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| The first glimpse of the globalised media. (Postans 2013) |
The term ‘mediascape’ refers to the changes and advances in
technology that allow individuals to capture and produce media, and then disseminate
it to an audience (Rantanen 2005, p.13). Increases in the dissemination of information through the media has largely come
about because of globalisation, which Rantanen defines as ‘a process in which
worldwide economic, political, cultural and social relations have become
increasingly mediated across time and space’ (2005, p. 8). Although it may be
said that globalisation of the media has been occurring over the last few
hundred years, perhaps beginning with the invention of the printing press, the
recent evolution of the media has been of extraordinary proportions.
The modern mediascape may be demonstrated by the recent coverage of the birth of the Prince of Cambridge. News stations around the world kept up a live feed of the story, in particular relying on information from their correspondents in Britain. This continuous coverage is only possible due to modern technologies, in particular the Internet. In addition, the continuous stream of information regarding the events in Britain meant that news providers had to ‘pad-out’ their coverage with information from a wide range of sources. One source turned to was that of social media, with a number of reporters broadcasting the reactions of celebrities from their twitter feeds, as well as the reactions of viewers as BBC reporter Simon McCoy did in a rather comical way.
Thus the emergence of a 24-hour media cycle, in which media providers are expected to disseminate content round the clock, demonstrates the changing flows of media explained by the mediascape. Where once the media was essentially a one-way stream of information in which producers broadcast content to a passive audience, now it is a multi-stream network that is heavily influenced by other media producers as well as by those who subscribe to it (Newman 2011, p. 47). The fact that the news was able to spread so rapidly around the world is evidence that information is no longer constrained to traditional paths of dissemination. As such, the coverage of the 'Royal Birth' appears to support Rantanen’s suggestion that, at its most basic level, globalization in the media creates greater connectivity between people, and thereby allowing humans to traverse the boundaries of space and time, and perhaps even the traditional social strata (Rantanen 2005, p.12).
The modern mediascape may be demonstrated by the recent coverage of the birth of the Prince of Cambridge. News stations around the world kept up a live feed of the story, in particular relying on information from their correspondents in Britain. This continuous coverage is only possible due to modern technologies, in particular the Internet. In addition, the continuous stream of information regarding the events in Britain meant that news providers had to ‘pad-out’ their coverage with information from a wide range of sources. One source turned to was that of social media, with a number of reporters broadcasting the reactions of celebrities from their twitter feeds, as well as the reactions of viewers as BBC reporter Simon McCoy did in a rather comical way.
Thus the emergence of a 24-hour media cycle, in which media providers are expected to disseminate content round the clock, demonstrates the changing flows of media explained by the mediascape. Where once the media was essentially a one-way stream of information in which producers broadcast content to a passive audience, now it is a multi-stream network that is heavily influenced by other media producers as well as by those who subscribe to it (Newman 2011, p. 47). The fact that the news was able to spread so rapidly around the world is evidence that information is no longer constrained to traditional paths of dissemination. As such, the coverage of the 'Royal Birth' appears to support Rantanen’s suggestion that, at its most basic level, globalization in the media creates greater connectivity between people, and thereby allowing humans to traverse the boundaries of space and time, and perhaps even the traditional social strata (Rantanen 2005, p.12).
Reference List:
Newman, N 2011, Mainstream media and the distribution of news in the age of discovery, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, retrieved 29 August 2013, <https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/documents/Publications/Working_Papers/Mainstream_media_and_the_distribution_of_news_.pdf>.
Postans, A 2013, 'Royal baby labour TV coverage was born of swivel-eyed desperation', The Mirror, 27 July, retrieved 29 July 2013, <http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-reviews/royal-baby-labour-tv-coverage-2096136>.
Rantanen, T 2005, The Media and Globalization, Sage, London.
Postans, A 2013, 'Royal baby labour TV coverage was born of swivel-eyed desperation', The Mirror, 27 July, retrieved 29 July 2013, <http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-reviews/royal-baby-labour-tv-coverage-2096136>.
Rantanen, T 2005, The Media and Globalization, Sage, London.
Shapiro, Rebecca
2013, ‘BBC Reporter Simon McCoy’s Deeply Honest Royal Baby Coverage’, The Huffington Post, 22 July, retrieved
25 July 2013, <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/22/simon-mccoy-royal-baby-coverage-bbc_n_3635142.html>.
World News Publishing Focus 2013, ‘The royal baby: birth of a modern media phenomenon, World News Publishing Focus, retrieved 25 July 2013, <http://blog.wan-ifra.org/2013/07/23/the-royal-baby-birth-of-a-modern-media-phenomenon-0>.