Netflix and What?

Naughty Netflix
Netflix has drastically changed the ways in which millions of people from all around the world view media content. The fact that the popularity of this online media streaming service led to the fall of so many video stores is no surprise; however, people did not expect the brand to be directly associated with the falling of pants as well. To elaborate, I'm referring to baby making, coitus, doing the deed, making whoopee, hanky panky, sinking the salami, and the list goes on. Thanks to the ever-increasing circulation of media content via millions of Netflix watchers and social media users, a new phrase can be added to this seemingly infinite list: Netflix and Chill.

Background
These three, now famous words began to show up on social media sites a few years after Netflix began to stream videos online in 2007, enabling people to watch more content with greater frequency and ease. This media update made Netflix much easier to access, which consequently increased the popularity of the site. Thus, the frequency of Netflix references on social media increased, the most common one being “Netflix and Chill”. The definition of "Netflix and Chill" at this time was indeed to simply watch Netflix and relax.


Due to the fact that millions of Netflix users are also communicating daily through sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc., a semantic drift has taken place for this relatively new and once innocent phrase. The first change in its use began emerging on Twitter, as the phrase more or less turned into a compound noun around 2012.


Not long after the grammatical use of the phrase was altered, people, specifically young Americans, began attaching a new connotation to "Netflix and Chill". It now references engaging in sexual activities with Netflix in the background. Quite romantic.


                                         
                          Tinder, a hookup/dating app, is a fitting place to use the phrase.

2014 came around, and social media began to swarm with sexual innuendos under this once mundane phrase. On Twitter alone, there were over 430,000 "Netflix and Chill" references during the span of July–August 2015 (topsy.com). Simultaneously, "Netflix and Chill"'s new definition began spreading like wildfire via social media sites such as Facebook and Tumblr. The audience most aware of this new phenomenon primarily consisted of young adults who frequently follow posts or sites that cater to "internet humor" i.e. memes, gifs, and so on.


                             


Now in 2015, the phrase has become so popular that young people not only use it online but also in their daily conversations. Thanks to the global community that is active on the social media, "Netflix and Chill" has expanded beyond the borders of countries that offer Netflix. The fact that one does not necessarily need to be familiar with Netflix in order to include "Netflix and Chill" into his or her vocabulary indicates the profound ability of media to distribute influential ideas and concepts to people from all over the world.

Generational Gap
Don't expect to hear the phrase "Netflix and Chill" at a bingo tournament. The young audience primarily using the phrase is a prime example of how media consumption actively shapes the differentiation of generational norms. Many would agree that social media has generated a culture of its own, one can see this especially through the ever-expanding internet humor where there is no shortage of "Netflix and Chill" references. Almost any active Tumblr or Instagram user, for example, would be able to explain what a meme is and give a plethora of examples.

If I were to ask my parents if they knew what "Netflix and Chill" meant, the chances of them understanding its new meaning would be close to none since their social media activity is nearly nonexistent. Even the older generations that are very active on Facebook and/or Twitter are not likely get these references, as the content one sees is primarily generated through the followers or friends he or she has. Grandma is much more likely to scroll across a pie recipe rather than a John Cena gif. Thus, though "Netflix and Chill" has become a global phenomenon, there will always be limitations to how many people can use or be familiar with the phrase since internet access and/or interest is not relevant to everyone. 

                                        





                                   

The Bigger Picture
The new, widely accepted meaning of “Netflix and Chill” is just one of the many ways in which convergence takes place in the brains of the consumer as media consumption expands. Cultural practices are in part shaped by the distribution of services through which consumers alter and/or spread concepts and ideas. Specifically, “Netflix and Chill” is a prime example how the expansion of media is reshaping social norms about sex. Most would agree that teenagers and young adults are not only more informed about sex today, but they are also quite open about the topic.

The concept of using an entertainment medium as an entrance route to Sexyville is not new at all. Half a century ago, people were most definitely going to movies with the hopes of scoring at some point; however, there would likely be no public announcements made before or after. This normalization of casual hookup culture as seen online is one of the many indicators of how the subject is increasingly leaving the private sphere, especially within western societies. This evolution, or some might argue devolution, of social norms regarding sex shows how media convergence plays a crucial role in the reshaping of not just technology but the minds of millions as well.

 

                                     




Sources:

Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP, 2006. Print.

"Twitter Search, Monitoring, & Analytics | Topsy.com." Twitter Search, Monitoring, & Analytics | Topsy.com. Topsy Labs, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Roose, Kevin. "How 'Netflix and Chill' Became Internet Slang for Having Sex." Fusion. Fushion Media Network, 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.

