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The need for likes! - Instagram in comparison to television networks!

Instagram

Social media is the new pioneer of modern technology; everyone that is relevant or important in some capacity has and uses social media. It’s hard to think of any family, friends, peers, that don’t have some form of social media. Social media spans across the Internet in hundreds of different app platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Kiki, Pintrest, Tumblr, and so many more. BUT if you think about it, the most well know app that trumps the rest is Instagram. It is the most relevant and popular app in the world; it has so many purposes for different people. It functions as a social form to communicate with friends, its used as a form of income through advertisements and popularity. People use Instagram as a form of entertainment by consuming time, scrolling through pages and posts. Instagram started off as a simple app that allowed friends and family to scroll through profiles and see pictures that were posted. You were able to give feed back on comments and like pictures to say it was an interesting post. Instagram has come a very long way since it first launched in 2010. “Media audiences today have come to expect the ability to provide instant feedback to media producers and to other audiences. In this type of interactive media environment, where do media producers end and the audience begin?” (Sullivan)

 Likes - Ratings

The ‘like’, seems harmless and encouraging; and in many cases it is. When double tapping on someone’s picture you fill the little heart on the left side of the screen in red. To you this is a simple tap on a screen to tell the person on the other end of the account that you ‘like’ their photo or video. Well in the eyes of Instagram your ‘like’ becomes a statistic that adds to other ‘likes’ and becomes a rating system to say what the audiences is interested in. The more ‘likes’ the higher the rating. “There is no passive audience grounded on traditional television that is distinct from an active internet user audience” (Brown, W. 2015). Being active Internet users says that you are engaged in the content and want to see more of it. This is a similar rating system used by Nelson when rating cable networks. “The rise of market information regimes and the historical development of audience ratings” (Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. Buzzard, K. 2015). ‘Likes’ track the popularity of individual pictures but also lead as a communication link to peoples pages. Tags of other profiles on pictures make more profiles and pages gain likes and followers when connected to their pages. “Media corporations and advertisers have adapted their business practices in a bid to retain their ability to track and measure media exposure” (Sullivan). ‘Likes’ give app user instant gratification; the more ‘likes’ the more positive the user views the picture that was posted and brings more feedback to their profile. “The interactivity affordance triggers gratifications related to user activity and system responsiveness and the navigability affordance caters to user movement in the space created by the medium” (Sullivan)

Followers - Viewers

Followers on Instgram are the most important aspect of the app. The first thing people check when they get a new follower request is if they know the person, and right after they check how many followers the prolife has. The number is bolded and centered at the top of the screen. Placed right beside the amount of followers is the following. The profiles amount of follower is compared directly to the amount of following that same profile has. The higher the followers and the lower the following the ratio is the more valued and executive that account is. Followers are considered to be similar to viewers on a cable network. It shows how many people are viewing and supporting the profile. Followers would be considered also as fans of the profile. It shows the importance of the page to other viewers. “... fan audiences are deeply engaged in their favourite media texts. Fans often reinterpret media content and create their own cultural productions in response” (Sullivan, p. 193). The more followers a profile has, the more benefits will be given to the account. If an account has over a certain amount of followers on Instagram, Instagram will pay that account to post more content. Instagram also pays more money for each individual post that profile makes, especially if the account gains more followers and likes on a regular bases. “What the industrialization and wage‐labor system has created.[...] is an artificial divide between the realm of production and consumption”(Thomas Streeter, 1996). Society as a whole and millennials especially, have developed a mindset that expresses a lack of actual hardwork. Society now believes that substituting gaining a skill or developing a business is obsolete as long as posting a picture or video will make them profit. In many cases people are thriving with making a living through social media and followers but replacing the mindset that hard work doesn’t pay off is scud.

Comments - Feed Back

Comments on an Instagram post function as direct feed back to the user. Other profiles are able to write comments and statements under the picture or video that were posted. “The difference between watching a [television] series and becoming a fan lies in the intensity of their emotional and intellectual involvement” (Jenkins as cited by Sullivan, p. 198). Fans/followers have the ability to give feed back and express there likes and dislikes on a post. This is similar to how podcasting networks receive emails and letters stating what the audience wants to see more of or what changes they feel would be appropriate for the network or account should change. This feedback is important for both Instagram and network producers. The only major difference between the two organizations is that Instagram comments are live to the whole public sphere.

