Week 11
Communication Online: Wikis, Wifi, and "Spreadable" Media
Electronic Media Age: Evolving Network Culture (telegraph, telephone, radio, internet) -Cold War is the historical & political context in which the internet developed -DARPA 1958, large scale computer network-DARPANET -Russia's threat of nuclear attack: instead of centralized, needed a non-centralized network in case main was attacked and shut down. -Internet developed out of American military budget -Western nations
Electronic Media: Analog to Digital Physical properties of original media form made into sequence of #s o Somewhat easier manipulation of texts o Inexpensive (re)production of texts
Digital Media Environment Mass Media to "Participatory Culture": these changes have reoriented the way we interact with mass media and given rise to new culture Distinct features that set apart the age of digital media and how we interact with it Low barriers to artistic expression & civic engagement Strong support for creating & sharing creations w/others Members believe their contributions matter Members feel some social connection w/one another Collective Intelligence o Ability to/Process of pooling knowledge & comparing notes with others toward a common goal o Decentralized knowledge & meaning production
Making Sense of Evolving Networked Culture Conflicting characterizations of You Tube: o Novel site of everyday self-expression & 'democratizing' participatory culture "under-regulated site of lawless, unethical behavior centered around youth as a risk category"
Democratization of Cultural Production o Narrative of YouTube stars, anybody can become a star o Assumption that "raw talent combined w/digital distribution can convert directly into legitimate success & media fame" o BUT...still within mass media system
YouTube & Evolving Networked Culture
What is YouTube? o "a coordinating mechanism between individual and collective activity and meaning production;" o "a mediator between various competing industry-oriented discourses about ideologies and various audience- or user-oriented ones' Threat to established media industries of broadcast era? o Assumption: YouTube is just a distribution platform o For many users, site is as much about discussion, response, and interaction
Making Sense of Evolving Networked Culture Clips as "quotes of content"-ways to interact with media text Redaction: the production of new material by the process of editing existing content Enunciative productivity of audiences: work of audiences made heard clearly.. those activities now much more visible To characterize YouTube in terms of distribution (copyright, piracy logic) is an outdated model of understanding media landscape Viral media?- as a term is "wrong" because it mischaracterizes the media. o Real viruses render person as a victim, host. o Term takes audience out of equation Discourses of "viral media"=false sense of security at a time when economic models are in flux o False assumptions about power relations between producers & audiences: audience is in more power than ever before o Should be called SPREADABLE media - Ongoing conversations and fodder for creative activity Emotional drivers in spreadable media o Curiosity o Amazement o Interest o Astonishment o Unc