Photos taken from Tumblr

Facebook divides society

How tragedies change social networks’ agenda

On the 6^th of February French satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo” published the comic strips about the Russian plane, which has been blown up by terrorists. “Dangers of Russian low-cost airlines, I should have taken Air Cocaine”, says one cartoon.

These drawings have been placed on the last page of the newspaper under the heading “Covers, which we decided not to use”. There are usually drawings, which journalists offered for the title page, but then they have been rejected. However, these comic strips provoked a wage of criticism from Russian officials, as well as a storm of indignation among Russian users in social networks.

"Are you still Charlie?"

In two weeks the same newspaper publishes the comic stripes about terror attacks in Paris and what do we see? The opposite reaction of the French society.

“The only thing, which can help us, is humor. They attacked French way of life, we fight them with unity, tolerance and caricatures of ourselves. We are proud of our culture but we can still laugh about France. Caricatures are made to represent French routine: drink wine, eat frogs and dance late”, says a student from France Eliza Chasal.

Does social networks really care?

Different reactions show how much the societies are polarized. The same has been proved by Facebook initiative to let its users to pay tribute to the French victims. People immediately started to change the photos of their profiles to pictures showing the French flag Some of them changed it back the following day. 

The users who have done it were sure that it was a way of support. Yet there were a lot of people who had another opinion: popped-up “support” of France in social media is just a way to show your Facebook friends in News feed that you are not indifferent. In fact, there is nothing but self-satisfaction – to show your friends’ list that you do have values. That all social psychologist Eugene Medresh calls “unhealthy reality” – “people try strength of their sympathy”.

Moreover, some people assumed that Zuckerberg’s team elects tragedies for emotional experience. In this case no one could explain why nor Facebook neither any other media reacted to the terror attack in the Kenyan school. So, there is no freedom of choice for users, the social network defines the intensity of mourning for victims and the events that they could support. 

Not all french people were pleased with the new tool of Facebook

As the media experts say, social network is, first of all, a commercial product. If such a button of sympathy appears, it is necessary for somebody to launch it. More clicks – more money. Facebook profits from the tragedy: they have launched a special campaign to support the Parisians to gather user data for marketers and advertisers. There is also the political context: which countries deserve the giant social network’s attention. Experts call this problem “Euro-centrism”, defined as a worldview, which places overemphasised importance on the West.

Nevertheless, Facebook could become a tool, which will decide the problem of polarized groups and unit people if it will start a multinational company. The vice President of Growth at Facebook Alex Schultz has already claimed about this. “We'll also continue to explore how we can help people show support for the things they care about through their Facebook profiles, which we did in the case for Paris, too”, says Schultz. 

Presumably, there is a good term for defining this trend – slacktivism, which is mainly used now for the criticizing of network’ activism – online petitions, flash mobs and mass mailings. Social networks have given us a false sense of belonging: to distribute “socially useful” information, sign the online petition or take part in the flashmob. Thousands of Internet users do it and feel that they are part of something important. In fact, retweets and likes usually bring no practical results. The main problem is that such “slack” activity in social networks has replaced people’s actions in the real life.

Stay ethical or working just for increasing the website's traffic?

These two terrible terror attacks gave experts also a strong reason to think about ethical problems in electronic media. They have been blamed in stealing and spreading through the net private pictures of the Parisian and Russian victims.

Social networks changed the way of covering the stories about catastrophes. They made the information about anything easily accessible. Before Facebook was launched, we couldn’t get any data about the victims of any catastrophe. Now we are all in Facebook and we are empowered in searching information. That is why media, especially electronic media, always try to be more considered to show tragedies.

The professor of the Faculty of Philosophy of Saint Petersburg State University Dmitry Gusev supposes that social networks give users a chance to express their sadness and fears. “On the one hand, these are mechanisms of moral unprecedented consolidation of the society's members, when we strive to demonstrate unity with each other being in trouble. On the other hand, social networks can become a platform for completely immoral discussions <…> when a tragedy is comprehended in the terms of conspiracy and political theories and savored in all the details”, says professor Gusev (in Russian).

It’s too late to change media’s and society’s attitude to it, because Facebook is everywhere and won’t let us change anything easily.

