Analyse the challenges of regulating the media in the digital age. [15]
With the advancement of new media, regulating the media are getting more challenging in this digital age. An example is, how Chinese audience get away with the censorship of specific scenes in the American television sitcom, Friends (1994-2004). In 2021 HBO Max hosted a Friends Reunion which has sparked the interest of Chinese people. Due to that, YouKu (Chinese streaming service) owned by Alibaba Group purchased the rights to stream to the Chinese market. A part of the shares of Alibaba Group Holdings are owned by the Chinese government which has influence the censorship of some scenes in the series to follow the guidelines issued in 2015 to censor "vulgar, immoral and unhealthy contents" and ban "abnormal sexual relationship and behavior" However, with the help of technological convergence, audiences are able to find ways to watch the uncensored original episodes with the help of VPN, video piracy and illegal streaming services. A specific example is, in the episode "The One with the Lesbian Wedding," scenes including the mention of LGBTQ+ are cut off. Nevertheless audiences are still able to find ways to view the uncensored episode. New media also allows audiences to post their own opinion and protest about the censorship in their social media handle. Angry fans took their complains to Weibo and trended the hashtag #FriendsCensored. But in spite of that, the Chinese government took down all posts related to the hashtag not long after that.
Analyse the ways in which contemporary media requlation reflects its period [15]
As time goes societal value changes and this results in various adjustments to the media regulation. Certain contents such as blackface that are viewed as entertainment in the past might be seen as offensive nowadays and vice versa. An example to this claim is the banning of 5 episodes of the American Sitcom 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.' The show is missing 5 episodes on streaming services (Netflix, Hulu and Disney+) due to the same controversial issue, blackface, brownface and yellowface. In the past despite the offensive contents, those episodes are still allowed to be aired on TV because it's seen as a form of entertainment. However, in 2021 after the premiere of season 15, some episodes were pulled out for being "insensitive." One of the writers of the show have acknowledged that the show sometimes goes too far in remarks. Though, the banning of these episodes have angered many fans as most of them believes that it's fine to air scenes with blackface as a satire. These days as audiences get more sensitive regarding the topic of racism, media regulations are altered to be stricter .
'Media regulation is failing everyone,' How far do you agree with this statement? [15]
Media regulations have been getting more strict as the digital media gets wider, however, I think it has brought us more drawbacks than benefits. The censorship or banning of media often limits the freedom of speech and creativity. An example is, in 2022, B.I, the former leader of South Korean boy band iKon, was banned from Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin and Weibo after Chinese fans condemned him for his history of drug abuse. His posts and profile on various Chinese social media platforms has been wiped clean. In addition, in late 2022 KBS one of the largest Korean broadcasting company announced that they have banned six Korean celebrities from broadcasts with one of them being B.I. The Korean netizen have given mixed reactions to the announcement and demanded that the same standards be applied the politicians as well. While some people think that the banning of B.I from these platforms are necessary, in my opinion, these regulations are are ineffective. These regulations will only limit creative freedom as B.I is a performer and a songwriter. Since the Chinese and Korean media company have strictly regulated B.I's appearance on their platforms, B.I have been actively releasing music for the west market.
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