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MediaScape: A weekly wrap-up of media-related studies and surveys

Volume: IIssue No: 2 | Table of Contents

It's out of vogue, but the news embargo still makes sense

In the good “old world” embargoes used to be timed particularly to print deadlines of newspapers. But that was the old world; the world itself has changed – digitalisation has accelerated news cycles. The ancient relic called the “news embargo” ought to have disappeared by now, but it hasn’t. A researcher now says this will take time, and the embargo still makes sense. Sonja Gruber, an editor at the business department of the Austria Presse Agentur (APA) in Vienna, says that the fragmentation... MORE

Broad consensus that violent media increases child aggression

Most media researchers, parents and pediatricians agree that exposure to violent media can increase aggression in children , according to a new study. It found that 66 per cent of researchers, 67 per cent of parents and 90 per cent of pediatricians agree or strongly agree that violent video games can increase aggressive behaviour among children. Majorities of these groups also believe that children’s aggressive behaviour can be fuelled by viewing violent video games, movies, TV programmes, and... MORE

Print readers recall more than online readers

Readers abandoning print newspapers in favour of online news may want to consider the effect it’s having. A study conducted by a researcher at the University of Houston (UH) finds those who read printed news publications read more news and also remember more news than those who read news online. “As the US public gets its news more from online newspapers and less from print, new questions have arisen about the differences of both reading experiences,” said Arthur D Santana , an assistant... MORE

In Ireland, 8 out of 10 children accessing social media at school

Some four out of five (79 per cent) students in Ireland admit accessing social media at school , with 44 per cent of students accessing it between one and five times in every school day. More than 1,000 individuals between the ages of 13 and 18 participated in the BT Young Scientist Survey . When asked about the duration of the average single visit to social media sites, 26 per cent claimed to spend between two and five minutes on social media per visit. One third of the respondents admitted... MORE

Human trafficking remains ignored by the global media

The global media has turned a blind eye to the issue of human trafficking , focusing on conflict around the globe instead. It is estimated that some 2,5 million people are victims of trafficking each year but the issues are not covered in great depth by the world’s media. Incidentally, last week marked world human trafficking awareness week. The United Nations, which is at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking, should be able to increase awareness on this issue but even in... MORE

Canada: Going digital top priority for 74% of media companies

An overwhelming 74 per cent of media and entertainment (M&E) company CFOs from Canada say going digital is a top priority for growth. But the right data and analytics are key to delivering the insights that enable game-changing decisionmaking. For the first time since the recession of 2008, M&E CFOs have shifted their primary focus from cost reduction and operational efficiencies to optimising the organisation for growth. According to the EY report, It's showtime! Digital drives the... MORE

Facebook posts reveal personality traits, but changes complicate interpretation

People can accurately detect the personality traits of strangers through Facebook activity; however, changes to the social media site in the past three years could be making it harder to do so. Researchers from the University of Kansas sampled 100 Facebook users, paralleling the demographics of the social networking site, and asked them to fill out a personality survey. A group of coders looked at each person’s Facebook activity, 53 cues in all, to see whether certain personality types were... MORE

Use of online networks may threaten subjective well-being in several ways

Online networking can play a positive role in subjective well-being through its impact on physical social interactions. Can, of course. But, the overall effect of networking on individual welfare is significantly negative. That's because participation in social networking sites (SNS) might destroy social trust , while on the other hand, face-to-face interactions are positively associated with happiness, and online networks are not. Researchers Fabio Sabatini and Francesco Sarracino, for their... MORE

Global film industry perpetuates discrimination against women

Nowhere to be “scene,” women protagonists have less than one-third of all speaking roles in film and are largely absent from powerful positions, according to a United Nations-backed survey released recently. The study argues for the involvement of more female filmmakers in the industry, and for greater sensitivity to gender imbalance on screen. “The first-ever global study of female characters in popular films reveals deep-seated discrimination and pervasive stereotyping of women and girls by... MORE

Social networking can help people lose weight

Social networking programmes designed to help people lose weight could play a role in the global fight against obesity . Analysis by researchers from Imperial College London combining the results of 12 previous studies shows that such programmes have achieved modest but significant results in helping participants lose weight . The paper is one of 10 reports on global healthcare policy written for the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), an initiative of Qatar Foundation, and published... MORE
Date posted: July 13, 2015Last modified: May 23, 2018Total views: 12