Jenkins and Convergence Culture

In my opinion, Henry Jenkins views convergence culture as a worldly connection. Thanks to convergence culture, media is easily accessible, there is a continual circulation of content, and with the speed of the connection, anyone, anywhere, at any time can share something with the masses. When reading the articles related to Jenkins' book, I was amazed by the story of “Bert is Evil”.  Who would have thought it was possible for images to go from a bedroom in the U.S., to posters held by anti-American protesters, to images captured and shown on CNN? In convergence culture, everyone has a voice and what we share can be seen by anyone. 

Creative engagement is the ability for people to share content they have generated or altered. Therefore, the images of “Bert is Evil” is a great example of creative engagement. Dino Ignacio used Photoshop to create racy images of the Sesame Street character, Bert. This form of creativity is engaging not only because it is user generated content, but also because other people can view, share, and discuss the content. 

Participators are engaging convergence culture in a variety of ways. Since all our media is in one convenient place, we can share content, view content, create content, and discuss that content with anyone around the world. This instant connectivity keeps us engaged. The more we see, the more we want to discuss and share what we’ve seen. Now, rather than just telling someone face to face, we can post it for the world to see.

Preventing Illegal Downloading

This week in class we discussed copyright laws and fair use policies implemented by the media and government. Despite these laws and regulations being in place, there are still countless acts of piracy and copyright infringement committed daily. With the technology we have at our disposal, illegal downloading has become easier than ever. However, I believe there are ways to reduce and ultimately eliminate these types of activities.

First, the government and our Internet providers must take an active role in preventing piracy. In order to prevent people from illegally downloading media, we must prevent them from reaching websites that promote such actions.  The government should monitor suspicious websites, and block the sites that are found to be aiding people in the illegal download of media. Internet providers should also be able to monitor suspicious activity on their networks. Internet providers can then report or block suspicious sites, or suspend people’s Internet service as a punishment for the illegal download of media.

Another option involves the entertainment industry, celebrities, and famous musical artists. I believe people can be influenced if they are made aware of the seriousness of their actions. Through the use of PSAs and other commercials, people in the music industry can raise awareness about the illegal downloading of media. If people see their favorite celebrities asking them to help stop media piracy, maybe they will be influenced to make a stand.

Finally, media companies such as YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu should create security measures that prevent the illegal download of media. If these companies were able to create codes that prevented the copying of media, our piracy problem would be solved. Millions of people use these companies to illegally download and share media. By encrypting their media, these companies would be better protecting themselves and their content providers from piracy.

Privacy and Personalization: Risk vs. Reward

As technology continues to advance, so do peoples’ expectations. Today our standards for technology are higher than ever. With so many different personalization options, people now believe that technology should be cooperative. We expect our websites, our phones, and our computers to remember us and adapt to us. From being able to change the layouts of websites, to remembering passwords and other critical information, technology provides each person with a personalized, unique experience. Personalization has helped technology by creating greater convenience for its users. People can personalize settings and layouts that make for a smoother, easier interactive experience. However, how is this personalization affecting our security and safety?

When we personalize technology, we must understand the risks we are taking. If I go to a website that asks for my name, my age, and my gender, I must be aware of the pros and cons for releasing that information. The website my use that information to match me with different articles and things I will find interesting, or the website might sell that information to advertisers. While websites use these personalization tools to create a better experience for the users, we must be aware of who else is seeing our information. Today, social media websites have made a lot of money selling the information of their users. However, many users may not have agreed or wanted to release that information. How is this fair? When we first posted our information to things such as Facebook and Twitter, we had no idea the sites would sell our information and privacy. While the personal information we share might not be secretive, it is still an invasion of our privacy to sell that information without us knowing. Websites and other forms of technology should be required to be transparent with users on the usage of their information. We should be clearly notified how our information will be used, and updated when it is sold or exchanged to advertisers or other third-party members.

New Media and Technology

How are new media and technology affecting our society? In this article published by the Washington Post, a New York University professor of media studies explains why he has banned the use of technology in the classroom. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/25/why-a-leading-professor-of-new-media-just-banned-technology-use-in-class/

As we can see from this article, new media and internet communication have greatly altered both our attention span and interpersonal communication. 

