作者： admin

The subject which called media ecology refers to the use of ecological viewpoints and methods to explore and reveal the relationship between man and media, society, and nature and the nature and laws of development and change. As a new and independent subject, media ecology is the crystallization of ecological wisdom of human beings in dealing with the interrelationships of “human-media-society-natural systems”. It not only reflects the long process of human understanding of media ecological phenomena and media ecological laws, but also reflects the gradual accumulation and systematic transformation of human media ecological experience and media ecological knowledge.

From the perspective of media ecology, the Internet, as a new media, has a significant impact on the entire media ecosystem. The biggest difference between the Internet and the past media is that its audience has the dual identity of receiving information and disseminating information instantly. It can be said that the influence of audience behavior on the media ecosystem in online communication is broader and greater than before.

1. The special status and role of online audiences

In the past mass communication process, the audience is the end and destination of information. However, in the new media of the Internet, the original “audience” no longer passively accepts and interprets information but can also become a disseminator of information while receiving information.

Joseph Klapper puts forward in the “Effects of Mass Communication”: “Mass communication generally cannot be a necessary and sufficient reason to produce audience effects but is more likely to be affected by various factors and influences and act through these factors and influences.” In the traditional mass communication process, the disseminator of information and the receiver of information are at both ends, the disseminator (media) is the center of the communication activity, and the audience is at the passive receiving end. The development of network communication has completely subverted the traditional single transmission-reception relationship. Network users are no longer passively at the receiving end of communication activities, but can actively search for the information they need, and can actively communicate with the communicator. Interactive, but also can easily become a disseminator of information.

Some audiences even questioned the content of the media, and re-reported the incidents through investigations, and became reporters for the special media of the Internet, and they themselves are also called “audiences”. Therefore, the Internet audience, netizens, is not only the recipient of information, but also the publisher of the information, both the consumer of the content and the producer of the content. This phenomenon is not only a challenge to the existing media, but also a booster for strengthening public opinion supervision and increasing social transparency.

In modern society, the participation of netizens’ opinions is ubiquitous, and even in many cases, some typical incidents that have not been exposed by the media are the disclosures and reports of netizens. If the past media was the ear, nose, and mouthpiece of society, then the online audience as a special audience has deepened and strengthened this role of the media. It seems that every detailed social issue cannot escape the sight of this special group of “reporters”. The influence of Internet public opinion on the real society is self-evident. Understanding the behavioral characteristics of online audiences and guiding the development of online public opinion in a positive direction is of great significance to maintaining the ecological balance of media.

Whether this dual identity of the online audience is the progress of the media or a crisis, academic circles have received mixed reviews. The positive factor lies in: the audience’s role change reflects the openness of the current media and the progress of information dissemination. This enables the media to interact with the audience to the greatest extent, thus ensuring the freedom of public opinion and the rights of the audience. At the same time, this interaction between the media and its audiences has also played a role in strengthening public opinion supervision and promoting social harmony, for example, netizens played a very important role in exposing the corruption of government officials.

On the other hand, it ensures the efficiency and breadth of information dissemination, and strengthens world communication. In the report of Corona virus in the UK, The unremitting efforts of NHS medical staff and the love and respect of netizens touching people’s heart.

And the negative factors of this dual identity have also caused controversy: if the information is not carefully investigated and screened by the gatekeeper, some harmful or false information will flow into the society and cause bad effects.

2.Analysis of the status quo of netizens

As an online audience, it generally has the following basic characteristics: autonomy; initiative; virtuality; individuality. The behaviors on the Internet generally include: browsing news; communication; pastime and entertainment; self-expression; access to services.

Internet audiences generally have the following psychological characteristics: 1 Anonymous psychology. This is the most significant feature of netizens. This anonymity allows people to get rid of the constraints of identity and status on the Internet, show their unknown and suppressed side, and meet the needs of self-realization and role-playing. 2 Self-actualization. This is a higher level of human basic needs. Many people who cannot meet this need in real life turn to the Internet. In the illusory world of the Internet, people often do not need to make too much effort to easily realize themselves to a certain extent. This kind of fleeting sense of happiness, happiness, and self-fulfillment is easier to obtain online than in the real world. This is why some people can’t help themselves if they are addicted to the Internet. 3 Entertainment psychology. The Internet has changed the form of culture and entertainment to some extent. The interactive, virtual, and multimedia communication characteristics of the Internet make netizens seek relaxation.

Conclusion

The Internet is a double-edged sword, and the behavior of online audiences is also dual. On the one hand, the existence of online audiences can promote the development of society in an ideal direction, but it will also bring some negative effects to society. It is necessary to try to transform the unfavorable side of online audiences or netizens through research on online audiences, and promote their contributions to the progress of real society. In a sense, online audiences have played a role in supervision and promotion of social development. At the same time, netizens obtain corresponding network identities and network class affiliation in the network society by participating in various social affairs in the network society. This virtual belonging will also affect their value and behavior orientation in the real society to a certain extent. Thus flowing from one class to another. Netizens are more and more involved in social affairs, which plays a positive role in promoting the process of building a harmonious society and improving the efficiency of problem solving.

