THE TWITTER CONTROVERSY CONTINUES...

What do the recent examples of social media trolling/cyberbullying tell us about the power of social media? What should be done by digital institutions to protect people from this level of abuse?

Coleen Nolan discusses her TWITTER experience with The Daily Mirror: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/coleen-nolan-twitter-rape-threat-2203788
Blue are not happy: http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/blue-stars-duncan-james-antony-2181377
Blue appear on Newsnight: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23790410
BBC Newsnight Twitter Trolling Debate:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23519337
Caroline Criado-Perez discusses her experience with the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23498146
MP Stella Creasey discusses Twitter with the BBC:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-23498128

The media issues and debates that link to Facebook/Twitter could be an area that students would like to explore when producing coursework. There is so much material that can be used to confront the topic of social media and trolling, cyberbullying, personal privacy etc.

BRADLEY MANNING: VILLAIN OR HERO?

Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison for offering secret and classified documents to the WIKILEAKS site. Students need to be aware of the issues surrounding this case as it links directly to the topic of media and democracy.
BBC News article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23787036 
BBC News article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23470057
CHANNEL FOUR NEWS: http://www.channel4.com/news/bradley-manning-julian-assange-wikileaks-conviction-video
CHANNEL FOUR NEWS: http://www.channel4.com/news/bradley-manning-wikileaks-what-did-they-do-for-us
FOX NEWS USA discuss Snowdon and Manning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV0zusGIE20

The views of CLAY SHIRKY and ANDREW KEEN.

In this brief lecture Clay Shirky explains how the mobile phone and social media can make history. This resource is probably more for the teacher than the student....but i could be wrong!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_iN_QubRs0
This lecture is from 2009 but is still an extremely interesting and relevant media text.

ANDREW KEEN is not a big fan of digital media and he offers a very different viewpoint. Click on links below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fnb13MII88
This is KEEN explaining why he feels that digital media is encouraging THE CULT OF THE AMATEUR and that digital media is resulting in cultural chaos and moral decay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGG1QKG6AjQ
More KEEN:
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/jul/20/computingandthenet.books
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFaNFj6QkJI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNQtCXSxdM0&feature=related

WHAT WAS THE ARAB SPRING?

Students need to be aware of this moment and why this may be of interest to a media student.
BBC article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/how-the-arab-spring-started/14360.html
Facebook and the Arab Sring. BBC documentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnPR90dJ3Gk
This is the first You Tube segment. Students should navigate through the documentary from this point.

DAVID MIRANDA and the GUARDIAN..A digital horror story.

In A2 media studies, the media issues and debates surrounding the media and democratic freedom is a key topic. Governments are struggling to control who is able to access information that they would rather not share with the wider public. Iran in 2009, the Arab Spring in 2011, China's attempts to guide and control digital information, and the American government's treatment of Bradley Manning and attitude toward WIKILEAKS are examples of how difficult it is for a government to control information in the digital age. The Miranda case not only demonstrates the enthusiasm of government's to control digital information but also illustrates how governments attempt to control the content of newspapers. THIS HAPPENED IN THE UK. Should law aimed at protecting the public from terrorism be used to control journalism? What is your opinion?

I was constantly encouraging A2 students last year to be aware of digital restrictions in the UK and we discussed the implications of the 2010 Digital Economy Act and Theresa May's attempts to introduce a Communication Data Bill. We often discussed how governments may use fear of terrorist attack as a reason to inhibit individual freedom and the recent DAVID MIRANDA moment is a fine example of how a government uses the law to inhibit digital freedom. The fact that two government officials appeared at the office of The Guardian newspaper and watched the editor of the newspaper destroy a computer is quite incredible. Students need to click on the resources below to gain an understanding of this news story. This story relates to the impact of digital media.

