week 13 - Teenage chat guide helps parents spot online dangers

Parent Info website includes dictionary of abbreviations used by teenagers in chatrooms, many dealing with online sexual relationships

Parents concerned their children are “zerging” or giving away their ASL will be able to decode social media using a language guide launched by government.

The dictionary translates abbreviations used by teenagers, including get naked on cam (GNOC) and age, sex, location (ASL) often used by children using anonymous chatrooms to disclose their personal details.

The tool will also help parents spot when their child issues a P999 (parent alert) or a CD9 (Code 9), to make their online friends aware their parents are around.

Many of the terms deal with the issue of sexual relationships online, including examples such as IWSN (I want sex now), and LMIRL (let’s meet in real life). Other definitions include zerg (to gang up on someone), POS (parents over shoulder) and 420 (marijuana).

The guide is part of Parent Info, an online service announced by the Department for Education, which aims to provide tips on navigating teenage life and give adults the confidence to talk about sensitive topics with their children.

The education secretary, Nicky Morgan, said it was crucial parents were educated on how to keep their children safe online.

week 13 - No Jeremy Hunt, you can't use tech to ban sexting for the under-18s, Jonathan Haynes

The health secretary needs to stop scapegoating technology companies and tackle sexting and cyberbullying through a government education scheme

Cyberbullying, sexting and all other aspects of online life that cause teenagers misery may seem pretty complex and intractable problems. But not for Jeremy Hunt. Somehow, when not dealing with despairing junior doctors, he’s found the time to devise a simple solution to end them all.

In case you’ve missed it, the health secretary’s big idea to tackle the - very real - problems of sexting and cyberbullying is to call on social media and tech companies to ban them.

Hunt wants the WhatsApps and Snapchats of this world to engineer in the inability for minors to send naked selfies or to type words on social media sites that could be used to bully.

When you send a naked selfie on say WhatsApp it doesn’t go into the ether where it can be analysed by software to search for uncovered flesh. From device to device the messages are encrypted, meaning no one can see the content until it arrives with the intended recipient.

Some platforms like Snapchat are less secure, but analysing pictures in real time isn’t technically feasible yet. Even if it was, children could just switch to more secure services and tackling those would rely on breaking end-to-end encryption. 

When reading this article, I do agree with some of the points. The main one being that we can't blame technology companies for sexting and such. However, I do believe they do play some part in it and aren't doing enough to prevent it from happening. 

week 12 - We still need humans to identify sexually explicit images online – for now

Jeremy Hunt’s claim that technology could soon automatically spot and block ‘sexting’ among under-18s is a little premature, if not inconceivable. But we still rely on real people to identify images of abuse online, and it’s no easy job


When Peter, an analyst at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), is on “hashing” duty, he might look at 1,000 images of child sexual abuse in a single day. His job is to filter them. Some of the photographs the IWF picks up on its trawls of the web, or that members of the public send to the organisation, fall outside criminal boundaries: one might, for example, show a toddler working on a sandcastle.

Each photo he hashes as abusive – from Category C (indecent) to Category A (penetrative) – can swiftly be blocked wherever it appears on the public internet. That is why Peter, a father of two, does the job.

On Tuesday, Jeremy Hunt suggested it might not be necessary for much longer. Technology exists, he said, that can “identify sexually explicit images and prevent [them] being transmitted”; this could facilitate a complete bar on sexting for under-18s. Well, says Peter, he isn’t redundant yet. “It would be amazing,” he says, in a room across the hallway from where IWF staff have just finished a mindfulness session, “if there was a magic brush that could do this kind of job.” Almost all of the “hashing” process runs automatically. 

Due to new/digital media evolving so quickly, I think it's become harder to block and spot certain things such as sexting. In my opinion, I think there needs to be a more efficient way in order to spot these kind of things. 

week 12- Online pressures creating 'nation of deeply unhappy children', says charity

Figures released by counselling service ChildLine reveal low self-esteem to be among most prevalent problems reported by today’s young people

Britain’s children are “deeply unhappy” and have to deal with fears and worries that did not exist 30 years ago, a charity has warned.

Modern pressures such as cyberbullying and social media are affecting children’s confidence and self-esteem, according to ChildLine, the confidential counselling service run by the NSPCC.

In 1986, when the 24-hour helpline began, children’s biggest concerns were sexual abuse, family problems, physical abuse and pregnancy, according to ChildLine’s figures.

Last year, the main issues raised were family relationships, low self-esteem and unhappiness, bullying (including cyberb.ullying) and self-harm.

Overall, 35,244 of the counselling sessions held by the service in 2014/15 were related to low self-esteem and unhappiness – up 9% on the previous year. The number of sessions the helpline runs each year has risen dramatically in the three decades since it was founded – from 23,530 in 1986/87 to 286,812 in 2014/15.

