research ideas

I have two concerns regarding to the information age. One is will competition between media benefit audiences? The other is how information technology influences media consumption.

My first research idea is to see the inter media competition between online video and MVPD (Multichannel video programming distributors). What benefit readers are that can viewers have more diversified content?  Or that can viewers enjoy cheaper price?  ”Viewers of online video are growing but the development of online video is not as promising as we thought. Previous study pointed out obstacles to online video’s future growth: competition from MVPDs, including advantage they have in large of scale aggregation of online content via TV Everywhere service, limited availability of high quality content, especially window programming. It seems that competition between online video and MVPD is rising but audience choice is the key. Therefore, my research question is how people choose the platform to watch video.

Concept: gratification-utility niche. the theory of niche, gratification opportunities. One of the obstacles for online video is window programming. Therefore, I want to see “media content as a niche dimension” to see the competition.

Data: For gratification-utility niche: data from survey. The unit of analysis: users.

For media content as a niche dimension: data from media content. The unit of analysis: content.

Question: Is the theory of the niche an outdated theory? Not many research applying this theory recently.

My second research idea is to see what can consumer benefit from information overload.

When “the wealth of information makes the poverty of attention,” it means what audience have is scarce resources. It is buyer’s market. Consumers’ should have more bargain power than being bombarded by information. It seems that audience should have more choices but the reality is abundant information limit people’s choice.

My research question 1: Within the overabundance of information, what factors influence people to make selection to consume news.

In addition, there is no valid measurement to measure information overload. We cannot talk about information overload without a solid measurement. My research question 2 is how to measure information overload.

Concept: Attention economy, information goods. Experience goods, infinity variety.

Data: online survey

The unit of analysis: users

 Question: How to use attention economy? There are no variables or a model in the concept….

Net advertising / net neutrality

            My first research question is the different reach and perceptions in mobile and online version of same brand advertising. Specifically, this study aims at examining whether the Internet advertising and mobile advertising in the smartphone or tablet PC would complement or supplement each other for the product company. Nowadays, mobile service already penetrated the advertising market, having some comparative advantages rather than the Internet layout in terms of smaller screen size and shorter user sessions. Advertisers and product companies might concern the portfolio management for news products, which means that ‘new projects (mobile advertising) are evaluated, selected, and prioritized; existing products (may be accelerated, killed, or deprioritized; and resources are allocated and reallocated to active projects (Cooper, Edgett, Kleinschmidt, 2001, p.3).’ It is questionable whether the Internet and mobile users are mutually exclusive or not. Thus, this study will examine the patterns of two users first, which might be decisive to determine whether online and mobile advertisings complement or supplement each other. This study will benefit academic and practical area together. For academic, this study might confirm the idea of complementary and supplementary goods and find the new ground: the influence of mobile advertising. For advertisers or brand managers, this study will help them establish marketing strategies based on the results.

            The second research question is about the relationship between network neutrality and social welfare. The definition of net neutrality is that owners of the networks that provide access to the Internet should not control how consumers lawfully use that network and should not be able to discriminate against content provider access to that network (Wu, 2003). In 2010, the FCC’s Open Internet Order (FCC, 2010) announced three basic rules to maintain net neutrality: transparency, no blocking and no unreasonable discrimination. However, net neutrality is being currently threatened by service providers, like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon and so on because they insisted that net neutrality is a government intrusion into the private sector (Steigler & Sprumont, 2010), harming efficiency of source allocation. 
           From the perspective of market shares, government regulates the market of network to pursue the equivalent distributions of the net. From the perspective of supply and demand curve, government forcibly intervened the price decision process, setting the accessible price for the most person. This was possible because still the Internet was defined as a common career and public good. Such an intervention by government might affect consumer welfares. However, after the extinction of net neutrality, more competitions among service providers will be expected, increasing the price of the Internet. Thus, my second research question is to figure out the differences of market status in free competition and regulated markets for net neutrality. Case studies and mathematical analysis based on the current data (undecided) will be conducted.

Research topics

Now that the world is experiencing a rapid democratization in the production of content, traditional media has been strongly affected by digital advances. Technology has simplified the transmission of information by giving free online tools to users. Some elite media seems to have been left behind in the digital space because of the way other tech-savvy parties are implementing innovations in a fast pace and taking over traditional privileged position. As a consequence, online news entrepreneurs and social networks are taking advantage of this disruption, creating new media outlets that intend to capture audiences and revenue. With these concepts in mind, I would like to propose the following projects:

My first research idea aims to understand how online news entrepreneurs are adopting technology and innovation into their newsrooms. This research project will analyze the innovative contribution of those online entrepreneurs who confront the digital news ecosystem, create news business models and survive. It will also examine the development of innovative ideas and the entrepreneurial effort to integrate and provide information to news audiences. Finally, it will look at how this new online networks are structured.

