Note: While many dates could potentially be included in this time line, most of my choices pertain to the ease of distributing mass-media and means of communication.
1453 Printing Press by Gutenberg
-This invention allowed a great deal of information to be printed quickly and massively, allowing information to spread at a relatively high speed.
1844 First telegraph line set by Samuel Morse
-Communication reaches a real-time speed, allowing people to communicate over great distances.
1920s Electricity introduced to consumers
-Allows for electrically-powered appliances, however primitive, in households.
1930s Radio widely used by consumers
-Real time communication on a broad scale, which allows instant relaying of information.
1927 First TV Transmission by Farnsworth
-Television has been the dominant medium for mass information for many decades. TV helped introduce the Internet to the average household, through its ability to reach a global audience instantly.
1960s Internet Research began
-Without the development of the Internet, I could not be writing this blog and posting it worldwide right now.
1970s Email Developed
-Email is one of the staples of the Internet; being able to mail people instantly over a computer was one of the main appeals to consumers.
1980s Users use Hypertext to link web pages together
-This helped to develop the way we browse the internet, with pages leading to further pages, so that users may find information with ease.
1992 Web Browsers open doors
- Web Browsers allow for even the non-computer savvy to browse the Internet relatively easily.
2004 Broadband is widespread
-By reaching 45% of American households, broadband Internet allowed bulky content to be distributed more quickly, making the Internet more effective in some cases than even television.
While telephones also played a part in the development of instant communication, I believe that they seemed to have developed independently until just recently, when text messaging and email were allowed to flourish from mobile devices. By not including them, I hoped to emphasize the mass-communication of our history. I believe that in the future, our technology will only become sleeker and more streamlined, as I am not sure how much easier communication can become. I think that inventions will only build upon what has already been established, rather than create something entirely different. In some ways, I hope to be proven wrong at that point, since new technology is always exciting.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Convergence Culture: A Book Review
Henry Jenkins writes a colorful view of media convergence with many different types of media represented, though he mainly focuses on the Internet and its powers over society. While traditional media still plays a major role in the everyday lives of people, the Internet is replacing it little by little, until traditional media becomes niche and Internet is the mainstream.
Jenkins uses contemporary examples to explain in depth what most media savvy people should already understand. While this helps him to engage a large amount of readers in the present, it makes the book very time-sensitive and later generations might not understand all the references. This is not a problem, though, as the information the book conveys is nearly as time-sensitive and prone to aging. His work is admirable in that he allows his examples to take over, contrary to filling his pages with boring information that would mean very little to the average contemporary reader. That said, he does overdo his examples at time, with over-explanations and over-analysis quite prevalent in some of the chapters, namely the one with Harry Potter.
The divisions and layout of the book are sub-par, with some margin passages taking up several pages that easily distract the reader. Some of the chapters feel too long for their own good, as it is easy to get the point of the chapter fairly quickly without having to read the whole thing. Organization wise, it might have helped to arrange the chapters in a way that conveyed an actual sense of organization, rather than a seemingly random order.
Convergence Culture is a great read, but likely will not stay relevant for too much longer. It's a one-shot book that takes a look into the media shifts through various fandoms, but it's a pretty good one. Definitely a great discussion book.
Jenkins uses contemporary examples to explain in depth what most media savvy people should already understand. While this helps him to engage a large amount of readers in the present, it makes the book very time-sensitive and later generations might not understand all the references. This is not a problem, though, as the information the book conveys is nearly as time-sensitive and prone to aging. His work is admirable in that he allows his examples to take over, contrary to filling his pages with boring information that would mean very little to the average contemporary reader. That said, he does overdo his examples at time, with over-explanations and over-analysis quite prevalent in some of the chapters, namely the one with Harry Potter.
The divisions and layout of the book are sub-par, with some margin passages taking up several pages that easily distract the reader. Some of the chapters feel too long for their own good, as it is easy to get the point of the chapter fairly quickly without having to read the whole thing. Organization wise, it might have helped to arrange the chapters in a way that conveyed an actual sense of organization, rather than a seemingly random order.