Other Accounts - Competitors

Instagram has now been around for over half a decade, the saturation of the site has grown leaps and bounds. The amount of accounts and users has now sky rocketed to hundreds of millions monthly.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/ 

With all these active users and increasing followers per account, it would seem that accounts should be worried about the competition. After all Instagram pays for followers and likes, so won’t this limit the amount of popularity for certain accounts? Well the answer to that is ‘NO’. Instagram unlike a television production network thrives on more accounts and users. The more high valued accounts the more attention are broadcasted to other small account. Instagram is like a large web that keeps on expanding and bringing more users, the more users the more bugs (revenue) the web catches. This is what makes Instagram and social media so different from the television industry. The television/cable industry works on the premise that, if the viewers are not watching a station then the ratings won’t increase. If the ratings don’t increase then the station loses funding and airtime. “Nielsen, the company that has long been the deciding voice when it comes to measuring TV ratings, has been trying to make sense of streaming TV audience numbers for years now…Now, Nielsen says they have a figured out a way to collect data on how many people watch programming produced by both Netflix and Amazon, which could be a gamechanger in terms of financial investments moving forward.” (lecture sides, 19/10/2017).

Personal advertisement – Preference

Instagram has also found the perfect way to keep their audience interested in the app and content that’s showed to users. Instagram uses a system that brings up relevant content to the user of the account. For example say the user loves dogs, the Instagram has created an algorithm that will bring up posts, account sand advertisements that are all dog related. This allows the user to only view was topics that are interesting to that specific user. The television industry can only provide a channel and advertise what’s on it. If the viewer doesn’t click on that channel then they will never be able to see the content. Instagram not only keep the viewer interested but also creates revenue for the sale of products, services and advertisements of business that are on Instagram. “Audiences [have] unprecedented levels of control over their media exposure and empowered [audience members] to become media producers as well”(Sullivan). ““matrix media” ‐ The experience of the audience in the environment of the Web 2.0 – an experience which is increasingly multidimensional and interactive… to this form of communication that is more and more flexible and dynamic” (Jenkins, 2006) 

Overall technology is evolving everyday and the development more and more new apps and mediums for media. Social media has made it clear that it is the way of the future for not only social interaction but also as a means of revenue and business opportunities. The 2017 audience has made it clear that television and cable networks are still a great way to enjoy media, but are falling second to the social media age. With Netflix and streaming people are moving on to easier on demand sources of entertainment. Hopefully, a bit of both worlds will keep all forms of entertainment relevant but only the future will tell. It seems best to learn as much as possible about all outlets of current media; you never know who will become a viral social media sensation overnight.

“Instagram Famous”

References

Sullivan Chapter 10: Conclusion: Audience agency in new contexts

Astigarraga, I., Pavon, A., & Zuberogoitia, A. (2016). Active audience?: Interaction of young people with television and online video content. Communication and Society, 29(3), 133‐147.

Sullivan Chapter 9: Online, interactive audiences in a digital media world (213‐238). Wasike, B. (2013). Framing news in 140 Characters: How social media editors frame the news and interact with audiences via Twitter. Global Media Journal ‐ Canadian Edition, 6(1), 5‐23.

Sullivan Chapter 8: Media fandom and audience subcultures. Booth, P. (2105). Crowdfunding: A spimatic application of digital fandom. New Media and Society, 17(2), 149‐166.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active-instagram-users/

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Horror Comedies of Netflix

Best Halloween Horror Comedy Movies on Netflix.

The best of both worlds, the mix of pure fear and gut wrenching horror mixed with the gut busting laughter of comedy. Sound to good to be real…. but wait its not. One of the best genre ever known to mankind is the horror comedy genre; this is by far one of the most emotionally confusing genres ever made. One minute you have your eyes closed hiding behind a pillow and the next you on the floor holding your stomach making sure you don’t choke on your popcorn.

