The key issues for audiences and institutions

From the podcast there were six main key terms that were thoroughly covered and three other areas which were looked at.
The first key term is Digitality, this is a way of encoding information in a series of zero's and one's using binary. This is how a computer works, electrical pulse on or electrical pulse off and any programming is based on binary, information can be dealt with in the code.
The second key term is Interactivity, which is a way of streaming information so it can go through the air via a satellite system, ISDN cable (broadband), telephone cable and cable satellite. The way its compressed means more width so multiple strands of information can be sent via one feed. Interactive means that you can interact with other people, say yes and no to it, it is a feed that goes both ways rather than one way.
The third key term is Hypertextuality. The organisation in texts is no longer in linea so you can jump any way you like where you like in a text. You can jump from one text to another, so the producers of the texts must ensure that you can jump around their text and that you can leave their text and go to another one. An example of this is the way that websites are linked and how TV programmes are being broken down into short segments to allow for adverts to try and keep your interest and to make you think about the small bites of information.
The fourth key term is Dispersal, which is how information is shared and communicated to do with the market share and size of the market as well as the take up, so who is using it. Dispersal coupled with digitality increases the market and makes a huge market for producers.
The fifth key term is Virtuality. Ideas that link with real representation, some of the virtual worlds are representational. Mimicking and re-presenting the world.
The final key term is Convergence. New technologies converging into one e.g. MP3 players that show pictures. The debate is where it will go next and whether people will use it. It is related to size as the gadgets are getting bigger they are able to fit more small data packets in them.
The three other topics mentioned were, Audience, Regulation and Control and Ownership.