Ride it home... or call 000

I found it quite hard to find something of personal interest to discuss this week, then flicking through my Facebook news feed I saw my inspiration, rodeos.

Being from a small mining town with a population of 2,000, it comes as no surprise that many residents are thoroughly into the country theme. Personally, my family is the complete opposite. My mother would be disgusted if I were to be interested in a pig hunting, bull riding, ute driving, flannie wearing country bumpkin, despite the fact I love all of it! However my love for this scene is far different to those that actually participate within the sport. What I want to know is, why do they do it? Are they thrill seekers, wish to pursue it competitively or perhaps it's a hobby. 

The Bowen River Rodeo is a annual, three day weekend event held on the Queen's birthday, 70km west of Collinsville.  This is the only rodeo that I have attended, which probably changed my opinion about the country scene. From back home, this is the weekend everyone talks about, plans around and prepares for all year, but why? Bowen River Rodeo, in particular, attracts a variety of people from a range of different places. Many Collinsville residents make the effort  to go to Bowen River, to support our local events. However, not as many travel to  nearby rodeos such as Charters Towers, Twin Hills and several within Townsville, mainly Bartlett Park Rodeo. The Bowen River Rodeo is a great family weekend which consists of not only a bar and dance floor for the adults, but a show, movie nights and show rides which occupy your young.  It's all about the contestants however, why do they put it hours and hours of training and money into travelling for 8 seconds on a bull? The answer to that is, because it is work millions in the right association.

Mike Ozanian (2013) explained within his article that "...participants can make good money if they perform well. Last season's PBR [Professional Bull Riding] paid out $9 million to riders and $2 million to the [owners of the] bulls." The link before is a report of the PBR story and interview with CEO Jim Hamworth. A good friend of mine did very well through bull riding, he went on to represent Queensland internationally. PBR has become such a trend within country suburbs, however more predominantly within the states. It is such a competitive and demanding sport where only professionals involved. 

My brain is fried... wonder what interesting or unusual topic I will discuss for week 5.  :)

References

Ozanian, M. (2013). America's fastest growing industry: Professional bull riding. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2013/08/30/americas-fastest-growing-sport-professional-bull-riding/

Old vs new media

To kick start week three, our topic of the week covered convergence in the media, specifically old and new media, as well as examples for each. We discussed just how far media has evolved in the last decade which has altered how we used media and for what purpose. The content was easy to understand, so hopefully I can interpret, for those reading to learn or have ones of those "ah yeah" moments.

Old media includes platforms such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television whilst new media, is pretty much anything else. A decrease in the old media paradigm whilst an increase in new media, as a result of technological advances, is known as convergence culture. An example of convergence culture is where we receive our news from. Back in the day, you would buy news papers or listen to  it on the television or radio, however that media paradigm is dying and being replaced with online links, Facebook and Twitter. I definitely consume more new media, then old media as outlined in the graph below. Not only is their convergence in the media, but also Technology. Channel 7's Sunrise, present almost half of their news on a lounge chair. This invites the audience in, allowing them to feel a part of the conversation/discussion taking place. The main notion we used to evaluate the impact of convergence on the news, are known as web iterations.

Figure 1: My Consumption and Production of New and Old Media

The first web 1.0, is known as the information web. Online news web pages, print, or television are saturated with advertisements, all of these are examples of web 1.0. The second web, known as the social web involves any online social media such as Facebook, Twitter or Wikipedia. Web 2.0 is most commonly associated iterations with journalists as it allows them to remain up-to-date with the most common ongoing public discussions. Finally, the third and final web 3.0 iterations is any meaningful, localised news which for me is the Bowen Independent.

My family does not buy the Bowen Independent, I mean why would we if we can look it up online, I mean it's cheap and available. However if I am expected to pay for something I believe I am meant to get for free, chances are I am not going to buy it, even if they online web page is ad free. Subscribing to a newspaper is something my family really should consider. Each Sunday morning my mother will by 'The Australian', 'The Courier Mail', 'The Sunday Mail' and 'The Townsville Bulletin'. It would be much more economical and practical to get a subscription then to pay for fuel.

Mobile phones, mobile minds

After our lecture this week regarding convergence in the media, in addition to old and new media, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss something in light of this week's topic. Mobile phones play a large role in many people's lives. We use them to stay connected with family or friends or for work commitments, etc. However are mobile phones appropriate for children, or are we setting them up for harmful effects?

Figure 1: First Mobile Phone

I reflect on my childhood days and considered myself a "late boomer". Until the age of 13 (grade 8), when I started high school, I was not considered one of the "cool" kids. I was never up-to-day with the latest and greatest gadgets, including a mobile phone as some of my close friends were. Although, looking back I am thankful that my parents didn't introduce this time wasting, pointless technology into my life any earlier. I only have this direct opinion because I was brought up in a small country town where everyone knew everyone. If I lived in a larger city, I would most certainly require the benefits I believe kids these days can obtain, such as responsibility, of owning a mobile phone.

The most appropriate reason as to why children should be allowed a mobile phone, is to remain safe. After soccer training or leisure shopping at the mall, a child could call home or emergency services when trouble arises. A mobile is a cheap price to pay for reassurance. In addition, due to new GPS features, being able to pin point their location is a great source. I believe parents can also have the peace of mind knowing the convenience of being able to keep in contact with your child is easily accessible... as long as they don't turn it on silent, I was guilty of that growing up. Many schools globally are beginning to accept smart phones into classrooms, just as computers were for students to engage more into their learning. If this is introduced, does this mean that all students need a Smartphone? Although mobile phones may have numerous benefits, there are many downsides which parents should take precaution of.