How does Snapchat make Money?

by Tina Folková

When in 2013 Snapchat turned down a $3 billion buyout offer from Facebook, it looked not like insane and arrogant decision. Everybody from the company thought, they are worthly more than that.[1] Henry Blodget (Business Insider editor-in-chief) wrote a dreamily optimistic post about Snapchat’s fortunes. His main point wat that Snapchat would make money from advertising, because teens are willing to pay for literally anything.[2]  Unfortunately, financial documents showed that Snapchat was very far from profitable in 2014. The company lost a whopping $128 million while bringing in just $3 million in revenue during the period Junuary – November of 2014. Even these numbers weren’t convictive enough to make owners of Snapchat regret their earlier decision not to sell Snapchat. Mike Dempsey (from analytics firm CB Insights) said that „if Snapchat is at a similar point right now in its business lifecycle as 2012-2013 Twitter, the new funding probably gives them a multi-year runway.“ [3]

Red numbers would only reflect about a month and a half of ad revenue, since Snapchat started ad program in the middle of October 2015.[4]

The Profitability of Snapchat Discover

Snapchat Discover was launched on January 27, 2015. It promoted company as more than just a messaging ap. It lets users view offering from companies like CNN, Comedy Central, ESPN, and Yahoo! News, among other additional entertainment providers. But according the Bloomberg (business and markets news, data and analysis) write-up, Discover hasn't proven to be cost-effective as Snapchat expected. It says: „Snapchat’s media pertners say traffic to the new Discover page in the Snapchat app started strong when it was introduced in Juanuary and fell off dramatically after the initial surge of interest.“ [5] However, according to ReCode, Snapchat is charging these companies around $100 per thousand views.[6]  If you imagine that each Publisher could receive millions of views a day, you can realize how that adds up to significant revenue for the app. In addition, if the Publisher decides to use its space for its own ads, the Publisher must split the profits with Snapchat.

roviders.

Companies in Stories

If a company decides that it wants to be seen in user’s Stories, it is possible. According Adweek[7] reports Snapchat charge some top brands $750,000 a day for placement. Accepting the price, a Universal executive was quoted in the report as saying Snapchat was a key part of the marketing strategy for their movies. Snapchat replies that they only offer the opportunity to reach teenagers. While the ads are fleeting, user do have to press their screens to view them, which shows clear engagement. [8]

Attractive for advertisers?

As Snapchat makes its platform better and better, it also increases its attractiveness to advertiers. What contributes to even more revenue growth is that Snapchat’s user demographics are highly sought by advertisers. 50% of users are between 13-17 years old and the average usage is 14 times a day (Digiday survey[9]). In August 2014, Snapchat was ranked the third most popular social app among millennials, trailing only Facebook and Instagram.  That makes Snapchat the fifth-highest valued startup after Uber, Xiamoi, Airbnb and Palantir.

Sponsored Lenses

Snapchat’s newest revenue source is called Sponsored Lenses, launched in October 2015. It allows users to take a Picture or video of themselves and add different animated filters to the shot. Various brand logos or branded animations can be featured by these animations. The very first sponsor of lenses was 20th Century Fox. They allowed animated selfie features with characters from „The Peanuts Movie“.[10]  Users of Snapchat can add  animated characters such Snoopy or Woodstock to their messages.   Snapchat will charge up to $750,000 for a brand to reach entire user base on peak days (like Thaksgiving, Halloween, Black Friday, New Years Eve, etc). During off peak days, the charge is $450,000 - $750,000.[11]

Future

We can only guess what other features will Snapchat annouce in the near future. There are some predictions that Snapchat can reach No.1 in social networks, mainly for the reason that Snapchat is more about messaging than about marketing. Another reason is that Snapchat is using a Two-Way Conversation (organisators of the festival are sending pre-photos of the stage, while people are sending getting-ready photos for the festival). The main advantage of Snapchat is its authenticity. It’s playful and cutesy, and its impermanence encourages people to be their tru selves. Well, we all will definitely see...

---

[1] http://mashable.com/2014/01/06/snapchat-facebook-acquisition-2/#3MNgie7GXmqm

[2] http://www.businessinsider.com/how-snapchat-will-make-money-2013-11

[3] http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/what-snapchat-loss-reports-dont-tell-you/626452

[4] http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/18/snapchat-ads-are-probably-cooler-than-facebooks-but-still-not-cool/

[5] http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-05-26/evan-spiegel-reveals-plan-to-turn-snapchat-into-a-real-business

[6] http://recode.net/2015/03/12/snapchats-ad-rates-for-its-discover-feature-are-really-high/

[7] http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/snapchat-asks-brands-750000-advertise-and-wont-budge-162359

[8] http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/snapchat-asks-brands-750000-advertise-and-wont-budge-162359

[9] http://digiday.com/platforms/snapchat-pitching-brands-agencies/

[10] http://moneymorning.com/2015/11/12/how-does-snapchat-make-money-2/?gateType=hostage&crType=pop_OEI_STI_WSII_TW_PPT_SMI

[11] http://marketingland.com/snapchat-will-charge-brands-to-make-their-mark-on-your-silly-selfies-145092

If internet is like high school- where do the misfits sit?

