Research on media technology and its integration with media research from other disciplinary perspectives

Pirkko Oittinen

Abstract
Media technology is defined as the technologies of the content value chain. The paper has two purposes. First it surveys how media technology is framed in current European level research agendas. These are compared to the scope of the Finnish strategic research agenda for media. Against this background the paper discusses as its second topic forms of research collaboration in general and maps the principles to a research case. The case deals with collaboration on cross-media publishing between three research groups representing journalism and photography, marketing and media technology in a new university context.

Keywords: Content value chain, Creative content, Science systems, Multidisciplinary, Transdisciplinary
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Tiina Pajula, Hanna Pihkola, Minna Nors

Abstract
Carbon footprint has become a key element in evaluating the emissions of greenhouse gases related to manufacturing of print products. The study defines carbon footprint of a Finnish weekly magazine and discusses the significance of the results and ways to diminish greenhouse gas emissions occurred during the product's life cycle. Energy needed in the pulp, paper and printing processes creates the main part of the emissions. Furthermore, transporting the product to customer becomes a remarkable contributor. However, current methodology involves open questions and e.g. landfill data estimations bring in great variation. The calculations provide a baseline against which the development can be measured and communicated. Lots of emphasis should be given on the communication of the results and the carbon footprint should be expressed as a range of values rather than as a single figure.

Keywords: Carbon footprint, life-cycle assessment (LCA), Printing technology, Environmental impact
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PRESENTATION (PDF)

Maria Enroth

Abstract
This study was initiated in order to clarify the environmental impact of different kinds of teaching aids easily available today. The aim of the study is to give a screening comparison of the environmental impact when it comes to the global warming potential of printed versus electronic teaching aids. A life cycle perspective is used in the study which means that the different specific life cycle steps of the media products are analysed. In the study, the environmental impact is limited to the impact category global warming. The study focuses on the emissions of fossil carbon dioxide which is the only climate gas included in the analysis.

The study shows that the impact on global warming of a web based electronic teaching aid is approximately 10 times higher than the environmental impact of a printed textbook, if a low energy computer equipment scenario is used. If a high energy computer equipment scenario is used, the impact is nearly 30 times higher for the web based electronic teaching aid compared with the impact of the printed textbook. A reason for this is that a textbook can be used for a long time by many users.

Keywords: Environmental impact, Printed textbooks, Electronic teaching aids, Media products
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PRESENTATION (PDF)