Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
IT’S PERHAPS A sad and slightly fitting symbol of the decade past that its final year included the restructuring of state broadcaster RTÉ and a deep look by management at how it needed to change to survive.
Back in 2009/2010, less than two thirds of households had access to the internet, while around 64.8% had two television sets. Now, over 89% have access to the internet, and the number of households with two televisions has fallen.
On the print side, the latest figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), show that the number of copies of daily print titles – including UK newspapers sold in Ireland – fell by nearly 50% to 232,410 copies sold a day on average when compared to last year.
The sale of Sunday papers were down 58% between January and June this year compared to last year, with an average circulation of 333,900 newspapers each week.
It shows how dramatically media habits have developed in 10 years: from when the internet was an exciting new phenomenon, to ballooning into a foundation for our day-to-day, and one that we’re struggling to get a complete hold on.
Facebook is now the most popular method for accessing news in Ireland and across the EU, according to the latest Reuters Digital News Report. Interestingly, using WhatsApp for this is more popular in Ireland (at 15%) than the EU average.
The smartphone continues to grow in terms of personal use for access to news with over half of people (56%) now using the device to access news weekly, well ahead of the EU average (50%) and the UK (49%).
“So many people now are downloading and taking RTÉ content on their screens, and they should pay for that,” RTÉ board chair Moya Doherty said recently, representing the concern within RTÉ has that if it doesn’t start charging people for content accessed via the internet, the public service broadcaster won’t last forever.
The growth of the smartphone has also been driving the popularity of podcasts, especially among younger age groups. More than a third of Irish respondents to the Reuters survey (37%) say they have consumed at least one podcast over the last month, well ahead of the UK at just 21%.
Online shopping has also grown: in 2014, Google’s Consumer Barometer survey of about 1,000 people found that nearly half of all people with computers searched for products at least once a week. A much smaller share, only 14%, actually used them to shop.
In January 2017, a report by Visa found that online spending is growing at “a substantial pace”, registering a rise of 15.4%.
An Ipsos poll on behalf of PayPal found that Irish consumers spent €2.7 million on foreign-owned websites in 2017, and are now the biggest online shoppers on foreign websites in the world.
According to a PwC report, 25% of Irish consumers shop online weekly or more frequently using any device.
Data protection
With all this access to greater services at cheaper prices, comes a trade off: and that’s citizens’ data. Many apps ask to access to all sorts of corners of your phone that they don’t need, before you download them; websites ask can they access your ‘cookies’ before you read the site, and you need to submit an email to make many purchases.
In the case of massive tech giants like Facebook and Google, users often willingly sign away their data for the efficiency and ease of their services.
Often, people don’t know just how much of their data they’re giving away – for photos uploaded to Facebook, for example, its Facebook that technically owns the copyright on them.
The Cambridge Analytica scandal that broke in the wake of the EU referendum showed the dangerous end of how dangerous that can be: a US regulator found that the firm deceived Facebook users about how it collected and handled their personal information.
It found that the political consulting firm “engaged in deceptive practices to harvest personal information from tens of millions of Facebook users for voter profiling and targeting”.
All of this brings us to GDPR. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that came into force on 25 May 2018, binds social media platforms and websites to ensure they have users’ explicit consent to collect personal data for advertising purposes or on behalf of third parties.
Although it’s been praised for putting pressure on tech giants, the transition has not always been easy – companies inside and outside the EU have spent hundreds of millions of euros to comply with the regulations.
Misinformation and disinformation
Meanwhile, concern about misinformation and disinformation is growing. Some 61% of Irish respondents to the Reuters Digital News Report are concerned about distinguishing what is real or fake on the internet.
Although this is well below the UK (70%) and US (67%), it is much higher than in Germany (38%) and the Netherlands (31%). Some 32% say they have started relying on more ‘reputable’ sources of news while a further 22% say they have stopped using sources that had a dubious reputation.
During the Eighth Amendment referendum, a focus was put on the factual accuracy of information on old and new advertising equipment. For example, posters made statements about the development of a foetus – but no authority was responsible to make sure this information was accurate.
Misinformation was evident on Facebook too, and caused confusion for voters about who they could rely on, and where they would go to for information.
In the weeks before the vote on 25 may 2018, Facebook announced that it was banning Facebook ads related to the upcoming referendum if they were from advertisers based outside of Ireland.
Google then announced that it was suspending advertisements relating to the Eighth Amendment referendum, including ads on YouTube and GoogleAdwords. This was the first time that it had taken action like this on a referendum or election.