Less than one in three of ChildLine’s counselling sessions were conduction over the phone last year, the charity said, while 71% involved email or online chat.

week 11 - Online abuse: how different countries deal with it

Nations worldwide are struggling to address issues such as harassment, defamation or revenge pornography

Online abuse is rife on social media and other sites across the globe but countries are attempting to deal with it in very different ways. As part the Guardian’s Web we want series investigating the dark side of the internet – and the efforts people are making to clean it up – we look at what different legislatures are doing.

With more internet users than any other country – 688 million, according to the government’s last count – China provides fertile ground for online abuse.

The most notorious form is the so-called “human flesh search engine”, by which 

internet users club together to identify and then publicly humiliate online targets who have been accused of anything from corruption to infidelity or animal cruelty.

Zhou describes cyberbullying on social media groups such as Weibo or Weixin as a serious and growing threat to his country’s youth. In a study of nearly 1,500 secondary schools he found that almost 35% of respondents admitted to having bullied someone online while nearly 57% said they had been bullied.

The problem with online abuse in Russia is often not so much that the authorities do not take it seriously, but that they may actually be behind it.

Ruslan Leviev, a blogger who has used open-source information to chart Russian military manoeuvres in Ukraine and Syria, has been on the receiving end of many online threats on Twitter and Facebook. A “patriotic” website also published an home address and phone number that it attributed to him.

“Recently I’ve been getting a lot of calls from people saying they’re going to come and get me,” he said.

So far, none of the threats have turned into real physical action. He has not contacted police about the threats, believing it is unlikely that anything would be done.

I do believe that the Web creates a lot of problems, whether it be hacking or people getting bullied. I think companies/institutions need to do more in order to prevent things such as online bullying as not a lot is being done. 

week 11 - NSPCC records 88% rise in children seeking help for online abuse

Report shows that number of children who contacted ChildLine increased by more than 2,000 over five-year period

The number of children and young people tormented by online trolls has increased by 88% in five years, according to a report by a leading children’s charity.

The NSPCC study shows that the charity’s helpline service, ChildLine, counselled 4,541 children about online bullying in 2015-16, compared with 2,410 in 2011-12.

Education key to fighting cyberbullying of children, says safety watchdog

 

Read more

The findings follow recent figures that showed that almost a quarter of a million children and young people are receiving help from NHS mental health services for problems such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders.

To coincide with the start of anti-bullying week, the NSPCC said that in a quarter of its counselling sessions children and young people were also given help with mental health and well being issues including low self-esteem, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and depression.

Children as young as seven told ChildLine counsellors how they were being tormented and abused by malicious and hurtful messages from which they felt there was no escape. The comments posted on their social media profiles, blogs and online pictures ranged from bullying and abusive words about the way they looked to death threats and even being told to kill themselves.

In nearly a third (31%) of counselling sessions for online bullying, children and young people talked about gaming or social networking sites as platforms for abuse or humiliation.

According to the NSPCC, online bullying is quickly becoming the main type of bullying that children and young people contact ChildLine about, and the 24/7 nature of social media only exacerbates the issue.

In my opinion, I think children shouldn't have to result in contacting ChildLine as there shouldn't be any online bullying, and the statistics that have been shown are quite surprising. I think there needs to be more done to sort out the issue of online bullying. 

NDM News: Globalisation and fake news

The growing problem with fake news is a great example of the crossover between globalisation and the news industry.

1)What similarities do you notice between the different countries outlined in the article and their problems with fake news?
One main similarity that was outlined in the article was regarding fake news and the concerning effect it has in terms of political systems and the Government. Furthermore, another issue that was the issues that were coming up in the news;  France, Italy, India and Germany have had a problem with fake news., for example, articles on assaults, religion or even political issues.  All the countries have had various problems regarding the issue of fake news, and in particular have fake news regarding the government and political issues. 

2) Is fake news an inevitable consequence of the "culture of freedom and innovation" that the internet has brought with it? Is there a way to stop it?
In my opinion, I think in society today, fake news seems to be unavoidable. Due to audiences mainly, gaining more power they now have the opportunity to post what they want, for example content that is fake news. Furthermore, as the internet is such a big place, it's harder for us to differentiate what is fake and what is real. However, I think the issue of fake news can be stopped but there will be certain articles that will still get out. 


New York Times and the creation of fake news 

1) Which fake news stories were particularly successful for Beqa Latsabidze, the 22-year-old student in Tbilisi, Georgia, who tried to make money from web articles on Trump?
3) How much can Facebook and Google be blamed for this global rise in fake news?
I think Facebook and Google can be blamed to some extent, not entirely. In my opinion, I think the could they could monitor what gets published more effectively. In addition, Facebook and Google are two of the many institutions that have the feature of sharing and publishing things and therefore, audiences have more of a chance of coming across fake news.