Convergence Culture is a great read, but likely will not stay relevant for too much longer. It's a one-shot book that takes a look into the media shifts through various fandoms, but it's a pretty good one. Definitely a great discussion book.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Digital Literacy in a Digital Age
While one may view that it takes a healthy amount of media literacy in order to survive in today’s society, that may not always be the case. Some elderly and people living in rural areas can survive quite well using the simpler, older technologies. But to truly thrive in today’s society, as well as stay “in the loop,” one needs some form of media literacy. Knowing basic computer and Internet skills is comparable to knowing how to drive a car, in that you are able to drive a car without knowing how all the internal parts work. It is important to know how to drive a car in some societies, though it is possible to survive without it. If you know how your car works, it makes it easier to fix a problem without the use of external help. Metaphors aside, knowing how to use a computer allows a person to connect themselves with the outside world. Most jobs also require some interaction with a computer, whether through email or normal day-to-day activities. Cell phones are also an important item to master, since most calls are done through them in modern times. In 2007, over 250 million Americans subscribed to a cell phone service, which is roughly 82% of the population (Gearlog). Through the Internet and cell phones, we are conveniently connected to one another by a quick push of a button. Anyone not connected to this extensive network gets left out of the culture, and will potentially miss out on important information that cannot be conveyed through TV or radio. Credibility is much easier to check on the Internet, where there is a vast amount of information sources, allowing one to compare stories within mere minutes (Trampiets). In sum, society changes to fit the new technology, and it is quite beneficial to keep up, though perhaps not biologically necessary as of yet.
Trampiets, Fran. “Ask an expert: The importance of media literacy.” CNN Archives Online. 6 October 2009
“U.S. Cell-phone Penetration Tops 82 Percent.” GEARlog. 6 October 2009
Trampiets, Fran. “Ask an expert: The importance of media literacy.” CNN Archives Online. 6 October 2009
“U.S. Cell-phone Penetration Tops 82 Percent.” GEARlog. 6 October 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Internet Fandoms... It's dangerous to go alone
While admittedly once a part of many fandoms myself, I found it difficult to do adequate research for this particular assignment. As I grow older, I find some parts of the Internet to be more and more juvenile, both in writing style and subject matter. It is hard to determine whether or not this is because I myself have matured, or the Internet itself might be getting younger. But, I digress.
As I have done participated in fandoms in the past, I felt it appropriate to return to one of them for this assignment. Since the world of Harry Potter is still fresh on my mind from rereading the books and seeing the newest movie, I thought it was the obvious choice. Since the forums I used to frequent were long gone, I had to find an alternative.
A quick search in google for "Harry Potter Forums" led me to the Harry Potter Forums website, conveniently called harrypotterforums.com. The layout seemed standard enough, with different boards cleverly labeled with references to the books. It seemed pretty benign, though I knew that the true colors of the participants would show when dove into the topics.
As to be expected, upon clicking on the most popular forum (General Discussion of Harry Potter), half the topic titles were misspelled, poorly worded, and generally gramatically incorrect. The discussions themselves were not much different, and though some of them started out mature enough, within a few posts they would resort to one-line answers and provide information that had little to do with the actual topic itself. Adolescent fandoms seem to all have this problem.
The subjects they actually spoke of were not exactly unexpected or unheard of. They discussed the potential relationships of the characters, the actors in the movies, the Harry Potter books vs. the Twilight books, etc. Moderators appeared to keep the place fairly tidy as far as topics went, and seemed to play a key role in keeping threads on topic.
As far as copywrite infringement goes, nothing seemed to jump out at me, though I admittedly did not scan every topic. I believe that when fans use characters for their own pleasure, and do not try to make money off of them, the creator of said character should be flattered rather than offended. There were instances of fanfiction and roleplay, character analysis, fan art, and even a few rewritings of passages from the book from another person's perspective. Generally speaking, most of it was fairly immature, but it had a heart to it that only a true fan can produce.
While I myself find it difficult to partake in such areas of the Internet, I admire the imagination of the people involved. It takes a certain dedication to stick around for years as some of the members have, and as attention spans grow shorter, my respect for those who can stick to what they love grows larger.
As I have done participated in fandoms in the past, I felt it appropriate to return to one of them for this assignment. Since the world of Harry Potter is still fresh on my mind from rereading the books and seeing the newest movie, I thought it was the obvious choice. Since the forums I used to frequent were long gone, I had to find an alternative.
A quick search in google for "Harry Potter Forums" led me to the Harry Potter Forums website, conveniently called harrypotterforums.com. The layout seemed standard enough, with different boards cleverly labeled with references to the books. It seemed pretty benign, though I knew that the true colors of the participants would show when dove into the topics.
As to be expected, upon clicking on the most popular forum (General Discussion of Harry Potter), half the topic titles were misspelled, poorly worded, and generally gramatically incorrect. The discussions themselves were not much different, and though some of them started out mature enough, within a few posts they would resort to one-line answers and provide information that had little to do with the actual topic itself. Adolescent fandoms seem to all have this problem.
The subjects they actually spoke of were not exactly unexpected or unheard of. They discussed the potential relationships of the characters, the actors in the movies, the Harry Potter books vs. the Twilight books, etc. Moderators appeared to keep the place fairly tidy as far as topics went, and seemed to play a key role in keeping threads on topic.
