Global Media News

The Rise of Crunch Culture

Crunch time starts whenever a game is in its final stages of its development.  Ben Gilbert described the crunch problem in Business Insider: "Too often, game developers are working unethically long hours to complete games, something that is often referred to as "crunch culture." Crunch Culture is a major issue for developers.

CyberPunk 2077 developers CD Projekt Red revealed that employees were being crunched into a 6 day work week. According to Jason Schreier for the Japanese time, Polish developer CD Projekt Red send out a email asking "all of its employees to work six-day weeks in the lead-up to the November release of Cyberpunk 2077."  The email came after the November release date was delayed twice and after the company tried their best to avoid mandatory crunch. 

CD Projekt Red has a good reputation with gamers, according to  Ryan Epps for the Gamer "Not only in their expansive gaming worlds, as witnessed with The Witcher series, but the Polish company has proven time and time again that it's not just about money or selling a game."  Their previous project, the Witcher 3, was also universally praised receiving 9 and 10 out of 10s; their post release support for the game was also praised.  But the news about mandatory crunch time has raised questions about what else is going on at CD Projekt Red.

Crunch is a major issue because of what it does to the developers health.  Wesley Yin-Poole for EuroGamer describes how some developers working on The Last Of Us Part 2 are suffering from crunch induced burnout and are leaving the industry entirely. A former developer tweeted that one of his friends ended up in the hospital:

For the demo shown last September, the gameplay animators crunched more than I've ever seen and required weeks of recovery afterwards. One good friend of mine was hospitalised at that time due to overwork. He still had over half a year to go. There have been others since.

— Jonathan Cooper (@GameAnim) March 12, 2020

The gaming industry needs better working conditions for their creative workers or more developers will burnout and end up hating the very project they worked for. Some developers say the game industry should consider unionizing so workers will have guaranteed labor rights and a safety net.

Both Koreas Collide in Netflix hit "Crash Landing On You"

Not your typical K-Drama soap opera

People might think that "Crash Landing on You" is just another typical K-Drama romantic soap opera created for Netflix. Well think again. What's so typical about a South Korean paraglider crash landing on the North Korean border or so typical about being rescued by a North Korean military officer? This series explores the differences in North and South Korean cultures. It combines two characters who are so different that they would be an unlikely couple, but who fall in love anyway. 

The following is an official trailer of Crash Landing on You from Youtube:

What's all the hype about "Crash Landing On You"?

Romantic Comedy is one of the most popular types of show. "Crash Landing on You" is a romantic comedy, but it's much more than that. It also has drama to it, and mixes both of  them with facts about real life in North Korea based on North Korean defectors. According to The Mainichi  the facts they get from interviews with defectors draw people to the show. "One of the highlights is that the series portrays the lifestyles of North Korean people--from their diet to shopping at markets--based on real-life information including interviews with North Koreans who defected to South Korea".  Since there is so little information available about North Korea and everything is so secretive there, people love the opportunity to get a peek at the real lifestyles there.

Worldwide binge watching craze even during lock down

Binge watching is easy to do when everything is on lock down, but people around the world still love to watch this series even without a lock down.   "Crash Landing on You" is very popular in Japan. Japanese audiences are attracted to this "off-the-wall" series. "...Crash Landing on You, a tale of love, friendship and beauty products that spans the divide between South and North Korea. It's addictively off-the-wall, heartbreaking and hilarious-and since the show is only available in Korean audio with English subtitles, it demands your full attention." By adding all these things together the writers created a series that people love.

During the coronavirus lock down people were binge watching the show to escape reality. According to The Guardian viewers made the best of a bad situation by watching the show. "Who have you been spending your lock down with? I've been spending mine with spectacularly good-looking Koreans in spectacularly unlikely romantic scenarios".  According to The Washington Post in Seoul the series was described as a great way to get away from the things going on in the world "How's this for for a romcom plot to escape the realities of the coronavirus pandemic? So many people found a way to cope with the pandemic by binge watching the show.

Even though lock down from the 2020 pandemic has been a negative thing, one positive thing to come from it is the huge success of  the K-Drama industry. According to Korean Investors Studio Dragon Revenue jumped from 468.7 billion in 2019 to 539.1 billion in 2020. The demand for entertainment that didn't need a person to leave their house during the pandemic helped skyrocket the success of this industry. 

