May 18, 2014
Melissa Synnott FANDOMS Touching on the reading by (Shefrin, 2007), we unveiled a new meaning to the word “Fandom” and the colossal influence Web 2.0 has had on the concept. We’ve all gotten attached...
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Melissa Synnott FANDOMS Touching on the reading by (Shefrin, 2007), we unveiled a new meaning to the word “Fandom” and the colossal influence Web 2.0 has had on the concept. We’ve all gotten attached...
Data is the new oil
Blog Post #7- Melissa Synnott Data is the new oil - European Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva
The Prediction Effect, a fascinating reading by Eric Siegel had me hooked from page one…. “Data is the modern age genuine gold rush” as Siegel puts it. You and I already know that where there is data, there is space for learning. But if you multiply that information by billions you get Big Data, the mother load of information and potential wealth. The process of machines learning from data unleashes the power of this exploding resource. It uncovers what drives people and the actions they take-what makes us tick and how the world works. With the new knowledge gained, prediction is possible (Siegel, Eric 2013).
From our posts on Facebook, the pages we ‘like’, the websites we access and the surveys we take, that information is being processed by computers via digital methods such as Data Gathering, Processing, Analytics and Visualisation (Sauter, Theresa 2014). But don’t be fooled! That harmless link you shared, that meaningless update of your day on social media… all of that information may seem worthless but while we continue to stay oblivious, the reality is that it is becoming the crux of every business in today’s new age of technology. Our data becomes a priceless collection of experience from which to learn.
To exemplify on the effects that social media have on television programs in relation to Big Data and Telemetrics, I was watching the new season of The Voice that started this week, and I was thinking to myself “this year I'm going to vote.” I have never voted for any TV show before and to be honest I didn't give it much thought whilst watching shows like Big Brother or MKR (My Kitchen Rules), but I decided that I would give it a go. Giving the audience control of the outcomes of people’s fate on television and the power to determine the success of a program is the rapid advancement of a new media audience. This new media audience take to platforms like twitter and Facebook to voice their opinions and to acquire some sort of validation from their like-minded peers and It’s platforms like these that attract the most attention for Big Data to be analysed by businesses to gauge public reactions and their likes and dislikes about certain programs.
http://metaversemodsquad.com/twitter-and-big-data-whats-in-a-tweet/
I believe that in the creative industries, Big Data and Telemetrics has never been more crucial than they are now, and analysing the information we provide could mean to rise or collapse of an industry, business or franchise.
References:
Siegel, Eric, (2013). Introduction : The Prediction Effect. In Siegel, Eric, Predictive analytics : the power to predict who will click, buy, lie, or die, (pp.1 - 16). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Sauter, Theresa. 2014. “Week 8: New Media Politics and Engagement.” Accessed 4th May, 2014. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal
Blog #4
Melissa Synnott
FANDOMS
Touching on the reading by (Shefrin, 2007), we unveiled a new meaning to the word “Fandom” and the colossal influence Web 2.0 has had on the concept. We've all gotten attached to a movie franchise, TV series, book or a band. For myself, every single ones of these examples listed I have been at the mercy of, and I am yet to put an opinion on the whether this is a good or a bad thing. I can say however, that the film industry has had a particularly big influence on myself and the entire population for that matter, especially those of a supernatural genre.
By supernatural, I refer to movies along the lines of Twilight, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings etc. which all exceed the means of normal, and it is movies like these that let widespread audiences get swept up in the fantasy so to speak, hence the idea behind the genre being such a success. Fans have taken the meaning of Fandom to a whole new level since the development of Web 2.0, creating Fanfiction sites as an outlet online for fans to voice their opinions, create bizarre fantasies of their own and connect with other fandoms.
