Explain using specific examples, how the expansion of digital media has been an improvement for audiences

   Audiences are now able to decide when, where and how they consume media. Previously ‘push media’ meant that people had to fit their lives around media and it was more difficult to consume.

   The advances in the availability in media and the forms in which it comes, means that everyone has access to what they want, when they want and however they want it. This means that people who like a specific niche of media can now find ways of accessing it, finding others who are interested in the same thing and producers have been able to use new media to understand these niches, produce something they will be interested in and advertise it in a certain way which they will find appealing.

   Producers are much more aware how to advertise to people they know will be interested. For example, if you state on Facebook that you like a certain film/TV series or band, adverts along the side of the screen become aimed at you – telling you for example that the new Doctor Who series starts on the 28^th of March, or that your favorite band is releasing an album in September. They also advertise bands/films etc similar to those that they know you already like. For example, they might say ‘If you like Blink-182 then you’ll love Hey Monday!’ and offer you a link to their music.

   We no longer find out about new films etc just through radio, TV and movie trailers, in fact this is probably the most unlikely way in which we will find out!
   We now search for what we want rather than people telling us what we might want and how we have to access it. This means that companies have to make this information available for us to find, and rather than paying to broadcast the information on TV to anyone who might be interested, it is more a case of paying Google to make sure that if someone is searching for your item, that it is high-up on the list and can easily be found.

   In a way, the audience and producers have switched places. The audience are now much more in control of what is being produced, rather than the producers producing it and the audience having to watch it or not. This means that there is more diversion in audience preference (audience fragmentation), making the producers work harder to create something that a niche audience is going to like, overall giving the audience more power and creating better media.

   It is now very easy to compare the prices of films/CDs online. This has caused high competition of sale between sites, meaning that people have lowered the prices of films/music etc considerably to increase sale. This means that it is easier and cheaper for us to obtain this media.
   We are now also able to put our money towards exactly what we want – for example, in the past, if you wanted a specific song, you would have to buy the album or single if it was released (which still means you are paying for more than one song). But now you can purchase specific songs from the iTunes store, which you can have access to a lot quicker and cheaper than going out to buy and album or single.

   Piracy has allowed people to have a greater access to things that they wouldn’t have been able to previously. People are able to watch films online for free where as before they would have to go to the cinema to view the film or purchase it on DVD. Although this clearly means that producers are loosing out on money that people should be paying to watch the film.

   During the 70’s, cinema screens were dirty, uncomfortable and run down, and not many people wanted to go. So in the 80’s they improved the standards of seating etc and made more food available to purchase. But then from the 90’s, the internet allowed people to watch the films at a better quality for a cheaper price online. People did not bother going to the cinema when they could receive a better experience at a cheaper price, watching the film when they wanted to, in the comfort of their own home.

   Cinemas then majorly improved their seating facilities, sound and image quality and have now invested in devices to play films in 3D. This means that cinema tickets have gone up considerably in price, but however there is now much more incentive to go to the cinema. Even with a large screen TV, surround sound and Blue-Ray discs, you cannot achieve an affect as good as the cinema and going to the cinema is cheaper than buying the Blue Ray disc – making the cinema unique and worth-while again. You could say that piracy has caused a positive change in cinema.

   However, piracy still is an issue, and people still watch films online illegally rather than paying to view them. It is likely that the people watching these films were never going to pay to watch them anyway, so the producers may not be missing out, but does that make it okay to still have access to it for free while others pay?

   It’s hard to say where using copyright material is acceptable and where it isn’t. If someone makes a video on YouTube using images from a certain TV show, is this wrong? Surely if anything all it’s doing is promoting awareness and appreciation for the show which is a bonus for the producers. If a whole film were to be distributed this would be quite different and all this seems to mean is that the producers are loosing out. On the other hand, people may watch the beginning or the whole of a film just to check that they like it and if they do, they will then purchase it for the quality. Overall it is hard to tell whether piracy is improving media or not, and whether it should be acceptable and to what extent.