Tumblr. is a blogging platform created in 2007 in New York. It is currently owned by Yahoo! Inc. Each user can create and share his content with followers, as well as reblog what others have shared. The most common are multimedia posts containing pictures and gifs. As I checked today, on November 24^th 2015, it has 265,3 millions of blogs. 

lucie-the-human.tumblr.com

Reddit - the front page of the Internet

Reddit – the front page of the Internet

In the first day of this class, our professor asked us in what way we contribute with content on the Internet. As I was strategically sitting almost on the last row, I had plenty of time to wonder how I contribute on the Internet, and what contributing actually is. My classmates contributed in a lot of ways. Blogs, articles, Youtube-accounts, Instagram and Twitter. They were all part of what the Internet is all about. Sharing.

The last couple of years my friends has constantly been talking about this one website. A few years ago, it was 4chan and then 9gag, but they were both just phases of Internet history. I guess they still are active, but who uses it? My friends was talking about Reddit. But as a non-nerd, I didn't bother about it. Did the web really need another 4chan or 9gag with weird photos and inside jokes?

Every time my friends sent links to Reddit, it was just long articles or stories that would take forever to read. I didn't bother. But that was until I realized how I could get information on anything there. I only saw Reddit as just another website, posting the same things as you would see on 4chan and 9gag, and even on your Facebook feed eventually.

I actually started using Reddit mostly to see the goals of the recent football matches. Every time any of the major leagues in the world scores, a video will be posted on the “/soccer” subreddit. Trying to find goals on Youtube could be a pain in the ass, as they usually don't have the rights to the clips, and it often led me to watch some guy with a web-camera explaining the goal. It was terrible. My life was falling apart. But then, a hero arose. The answer to my problems. The lord and savior of my first world problems. It was called “r/soccer”.

A democratically rated system that makes the best voted goals and articles, or anything related to football appear high up on the page. The more votes, the higher up. And after two days it is gone. Well, you can find it again if you want to show the last week, month, year or all time highest rated posts, so let's not compare it to Snapchat.

Because I like football, I also have a favorite football team. I am what they call a “gooner”. This means I'm an Arsenal fan, the north London team that stole my heart in 2001. Fun-fact; Osama Bin Laden, who was the founder and leader of al-Qaeda who claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks that very same year, was also a Gooner, actually he was a season ticket holder at Highbury in the 90's. Where did I learn this? The subreddit “/gunners” of course.

The /gunners is actually the most popular football team subreddit, with around 45 000 “redditors” (registered users) subscribing. Compared to Manchester United who has 350 million fans in the world (3 times of what Arsenal has), but only 37 000 subscribers on /reddevils. I would assume that's because United fans do not care about football, they are stupid and they would not know how Internet works. That is the only reason I can truly understand why someone would like United also. But then again, Arsenal fans are said to be stubborn and subjective in their argumentations.

So what I was trying to say, before I got lost explaining how wonderful Arsenal and /gunners is, I would like to explain what subreddits are. If you go to reddit.com and see on the front page what has been most up-voted lately, there will be different subreddits in the under the link. That is a way of placing the content of what you are posting, or a way to find the content that suits your “need”. If you are in a mood for some cute dogs and cats you will go to r/aww. The title is self explaining. If you want to watch the goals from the latest gameweek in football, you go to (sadly, because reddit is American) r/soccer. But if you really want to just make time pass by, or you are an easily amazed stoner with intention to literally blow your mind, I would ask you to go to reddit.com/r/showerthoughts. Although I do not go there very often, it is one of the more exciting content every posted on the Internet, at least when you see how simple it all is.

What is also exciting about Reddit it that is is not just bullshit and funny things, there is a reason why they call it “the front page of internet”. As r/news (mostly American) and r/worldnews (non-American), r/TIL (today I learned) and r/personalfinance are constantly upvoted, it makes the Reddit experience more useful. And as the world's biggest forum with 208 million unique visitors in October from 209 different nations, there will be a subreddit for almost everyone, even almost every country and major cities has their own. You can for example try www.reddit.com/r/prague. There you can find tips, discussions and questions regarding the city, often used by tourists and visitors.

