seeking younger internet users for harmful purposes (Sullivan, 2006). This is only possible because of the close relationships that can form with frequent conversation and sharing of interests. Combining the self-expression attributes of the blogs with the interactive aspects of listservs and chatrooms and placing it all in streaming media, webcasts allow any average internet user to become their own interactive news program discussing whichever topics they choose and allowing other internet users to call or write in their responses and questions. Many large and small businesses have already discovered the advantages of webcasting as an alternative means of conducting business rather than flying various constituents in from around the country or the world. “Online meetings are interactive and collaborative. They’re in real time so there’s two-way communication via instant messaging or other software between a participant and the conference leader or across the team or group, depending on how you customize the meeting. You can instantly share content and visuals, watch and listen to presentations or ask questions and make comments – often simultaneously” (Krotz, 2007). In the business setting, webcasts have been used to train employees, distribute new product information and provide customers with live help or education among other things. However, they have often been used for other applications as well. Distance learning and even traditional learning scenarios have employed the use of webcasts with an eye toward future technology integration in and out of the classroom, politicians have used them to help launch campaigns or to advocate party affiliations and other organizations have used them as effective press conferences or to inform research markets and analysts. As with the other communication technologies, webcasts have enabled the average individual regardless of their home country, business, vocation or interest to work around the national media chains and present their views in their own way, introducing a great deal more information into the general community than has been available previously. Number of readers on the internet vs. newspapers The effects of the internet are being felt in many ways, not just in the greater freedom of speech being experienced or the topics being addressed, but also in the competition for readership/viewership between the internet and more traditional media outlets. According to the 2006 Office of Communications report, people in the UK are generally turning away from television, radio and newspapers in favor of the more recent, more relevant, more accessible services available on the internet. “Television is of declining interest to many 16-24 year olds; on average they watch television for one hour less per day than the average television viewer” (Ofcom, 2006). More than simply turning to the internet for downloads and information, the report found that as many as 70 percent of this age group had actively contributed to some form of internet communication, in the form of chatting, blogs or other types of message boards. “The sector is being transformed by greater competition, falling prices and the erosion of traditional revenues and audiences. A new generation of consumers is emerging for whom online is the lead medium and convergence is instinctive” (Ed Richards, Ofcom Chief Operating Officer, cited in Ofcom, 2006). According to a study conducted by CBC News, these results are being repeated in Canada as well. The average Canadian watches 14.3 hours of television per week while surfing the web for 12.7 hours and spends 11 hours listening to the radio. However, these numbers are different for adolescents, who reportedly allocate 14.7 hours per week to internet use in addition to 12 hours each in front of the television and radio while spending only 2.5 hours per week reading the newspaper (“Young Canadians”, 2005). Canadians have mixed views regarding the influence of the media on the country and its ability to solve problems, yet indicated they turned to the internet for the flexibility of the medium to address concerns closer to their own interests. “The poll indicated that Canadians turned to the internet for specific or ‘niche-like’ news – such as health or travel information – but still relied mostly on television for general news” (“Young Canadians”, 2005). These Canadian trends are echoed in the United States in many segments of the population. In one study involving older Americans, it was reported that at least 36 percent of Americans aged 55 and older are spending less time reading magazines, 44 percent are spending less time reading newspapers or listening to the radio and 43 percent are spending less time watching TV (“Older Adults”, 2006). Instead of spending time in these more traditional news gathering activities, these individuals report they have found the use of the internet to be more focused, more recent and information is easier to find. In addition, several Americans indicate they have a higher tendency to believe the information they receive over the internet faster than the information they get through other, more established forms of media. Only 31 percent of Americans report that they believe the news media is a positive force in their lives. “In fact, nearly six in 10 Americans believe the news media actually get in the way of solving problems” (CMRC, 2003). These trends throughout the various countries of the world have forced many businesses and organizations who once had only an ambivalent attitude toward the internet at best to begin directing their attention to a greater degree on bringing in interactive, internet-based activity. Revenue streams for news rooms There are several revenue streams that exist for all forms of media that may or may not be affected by the rising tide of internet users. One of these revenue sources remains subscriptions garnered from individual homes and businesses. These revenue streams could be significantly affected in the print industry as subscribers choose to move to the internet for their ‘niche-specific’ information; companies most likely to be affected by this trend are beginning to work with the internet rather than against it to continue these numbers in the future. People continue to turn to television for entertainment purposes as well as general news, encouraging the continual rise in subscription rates. According to the Ofcom report (2006), subscription revenue remains the largest source of funding for commercial television, with “2005 revenues up by 8.5 percent to £3.9 billion for all pay TV services, £343 million more than total net television advertising revenues for the same period.” With the threat of downloadable music and more portable music devices, radio stations have begun to turn digital, offering simultaneous transmission accessible via the internet and thereby expanding their reach rather than shrinking Likewise, magazines and newspapers now offer online subscriptions to their content, presenting themselves as simply offering a more convenient mode of delivery to those customers who prefer online access while also saving postage expenses and gaining search engine positions for more extensive promotion. Sponsored shows or pages also contribute their share to the industry. However, the greatest revenue stream remains advertising. Advertising in the new world of the internet The Project for Excellence in Journalism (2006) indicates that the majority of revenues