Media Ecology Essay Plan

  

                                                                 MEDIA ECOLOGY 

 

Media ecology focuses on media as environments, and environments as media, with an explicit concern for their evolution, effects, and forms. It comprises a theory about the complex interplay between humans, technology, media, and the environment, with the aim of increasing awareness of mutual effects 

Media Ecology Essay  

Intro – Explain that you understand what media ecology is (relating it to the 

question) (Theorist – Postman) 

 

o   The medium is more important in shaping culture and society behaviour than 

the messages being conveyed in the media 

 (e.g. web 2.0) 

- how technology has changed the way society operates

- BLM – hashtag and online -  rallies and protests worldwide over George Floyd case 

o   Theorist – Shirky – End of Audiences theory – passive audiences turning to consumers who are producers (Prosumers) – active audience 

o   YouTube stats (how many hits daily / how many hours of content uploaded)

o   Theorist - Jenkins- Fandom theory – fans enjoy media texts so much they create content based upon it and form communities (Stranger Things) /  (Mandalorian fan hired by Lucas Films) 

o   Change in distribution models (more simultaneous releases – theatrical release & SVOD release – e.g. Black widow & Scarlett Johansson suing Disney) 

o   Covid’s role in audience trends (streaming services up)

o    Technology’s role in audience trend

o   How companies are changing / evolving to keep market interest (e.g. Netflix & video games / $ going into creating new content / data mining – algorithms informing them of what people are watching etc) 

o   Audience trends – more reality TV (audiences like to see themselves / audiences more interactive / audiences asked to be voters e.g. X-factor / audiences involved – make-over shows = audiences part of the production 

o   Audience trends – watching the news (social media and the way we consumer news has changed) 

-       Citizen journalism 

-       Decentralised news (power shift from institution to audience)

-       Issue of fake news / misinformation (gate-keepers) 

-       Global interest (no longer just localised e.g. political US news stories)

 

o   AI – problematic ways technology is going to affect film industry. (benefits and challenges)