“ Digital media has, in many ways, changed how we consume media products” who do you think benefits most – audiences or producers?

In a world that revolves around digitial media, audiences benefit the most as they can enjoy the perks of taking a voyeuristic position, allowing a chance for escapism and entertainment. However the line between producer and audience is blurred as audiences are also allowed to partake in producing texts effectively making them producers.

The blurring of producer/audience lines begins with Citizen Journalism, something which allows any audience member to actively become a producer, not a passive audience member. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow videos to be shared amongst many members. One example of this is the recent Egypt riots videos that had exposed what was happening in the country. These sites allow videos like this to take a position where only the truth is shown via mobile phone. Footage from mobile phones is where the blurring of producer/audience begins. This has both advantages and disadvantages, one advantage being that these active audience members can work outside the restraints of newspaper journalism, having no bounds on what the video may contain which means the footage has not been altered in any way. However this is the problem as trhe contents of the footage may offend audiences and possibly create a negative image on certain groups or races.

In terms of consuming media products digital media has changed the method of consumption as we no longer have to rely on broadcast to watch our favourite TV shows, we can simply watch them online. Websites such as BBC I player, Channel 4 live and YouTube have given way to audiences becoming more selective in what they watch and when they watch it. These websites act as on demand programming making it ( in some cases) more popular than broadcast as programming on websites such as Lovefilm and Netflix allow audiences to enjoy movies at the comfort of their own home, making it extremely popular. When it comes to Lovefilm and Nteflix, synergy has taken place as these services can also be accessed on the Playstation 3 and apps for the Iphone, making these services more accessible to audiences. In this case audiences are benefitting as programming is better suited to their busy lifestyle.

Socialising websites in recent years has seen a huge rise in popularity as many now digitally socialise with others on either Facebook or Twitter ( the two most popular social networks). Along with allowing us to communicate both quickly and safely with friends and family, they could also give audiences a sense of belonging (as highlighted in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs). On the other hand it has been reported that 57% of people talk more online than they do in real life, which is alarming in the sense that real life social skills are decreasing. Another alarming statistic is that 48% of young Americans find out about the news through Facebook which could mean danger for the print industry. As Facebook and Twitter have not yet peaked in terms of it’s usage in the world, possibly another life to lead online however the other 500,000,000 have to be sure not to live their life online.