 

North Korea wishes series would crash and burn

North Korea sees "Crash Landing on You" as an immoral and insulting portrayal of their country.  The Korean Herald reports that Pyongyang's state media says  the series involved false and impure information. "Pyongyang's propaganda media outlets lashed out at South Korea's latest hit TV drama dealing with North Korea....calling them an "unacceptable and atrocious provocation".  Due to the controversial plot of the series, it is not readily available in North Korea. "Crash Landing on You" and many shows similar to it are still popular there, but people have to work harder to watch them. According to BBC News K-Dramas have many fans in North Korea even though these shows are seen negatively by the government. "It is well known that North Koreans, especially the young ones, are fans of K-drama too-and as Crash Landing on You accurately depicts, a lot of South Korean films and dramas are smuggled into North Korea".

 K-Drama popular in many parts of the world

K-Dramas have helped with the continued success of Netflix and people in many parts of the world have become obsessed with watching them. According to The Diplomat " As of 2019, 30% of Netflix subscribers are from Middle East, Africa and Europe". Korean series have a different style of entertainment to them which may be why they are so popular. "At the moment, Korean series are being promoted as "feel good" series that can distract viewers from the pandemic. Korean series are known for their unique takes on love, representation of romance in non sexual contexts and having women leads". This type of entertainment gives viewers a chance to watch shows that are not just like all the rest of the shows out there.

What Role Will the Bolivian Media Play in the Upcoming Presidential Election?

The United States isn't the only country that has a presidential election coming up. Bolivians will decide who their president will be on October 18. Will the Bolivian media play a role in the election? Or will it play a lesser role while the candidates go at it? Also, will the government play a role in what the media does?

First off, it is important to highlight some rather alarming events that occurred during last year's presidential election involving journalists, as protests that broke out following the controversial election, which was said to have involved "electoral fraud by independent university analysts". These protests resulted in 438 workers suffering injuries, and 3 people dying. These protests resulted in the resignation of the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales. These attacks included shrapnel from an explosive injuring a cameraman, fires being set to journalists' houses, and news facilities being attacked by protestors. So, as you can imagine, the media in Bolivia has had quite a field day when it comes to dealing with the results of a presidential election.

On top of this, journalists and media outlets in Bolivia last year had little to no freedom when it comes to what they can publish, and what they can say, especially when it comes to the government. For instance, during Morales' tenure as president, media outlets were called out for criticizing the man, so much so that the media was accused of being a "cartel of lies". Additionally, journalists decided to write articles that weren't related to the president, or the government in general, in order to avoid trouble and scrutiny. However, ever since Morales has resigned, media has had more freedom as far as what they can post and let out in the public. As Nelfi Fernandez Reyes, an "investigative journalist with El Deber" who covered Morales' resignation, said in an interview with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, "We don't have restrictions like we did before (when Morales was president), in terms of access to information we have more options."    

However, in spite of these new freedoms found for the media in Bolivia, the country's government has recently been using rather questionable tactics in an attempt to get their political message across, even using the media as a means to do this. For example, this past month, the government, which has served under interim president Jeanine Anez since the day Morales stepped down, had 55 fake Facebook accounts, as well as "42 pages and 36 Instagram accounts", linked to it and subsequently removed. These accounts were said to have been publishing "fake news campaigns to skew democratic debate" in favor of Anez. Afterwards, the Bolivian government admitted to hiring a "Washington-based lobbying firm" to "carry out lobbying in search of backing for Bolivian democracy after fraudulent elections and in support of the holding of new presidential polls."

So, based on the information regarding the freedom that the Bolivian media has nowadays compared to the days of yesteryear, and the roles that both the government and the media have already played in the upcoming presidential election, it is safe to say that the Bolivian media will likely be heavily involved in what happens come October 18th.