As far as copywrite infringement goes, nothing seemed to jump out at me, though I admittedly did not scan every topic. I believe that when fans use characters for their own pleasure, and do not try to make money off of them, the creator of said character should be flattered rather than offended. There were instances of fanfiction and roleplay, character analysis, fan art, and even a few rewritings of passages from the book from another person's perspective. Generally speaking, most of it was fairly immature, but it had a heart to it that only a true fan can produce.
While I myself find it difficult to partake in such areas of the Internet, I admire the imagination of the people involved. It takes a certain dedication to stick around for years as some of the members have, and as attention spans grow shorter, my respect for those who can stick to what they love grows larger.
Monday, September 21, 2009
On Storytelling
Anyone experienced with storytelling will tell you that throughout time, the stories never change, just the way they are told. While the stories in prehistory were told only by word of mouth, in current times we have many ways to tell stories. Through films, literature, websites, music, theatre, and video games, stories of all scales and genres find their way into our worlds. Often, they are in a form that is more interactive than ever achieved in the past, especially for video games and websites. This interactive form of storytelling is not for everyone, however, as it requires more input from an individual in order for said individual to gain all they can from the story. For some people, their own unique input and hard work makes a story more rewarding and personal, but some simply wish to be spoon-fed the information. While some may argue that some new media has taken over old-fashioned storytelling, some storytellers themselves prefer books exclusively to film or video games. Therefore, storytelling will never full evolve out of its traditions, and instead will simply embrace new methods to perpetuate stories.
In my personal opinion, the future of storytelling within new media lies in blogging and social networking. Though the stories are not all fictitious, anyone can steal a glimpse of another life just by reading their blogs status updates. In a way they can be considered interactive storytelling, as readers are allowed to comment and, naturally, interact with the authors. However, when everyone can participate, the stories become disjointed and incoherent, and their quality fluctuates greatly. Linear stories are better off in a more concrete environment, in which few people have absolute control over what happens.
Source used for research of opinion:
Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1998.
In my personal opinion, the future of storytelling within new media lies in blogging and social networking. Though the stories are not all fictitious, anyone can steal a glimpse of another life just by reading their blogs status updates. In a way they can be considered interactive storytelling, as readers are allowed to comment and, naturally, interact with the authors. However, when everyone can participate, the stories become disjointed and incoherent, and their quality fluctuates greatly. Linear stories are better off in a more concrete environment, in which few people have absolute control over what happens.
Source used for research of opinion:
Murray, Janet H. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 1998.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
On Marketing and Product Culture
Everywhere we go, no matter what we’re doing, someone is trying to sell us something. Whether it is a product, service, or even an idea, everyone seems to be competing for our money and attention. I say “our” to reference the collective people that encompasses everyone who does not live under a rock, including those within the competition. While some may cry that the noise is too much, I really believe that people have the ability to filter through it all and find what is relevant to them. While it may be the marketers job to determine just what is relevant to people in a certain demographic, one should understand that it is rarely just one entity that entices people.
The documentary seemed to objectify advertising, making it seem like a game that is to be won or lost. Advertisers seem to think this way too, which is troubling. As a consumer, when I purchase something, it is namely on the basis of how useful it is to me, or how buying it would enhance my life. Lately, as illustrated in the documentary, some products and services are trying to manifest a “culture” around their product, but they fail to grasp what creates a community around a product. Apple computers offered disenfranchised PC users an alternative that worked well for their needs, and from there it spawned a trend. Linux did the same thing with those who wanted a more technically open operating system than Windows. iPods let users buy the music they want and take it anywhere, rather than dealing with bulky CDs which may have only been purchased for one song. There is a narrow margin for creating a community around a product, and generally speaking it is not something that can be fabricated by marketers. Lasting communities arise from a company fulfilling their needs, often beyond expectations, and continuing to improve on that product over the years. A truly successful product is one that looks at society’s needs, fulfills them with a quality item, and keeps them coming back with new innovations periodically.
The documentary seemed to objectify advertising, making it seem like a game that is to be won or lost. Advertisers seem to think this way too, which is troubling. As a consumer, when I purchase something, it is namely on the basis of how useful it is to me, or how buying it would enhance my life. Lately, as illustrated in the documentary, some products and services are trying to manifest a “culture” around their product, but they fail to grasp what creates a community around a product. Apple computers offered disenfranchised PC users an alternative that worked well for their needs, and from there it spawned a trend. Linux did the same thing with those who wanted a more technically open operating system than Windows. iPods let users buy the music they want and take it anywhere, rather than dealing with bulky CDs which may have only been purchased for one song. There is a narrow margin for creating a community around a product, and generally speaking it is not something that can be fabricated by marketers. Lasting communities arise from a company fulfilling their needs, often beyond expectations, and continuing to improve on that product over the years. A truly successful product is one that looks at society’s needs, fulfills them with a quality item, and keeps them coming back with new innovations periodically.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Wikipedia
If anyone has ever used the Internet in recent years to “look up” some fact, chances are they’ve used Wikipedia. The idea of collective intelligence manifests itself in the Wikipedia website, and we are able to determine the weaknesses and strengths of allowing everyone to participate in such a broad encyclopedia.