There seems to be a constant struggle between our attention span and the internet. New media has made it possible for people to be connected at all times. Smartphones have email, social media, and other communication functionalities. At any given moment, we can pull out our phones and watch videos, talk, search the web, and completely miss what’s happening around us. New media has also helped foster the age of instant gratification. The internet makes information and communication so fast and easy, that we are no longer willing to wait. If we are not interested in something, the internet makes it very easy for us to find something that we will find entertaining. In this article, we see slightly bored and disinterested students using technology to “escape” the classroom. Technology continues to get smarter and faster. Eventually, what will happen to our attention span? Now, a ten second loading screen feels like an eternity, imagine how we will feel about waiting times as technology continues to get faster. 

Another interesting concept this article brings up, is the relation between the internet and communication. New media and technology have certainly improved the speed of communication. Now with the help of the internet, I can contact people across the globe at the blink of an eye. There is so much to see and learn, and the internet makes it all available at our fingertips. While all these things can be positive, is new media putting too much in the palm of our hands? Are people too connected? It certainly seems that way. Using new technology, people can easily zone out of a situation. New technology provides us with so many distractions, that it is difficult to stay focused. 

We must be careful how we use technology. New media and technology are certainly positive things! However, they can become negative. As new technology continues to connect us, we must ensure that we do not become too connected with the technology. We must not spend all our time buried in new media, or we will miss out on what’s happening now. 

Metcalfe’s Law and YouTube

In class we discussed several laws associated with Internet communication and the value of networks. Of the laws we discussed, I found Metcalfe’s law to be the most interesting. Metcalfe believed the value of networks should be determined by the number of connections that can be made within that network. For example, if there is a network of ten people, there are ninety connections possible within that network. The more people you have within a network, the greater the number of potential connections and the greater the value of the network. This law is often criticized based on the idea that people do not connect and share with everyone the same. Critics believe that people connect with certain people more often than others. However, YouTube is a perfect example of Metcalfe’s law. On YouTube, people have the chance to interact different people each and every day. Through subscriptions and channels, people are able to filter the content they see. However, there are still millions of connection possibilities available on YouTube’s network. Viewers usually don’t focus on one person’s content. People using YouTube often look at several different kinds of videos posted by people with whom they have no prior connections. Therefore, possible connections should still have value within the network. This is why I agree with Metcalfe’s law, and believe the number of possible connections should determine the value of a network.

In five years, I believe YouTube will be the world’s most valuable network. More and more entertainment programs are abandoning traditional television and moving towards online streaming. Soon, I believe broadcast television will be a thing of the past. Television networks will become channels on YouTube, posting shows, news, sports, and other events online. Live streaming will replace live broadcasts. People will be able to access YouTube for all their information needs at any time using smart phones, tablets, and computers. If this comes true, YouTube will become our daily center for information.

Why We Blog

Blogging is not mindless, and the answer to why we blog is deeper than it seems.

Blogging allows people to post their creative content to a willing and active audience. People are not forced to read blogs, but they chose to read them. Therefore, audiences are more responsive and engaged in the content that is posted. Bloggers can post poems, stories, and other content they’ve created and share it with a worldwide audience.

 Blogging also gives people a chance to relate and empathize with one another. Blogs allow people the opportunity to express themselves without fear of exposure or judgment. This feeling of anonymity causes people to share deeply personal items they wouldn’t share with the people they know. This in turn forms a tight-knit community within the blog. Bloggers can relate to one another and compassion and friendship can be shared between people who have never met.

Blogs can also be used as an outlet. People often post daily reflections and stories, sharing both the good and the bad. Perhaps a blogger has a family member who is dealing with serious medical complications. Blogs give this person a chance to express themselves and talk about their struggles. People can also blog about joyous occasions. If someone is planning a wedding and they want to share that process, they can post about it in a blog. Ultimately, blogs are a channel that allows people to vent or express themselves.

While blogs provide people with a channel for expression, do we hide from life using blogs? Bloggers can easily hide behind their computer, avoiding life. It’s so much easier to blog about a problem than it is to deal with that problem. We must be sure that we use the blog, and the blog doesn’t use us. We can share our secrets and stories, but we shouldn’t allow blogging to dominate how we express ourselves or deal with our problems.

1st Blog Video