Suzanne

WK 3: Australian News Organisations and Convergence

Think i am missing chapters 6 & 7 in this reading.

The Media and Communications in Australia.
Chapter 15: The Internet,online and mobile Cultures – Gerald Coggin

This chapter is interesting as it covers the history of the Internet in relation to Australia. From outlining the first Permanent Australian Internet Connection to the development of commericalisation in relation to Internet Service Providers. Not to mention one of the most important things to effect the Internet Industry the 1997 to 2000 Boom and subsequent crash, were lots and lots of people lost money, jobs, their “fortune”, and faith in the technology that was dubbed as the “next best thing” and a growing part of the “new economy”.

This reading covers some interesting topic including Internet users. This section list a whole lot of statistics covering who is accessing the internet and from where. In an interesting point relating to this on the census form a new question has been added in order to get more information on how australians are using the internet.

Question is 59.
Can the Internet be accessed at this dwelling, include any internet service regardless of whether or not paid for by the house hold. Options listed are:

no internet connection

Yes broadband including ADSL, Cable, Wireless, Satellite

Yes Dial up including analog modem, and ISDN connections.

Other – include internet access through mobile phone.

The readings point out clearly that an understanding of Users and how and why people use the web is crutial to the media industry.

On other topics like, Broadband, Email and Web Industry the same point seems to be made, that audiences/users are using a range of different platforms in relation to accessing the internet (dial up, broadband, wireless etc), preferred email access & web site browsing (porthole sites). Hence the behaviour of the user is becoming an important part of the media strategy.

From looking at the history of users and the present it is hard to say how the future of the internet will develop. The transformation to broadband will effect users consumption. So far we have certainly seen a slow start to Broadband being taken up in Australia and I personally think this is because of the strangle hold certain telecommunication companies have on the industry. It has only been in the recent year that Broadband has become more affordable to the average household in City areas, but regional and rural access is still very expensive, if available at all..

But for those of us lucky enough to have broadband a new world of peer-to-peer programs has certainly provided another form of access to information and entertainment.

Then there is mobile phones – all these features. Watching TV, sending a video into the news, a pic to mate. I think more interesting is the way TV is incorporating the use of mobile technology with the SMS to vote for this person.

This reading makes a good point about how the predictions of what the Internet would bring to Australia were the death of paper, books, news etc, was VERY WRONG, but how it has and is constantly transforming the Australian communications and media industry.