Hot out of the class (Tuesday 2:30) are the following questions (they were voted on in order of significance – those that missed out on a vote have been left out):
- Why has reality TV become so popular? Why is it that we are so interested in seeing ‘real’ lives on TV as well as stories?
- Have we lost Habermas’ notion of the ‘public sphere’ with the widespread use of mobile technologies?
- Is there a chance that the accessibility of media nowadays ruins film making instead of ‘liberating it from the old’?
- Most of the content uploaded online is never, or rarely, viewed, and receives little recognition. How effective are online sharing sites such as YouTube as a distribution network?
- What does Sørenssen mean by the ‘democratic potential of these media’? How can media be democratised?
- What is the key factor for emerging media to become as monetised or popular in that it will become the norm for all society? What is its appeal?
- Why does the corporate dollar constantly contribute to the swaying of new media towards the ‘elite’?
- Why does Astruc matter to interactive documentary?
- What does Sørenssen mean by partial public spheres? How does the public sphere fall victim to a dominating media structure?