The genre that engages audiences on all levels use of gratification in a whole new way. By playing on both sites of emotions the audience experiences a fluctuation of emotions, thus engaging the audience. “Audience members are aware of their own individual needs and motivations in selecting certain media and are able to report their needs accurately to media researchers when asked.  Audiences around Halloween time express a higher want for excitement and fear, but not everyone has the ability to sit through a 2 hour long gore film with endless amount of blood, guts and mind games. All good media is able to immerse the audience in the film and relate to the viewer. Everyone has turned a dark corner at one time or another and was scared sh*tless of what was on the other side. That’s why the combination of light-hearted moments gives an edge to the viewing experience. The comical aspects open a larger demographic of audience, not everyone likes to get scared, but everyone loves to laugh. By taping in to this market you hit three main types of viewers: Halloween lovers, horror film enthusiasts and lastly, comedy lovers. For example, there are many people that have no interest in horror movies and will skip the genre completely. Once you add the comical aspect the love of comedy will most times over power the worry of fear.  Vice versa, not all horror film viewers like comedy, but by exposing some gruesome sense of blood, gore, and death the horror film enthusiast will watch the genre.

Halloween is a popular genre on its own and the genre is able to cover a large range of topics, as long as they have some relation with Halloween. By capitalising on the genre of Halloween, Netflix has the ability to present many different viewing experiences for their viewers. Halloween is a great way to draw a buzz, by presenting what is relevant to the audience during that time period of the year they are able to increase the amount of viewers and keep audience on the site for a much longer period of time. By using the relevance of Halloween Netflix is able to increase its ratings and overall support of the Halloween fan base. Halloween also gives Netflix the ability to re-use older films that have been created in the past and once again make them relevant. “Our needs usually emerge only when more pre-potent needs have been gratified” (Maslow, p. 115). By capitalizing on the time of year people will switch interest from TV series and Movies that are new, back to the classics in which they love. This allows Netflix to gain feed back of what will make a movie or television series a staple instead of a one-time watch. Netflix is able to track all of its own rating and “likes” which eliminate bias that can be provided from previous rating system that were used by companies like Nielsen’s.  “Ratings were really but an extension of this system of audits to provide feedback and greater control of the selling process” (Buzzard, 2015, p. 511‐512). By having an accurate system of rating Netflix was able to present Halloween classics and create new Halloween favorites for the future.

 AND the future is here Netflix has come out with some great Halloween genre films that will for sure leave and impression on the holiday as a whole and especially in the film industry. It’s now time to outline three of Netflix best horror comedy films that are perfect to watch during the Halloween season.

First we have one of the early 2000s funniest horror comedies Zombieland. Zombieland is the story of a young man that has to deal with the horror of the world coming to an end because of the zombie apocalypse. After the virus turns most people into zombies, humans that are trying to survive and remain alive are locked in an ongoing battle against the hungry undead. Four survivors follow a list of survival rules and zombie-killing methods and strategies. Their goal is to make their way toward a rumored safe haven in Los Angeles. It’s an unsuspected team of misfits and wanderers that create a comical genius of a film. Highlighted with some of the most gruesome moment in horror comedy history. Overshadowed by the love story of two Zombie apocalypse survivors, give the film and added flare and relatable depth for audiences to relate with. Even though the situation seems hopeless and uncontrollable the comic relief of how to kill zombies give this Halloween film an epic success. Netflix knows what its viewers are looking for and they delivered hardcore by put this film on the docit. The most impressive element of this movie is its ability to make the death of a zombie something to chuckle at.

Lets move on to the movie that will make you wet your pants in the middle of the thereafter not because of its fear factor but because its one of the funniest series of movie you will ever see. With an all-star cast and hilariously inappropriate comical senses of disturbing paranormal activity A Haunted House 2 is a Netflix’s must see. A Haunted House 2 is the sequel to the famous A Haunted House, both movies run on a very simple prims of paranormal activity. What makes this movie unique is the manner in which it is film. The film is captured thru a first person video camera, this makes it seem like the video is a personal documentary. After the first film where Malcolm suffered with his now former girlfriend's demonic possession, Malcolm has decided to start fresh. Malcolm, Megan (new girlfriend) and her children have now moved into their dream home. Soon afterward the family is moved in to the new home, Malcolm is once again dragged in to the loop of supernatural shenanigans. Only this time, it's not just the house that's haunted. A demon has attached itself to Malcolm, and shows no signs of letting go. The family deals with some hard-pressed situations of life and death.