Wrongful arrests of journalists in Turkey

On September 10, 2020 Turkish authorities convicted journalists Barış Pehlivan,Hultay Kilinc,Yeni Yasam,Murat Ağırel, Ferhat Çelik, and Aydın Keser for violating the country’s national intelligence laws in reporting the death of a officer in the National Intelligence Agency. In court Hultay Kilinc stated that "“What I did was journalism, I did not know that the photograph that was published contained (images of) members of (Turkey’s national intelligence organization) MIT and it was not possible for me to know that.” The people of Turkey stood outside the court outraged over the arrests due to the violation of the right to freedom of expression.

Since 2016, Turkey has arrested over 250 journalists and 25 were killed. CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna stated that "Turkish authorities never should have arrested a single journalist for their reporting on an intelligence agent’s death, and must ensure that no member of the press spends an additional day in jail for their coverage of that incident”. Journalists in Turkey are trying to do their job, but live in fear that they might be prosecuted for it. A journalist named Muyesser Yildiz, has been arrested for "revealing two state secrets".Yildiz stated “If the articles threaten the security of this country so much, they should have blocked access to them". Yildiz along with the many other journalists that have been arrested in Turkey should are being stripped away their right to freedom of expression. 

Since the failed coup attempt in July 2016, journalists who criticize the government risk criminal investigation and arrest. According to Amnesty international, "the severity of the Turkish government’s repression of the media is such that it has been described by some as the “death of journalism”. As of today, 68 journalists are being detained in Turkey. If Turkey continues to persecute journalists, the government might eventually gain control over journalism.

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Rejecting or Embracing Remote Learning?

 

@isaiahxavier10

Every college student nowadays 💀

♬ original sound - isaiahxavier10

Let's face it, the video above is literally how mostly college students have felt during this pandemic. . . Trust me, I know how it feels!

Coming from the traditional learning environment of a classroom, switching to distance learning was very difficult. This pandemic is something that the government irresponsibly cared for and the preparation/ transition could have been way smoother. Therefore, the blame for my overwhelming experience does not go to professors. Students nor teachers signed up for online learning and its horrible that there was no other choice. Students (including myself) did not have the support and resources they paid for and professor’s lesson plans for the semester had to be changed.

 You can tell how much a school and/or professor cares about their students by their actions during this pandemic. I guess you can say it “showed their true colors”. Reflecting, I had two different types of professors: the rejector and the embracer.

 

via GIPHY

 The “rejector” is the professor who does not accept virtual learning at all. It’s not specifically a bad thing but it’s not a good thing either. I had two professors who are very much older, and I guess not “tech savvy” which is understandable. However, just like students have to be in with the “new” and adapt technology in our future careers, so should they.

 These same professors were the ones who did not lessen the workload given to students knowing how stressful it can be. One professor abandoned us the whole entire pandemic; only emailing us in the beginning of the semester detailing the essay assignments he had for us. I actually appreciated his sympathy he displayed in that one email and the fact that he provided his personal phone number for office hours. I just wished he communicated more often with the class considering that his class is needed for a “communication” major. The other professor sent too much emails loaded with textbook pages (without explanation or notes) which took massive storage in our emails. He never greeted students in his emails, never provided details, just messaged “please read”.

The “embracer” is the professor who embraces online learning showing that the classroom environment does not define their ability to teach students. Despite the pandemic, these professors I encountered tried their best and made it very helpful for students to learn material.

One professor made videos discussing the events in history that she uploaded on blackboard. She was also very lenient when it came to assignments, turning it in and the finals was everything she discussed in the videos. I also appreciated her sympathy in the beginning of every email she sent and also reassured her students that she is there. Another professor held online classes every Tuesday and Thursday for one hour which was a reasonable amount of time. He also was very patient and took his time to answer students’ questions. Something else I admired was his reminders of the work that students had to give in and the interaction he’s had with his students. That’s basically how you lead a classroom.

During this pandemic, millions of college student’s mental health were at risk at many times, including myself. Being a college student, coming from a home where you hold responsibility, and having to transition is a lot! I appreciate those professors who tried to make it easier and gave the support their students needed. I’m just happy this part of the storm is over. We always get through the storms, right?