Media Magazine: Globalisation case study

1) Why was Google Glass controversial?
Google was controversial due to the privacy issues as a product, regarding Google glass. The main concern was that of google being able to capture the footage of what users are viewing. As well as recording being able to record people without their consent or permission. Therefore, Google Glass was seen as controversial as they had the feature that resulted in invading peoples privacy.

2) What are the positive elements to Globalisation that the article highlights?
Even though there was a great of controversy regarding Google Glass, there were still some positive outcomes. For example, Google gave the ability to allow people to access the internet as well as connecting people together. This was a positive element as it allowed audiences to become more aware of the Internet, whilst connecting with new people. 

3) What are potential negatives to Globalisation?
A main negative factor in terms of Globalisation is that smaller companies would be effected negatively due to not being able to compete.  

4) What is a techno-panic? How does it link to moral panics?
Techno-panic is a moral panic that is based upon contemporary technology or technological activity.  This is linked to Cohen's theory of moral panics as techno-panic, it is a moral panic in society, however, it regards technology instead of people in society. 

5) What is your opinion on the privacy debate and major corporations being able to access large quantities of personal data?

In my opinion, I think it's wrong and quite worrying that major corporations are able to access large quantities of personal data. Mainly due to the fact that most of the time people are completely unaware of what data is actually being accessed. Major corporations  have the opportunity of being able to access any information they want, and  being able to sell it for profit. I think it is wrong if people are unaware of what is going on.

Media Factsheet: Globalisation and capitalism

1) Who coined the phrase 'a global village' and what multinational companies illustrate this?

The phrase "global village" was coined by McLuhan to describe countries becoming interconnected or more interdependent. One multinational company that illustrates this is 'Coco-Cola'.

2) What role does Slavoj Zizek suggest the media plays in global capitalism? How can you link this to our previous work on Marxism and Hegemony? 

Slavoj Zizek suggests that the media naturalises and reinforces the ideology that making money is the right way of making businesses. However, he also states that at the same time, it allows people to feel less guilty about the goods that are produced. 

3) What does 'capitalism with a conscience' mean? 

'Capitalism with a conscience' is a phrase that means institutions create a campaign in order for western institutions maintaining a capital dominance. 

4) What is the (PRODUCT) RED campaign?

The RED campaign was founded by Bono in 2006, 

RED is a private company, the campaign was set up raise awareness regarding AIDS in Africa. 

5) Based on what you've read in the Factsheet, what is YOUR opinion of the (PRODUCT) RED brand? Is it a positive force helping to fight AIDS in Africa or a cynical attempt to make multinational companies look more ethical than they actually are?

I believe that campaigns such as RED are helping in a positive manner, but at the same time they are still attempting to make multinational companies to look more ethical than they actually are. However, I believe their main intentions are to help fight diseases/viruses and such, like AIDS.

Marxism & Pluralism - homework essay

The development of new/digital media means the audience is more powerful in terms of consumption and production. Discuss the arguments for and against this view.

One may argue that due to the development of new/digital media, the audience have become more powerful rather than institutions, in terms of both consumption and production. Throughout this essay, I will demonstrate if the statement of audiences having more power is true or not. 

Due to the development of new/digital media, audiences now have the privilege of accessing many more platforms on the internet. They are able to share and post things more freely, as well as commenting and debating on certain topics. New and digital media has brought audiences many more positive/efficient outcomes, however there also many negative factors that come with the development of new and digital media. One main downfall is audiences becoming reliant on accessing news through the newspaper platform, audiences now have the option of getting information and news through the web, whether it be on their computers or phones.  

A pluralist's view would strongly argue that without an audience, institutions would not be able to have a successful organisation and believe that audiences are the key reason as to why we have good media. Not only this, but audiences have more power in determining what news gets published and have more of  say in what news and media they want to view. They now have the opportunity to now;  ‘conform, accommodate, challenge or reject’. This can also be backed by Rupert Murdoch, who stated; "The internet has given readers much more power, the world is changing and newspapers have to adapt." This therefore, conveys that the audience do indeed have more power than they once did before.
Additionally, audiences also have the power to certain things trending to allow people to become globally aware, for example, the 'Black Lives Matter' campaign became globally aware, due to audiences having the power to get it trending on different social platforms, which therefore benefited not only the audiences in getting the campaign trending/aware, but also helped the institutions becoming successful. 
Moreover, due to news and information mainly being put onto the web, audiences now challenge the hypodermic needle theory, and challenge some of the stuff they read on the web. 