The film itself doesn’t give much of a meaningful background story it is very swallow and superficial. It’s made to be an entertainment piece, something easy going and fun to watch. It gives the audience and impression that no matter what is going on in their personal life at least the not being possessed by a demonic spirit. This gave the film a very negotiated position, the dominant mean of the film is understood but not taken literally. It shows that being a good person and doing the right thing may sometimes help you out more then you know.

Last but not least, by far the most gory and graphic film in the blog, The Babysitter. With such and incent and friendly name the expectation of how notorious and savage the story becomes. When looking at the cover of this wonder Netflix original you soon release that this babysitter is like no other child hood crush. Netflix in the past couple years has been testing it boundaries with new content, this new content is outgoing and edgy.  By pushing the envelop Netflix use of gratification in this movie is directed toward peoples affective needs, by pushing the limits between extreme horror and crazy laughter the emotional rollercoaster keep the excitement of the audience and elevates the viewing experience.

 The film is set up follow a young teenager around named Cole. Cole is still a young boy that is picked on and isolated from peers his own age, the only person Cole is able to relate to and be a friend with is his extremely hot babysitter Bee. He is also has a friendship/crush with the girl across the street, Melanie. Beside the connection Cole has with the two women in his life he is bullied and misunderstood. well he is bullied. When Cole decided to stay up past his bedtime and spy on his hot babysitter. Cole will then discover that his hot baby sitter belongs to a satanic cult that will stop at nothing to keep him quiet. This leads Cole through a series of incredibly and horrific events, where luckily by fluke Cole ends up killing all members of the cult including Bee.

The movies ability to switch from a scary/serious moment to a funny unexpected variation of a classic horror film sense is very impressive. Unlike most horror comedies the film really pushes the boundaries of unexpected turns and comical moments. As an audience member at time you will be waiting for a horrible gory scene, which then turns in to a hilarious conversation that occurs between Cole and his attempted killers. The most iconic scene of the movie is the use gore and violence. When the cult is sitting in the family room playing truth or dare and Bee crawls over to kiss the new kid of the group named Sam. Sam is not used to this situation and is very nervous about kissing Bee because of her beauty. Bee stands Sam up and as she kisses the timed boy she stabs him in the top of the head with two very large blades. Instead of the expected sadness of the fellow people in the group it mad out to be a joke of what a mess the blood from Sam’s head made spraying all over the cult members. This is only one example of the pure blood tossing horror from this unexpected comedy.

 In reality watching anyone of this wonderful film will fill your night with laughs and fear.  The best part of all is that they can be all found on Netflix this make the films easy to watch and enjoy where ever you maybe on the spooky night of Halloween. By opening peoples mind to this great genre audience are able to experience a whole new world off entertainment. Horror comedies are hopefully here to stay and continue the emotional rollercoaster of up coming Halloween classics.  

 References 

Buzzard, K. (2015). The rise of market information regimes and the historical development of audience ratings. Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 35(3), 511–517.

Sullivan Chapter 5: Uses and gratifications (107‐131).

Sundar, S., & Limperos, A. (2013). Uses and grats 2.0: New gratifications for new media. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 57(4), 504‐25. Sullivan Chapter 6: Interpreting and decoding mass media texts (133‐160). Pett, E. (2017). Transnational cult paratexts: Exploring audience readings of Tartan’s Asia Extreme brand. Transnational Cinema, 8(1), 35–48.

Sullivan Chapter 4: Media ratings and target marketing (77‐104).

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The Top Three Netflix Original Comedies

Netflix is one of the most commonly used website, application, and entertainment source known to mankind. Pretty much every man, woman, and child not living in a cave know about this wonderful world of unlimited movies and TV shows. Netflix has everything from your gut-wrenching horrors to your light-hearted documentaries about the Top 10 cutest animals on earth. Netflix has something for everyone, including older movies from back in the 90s and further. For a low monthly payment of $9.99 (basic package) you are able to have a great source of entertainment at any time just at the touch of a button. Netflix started off as a movie watching website with a fee like most other irrelevant movie watching sites, but what made Netflix different, what made society choose Netflix over everything else. Netflix Originals, the self-produced, and published movies, TV shows and documentaries made directly by Netflix and posted on their own website.  