Bibliography

Joseph Klapper, Mass communication efffect，1960

Zhijun He，Understanding of Media Ecology[J], Journal of Nanhua University 2014

Ma Jing, From the perspective of media ecology, the dual identiries of online audiences[J] World News 2015

Media geographers have made several media arguments that relate to how geographical information is gathered and presented by both social and mainstream media. The most recent arguments by media geographers are found in the arguments by Alexander, (2017, p. 183).

According to this media geographer, the media holds robust transformative possibilities since people utilize cultural representations in the creation of social relationships and to clearly define space. In this aspect, it is vital to understand the concepts of media geography and how it influences human beings in general.

Some of the significant concepts of media geography and their contemporary day application include:

1.     Material Production

Material production is the act of providing the materials to enhance communication within a given area of jurisdiction or media coverage. In media geography, the aspect of material production is essential since it defines the people or the techniques utilized in the conveying of the general information.

This concept or aspect of media geography looks at the broader picture of how the information can reach a broader range of audience. For instance, material production as a concept of media geography assists in the selection of the best techniques to convey the information based on the cultural aspects of the area and people’s perspectives (Martin and Rypestøl, 2018, p. 966).

The communication of given information is better served by a particular media aspect which relates to the cultural practice such as clothing that conforms to the audience culture.

2.     Cultural Meaning

Culture is another vital concept of media geography. Cultural practices determine the type and amount of information one consumes. A given cultural practice may not permit certain information (Verboord and Noord, 2016, p. 59). In the mainstream media, therefore, media geography through its cultural meaning concepts helps journalists to understand the relationship between the information they relay and the culture of their audience.

Similarly, this applies to social media or new media. In such platforms, people tend to make friends and relationships based on their cultural affiliations and orientations. For instance, on Facebook as one of the major social media platforms of interaction, one would not be a friend or associate with another individual if they do not conform to a given cultural practice.

Therefore, understanding of culture is a vital aspect of media today. Media geography assists significantly in enhancing this cultural meaning to enhance relevance in the type of interaction taking place in new media and the amount of information conveyed on the mainstream media.

3.     Bodily Affects and Percepts

The body of an individual and their shape and size also matters a lot in media. In the media industry, particularly, the mainstream media, the body size matters, greatly since it determines the viewpoint of the viewers of the communication made by journalists.

For instance, most of the media houses prefer people with a great body to take part in the news anchoring since they are positively perceived. In media geography through the bodily percepts and effects, the aspect of the body concerning the communicated information is emphasized (Verboord and Noord, 2016, p. 65). The body size, for instance, influences tactile perception in media.

The Bottom Line

Generally, media geography assists in exploring broad concepts including material production, the cultural meaning and the bodily effects and percepts. These concepts are believed to be major influencers of the processes and practices that relate to the gathering of geographical information and facts among the media personalities.

Bibliography

Alexander, T., 2017. Comic Book Geographies. Media Geography at Mainz, Vol. 4. pp. 183-185.

Martin, R. and Rypestøl, J.O., 2018. Linking content and technology: on the geography of innovation networks in the Bergen media cluster. Industry and Innovation, 25(10), pp.966-989.

Verboord, M. and Noord, S.V., 2016. The online place of popular music: Exploring the impact of geography and social media on pop artists’ mainstream media attention. Popular Communication, 14(2), pp.59-72.

Theorists have coined approaches that relate media and the environment. The media ecology theory, for instance, is a great theory that studies the media, technology and communication concerning its impact on human environments.

As the term suggests, there is the term ecology which refers to the environment occupied by both the living and non-living organisms that are influenced in one way of the other by media. Media ecology as a theory, therefore, has lots of benefits that should be understood for the effective relationship of the media and the environment (Barr, 2019, p. 341).

Here are some of the most notable benefits of media ecology theory and approaches:

1.     Enhances the Study of Media-Related Technology and Its Impact on the Environment

Media ecology scholars tend to be concerned and focus majorly on the nature of the technologies available in the field of media. They study and develop theories that examine media technology, its evolution and the role it plays in human life.

For instance, Zhao et al., (2016, p. 89), has clearly and critically argued that the technical methods had made the dominant value in contemporary societies efficiently and effectively. In this manner, the study of media ecology and the understanding of the available theories enhance the knowledge of media technology about human nature and functioning in their environment.

2.     Assists In Understanding New Media and Its Influence on Life

Technology has brought about lots of innovative approaches in the media sector. For instance, there are improvements in social media and even mainstream media. These improvements and achievements have significantly changed how people live their lives every day.