Fan Sites are also used for producers in the Film Industry to gauge ideas and reactions from their target audiences, as fandoms have the chance to express their interest in the way that they hope for the story line to play out. The killing off of specific characters can push target audiences to a certain level, and sometimes it can be detrimental to the Film Industry. For example, my own person experience of this this was in the latest season of Game of Thrones when the entire Stark family bar one was killed off in the last 10 minutes… it literally killed me to watch and it left me with refusing to continue watching the show because I no longer saw the point. I came around in the end because I couldn't keep away (the new season is available for downloading at 12am tonight and you can be sure I’ll be waiting all night to download it), however anyone less thrilled with the show mightn't’ bother tuning in to the next season, leaving the producers with a decreased number of viewers which could literally mean the difference between whether or not the producers can continue airing the show. This definitely suggests the amount of power that fandoms behold because in today’s society fans have a lot more influence over the story than we realize.
However, implications of such advancements in New Media include very immediate implications such as Copyrighting, as fans now access and download movies and TV shows online without having to pay to see it at the cinemas or wait for a new episode on TV. And really, how many of you actually wait for your new TV series episodes to air on TV? If producers choose to sue the fan, and word of mouth spread, it could potentially decrease the number of viewers. However a negative word of mouth as means of communication through new media could work in a positive way as equally invested fandoms band together to fund their TV series, movie etc. to create an outcome in which they will be happy.
In conclusion, with the realities that accompany Web 2.0, production companies of which fandoms are most invested, should use their fans for a greater cause and as a positive attribute to the success of their industry.
http://onedirectionfanfiction.com/
*here is the link to the One Direction Fan fiction site, which although I have no desire to participate in, is actually quite amusing to read and it should explain what I talk about with fans being so invested and powerful in the success of production companies.
References:
Shefrin, Elana. 2004. “Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Participatory Fandom: Mapping New Congruencies Between the Internet and Media Entertainment Culture.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 21 (3): 261-281
Blog Post #3
So last week’s lectures and readings all relate to the concept of New Media Enterprises, but in particular what I found most interesting was in fact how new media affect the work environment. We will think about how working in and with new media plays out and how this affects our understandings of ourselves and others, we will consider how work is outsourced to sometimes unaware workforces via “cloud labour” and what the implications are of this for individuals and society.
New media today now accompanies things such as Capital Accumulation, Exploitation, and cloud labour, all ways in which businesses use to outsource work to seemingly unaware workforces like you and I. If I can put this into an expression in terms of a better understanding, it would be “users become workers”, meaning that basic activities online , are actually crafty ways for businesses to collect data and information… ultimately we are working for these businesses for free. Businesses use play and communication as modes of production, “Gamification” which encourages users to perform desired actions by engaging them through game-related approaches and Play Labour which is exploitable information labour that feels like play, for example taking seemingly harmless surveys or quizzes. This past week I myself have been receiving many emails on taking a short survey which is designed for Uni students feedback to better their course for future years, and although I have absolutely no issue whatsoever completing the survey, I am ultimately working for the University for free.
In The Power and Political Economy of Social Media reading, (Fuchs, Christian 2013) explains the idea of capitalism in new media is like so… “Many corporate social media platforms accumulate capital with the help of targeted advertising that is tailored to individual user data and behaviour. Capitalism is based on the imperative to accumulate even more capital. To achieve this, capitalists have to either prolong the working day or increase the productivity of labour.” For example, the idea of Capitalism initiates a widening divide between rich and poor, the rich supress working classes and consolidate their own power, Surplus value: the difference between what workers get paid and what companies sell products for and an furthermore, capitalism creates an overall class struggle.
So what does this mean for workers and users? (Theresa, 2014) explains that exploitation is perhaps the most alarming issue being dealt with so far, and it includes, low (or no) pay, unregulated labour marketplace, no benefits or protection, overabundance of work, competition among workers, a monotonous and repetitive work and the surveillance of workers and users alike; for example Corporate web platform operators and their third-party advertising clients continuously monitor and record personal data and online activities. They store, merge, and analyse collected data. This allows them to create detailed user profiles and to know a lot about the user’s personal interests and online behaviours.
The Foxconn manufacturing company in China is a perfect example of how businesses exploit their workers and surveillance of digital labour i.e. labour that is needed for capital accumulation with the help of other technology products.