Wikipedia “represents a vast investment of freely given manual effort and judgment,” which means that the collective community both writes and edits the website rather than simply providing information for it (Medelyan). This methodology invests absolute power into the collective, which can act as a blessing or a shortcoming depending on the situation and perspective. While the potential seems limited only by the extent of our collective knowledge, the actual limit is far more restricting, as the website has placed limits on itself to keep it from digging too deep.
That is the flaw of Wikipedia. In the way it limits itself, it keeps itself stable, but also keeps itself from being the end-all be-all of encyclopedias. The website used to allow just about any specific page to be created; there was a time when each of the 400+ Pokemon were allowed their own individual pages. In the way of clarity and moderation, however, they grouped many pages into one, limiting the amount of information that was allowed to be displayed. This brought up many disputes over which pages were given relevance over others, and of course authors were upset that their work was no longer used.
Wired reports that Wikipedia will soon gain a color-coded system of reliability, with each word given a color based on the author’s credibility. This move is to help Wikipedia become a more credible source of knowledge, but limits the amount of information that people will take seriously. Some say it is a step in the right direction, but others feel that some of the charm of Wikipedia is lost when it tries to become a credible source.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Anonymity and Voice
Japan's people are known for not being particularly outspoken, often going out of their way to be more like the people around them. It is not common to see people speaking openly about their feelings, and even less likely in a public place. However, when one is given the chance to let their voice be heard without anyone having to see their face, a whole new culture emerges.
2ch (2channel or futaba) is one of Japan's most popular websites, which might baffle some people since it lacks any flashy designs or elaborate images. It is, in essence, a message board, but it is unlike the standard message boards that many websites have. Users do not have to register a username, and often are discouraged from providing any information that might identify them in the real world. The interface is simple, with most of the information provided in the form of plain-font text. Topics are divided by category, with each area (called a board) having a different theme, such as Sports, TV, Anime, Food, etc. Topics are sorted by when they were last replied to, and there is no search function on the main website. There are thousands of topics divided into over 800 boards, and with 2.5 million posts per day, it is the largest community on the internet.
The main appeal is that people can post their opinions or feelings without losing face in society. The fact that anyone, no matter their age, occupation, or any affiliation can post is quite exciting, and can often lead to some interesting topics being created. While most topics are tame, some can spawn serious debates and even move people to take action against things they find offensive or unfair. In one instance, Wired reports on an incident where Nike posted an advertisement that relayed a dangerous message, and it was taken down within 48 hours due to the pressure of the internet mob.
This type of internet community greatly demonstrates the role that new media plays in the future of the everyday person. No longer will people just sit back and feel powerless to change something. If enough people agree with them, they can get their message across to almost everywhere.
Source
2ch (2channel or futaba) is one of Japan's most popular websites, which might baffle some people since it lacks any flashy designs or elaborate images. It is, in essence, a message board, but it is unlike the standard message boards that many websites have. Users do not have to register a username, and often are discouraged from providing any information that might identify them in the real world. The interface is simple, with most of the information provided in the form of plain-font text. Topics are divided by category, with each area (called a board) having a different theme, such as Sports, TV, Anime, Food, etc. Topics are sorted by when they were last replied to, and there is no search function on the main website. There are thousands of topics divided into over 800 boards, and with 2.5 million posts per day, it is the largest community on the internet.
The main appeal is that people can post their opinions or feelings without losing face in society. The fact that anyone, no matter their age, occupation, or any affiliation can post is quite exciting, and can often lead to some interesting topics being created. While most topics are tame, some can spawn serious debates and even move people to take action against things they find offensive or unfair. In one instance, Wired reports on an incident where Nike posted an advertisement that relayed a dangerous message, and it was taken down within 48 hours due to the pressure of the internet mob.
This type of internet community greatly demonstrates the role that new media plays in the future of the everyday person. No longer will people just sit back and feel powerless to change something. If enough people agree with them, they can get their message across to almost everywhere.
Source
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
First
"FIRST!" As one would, I say this now regardless of its lack of meaning. The comments section of a web site is usually set up for people to express their opinion of whatever has been posted, though most comments lack real criticism or commentary, and instead resort to single ordinal words or acronyms.
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