Tung Tommy and Kenneth Foster analysed that "...more than half of all seven to 16-year-old [in the United Kingdom] own a mobile phone" (2005, p 18). This statistic is extremely high in my opinion, seven is far too young for children to be worrying about a mobile phone. My family friend has a seven-year-old, she does not allow her child to walk the streets or go shopping along, so the concern of safety is not necessary. I couldn't imagine the young girl with a mobile phone, instead she should be playing with barbies or pretending to be a hairdressers. Cyber bullying is a major downfall to children owning mobile phones, which I will talk about briefly as it is such a controversial topic. Many people associate cyber bullying with photos, videos and text messages sent, however social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, allow information to travel globally. 'Like for a like' or 'like for a TBH (to be honest)' are Facebook statuses that allow users to comment about other people based of their opinions. Several nasty remarks are usually based on their belief or thoughts of the person such as their ethics, looks, family background, culture or personal beliefs. Little do they know that rude and inappropriate comments can have a significant impact of the individual, some even committing suicide.

Figure 2: Facebook's "like for a like" Campaign

Earlier this year, the Canadian Government released a TV ad called "stop hating online" in an attempt to reduce the cyber bullying and illegal doings. I just strive for parents and children to know and be aware of their actions and to be mindful that if you allow your child to own a mobile phone, they know that what they sent, and who they send it to may travel across varies media platforms and countries.

References

Chau, T. & Foster, K. (2005, December). Should children use mobile phones? IEEE Microwave Magazine, pp. 18-23.

Is it all about the money?

Commercial and public media. These were the two topics discussed this week during my JN1001 journalism and society class. It is a requirement of all students to write a blog which covers the lecture, tutorial and discussion content.

So what is commercial and public media? Commercial media disregards the quality of their stories and instead broadcasts interesting events that will generate public interest. Within our reading this week, David Salter (2007, p. 23) explains that "commercial television only provides its audience with 'what they want' when it suits the bottom line". However, public media is more reliable and informative delivering current news. The main difference between the two medias is that commercial is profit driven, whereas public may drive profit its main purpose is to serve the public which sounds boring if you ask me.  

 © https://theconversation.com/topics/convergence

Some examples of commercial media's major players are: Win, Southern Cross Broadcasting, Seven West Media, Nine Entertainment, Ten, Telstra, Optus and Austar. As for public media their major players include: SBS, SBS Two, ABC 2, ABC 3, ABC News, ABC Classic FM, ABC Local Radio and ABC Radio National. Commercial media aim on generating audiences (consumers) by creating attractive programs.

The real question I believe a lot of people would like to know is commercial or public media attracting more public interest. In my opinion, I thoroughly enjoy consuming commercial media, though this may be due to what shows I was brought up watch. Never was our TV in the lounge room showing any public media of any kind. Commercial media are selective with what stories they want to show their audience, which is most probably why I like reading or watching the weird and wacky news stories that are making the headlines. Within the lecture, my group came to a mutual decision in saying that both commercial and public media may be producing interesting stories, but "it's all about the money".

Next week our class will be discussing convergence in the media. I wonder what interesting information and discussions will arise from this topic, we will just have to wait and see.

Reference

Salter, D. (2007). Welcome to the bazaar. The media we deserve: underachievement in the fourth estate (pp. 17-36). Melbourne, Victoria: Melbourne University Press Ltd.

Now you see me, now you don't

The freedom to write about something that intrigues you may seem easy, although considering the amount of interesting topics currently making the news headlines makes it quite difficult to single out just one media story to discuss. This is the task given to all JN1001 JCU students, in addition to a second blog post which must relate back to our lecture content. The most unusual story that has caught my eye recently was the seven-tonne big mango story that was reportedly stolen from my home town of Bowen in North Queensland. 

The Big Mango has been a tourism monument for over a decade now, attracting new people from far and wide to the area. The fiberglass attraction was completed on May 25^th, 2002 at a price of $90,000, which was $60,000 over the council's budget.  Now, 12 years later, events that you never thought would happen, have occurred. On February 24^th, Bowen's very own Big Mango was stolen from its Tourism Center.

© http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RckSNp0d1ik

From a town of 11,000 people you would imagine that someone must have seen this 10m fruit like object. This event sparked a lot of anger within the tight knit community, as Bowen had just lost something the town was renowned for. Some believed this would decrease tourist attraction to the area, I believed the amount of media coverage the story received would spark an increase in tourism which is exactly why I thought it was all a hoax or publicity stunt. I mean, you know it's true when it makes it on the news... "cough".  

A couple of hours later, footage was released from the Tourism Attraction's security camera showing about 10-15 people with two cranes carefully maneuvering the large mango from its steel frame. However, police were not notified to investigate as tourism authorities were accused of staging an elaborate publicity stunt. 

© http://www.campaignbrief.com/2014/03/nandos-recent-mango-stealing-s.html

Nando's is a fast food chain who claimed to be responsible for "borrowing" the mango to promote their new flavours. I believe that Nando's has gone a little too far with trying to get their name out there not only with local news, but international headlines as well. Although, after all the fussing around about the Big Mango's location, a local Bowen man by the name of Bob found the Big Mango behind the tourism center amongst trees and shrubs just meters from its original position. I am surprised that the staff of the tourism center don't go out the back or look around close, for it would be pretty difficult to move a seven-tonne object a long distance. Photos have released that the mango is back where it belongs, however looks as though there may be some damages - which in my opinion, Nando's should be responsible for!