There has been a digital revolution. We have moved from an industrial society to a digital one. Information can be accessed by everyone due to spread of digital communications. E.g. News is online
McLuhan
Global village: the world is becoming much smaller and globalised. It is easier to communicate with people across the world.
Carter 'Cybercity'
Cybercity is a virtual world with millions of users, which helps people maintain relationships by increasing their social capital.
Boellstorff
Second Life is another virtual community. It used to be the largest one where people could go to concerts, form relationships and increase their social capital. But it was also dangerous as Belgian police had to investigate a 'rape add on'
Castell
Argued we are moving from an industrial age to a digital age.
Boyle
The spread of digital communication has led to media convergence (mass information can be converted into one format). Because different forms can be accessed on one device.
Big Data
Refers to large sets of data that can be analysed to reveal patterns and trends. It has 5 advantages:
Volume: info is stored online through communications and transactions which produce large amounts of data
Velocity: data comes at a vast speed
Variety: data comes in all formats
Variability: data flows inconsistently, e.g social media trends
Complexity: data comes in many sources and formats which can be expressed through many systems
Social Media Stats
Ofcom: 15 million twitter users and 80% have smartphones
Ofcom: 50% of all UK access social media to be alerted of new news