BBC News Links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23776063
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23776243
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23764634
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23770301
Channel Four News Links:
http://www.channel4.com/news/alan-rusbridger-guardian-david-miranda-edward-snowden
The Guardian newspaper:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/19/david-miranda-schedule7-danger-reporters
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/aug/20/alan-rusbridger-miranda-snowden-nsa-gchq-video
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/20/innocent-fear-david-miranda
Glenn Greenwald's view published in The Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/18/david-miranda-detained-uk-nsa
The Daily Mail's view:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2398470/STEPHEN-GLOVER-That-airport-arrest-troubles-But-Guardians-murky-waters-love-country-venture.html
Fox News USA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik7ItAmWCAI
THE YOUNG TURKS online news USA:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae9BnrsrcK0
Russia Today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M36GKyYJ__g

THIS IS A MASSIVE MEDIA MOMENT AND STUDENTS NEED TO BE AWARE OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS STORY AND HOW THIS LINKS TO EDWARD SNOWDEN.

GREAT BBC Click episode.

BBC Click is an online series that deals with the issues and debates that link to digital media. This is a great episode. WATCH IT. Click on link below:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0392vqy/Click_17_08_2013/
This episode explores cyber-warfare and internet security.

WHO HAS YOUR DIGITAL DATA AND SHOULD YOU CARE? Channel Four news video.

This is a central media issue. Students need to watch this resource:
http://www.channel4.com/news/online-privacy-facebook-google-digital-nsa

HERE WE GO AGAIN.....Prep for Sept 13.

NOW THEN FREAKS. MASSIVE WELL DONE to year 12 and 13 for their results. YEAR 13 in particular deserve SPECIAL PRAISE. To achieve 70% A to B is OUTSTANDING. WELL DONE TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.

However...another academic year approaches and last year's Year 12 will soon be this year's Year 13 so it is time to consider some prep work before we meet in September. Students should familiarise themselves with the following resources as they offer essential knowledge which will assist Year 13.
The BBC documentary THE VIRTUAL REVOLUTION is still essential viewing. The first three episodes are essential viewing as they provide an overview of the media issues and debates that are key at A2 level. Click on links below:
Episode One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Idz0EEUPek
Episode Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcLP_Zn4dwU
Episode Three: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHfd_JQp-Lc

THE VIRTUAL REVOLUTION is now, statistically, a dated series as digital media changes at such ferocious speed but this series is still a relevant introduction to A2 Media Studies.

Student awareness of contemporary media issues and debates is a fundamental feature of the course and here are a few digital issues that have evolved since last our lives collided.

THE TWITTER SECURITY DEBATE:
http://www.channel4.com/news/twitter-abuse-arrest-caroline-criado-perez
http://www.channel4.com/news/twitter-trolls-del-harvey-comments-abuse-video
http://www.channel4.com/news/twitter-arrest-troll-caroline-criado-perez-stella-creasy
ALL THE RECENT CHANNEL FOUR ARTICLES THAT RELATE TO THIS ISSUE CAN BE ACCESSED HERE: http://www.channel4.com/news/twitter

This Channel Four news link provides a series of articles relating to EDWARD SNOWDON: http://www.channel4.com/news/prism-spying-scandal
This debate that relates to the security of our digital privacy is a central media debate.

CYBERBULLYING and HANNAH SMITH:
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23717332
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23631390
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23628769
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23615231
http://www.channel4.com/news/ask-fm-suicide-cyber-bullying-lorraine-gallagher-hanna-smith

BRADLEY MANNING, JULIAN ASSANGE AND WIKILEAKS:
Channel Four News : http://www.channel4.com/news/bradley-manning
Fox News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLDLV1NcLso
FOX NEWS discusses Wikileaks and Manning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Bc6p1ZjGk
Students should be aware of Bill O'Reilly and Fox News.
TED Lecture...An interview with Julian Assange: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVGqE726OAo
Wikileaks documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvmfOaZ34Pk

Students need to be aware of the media issues and debates that surround the WIKILEAKS site. Here are some previous fishymedia links that relate to wikileaks:
http://fishymediaresources.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=wikileaks

This is a starting point. I expect all Year 13 students to be aware of the above issues.