In contrast, a Marxist would completely disagree with the view and opinions of a Pluralist. They believe that the 'Information Revolution' in fact has not benefited the audience at all. A Marxist's view on society is that there is a social divide, whereas a Pluralist believes we live in a classless society. Furthermore, a Marxist believe that the media are the ones with the elite power and who have the power in order to preserve the hegemonic control over masses (Gramsci). Additionally, a Marxist would argue that audiences aren't the ones with the power but are the ones who rely on institutions for news and information. They also don't believe that audiences even question the news they read, as Lin & Websterclaim state; "57% of 9 - 19 year olds never question the accuracy of online information."  Moreover, a Marxist would argue that the media have 'dumbed down' the information they publish in order to generate mass audiences.  Therefore, Marxists believe that if audiences have information and news to read, they won't question any of it, let alone challenge it. So, Marxists believe institutions can carry on posting information and have the power to control what audiences read and consume, without being questioned. 

Furthermore, the decline of the newspaper industry has become a serious matter in the media industry. Audiences are no longer going to newspapers to get their newspapers, but they're using platforms on the web. A pluralist would argue that new/digital media has allowed audiences to view their opinions more freely now, whether it be commenting on posts or creating blogs to express their views, audiences now have more opportunities to present their ideas and challenge what institutions publish. In addition, due to the decline of newspapers, journalists jobs have been effected, not only due to the decline, but due to 'citizen journalism'. Audiences now have the opportunity in recording/capturing footage that may be important in the news industry. Therefore, 'citizen journalism' has given audiences the power in publishing what they want. Not only does this benefit audiences, but by audiences capturing certain images or footage, in fact also benefits institutions as they have the content to publish on their own sites. 

To conclude, I believe that both a Marxist and Pluralist view is correct to some extent. I believe that institutions do still maintain some sort of control and power, as they do have the last say in what gets published or not. However, audiences have come a long way and do have some sort of say in what they want published and what news they want to read. Additionally, they have more power in expressing and sharing their views. 
Therefore, I do agree with the statement of audiences being more powerful in terms of media consumption and production.
                                                                                                   

week 10 - Keeping up with Digital Trends Requires Expert Execution, By Jonathan Davies

UK Government statistics confirm that 72% of large companies and 49% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are currently suffering the effects of the digital skills gap.

Digital is no longer simply confined within one aspect of a company, but is being integrated across all business operations. Yet the sheer number of possibilities available through the incorporation of the latest technologies, and the speed of their adoption by consumers, is proving problematic for established businesses that struggle to be as agile as digitally savvy competitors.

Many business leaders find themselves in unfamiliar territory when it comes to executing their digital strategy. However, outsourcing digital projects has been found to level the playing field between traditional established players and the new innovators. By bringing on board knowledgeable technology professionals to complete discrete projects, businesses are able to act fast and deploy digital innovations at speed.

The pace at which digital disruption is affecting businesses means that it is crucial to be able to scale up or down resources, adapting the work force to the businesses requirements. Project management as a service is supporting business to adopt digital innovation and modernise themselves in an expanding digital marketplace. With this model, businesses have access to digital teams with the required skills set, knowledge and experience to ensure expert execution of projects.

With new and digital media consistently growing and developing, I do think it's important for companies and institutes to stay up to date with the latest technical gadgets in order to be successful.  

week 10 - Social media, Keyboard worrier

"I want to unfriend someone on Facebook but I don't want to hurt their feelings

In a new column, Elle Hunt negotiates the sometimes excruciating world of social media. This week: culling your contacts 

I want to unfriend someone on Facebook but I’m worried I’ll hurt their feelings. What should I do?

First, a caveat: I may take a more callous approach to this than the average social media user. But I believe that no online friendship is a given; that every follow is earned. Curate your timeline, and do so rigorously.

On Twitter in particular I may unfollow someone in a fleeting fit of intolerance, possibly to reconnect if they pick up their game in future. Easy follow, easy go is the word – Twitter can be bad enough without voluntarily weathering the worst of it.

This doesn’t apply as easily to Facebook, where the worst offenders can be blood ties and a hasty unfriending is more likely to create problems “in real life”. But even there it is worth being mindful about your network.

That’s not just for the sake of your own enjoyment (although removing former schoolmates, one-time acquaintances and any racists can improve the Facebook experience immeasurably). It’s also for the security of your information.

Remember: people are creeping. Don’t make it any easier for them than you have to.

 Whilst reading this article, written by Elle Hunt, I did agree with some points that were made. However, I feel as if this topic is quite irrelevant, and people shouldn't overthink about whether they not they should unfollow someone on Social Media.