WHAT LIES AHEAD OF CONVERGENCE CULTURE? ….
“Welcome to the convergence culture where old and new media collide, where grassroots and corporate media intersect, where the power of the media producer and the power of the media consumer interact in unpredictable ways (p.259)”, Jenkins states in his last paragraph of Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. In his final words, he concludes, “Convergence culture is the future, but it is taking shape now. (p.260)”
There is no doubt convergence culture has brought about new forms of participation and collaboration. Like it or not, younger and older generations must obligate themselves to becoming educated about new technology influences and uses. Within the ever-changing aspects of our society, media participation is a crucial asset to democratization now. The main question is, as we look towards the future, where can we see Convergence culture heading in the next 20 years? As exciting as the unknown may be, some elements of the digital revolution are scarier than comforting. As Jenkins has put it quite boldly, “Convergence is coming and we better be ready.”
This emergence of this digital revolution and the un-daunting reliance is what we find ourselves faced with. It is NOT an understatement to say that an email account is essential for communicating with others, along with a cell phone, and even an Ipod if you want to get your main stream of entertainment going. Fast-modems and easier gadgets are the tools that are going to be guiding us now. It is exhilarating and exciting, similar to when we see the new Ipod version came out…which only happens ever other month.
For the foreseeable future, convergence will be a connection among various media technologies-rather than a fully integrated system. This ranges from our Ipods, computer games, text messaging, and even the addictive reality T.V. show. The prospects of growth are overwhelming. Through the effects of mass advertisements and even word of mouth, these new media forms converge together to draw us in to a new form of communicating, entertaining ourselves, and informing.
The fact of the matter is, we must recognize this and use the power as both consumers and citizens. Convergence as we see it is both a corporate driven process and a bottom consumer driven process. There are politics of participation, and how much “God-like” freedom we are placed with. The power is held the content producers, which in other words is us. It can and it is our right now and still is. Convergence culture enables us to talk back on what we see and hear. You can make anything with any message.
This course has opened my eyes to the insane possibilities of technology with information and communication. The politics behind the freedom we carry now as also producers of this content, puts us at ethical boundaries for ourselves and others. Our lives are important, our friends are special, family time is a must, but many times we have done away with our lives with appointment media. Addictions to Second Life, Reality T.V shows, and Computer games can put us at a technology “overload”. Media are read many times as threats rather than as resources. More focus is placed on the dangers of manipulation rather than the possibilities of participation, on restricting access.
The change in distribution allow different ways to access the content. But these changes in architecture don’t necessarily change content. No matter your religious affiliation, we must look at this as also moral consumers. Using the media in responsible terms is important. Realizing the causes that are more important and using technology in efficient ways to help others should be a main focus. Not getting wrapped up from the world in your Second Life game. The video below, is a excellent example of the use of the internet in the recent terrorism attacks in Mumbai. As citizen Journalists step into a crisis and use the internet to bring people information.
Politics Online (the Obvious)
“The age of public sphere of face to face talk is clearly over; the question of democracy must henceforth take into account new forms of electronically mediated discourse.” (Poster 199: 220)
Just as television had its impact on our democratic whelm, so has the internet. The modern communication medium has proved its influence on campaigns trails, news feeds, and global outlets. As we focus on the internet and its participation in democracy we have to understand that its engagement causes a change in our information technology and communication.
In just these past 5 years, there has been an vast increase in Online Journals, Blogs, and Discussion forums. Mass Media efforts, such as online newspapers, have invested greatly in making there news available online (A major factor why print journalism is on the edge of extinction). According to Lister in his chapter of Public Sphere, the fundamental basis of the Pre-Web internet in the 1970s was primarily for the usage of dialogue. The excitement of political announcements, for example, was associated with the early democratic system. Lister states that there are two positions that the new public communication space holds. One is that “through democratizing them means of media production, revives the participatory nature of the idealized public sphere ” The next position takes the stance that the public spheres specific function of extends access to media to the construction of the net as a new way of representing new subjectivity.(Lister, 177).
The contributions of the internet to democracy online is extremely important. But, as a public communicative space, there are highly specific and limited engagements that they internet confines us to. Lister warns of this, quoting Jones, ” The range of possibilities has widened: we are no longer certain of what is reported in the news, and we are much more likely to allow alternative explanations (Lister, p. 178)”. Democracy must involve active democratic participation. With that said, we ask the question ” How far public communication, and our understandings of our place within it, is determined entirely by electronic mediated communications and how far it still relies on different kinds of face-to-face communication?” (Lister, p. 180)
The challenge for us, as citizens, is understanding aspects of this process of change. Change, as in our sources of news be transferred to Online newspapers, Our discussions being regarded to Online Blogs and Chat-rooms, and our advocacy movements resorting to new Facebook invites and text messages. The idea of online information has been promoted as a political future. At the same time these conditions could also promote a worn-out alternative to political communication. We can’t forget to ask ourselves, How much does this access cost? What is the social distribution? and what are the patterns of ownership of new media?