In the last part of this blog post, I would like to give you guys some tips of how to use and understand Reddit. They often seem to use abbreviations to classify the content or subreddit.

AMA: ask me anything. Sometimes, well known or exceptionally interesting people agree to an internet “meeting” where they answer questions from redditors (users). 

TIL: Today I learned. Also a subreddit, often explaining scientific or historical things.

NSFW: Not safe for work. Written in red letters. Do not open these articles, videos or pictures when there are people around you. It can be very disturbing, or of a sexual content. Not cool if your boss or teacher is behind you.

So I really hope that people will have an open mind when trying reddit, and I hope you will be satisfied. Reddit is literally the best of what the Internet has to offer every day.

Fitnessgirls on Instagram – a motivating and inspiring soap

Ok, first of all I have to admit that I am absolutely addicted to Instagram. 

I love following my friends and also famous actors or singers. But since this year, there is another group of people I started to follow: Fitnessgirls.

It all started with a recommendation from Instagram. Instagram suggested me a picture of a very delicious and healthy looking breakfast. Some clicks later I was absolutely in love. The girl posts a wide range of different meals, which look so yummy to die for. Sometimes she also shares some recipes of her creations with us, her followers.

 She also posts pictures wearing sporty clothes and doing training exercises in the gym.

The longer I followed her, the more I got to know about her personality and her way of life. In the short texts under her pictures, she lets us know how her day is going and what’s on her mind. Sometimes she writes longer texts which are very personal. She tells about her past, her education and her experiences in life. There she is about my age, I can comprehend most of her feelings, thoughts and actions. It is funny to see that she has to deal with the same problems as I have to.

She undergoes the same experiences as normal girls do: problems with her academic studies, searching for a boyfriend, loosing or gaining weight. It is fun to follow her life and to see how things evolve. Sometimes she is really sad and takes comfort in the comments of her followers. On the other hand, there are days when she is in a really good mood and she posts lot of happy pictures where you can see her smile. In this case, she often adds a positive text to these pictures, in which she tells us to enjoy life and wants to make us happy.

There are days, she posts about 4 or 5 pictures a day. Meanwhile, she starts introducing us to her friends, and marks them at the end of her pictures. She shares her dinners in restaurants, the preparations for parties and also her gym sessions. During the time I also started following her friends. I noticed that they seem to live similar lives. All of them love doing sports, especially going to the gym, they enjoy cooking and going out for dinners and they often spend time together, although they don’t live all in the same town.

On the weekends they visit each other and go out together. And on the next day we can find out everything about their joint evenings on Instagram. Sometimes each of them posts similar pictures but from a different perspective. But if you really want to get to know all the details, you need to check out all their profiles. (In the description of the picture, everyone writes down their view of the last night.) It is really interesting and reminds me of the good old soap operas I used to watch in my youth.

But instead of sitting in front of the TV at a certain time and watching an episode a day, I open Instagram and look for some news of her and her friends. Maybe one of them shares a new creative recipe for healthy cookies with us or they post a short video of their last training session in the gym. Sometimes I really hope to see some news from her. Especially when she did some announcements or when she just posted some mysterious photos without any comments.

I know this sounds crazy, because I wouldn’t mind that her life is more interesting than mine. And I’m quite sure, that there are many people who would not understand why I am so interested in her life, which is after all pretty similar to mine. But I enjoy following her and staying some kind of “in touch” with her.

 I think it’s because she inspires me. Not only her recipes for delicious and healthy meals, but also her success in sports and her ambition stimulate me. Especially when I have those lazy days, when I don’t want to do sports and when I just want to stay in bed and eat chocolate. On these days, her pictures of a sporty, healthy and happy girl motivate me to get my butt out of bed and to be a little bit more active.

On these days I am really glad that Instagram recommended me to follow her. 

Sources:
Instagram/nati279
Instagram/babsishonestfitsoul
Instagram/veroslovelykitchen
Instagram/Particiala_

 

What is IF?

You walked into a blog about media. In front of you is an article about interactive fiction. There are no visible exits. What do you do?

Not interested

Show me more!