My second research idea aims to understand how traditional TV is relaying on social networks and second screening to provide an “ambient” experience for their audiences when it broadcasts live programing. I understand and define second Screening as a process in which users, while watching television, utilize an additional electronic device-space to access social networking sites in order to obtain more information about the program they are watching, share their thoughts, glance other viewers’ opinions and discuss ideas with them in a conversation created around the program or event in real time. This process builds a sense of community and connects people outside their own physical area and networks. Reaching people outside viewers’ physical TV space and sharing a virtual room through social networks are key characteristics of second screening that often enrich TV viewing.

Some of the economic theories and concepts I can use for this project are Network externalities (using social networks to increase the number of people consuming live TV), engagement (using second screen to create a new experience that motivates people to view a TV event as it happens), and attention economy (using the social online ambient to draw users’ attention to TV viewing from many other activities and content). This project will try to find a unique way to help traditional industries (TV Networks) to maintain engagement and attention share, and to increase the number of people consuming content by repurposing the Web.

Research Ideas

1.) YouTube has become a hub for informal learning on the web. There are countless how-to tutorials that teach you everything from learning how to play the solo on Jimi Hendrix's Wind Cries Mary to affixing your headlight properly on your car. In the last couple years I've noticed that a number of small electronics companies, film gear producers, as well as thought leaders of communities have been releasing tutorials on how to use their products. There is certainly a learning component within these videos as audiences learn how the product works, how to use it and also within the comments as people form an ad-hoc community around the video that affords opportunities to ask and answer questions about the product. But a second layer to this is I am proposing is that these tutorials videos are seamless advertisements that not only help educate audiences, but also make it easier for them to purchase products on their sites.

I propose the following research questions.

• How are different types of companies utilizing YouTube's platform for informal learning as a way to advertise their products? 
• How do audiences interact with these videos: as ads or as tutorials or both? 

2.) As Pew's State of the News Media reports, relatively new media companies such as Vice, Buzzfeed, and Quartz are expanding their international news coverage as newspapers have been cutting back on their foreign coverage. I'm particularly intrigued by Vice Media's video content model by which they have forged partnerships with traditional media (HBO show) and also by releasing video content on YouTube, a digital platform. Additionally Vice offers high quality, long form content that resonates with viewers, often takes a stance/position, and seemingly gets access to people and places other media cannot. 

I propose the following research questions: 

• Is Vice Media's digital content strategy successful as compared with traditional media publications? 

Some Research Ideas

As a potential first research topic, I was intrigued by an article about peer-to-peer lending, which argued that it was likely to grow because peer-to-peer companies like Lending Club offer a) lower interest rates than traditional lending institutions and b) easier access to loans for people with shorter credit card histories. Though this isn't strictly about a media company, it is about the use of the medium for new banking platforms. My research question would be: can peer-to-peer lending sites compete with traditional banks? Drilling down: Are the services they offer substitutes for personal bank loans? How sustainable is the economic model given the flux in the economy? In theory, the concept is interesting because it allows people to bypass more restrictive banking requirements to acquire loans, consolidate debt and perhaps improve their lives.

In order to pull this off, I would likely need to find out how the structure of peer-to-peer lending operates, what kind of regulation it faces, if any. On one front, I would need to compare the fluctuation of interest rates in both traditional and peer-to-peer lending institutions, compare average sizes of personal loans, and compare how many are funded and by what criteria. On another front, I would also need to find out how stable the return on investment is for both types of lending institutions and how many defaults there are in both settings. I think this is both supply and demand side data, since the demand-side here is actually the number of defaults for peer-to-peer investors, and since the focus is on loans then the unit of analysis is the product. In terms of peer-to-peer lending institutions, Lending Club for example actually offers some really solid data of its business. For traditional lending institutions I would probably look at data from the Federal Reserve.

As a potential second research topic, I am interested in exploring the search engine optimization market. Given that we live in an information economy and that search engine clicks and visibility depreciate with their rank on Google searches (which is ultimately the biggest portal to the web), it seems like SEO can play an enormous role in helping businesses get “attention” currency. On the other hand, I don’t think SEO is something entirely new. It’s essentially advertising, though on a more technical level (metadata, keyword precision, etc). Also, some question the need for SEO, especially in a world where attention is gained through sharing (on social media and elsewhere). If someone has an inferior product, will SEO matter?

I am interested in finding out a) what challenges this industry faces, including compliance with Google policies, b) whether it has grown and how significantly, c) how concentrated it is and how much competition there is and d) whether its services actually create value for the clients. In terms of data, I think this would be largely an industry / market study, so probably sites like Searchenginewatch.com and SearchEngine Journal, which dedicate sections to SEO industry news, could provide information about the structure of the industry. Some companies, like Industrial Business Marketing provide data about their own performance. But also, Sempo has released reports on the state of the industry which also provide some good figures about their performance. Ultimately I hope this sheds light on a bigger question – if online advertising makes little money for advertisers (except for giants like Google), then how do SEO firms thrive financially?