Pick and Mix theory
The idea that the media has become more pluralistic where audiences now have the choice of what to watch and when through facilities such as on demand, catch up and convergence.
Convenience Culture
Audiences want things when they want and on their terms - when it is convenient to suit them
Instantaneity Culture
Audiences have become used to having things more instantly - the idea of a 'I want it now' culture - 24/7, on demand and this isn't just reflected in the media.
McCluhan's Global Village theory
The notion that audiences are now connected through the internet in online communities/villages and that due to the fast growth of this has spread globally.
Neil Postman's Loss of Childhood
Postman's idea was that the media, particularly with the growth of the internet and gaming, that children are losing their childhood and that this is a huge problem and is having a negative impact sociologically.
Globalisation
The idea that dew to technological change, media texts have the ability to spread to global and worldwide audiences, and at a fast rate too.
Gauntlett on online piracy
Gauntlett stated that online piracy has provided a new challenge for advertisers as audiences are no longer consuming film trailers or adverts at the cinema; he stated that this opportunity could potentially be a creative one for advertisers.
Neilson - Lean Forward, lean back.
Audiences are now engaged with online activity and have become active users. Traditional media forms such as TV allow for passivity where audiences essentially 'veg' and do not have to think about what they're consuming.
Digital Freedom of Speech
In a world where most people have access to the internet, social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and even Reddit allow for audiences to discuss their thoughts and opinions without necessarily having to be true, or be regulated. Users my also utilise these platforms to explore alternative or oppositional opinions and voices, essentially rising up against the hegemonic ideologies they so often provide us with.
Jenkins' Participatory Culture/prosumerism
Due to the increase of new and digital media, audiences are no longer just passive or active; they have become participators and this platform enables them to be interactive. Essentially audiences now have the power to directly interact with institutions and to create media themselves.
Citizen Journalism
News institutions are more than ever becoming reliant on user generated content as it is cheaper, but at times can be more realistic. Think about the Paris terrorist attacks and how that emerged on Twitter before any where else - audiences have more power than ever before.
McLuhan's the medium is the message
New technology has allowed audiences to create more messages - this message has become an extension of ourselves and is a way of audiences expressing themselves and interacting with the world.
Baudrillard's Hyper-reality theory
Jean Baudrillard has stated that due to us entering a post-modern world, the blurring between what is real and what is virtual has become blurred. It's been argued that people have entered into a hyper reality when playing computer games claiming that they think it is real; the same thing could be said for social media too.
Media and Democracy
Who has power in the media? Since the increase of new technology, this is a question that has become increasingly harder to answer. Is it pluralistic where audiences have more power and can rise up against dominant ideologies? Is it hegemonic - are audiences still dictated to by institutions about what to do, when and how to do it?
Regulation and net neutrality
There is an obvious lack of regulation on the internet, but is this a good thing? Alternative viewpoints are obviously a great thing for Marxists to put across, however, it could mean that institutions have the ability to post things as 'fake'. Some may argue that audiences need protecting and that censorship is a must. Some hegemonic institutions may be rooting for net neutrality to come into effect as it means, in turn, more money for them!