generated by local television stations comes from advertising sales, “so much so that this figure alone offers a good indicator of a station’s economic health.” Where the consumers go, so goes the advertising dollars, thus, media outlets are forced to comply with the general interests of their consumer base, whether they choose to admit it or not. Unlike the other media outlets, though, the rise of the internet isn’t the only threat to television in terms of diverting advertising dollars. “David Card, a vice president and senior analyst at Jupiter [a research organization] forecasts $5 billion of additional revenue from new ad platforms by 2011. But he also warns of a potential $12 billion loss from DVR ad-skipping, as well as competition from other disruptive technologies” (Sass, 2006). Technology introduced in America’s TiVo systems is now allowing advertisers to better track how often TV watchers are skipping over all or part of their advertisements. This type of technology has some television executives concerned about their future ability to appeal to advertising executives to encourage them to continue placing their ads on their stations. However, other revenue options remain supremely viable even if every watcher skipped over every advertisement, such as product placement and sponsored programming. Most media sources depend to a great deal upon advertising dollars as a means of generating their revenue. This is true for all media sources, not just television. While the unique challenges facing the television media are being met with webcasts and embedded sponsorships, many other media types have made this same step. As magazines and newspapers moved their content online, the increasing concern among these organizations was how to also move advertising online, thus preserving the stream. In working out various ways of addressing these concerns, new means of advertising platforms have emerged that may serve to even increase the revenue collected by each entity and limiting the choice of the consumer within acceptable (to producers’) bounds. Therefore, this move has changed the overall look of the advertising world. Based upon its level of use in current society as it grows and expands in response to both consumer and corporate directives, it is safe to say that the internet will become even more integrated into the everyday life of individuals throughout the world in the years to come. As it becomes easier and easier to allow services and features to cross platforms from PC computer to handheld device and from cell phone to MP3 player and beyond, prices on electronics will continue to fall and make it possible for individuals in third world countries to join in the internet revolution. The integration of electronics into daily life will continue to translate into everything from computer-equipped vehicles and appliances, as can be seen in the mapping systems of several vehicle models already available and inventory tracking refrigerators currently on the market, to wearable computers incorporated into specialized clothing designed to provide music while exercising or automatically reacting to environmental conditions for emergency workers. Industries will continue to evolve as more and more people find means of living their lives in more integrated environments. As people become better able to find user-defined media sources, media outlets will find it increasingly necessary to conduct dual broadcasts if they wish to reach all viewers or television will be eliminated altogether as increased subscription to broadband or other high-speed internet becomes more widespread. Entertainment, shopping and business will continue to be available online, expanded by increasing numbers of people finding means of securing an income online, reducing travelling time and expense while affording them more time with the family. Students will be able to attend virtual classes online that incorporate not just text-based learning, but fully integrated and interactive webcasts that allow for questions and answers, discussions, presentations and collaborative assignments. This does not translate into nations of people locked in their homes, however, as all of the functions that are available on the computer would also be available in the handheld device and people would be able to stroll about as they wish. This also does not translate into the demise of all brick and mortar businesses just as it has not in the past ten years. Rather, brick and mortars will continue to integrate their businesses with internet and internet will continue to be integrated with the needs of brick and mortar. The world is seeing a shift away from a single-perspective definition created by the producers as a means of manipulating the consumer, but is instead becoming more harmonic as multiple voices join in the discourse from both the consumer and producer sides, finding a balance between the consumer’s creativity and the practical necessity for corporate gain in a monetary world. References Ansolabehere, Stephen. (2000). “The Role of the Media.” International Information Programs. Illinois State University. Boswell, Wendy. (2006). “How the World Wide Web has Changed Society.” About the Internet. Accessed 6 July 2007 from Canadian Media Research Consortium (CMRC). (2003). “Report Card on Canadian News Media.” Accessed 6 July 2007 from Center for Democracy and Governance. (June 1999). “The Role of Media in Democracy: A Strategic Approach.” Bureau for Global Programs, Field Support and Research. Washington D.C.: US Agency for International Development. Dean, Katie. (13 July 2005). “Blogging + Video = Vlogging.” Wired News. Accessed 6 July 2007 from Emmans, Cindy. (Spring, 2000). “Colloquium: Internet Ethics.” Technos Quarterly. Vol. 9, N. 1. Ford, Paul. (27 February 2001). “Internet Culture Review.” Software Stories. FTrain. Accessed 6 July 2007 from Kenyon, Paul. (October 15, 2000). “GAP / Nike – No Sweat?” Panorama. BBC. Transcript accessed 6 July 2007 from Krotz, Joanna. (2007). “How to host a successful B2B Webcast.” Small Business Center. Microsoft Office. Accessed 6 July 2007 from Ng, Deborah. (2007). “What are Blogs?” WiseGeek. Conjecture Corporation. Accessed 6 July 2007 from < http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-blogs.htm> Office of Communications (Ofcom). (10 August 2006). “Ofcom Communications Market Report Reveals New Industry Trends and Changes in Consumer Behaviour.” News Release Archive. Office of Communications. Accessed 6 July 2007 from “Older Adults Using Internet More, Traditional Media Less.” (3 January 2006). VOX. Accessed 6 July 2007 from Pack, Thomas. (2003). “Creating Community.” Information Technology. All Technology. Accessed 6 July 2007 from (The) Project for Excellence in Journalism. (2006). The State of the News Media for 2006: An Annual Report on American Journalism. Accessed 6 July 2007 from Sass, Erik. (26 September 2006). “Jupiter: TV Revenue at Risk from New Platforms.” Media Daily News. New York: Media Post Communications. Accessed 6 July from Shachtman, Noah. (23 December 2002). “Blogs Make the Headlines.” Wired News. Accessed 6 July from Sullivan, Mike. (2006). “How to Protect Your Kids Online.” The Dangers of Chat and Instant Messaging. Security Software Systems. Accessed 6 July 2007 from < http://www.securitysoft.com/chatroom_dangers.html> “Young Canadians Spend More Time on the Internet Than TV: Study.” (15 August 2005). CBC News. Accessed 6 July 2007 from Read More