Music Artists Quarantine Livestreams Breaks Records on Instagram

Social distancing and quarantined? Events cancelled/postponed? Need some entertainment and music? No problem! In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, celebrities, DJs, and other Instagram users with a large platform are not letting the pandemic stop them from connecting with their audience. Instagram live and other livestream services has made it possible for everyone to be together, virtually, in the comfort of their own home. Music is helping the whole world lift their spirits up and breaking records while doing so.  

DJ D-Nice "Club Quarantine"

Clubs were closed and parties were cancelled but Bronx native DJ D-Nice "Club Quarantine" was still open. He was the first to start the virtual party wave on Instagram and the beginning of the pandemic with just a few 100 followers on Wednesday, March 18th. Once word got around that DJ D-Nice was playing the hottest old school ,slow jams, country, hip hop, pop, and R&B music, more people joined the club. By Saturday, March 21^st, his party grew to 100,000 viewers, breaking Instagram’s live record. The Obamas, Oprah, Kim Kardashian, Bernie Sanders, Janet Jackson, Joe Biden, Drake, and J-Lo were a few of the celebrities he shouted out that “walked in the club”. Before Quarantine, he had less than 20,000 followers, now he has over 2.2 million new followers that he can’t wait to party with in real life. DJ D-Nice explained on his live: “Sitting at home I started to feel empty…There’s nothing like playing the music and feeling the music”.

Tory Lanez "Quarantine Radio"

R&B and Hip Hop artist, Tory Lanez, went viral with his own "Quarantine Radio" and followed the club scene. Lanez told USA Today "I saw what DJ D-Nice was doing and I just wanted to play music and have some sound clashes with some of my friends. I didn't even think it was going to be big...". Playing music for fans, hosting dance competitions, and adding famous friends to his live caused Tory to break DJ D-Nice's Instagram record at 350,000 live viewers. To celebrate, he donated money to fans displaying their talent and best dance moves while also sharing their cash apps for viewers to donate as well. 

Swiss Beatz & Timbaland "Verzuz"

 Swiss Beatz and Timbaland are two well-known producers with legendary catalogs and responsible for the classics sang by the most successful artist. Both producers were on live, battling toe-to-toe their best hits catching the attention of more than 200,000 viewers. Major blogs reposted the clips with thousands of users commenting who they think won. All the buzz caused the producers to create the Instagram live series “Verzuz by Swiss Beatz and Timbaland”. Every week since then, the duo began promoting the lives battle between two producers, songwriters or artists who have a music catalog of at least 20 hits. Some of the matchup battles include: The Dream v. Sean Garrett, Scott Storch v. Mannie Fresh, T-Pain and Lil John, Ne-Yo v. Austin. Baby Face v. Teddy Riley also battled, getting a huge reaction from social media, breaking Tory Lanez' record at 500,000 live viewers. You can check it out here.

Diddy's Team Love Dance-A-Thon

Sean "Diddy" Combs is known for his smooth dance moves and fun, lavish parties. What better person to throw a dance-a-thon to raise money for COVID healthcare workers? Diddy and his six children went on Instagram live to dance with celebrity friends like Lebron James, Drake, J-LO, A-rod, DJ Khaled, Will Smith, Justin Bieber, Megan Thee Stallion, and the list goes on. All together dancing in the comfort of their home, they managed to raise over $4 million. Check it out below

The main concern of record labels was the decline of revenue during this pandemic, especially to those artists who have planned tours and album releases. Finding a way of promotion for released music and for artists to interact with fans was difficult. Instagram live fixed this problem and high profilers took advantage to put everyone in a good mood. It's a smart marketing idea, I must say and it's all for a good cause. According to a Business Insider article, an Instagram spokesman said Instagram live usage jumped 70% , March through April and views have doubled successfully.

 

How Are Chinese Social Media Aiding Surveillance?

Civilian proving a green health code by having a QR code scanned. Source: South China Morning Post

Chinese social media apps are used by over a billion people. The Chinese government is using the popularity of these apps and smartphones to aid in surveillance efforts relating to COVID-19. Major global technology companies are working on new devices and techniques to alert people if they could have been exposed to COVID-19. 