Because the range of sources of information on the internet are endless. We must motive ourselves to be active educated readers and try our best to filter the news feeds that are irrelevant and fake.
RECENT ARTICLES: POLITICS & THE INTERNET:
“Internet Key to Obamas Victories”, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7412045.stm
Who are we Online?
Through the media used, practices and values promoted in the lived in cyber-culture, our values of things such as success, effectiveness, efficiency, and speed are seen higher in importance than truth, meaning, reflection, intimacy, and meaning. With the use of online resources to fabricate our communication to one another the truth behind our words, the meanings behind our relationships, and the intimacy rarely fall to say what we mean and mean what we say.
For the new cyberspace era, the internet has become a resource for people to find new ways of expression, explorations of new self-identities, and connections to people in their own interests. Schultze reminds us that cyberspace tends to degrade both the rational and individual self-reinforcement. Sites such as Facebook and Myspace, have expanded their once simple utilities of sharing information, to newer features such as interests groups, news feeds of who did what, detailed profile descriptions of the person, photo albums, and messaging boards
All in all in the back of our minds we know the way we use words in our profiles , the groups we join, and how we filter pictures displayed of us, develop forms of identities we want to be shown. We must greatly question how authentic we are when we delete that one photography that we don’t want people, the meaningful things stated in the facebook groups we join, and even what we write in our profiles. Truthfulness, obligates us to far more than simply creating versions of reality that are in tune with our own interests.
With the criticism of the current cyber-culture, it is important to start focusing on the return to an embodied, meaningful existence to each other. In the age of information technology, there can be long-term results if we continue in the pattern of how we transmit and communicate informationm about ourselves or others. We neglect to critically articulate how we communicate to each other. Life is a journey and the struggle to find who we are and where we fit in is something we struggle on a daily basis. College can only prepare you so far, it is the decisions we make on the way that guide us in the paths we want to go.
What do we value more, is something that is hard to put into perspective? On one side we want to present ourselves in a manner that shows our independence and success, but on the other side we also want to find intimate relationships and passion. At times, it can be felt we must put aside the later to achieve the first goal. We seek to know more intimately who we are and how we should live. We ask questions about life because our existing understanding is not adequate.
How do we navigate these spaces?
(Schachter, 2004)
I found the video unique as it talked about the advancement of bandwidth capacity in the internet.The Internet, in and of itself, is a vast domain.The channels of discourse can come to be a confusing misdirect as we surf the web for our desired information. However, as many of the characteristics that follow it, the Internet connects individuals around the world.
When I was living abroad in Italy, this last year. I would use “Skype”, to talk to my parents who lived in Washington. It was easily accessible, as I would just log in with my username and speak to them “through the computer” with my headphone.
Connecting us to one another is something I feel I our generation and the generations to come will use most fondly. These spaces through the Internet have become more connected overtime. The simplicity of having tags on our facebook pages and links on our websites directs us from one person to another.
In Adam Mathes’ “Folksonomics-Cooperative Classification and Communication Through Shared Metadata”, he talks about folksonomy. An important aspect of “Folksonomy” is that there is no hierarchy and instead a cluster of tags based on common URLs. These relationships consist of narrower and related items that simply set terms for group users of content and classifications.
After reading Mathes topic of Folksonomics, I thought about the mundane abilities that facebook tags, groups, links, and citations. The Internet was already a connection tool, but it is evolving in an even greater center. It is almost un-comprehensible to know where it will lead us in the next 20 years and how it will fill the voids of disconnected cyberspaces.
What kind of literacies do these new media require?
Media Literacy: “the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and communicate information in a variety of formats.”
—David Considine
As emerging new media forms step into place and the global economy vastly changes, the concept of what it means to be literate also takes its turn. The new media influences how we understand and relate to the people around us. Our lives are affected by the digital age, as it alters the speed and range of information and communication in our lives. With this said now in the 21st century, the ability of interpreting and handling media is just as basic of a skill as reading and writing.
Our generation and the upcoming generations to come, have grown into an era where media has become imbedded in our lives. It is vital that we know how to decode these messages and images, and to question critically the purpose of them. It is not only a necessity in helping people to become informed, but it is also a necessity for those who want to become active participants and successful communicators in this day and age.
