Last lesson I emphasised the significance of convergence to the new media technologies exam.
Here's a link to an article that explains what the term means:
Why convergence matters
Another important movement in New Media Technologies is increasing personalisation:
Personalising Yourself - is more choice better?
Possible Case Study 1 - Videogames
For those gentlemen in the class who spend too long in front of their XBox's twiddling their joysticks here's a link that just might enable you to say to Mum that you're researching for your media studies exam!
http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/commentary/games/2008/05/gamesfrontiers_0502
You might want to think more widely about what the benefits and disadvantages of video gaming are for consumers or producers...
Here's a summary of the issues:
Sample Case Study - Videogaming
Institutions - Game profitability under threat - http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6397527.stm
Audiences - Games 'make drivers go faster' -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6410061.stm
Wired is a good general source for articles on contemporary debates in the media.
Possible Case Study 2 - Digital Radio
So too is The Guardian Media website:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media
This week there's an article on the increase in Digital Radio's listening figures.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/01/digitaltvradio.rajars
What are the advantages to users of digital radio? How is it better than analogue?
What are the benefits to the different producers involved? Producers of radio programmes - BBC etc? Producers of the hardware - http://www.pure.com/ for example? Or even the retailers who sell the radios - Currys, Dixons, amazon.com?
Possible Case Study 3 - Digital TV
These links gives you some starting points for a possible case study into the advantages and disadvantages of digital television:
An introduction to digital television
Who needs a television?
Is +1 a channel too far?
Possible Case Study 4 - Web 2.0
Or is you're feeling frisky you could start looking into Web 2.0 (wikipedia, myspace, facebook, youtube, podcasting, blogging! MMOG's etc)
Web 2.0 and the power of collaboration
Podcasting
Blogging
BBC News - Virtual worlds set for shake up
Media Guardian - Why youtube is good for TV
BBC Click - Web 2.0 starts to take hold
Just to prove that Web 2.0 isn't all a nerds love-in and is about making cash too...
The race to preserve the third space - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6496351.stm
The impact of youtube - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6365389.stm
More news from the last post...
If you've been looking at the music industry as a possible case study here's a link to some detailed information on digital rights management:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/6457369.stm
http://blog.wired.com/music/2007/02/how_to_explain_.html