The use of media ecology, therefore, assists in the understanding of these developments to link up the use of new media and human life and wellbeing. Media ecology, for instance, links the use of new media to the traditions and customs as well as cultural beliefs to showcase the changes in the environment that change life significantly.

For instance, Veltri and Atanasova, (2017, p. 271), tries to explain that the telephone was a great breakthrough in the utilization of media and the past. The development of technology has influenced this, and social media now overtakes the telephone as a great medium of communication or exchange.

3.     Enhances the Understanding of Human Perception Concerning Media Use

Media ecology theorists have explained, significantly that media is a vital aspect of human perception and viewpoint. The medium of communication, for instance, has a great impact on the perspective of an individual.

For instance, when something is communicated through the mainstream media via the journalists, the members of the public will take it seriously since they believe it is the truth. However, when the same or even a different version of the communication is made via social media or by bloggers, it is not taken, seriously since it may be biased (Veltri and Atanasova, 2017, p. 277).

Therefore, media ecology is concerned with the understanding, the value, the feeling and the perception of an individual. In this regard, it examines how interaction with various media changes individual perception and influences their survival.

Conclusion

In summation, it is vital to emphasize that media ecology as a theory has had lots of application, most of which have come in the relating of the theory to human life and media. As such, it has led to lots of benefits among human beings concerning their environment.

Bibliography

Veltri, G.A. and Atanasova, D., 2017. Climate change on Twitter: Content, media ecology and information sharing behaviour. Public Understanding of Science, 26(6), pp.721-737.

Barr, R., 2019. Growing up in the digital age: early learning and family media ecology. Current directions in psychological science, 28(4), pp.341-346.

Zhao, X., Lampe, C. and Ellison, N.B., 2016, May. The social media ecology: User perceptions, strategies and challenges. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 89-100).

Ecomedia just like many other media aspects is a theoretical term coined by media theorists to explain the relationship between media and the environment. Specifically, this theory or concept deals with the link between the non-print media and the natural environment.

It outlines how media can influence the natural environment and vice-versa. Following the broad nature of ecomedia, it is vital to divide this into a couple of subdomains as did the media theorists (Litzinger and Yang, 2019, p. 209). The domains worked independently and showcased the great link that exists between the environment and the media industry today.

1.     Cultural Representation of the Environment in Media

This is the major domain or concept of ecomedia. The cultural representation of the general environment in media is a broad concept that has also been subdivided into various aspects. It includes all the forms of media dealing with issues related to the environment.

This concept tries to explain how ecomedia can act as a tool or a gadget that assists in the understanding of the issues around the environment. It examines how the issues appear and even change based on cultural differences via the study of new and traditional media alike (Estok, 2016, p. 127).

The cultural ideas about the ecology or what many call the environment may come out in the filming of the events, the music and even the television. The manifestation of these ideas, therefore, makes the ecomedia to seem to be aiming solely at promoting a conversation around the themes that concern the topics on the environment in general.

2.     Environmental Impacts of Media Forms

This is the second and equally vital aspect of ecomedia. This aspect deals with the impacts of media on the environment at all the production levels of the media products (Litzinger and Yang, 2020, p. 2). It also looks to make media as a sustainable industry and tool as there can be. 

The aspect of ecomedia also concerns with the examination and analysis of the physical impacts of the media practices on the environment. It bases the arguments on the utilization of the natural resources in the establishment and conveyance f various media types.

In this regard, the ecomedia acts as a way of environmental critique via its elongated engagements with various processes such as production, the distribution as well as the consumption of the media products. It also deals with the cultural hereafter of certain media genres (Litzinger and Yang, 2020, p. 12). This aspect of ecomedia looks to promote better, environmentally friendly and safe media practices.

With the incorporation of these two domains or aspects of ecomedia, the media can remain as sustainable as possible. Ecomedia adopts the practices such as waste management, eliminating wastefulness of storing electronic media and even e-recycling which have offered remedies to the physical waste issues that surround the media industry.

Summation

In general, ecomedia is a great branch of media that showcases the sharing of media computing practices with the art of concern with the place as well as content-based creation. In this regard, this aspect of media exists in two major aspects, both of which are vital for the enhancement of a great environment while enhancing media practices and activities. The environment in media and the environmental impacts of media are a couple of vital aspects of ecomedia which theories believe are very vital for the existence of media and the observation of a clean environment around media practices.

Bibliography

Estok, S.C., 2016. Ecomedia and ecophobia. Neohelicon, 43(1), pp.127-145.

Litzinger, R. and Yang, F., 2019. Ecomedia Events in China: From Yellow Eco-Peril to Media Materialism. In Chinese Environmental Humanities (pp. 209-235). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Litzinger, R. and Yang, F., 2020. Eco-media Events in China: From Yellow Eco-peril to Media Materialism. Environmental Humanities, 12(1), pp.1-22.