These information habits and messaging tools are causing the accelerated decline of the newspaper industry, land-lines, and radio stations. The New Media requires to be literate in a fast and efficient manner also. For example, with text messaging, a friend texts you “BrB”, “G2g”, or “Ttyl” and it is your job to decipher this in order to get the message. Now, my 82 year-old grandma would not understand this, even after explaining it to her several times. As we are growing into a society that has a drive for speed, we must also grow within it.
To become literate, we must put efforts into realizing that “BrB”, means “Be Right Back”. Because who can really take a whole 5 seconds more, to type out the whole world?
But while, I cannot help but wonder when did we start becoming so wrapped up into not even being able to do that? Are all our lives that hectic, or are we just getting lazy?
Here are some article links that put into consideration Media Literacy and how it affects us:
Representation: http://www.mediachannel.org/classroom/representation.shtml
Violence: http://www.Mediachannel.org/classroom/violence.shtml
Integrating Media Literacy: http://www.mediachannel.org/classroom/integration.shtml
What stories do we tell about new Media?
The younger generations have a much wider variety to pick and choose their sources of information. In the midst of our hectic lifestyles, sitting down and reading a 50 fold newspaper, seems less and less appealing, when you could easily get the latest top- headlines to pop up on your blackberry or have your favorite online newspaper be read over your itouch application. So what stories can we tell about the new Media?
For one, I find the new media capable with the ability of connecting our society on a whole other level. From across the country, the isolation I once feared I might feel from my family and friends is soon eliminated with the conveniences of my friends updated facebook profiles and my fathers’ weekly emails consisting of various snapshots of events happening back home.
The second, is that for the new cyberspace era, the internet has become a resource for people to find new ways of expression, explorations of new self-identities, and connections to people in their own interests. Sites such as Facebook and Myspace, have expanded their once simple utilities of sharing information, to newer features such as interests groups, news feeds of who did what, detailed profile descriptions of the person, photo albums, and messaging boards.
For me the stories I find myself stating about the new Media, are the ones that show how much the new Media has connected our society in many certain aspects. Even though it might be more impersonal, we still find ourselves closer to those at further away distances. The impact and the practices will create stories of the new Media.
But considering that this is a ever evolving Media industry. For example a new version of the Ipod coming out every several months. I can’t help but think what my younger brothers stories of the new Media will be? Because his might be entirely different. I grew up, watching the new Media come into a deeper effect and having other slowly but surely rely on it more and more. He grew up, already having everyone around him rely on it and not seeing its opposing side because thats all he knew.
Here are some links of articles that have pertained to this week topics, along with other issues of discussion about the New Media:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12008.html
http://www.truthout.org/article/more-news-outlets-fewer-stories-new-media-paradox
What is (and isn’t) new about “New Media”?
Topics: History of technology, basic concepts of new media (remediation, interactivity, hypertext, etc.)
In an era of ever evolving media, advancement of the internet and television has catered nicely to our daily lives at times. The enormously vague term “New Media” has coated our generation with yet another sense of glamour and exiting meaning. Through the cyber culture we find ourselves turning to today, quick and efficient things can be accomplished and solved easier. This seductive New Media however carries with it a historical simplicity of an old media, that leaves us questioning what is or isn’t considered within the New Media notion?
Until the late 1980s, the world of media primarily relied upon print and other products of analogous forms of communication. But with the rapid development of broadcast media, the circulation of such physical structured media began to quickly disappear. Analogues further expanded into electronic properties of image and sound media, such as pre-video television and radio. The process of converting media texts into digital bit streams, represents the main aspects of new media and their computational realm.This principle extension, converted physical date into binary information, creating the digital revolutionized internet and computer games.
Compared to Old Media (such as Newspapers, radio, VHS, word of mouth, line-phones, and analogues) ,what new about New Media (such as email, e-books, ipods, Podcasts, and Networking sites) is the general accessibility offered, mass distribution, reliability of material, and the interactivity. The interactivity is seen as one of the key concepts of understanding New Media. It demonstrates the aspects that new media offers to facilitates users, to enable them to interact user-to-user or user-to-information, with also the ability to produce their own online media, images, texts, and sounds.
The New Media revolution has radically shaped the way we interact with eachother and conquest of information. Hypertexts technology offers accessible links of data to other accessible locations. In the age of information technology, we must keep in mind the long-term results of this pattern and growth of New Media. It is scary to think of friendships based solely on Myspace conversations. What would happen if we relied entirely on digitized and computerized systems and not tangible items? Would the quick process and easy access, really benefit us in the long run?
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