Politicians
Political parties are using memes and other humour graphics as a way of reaching their prospective voter base.
Politicians now send out important statements, election campaign videos, their stance on a Bill or vote – and even statements confirming Taoisigh resigning, all on Twitter and Facebook.
It changes the dynamic between the voter and their public representative – it can be easier to get in touch with them, but also easier for politicians to slip up.
Controversies around politicians’ old tweets – both here at home and in the UK – showed just how damaging a social media presence can be for politicians.
In short, it was a decade for the fall of traditional media and the growth of online outlets, with this resulting in free information to all who want it – but also leaving citizens vulnerable to manipulation and disinformation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
So we’ve now entered the “it’s not all Muslims, it’s all religions”, “the back lash against Muslims”, “growth in islamophobia” phase of media reporting.
No. In the Real world the vast majority of people are well aware its not all muslims. Its the people like yourself who live in a hate filled bigoted existence that thinks that. The Daily Mail would probably suit your beliefs better. Must admit though The Journal is getting very close to Daily Mail levels of xenophobia.
What happens to the books when there finished, do they go to the families or something
They are sent to Clonskeagh for processing.
Not 1% funny
Fred…very funny…
Thanks Joachin. I should of had a bet with you Rod, you would have lost a few dinar … sorry Euros.
Lighten up will ye, and don’t come back with all the P.C. crap.
Will he also be signing a book of condolences for the 44 killed in the ISIS attack in Lebanon the day before the Paris attack? Or do we just care less for these sub-humans ?
That’s not fair, the French are our neighbours and our friends, we share a way of life, it’s proper order that we stand in solidarity with them during their hour of need.
We share a way of life so French lives are more important that Lebanese lives?
I really don’t get that.
Of course Lebanese lives matter, do Lebanon have an embassy in Dublin.
@ thejynx…: if you are so concerned go to bring flowers to the Lebanon embassy or maybe you did already…
Correct @jinx it appears he has set a precedent here as our head of state. Whilst its obvious a book of condolences hasnt been signed by him vis a vis the lebanese bombings we can only hope that the least he did was to call the Lebanese ambassador to offer condolences on behalf of the citizens of this country.
America created ISIS
Right now we are enabling America via Shannon airport
Michael D Higgins knows that is going on
Hillary Clinton said america shouldn’t intervene because this isn’t their fight. The cheek of her, if it’s anyone’s fight, it’s America’s.
Obama created ISIS when he pulled their entire military presence out of Iraq overnight and allowed these barbarians to develop in the region.
‘Created’ isis might not be completely accurate but they certainly championed and assisted them, similar as they assisted the Taliban some decades ago in order to stop the threat, via a proxy war, of Russia taking a firmer powerhold in Asia. In this case, again by proxy, they wanted isis to take out Assad in Syria so they could get proxy control over the hugely important strategical area of the region in terms of location and fuel resources. Putin has called the US out on this very recently and if you listen to some French politicians interviews over the weekend, you will hear them call out the US on this also! The opposition leader did this and also went back to the invasion or Iraq, calling Bush&Blair “liars” and that they caused the rise of extremist islamic groups in the region. The US have been very quiet (not like them in the least) over the weekend, dont you think!?
Isis existed before Obama even took over
Sounds very familiar to what America said in 1939
Embrace people whose ideology states that you should be destroyed. No change there then. I’m surprised that Colm O’Gorman didn’t use the opportunity to campaign for his mercenary who got caught and imprisoned; as if the world wasn’t a dangerous enough place already.
President Higgins should say none of this is fault of France
Mr Higgins is from the same school of geo politics and humanitarianism as Mick Wallace – France is a 1st world country,thus they have more responsibility and duty toward 3rd world failed states.this also implies failed states are not to be criticised.
Cameron will want ‘lord’ Chilcott’s report in to his governments bungling and meddling in Iraq to be buried even further given recent events.
I’d like to sign a book of condolence for all the Syrians, Iraqi’s, Afghans, Yemenis, Darfurese and other nationalities that have died in the current terrorist wars taking place in 2015. Where do I go?
Cliodhna, Ireland has 32 counties, not just 26. Belfast is Ireland’s second city, so might be worth adding that a Book of Condolences is also open at the City Hall there, as well as in The Guildhall in Derry.
Hi Cliodhna, as per comment by Tír Eoghain Gael, two other Irish cities have books of condolences open and your readers in those cities would like to know they can sign.
have your say