WeChat and Weibo, which are more traditional social media websites as used in China, are being used to locate those who are potentially infected with COVID-19. The efforts on social media to track the virus are as simple as posting a message and pleading with the public to pass on the message to their followers. Social Media techniques were used to track down a bus that was thought to have 12 passengers who have been exposed to COVID-19 within hours, South China Morning Post reports. The license plate was shared on social media, and residents called into their local health authorities to report anyone they thought could have been a passenger on the bus. The efforts the Chinese Government is taking to contain the virus is as simple as sharing a post on social media. 

A color-coded system designating a person's health is being tested in major cities in China. This began in the city of Hangzhou in correspondence with Ant Financial, the owner of Alipay, New York Times reports. The technology is an add-on to the popular wallet app Alipay and breaks down the health of civilians, simply, - into green, yellow, and red groups. Those with a green color code may travel freely, while those with a yellow or red color code may be denied access to certain locations and be asked to quarantine based on status severity. The app has become widely accepted within the area and up to 90% of the entire population of the province Hangzhou is located is signed on to use the app. Ant Financial is working with other cities within China to bring the technology country-wide.

People around China need a green health code to enter locations throughout the country. Source: Abacus

Modern technology and social media are critical in China’s response to tracing COVID-19. These color-coded QR codes aid the Chinese government’s surveillance efforts throughout the country. The new technology designed in response to the worldwide pandemic requires users provide real, personally identifiable information to utilize it, South China Morning Post reports. The location of users is sent to Ant Financial’s servers while officials are blatantly asking for the location of specific residents on social media. Residents may be forced to scan the new QR codes to ride a city bus or enter a market.

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Doing It from Home: We Kept Our Distance and Still Produced!

Digital Divide Increases During Pandemic

In order to stay connected economically, politically, and socially, it is important to have the ability to access computers and the internet.

However, not everyone is able to access such technology. The  "digital divide" is the increasing rift between the "underprivileged members of society, especially the poor, rural, elderly, and handicapped portion of the population who do not have access to computers or the internet; and the wealthy, middle-class, and young Americans living in urban and suburban areas who have access", according to the Computer Science department at  Stanford University

During the Coronavirus pandemic, we are relying on the internet more than ever before. One of the demographics most affected by having to quarantine and social distance are students. Coronavirus is challenge for students throughout the world. The digital divide is not new. When it comes to families having access to the internet, not all are fortunate. 

In the rural parts of South Carolina, many students are unable to get online to join their virtual classes and complete their assignments. School districts across South Carolina requested buses equipped with Wi-Fi for low-income and rural areas to help students access their school work. Each bus has a router installed inside and it has the frequency range of a small parking lot, according to PBS.  Fairfield County, South Carolina's school superintendent J.R. Green, stated: "Lots of mothers and fathers are really not equipped to be home school parents." The buses may aid families without access to Wi-Fi, but there is still a digital divide for families unable to afford devices capable of accessing their virtual education classes. 

Texas is another state with limited access to the internet in rural areas. According to the director of the non-profit state program Connected Nation Texas, Jennifer Harris, there are about 440,000 households in Texas who do not have access to broadband in the rural areas. Unfortunately, this has about 1 in 3 households without the capability of participating in their online classes, reported by the Texas Tribune.

The Coronavirus has made the internet a everyday need instead of a convenience. The digital divide affects students throughout the world. Families who live in rural areas of China also lack the internet connections needed for their children's education. Parents are unable to afford multiple devices for their children. Spotty signals in parts of China's countryside have resulted in students having to hike for hours in the cold to the mountaintops in order to listen to their online classes. In the Province of Sichuan, a high schooler was discovered doing their homework under a rocky outcropping.  In Hubei Province, two girls created their own type of classroom on a wooded hillside, according to the New York Times. Almost half the students in some classes are unable to join in online sessions because their families are without the necessary technological devices, said elementary school Principal Wang Dexue, of the Yunnan Province. 

There are millions of Americans across our country who do not have access to the Web. This digital divide impacts students in online education classes. The Washington Post  reports that children who would already have struggled with their school work during a normal school week are now experiencing more difficulties in completing their education due to financial and technological obstacles.  Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission, summed it up: "With Coronavirus, we're about to expose just how challenging our digital divide is, and just how unequal access to broadband is. We're going to have a reckoning."