False information, true accusation

Two months ago, a renowned Quebec journalist has been the talk of the town for a lot of people in the province of Quebec. François Bugingo, a media figure who is very present in Quebec, used to work for some of the most popular media in Montreal. Indeed, he collaborates on the most viewed newscast show and he holds a daily column on Internationals affairs on 98,5 FM radio. In addition, he writes his own blog where he reports some news he witnessed. He’s also known on a larger scale, due to his implication with Reporters without Borders. His life changed in a heartbeat when the most read newspapers in Montreal, LaPresse, released a descriptive article, which proved that M.Bugingo had invented a lot of news. The author of that LaPresse article accused the international journalist to have invented, from scratch, some articles about news, which related to war and terrorism. The research made on his case showed, however, that his journalistic conclusions are sometimes highly romanticized, when they are not downright wrong. He published the fact that he had supposedly negotiated the release of a journalist hostage, which was held by terrorists of Al Qaeda in Mauritania in September 2011. However, proof has shown that he never set foot in Mauritania in September 2011. Furthermore, he said that he apparently witnessed the following:  

 “In Mistrata, Libya, one of the most zealous torturers of the regime of dictator Gaddafi was about to get executed by the triumphant militaries. The man in handcuffs was foul smelling; he probably pied on himself. His face was swollen from the hit he received. The excited combatants lead him to its place of execution when the soon-to-be killed man turned to me [François Bugingo], and screamed: I hate the bad man the Guide made of me”. 

Certainly, the media of the world  produced a lot of content about the conflicts that are occurring in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Liberia, Rwanada, and so forth. As a worldwide subject, it’s even more present today with the actions of the Islamic state (Daesh). These terrorists’ attacks feed the international media, and attract, by the same time, the attention of the population. So, for an international reporter and journalist, owning key information on this important subject is a step towards an immediate popularity and recognition. M.Bugingo has therefore used his public awareness as a reporter to create stricking content that would catch the attention.  

In this case, the use of new media such as blogs or social networks has been the key for M.Bugingo’s temporally success. Nowadays, the contents shared on social networks have taken such proportions that it’s extremely hard, if not impossible, to control or censor. It’s now more than easy to portray a false life through social medias. Hidden behind the screen, any individual wishing to embellish his ​​life, photos or content is able to do so. In M.Bugingo’s case, it took a few years to discover the truth on what he published, since consumers purchased the elements that he disclosed. He used “popular” international issues to make sure that he’d get the attention of his readers. For many years now, it’s been common to hear of social media publishing false news to increase their  readership and to have the exclusivity on a particular subject. What happens when these kinds of false news are spread on the Internet is that they are normally received and believed by readers. This proves that any facts issued on social networks can create false perception on a subject, for people who don’t really know much about it. Also, spreading unfounded information creates what we call “social cascades”, which represents travelling information from one people to another and lead to convincing other people about what they think. It could have made a reader some false hatred towards the conflict that he described. By sharing M.Bugingo news, which really seem, at first, to be proven and true, people started to gain interest for his articles and started sharing them on social networks. Even people who would not normally have followed him or his articles on a day-to-day basis (“Daily me”)  could be exposed to this false representation of the reality.  

 The flow of contents across these different media platforms ensures that the consumer does not know where and how to divide the good news from the bad. As M.Jenkins would say: “Convergence culture is the merging of the various forms of media so that the media consumer has become an active participant in the guiding forces behind that media.” In M.Bugingo’s case, we can tell that people who were consuming, sharing and/or commenting his news were actually being fooled without even realizing it. It’s a good thing to be able to be an “active participant in the guiding forces behind the media”. Therefore, when the users feed the false content, they’re also in the wrong. Media have the power to expend some content over the entire world. Therefore, the big issue is the legitimacy of that actual content. In this journalist’s case, I notice that despite a particular position that an individual may have within a big company, it will always be really easy to share unfounded content. Obviously, if I say on my Facebook that I witnessed an attack in Syria last week, I will not be the most credible person. However, it’s sad to see that a journalist can be published without being validated by any seniors in the company. What I realized is also that people are easy to convince. Some individuals will absorb any information and will consider it true. For M.Bugingo, I think it’s a lack of respect for people who appreciated him and also for people who are victims, directly or indirectly, by his false spreading news.

With that being said, I came to the conclusion that the expansion of new media could effectively lead to situations like the one encountered by M.Bugingo. Indeed, the news that he shared was unnoticed on social media and was accepted by thousands of people who thought they knew the truth. We have to be careful with new media, because on a wide array of contents, we must verify the sources of information, otherwise we will be a society who is ignorant, uninformed and biased.