Netflix originals changed the way society watch video entertainment. Netflix turns a concept that has been around since the time when streaming movies from the internet took three hours or more just to get a glitchy stream, and turned an hour and a half movie into a three-hour journey of loading, pausing and refunding streams.

The Netflix Originals not only have options in every genre but they have well-known actors and superstars to perform for their massive amount of new media. Actors like Adam Sandler, Drew Berrymore, Kevin Spacey, Jane Fonda and so much more. Netflix changes the movie industry by even eliminating the process of a film being released in theatre. It’s self-advertised on the site with a trailer and a release date.

Netflix is the way of the future and with the outrageous amount of new content added to the site daily with big-name actors. It’s hard to imagine where all this funding is coming from and how Netflix will sustain this ongoing release of new and original content.

Well, the answer is they are NOT.

Netflix is a massive organization but so far they’re not turning a profit because of the amount they are spending on new development with new shows and movies being released all the time. Netflix has announced that they will be dropping some of the new show they just released. This means a bad time for the individuals that are extremely sucked in and obsessed by one of these new series. Sooooo, how do you make sure your new obsession is protected and ready to go for another amazing season?! Well, the answer is ratings and viewers. Netflix gives you the option to rate their content by clicking a thumbs up or a thumbs down at the end of the video.

All seems simple enough, but not rating your favourite show maybe the end of it FOREVER. This blog will be the source of telling you what show, in what genre to give the big ol’ thumbs up and save it for seasons to come.

The Top three Netflix Original Comedy Series!

Top Favourite- Santa Clarita Diet

Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant star in this Netflix-original series as married realtors, Sheila and Joel. The show starts off as the perfect family, happy, successful and loving. What would happen next would shock and awe everyone especially a Netflix audience? Sheila starts a transformation into a flesh-eating zombie. So you must be asking, Isn’t this a comedy? Yes, yes it is. Very unexpected but this may be one of the funniest gut turning comedies you will see in 2017. Sheila and Joel learn about trying to keep secrets in a small town occupied with nosey neighbours. The horrific demeanor of this show is offset with a hilarious family dynamic. Laugh along while they try to maintain a normal life with a feeding zombie and her increasing hunger for human flesh.  All and all this show is a must watch…however, I advise you don’t watch it while you eat your dinner.

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjRnbOgoAUQ  

Runner Up - Grace and Frankie

When two elderly woman that have been enemies for years end up living in the same beach house due to a crazy turn of events. When they learn that their husbands have fallen in love with each other and want to get married. Their world turns upside down and their families come along for the ride. This show is all about good-hearted humour with tons of relevant family struggles, it shows how to deal with life as it comes and shows you’re never too old to find love and succeed. With a solid three seasons on Netflix this is a great show to binge watch on a Sunday afternoon.

 Last but not least - White Gold

Salesman Vincent Swan leads his less than spectacular team of window salesmen to the watering hole of success and wealth. Vincent is a Smart, handsome and confident, will do whatever he needs to be done in order to keep the money rolling in. Vincent will say and do anything to ensure that the sale goes through and his team is kept happy and motivated. He is unconventional, cocky and arrogant but the entertainment keeps rolling in every scene of this short series. Also if you have ever worked in a sales environment, this show is for you. There are so many relatable aspects that will make you wish you had the ability to speak to clients in the way Vincent does.

Obviously, Netflix over time has changed the entertainment industry and the way audiences experience movies and TV shows. Not all Netflix Originals are great pieces of entertainment but for the ones that are; it’s worth keeping them around. But taking risks by producing new shows keeps audiences interested and the possibility of the next big thing. So the next time you need a light hearted Netflix and chill night with your other half or just want to curl up in bed and have a laugh; start from the top and work your way down. You will not be disappointed watching these great Netflix Original comedies with some of the best actors in the industry. But remember if you like the shows listed above, give them a little thumbs up and keep Netflix interested in making multiple seasons to come.  

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