REFERNECES:
Fuchs, Christian, (2013). Chapter 5: The Power and Political Economy of Social Media. In Fuchs, Christian and Social Media: a critical introduction, (pp.97 - 125). London, UK: Sage Publications
Sauter, Theresa. 2014. “New Media and Society, New Media and Identity: Week 2 lectures notes.” Accessed March 16, 2014
Blog Post #2
Spreadable Media:
We’ve all pressed “send”, clicked “share”, uploaded media, or posted something for others to see in which we thought was funny or interesting, and in turn us media producers and consumers alike, become media appraisers and distributers (Greens and Jenkins 2011, 111); we ultimately spread our media. The idea of Spreadability discussed in last week’s lecture and featured in the Spreadable Media reading by Green and Jenkins, raises a lot of debate amongst people as to exactly how the content spreads. The first concept as (Theresa, 2014) explains is the idea that media spreads like a virus- a biological epidemic if you will. Giving meaning to the phrase “going viral” in a very literal sense, stating that just like a virus, the article of media catches on and spreads like wildfire. However (Dawkins, 1978) who is responsible for the meaning of the word meme proposes that memes, like genes, are in some ways connected to a cultural evolution. The third concept from last week’s Spreadable Media reading in which I myself am more inclined to agree with is that “audiences play an active role in ‘spreading’ the media content: their choices, their investments and their actions determine what gets valued.” (Greens and Jenkins 2011, 116). In other words, (Greens and Jenkins 2011, 116) say we need to see audiences as “grassroots curators” rather than “hosts” or “carriers.”
(Theresa, 2014) explains that it is in fact textual gaps that enhance the Spreadability of media, and therefore the content is often flawed and imperfect as this invites the opportunity for comment and reworking. Take the “Harlem Shake” YouTube sensation for example, the original version of the Harlem Shake was invented by my school friend and his mates after a long weekend skating, and as many would agree, it was nothing special... just a couple of guys busting some dance moves to loud music in their underwear. Regardless, as his friends we all spread the word and shared his video through social media and virtually overnight did this stupidly-funny video turn into a world-wide phenomenon, re-creating thousands of versions and creative parodies that rocked the nation for a short amount of time. This corresponds with (Greens and Jenkins 2011, 116) previous statement that audiences like myself play an active role in spreading media. Our thinking that it was funny and hence our sharing the video to others for the same amusement, lead to mass spread of media.
As (Greens and Jenkins 2011, 113) say, “choosing to spread media involves a series of socially embedded decisions: that the content is worth watching, that the content is worth sharing with others and that the content might interest specific people we know…” Taking everything into account, our ability to spread media with such speed and to an enormous population exemplifies the broader theme of this unit, that improving one’s self and social practises (as long as the content provides interest and appeal) is just a click away and now you no longer have to wait for your media profile to grow as the idea of Spreadable Media allows the content to spread instantaneously.
REFERENCES:
Green, Joshua and Jenkins, Henry, (2011). Chapter 5: Spreadable Media: How Audiences Create Value and Meaning in a Networked Economy. In Nightingale, Virginia, The handbook of media audiences, (pp.109 - 127). Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell
Sauter, Theresa. 2014. “New Media and Society, New Media and Identity: Week 2 lectures notes.” Accessed March 16, 2014
Blog Post #1
Mediapolis:
Us 21st century humans are living in a new concept labeled ‘‘Mediapolis’’ suggested by Deuze (2011) as a comprehensively mediated public space where media underpin and overarch the experiences and expressions of everyday life. In our lecture last week, Theresa (2014) examines this view of Mediapolis and proposes the idea further that we have gone so far as to living our lives in rather than with new media. Consequently we are unable to recognise for ourselves the uses and appropriations of new media penetrating all aspects of contemporary life. For example, the other night I had caught up with friends for dinner at Grill’d in South Bank and not ten minutes after sitting down did I notice people taking photos of their precisely set out tables arrayed with delicious Grill’d burgers. This is a perfect example of just one way in which it has become so normal or perhaps essential for people to use media to express and publicise their everyday life activities.
The idea of “Mediapolis” and living in rather than with new media stems onto two other ideas covered in last week’s lecture. Firstly, that we are now using media for ourselves as a reflective project… “Self-formation” if you will, and secondly, as Deuze (2011) proposes that the key challenge of communication and media studies in the 21st century is, or will be, the disappearance of media. My example earlier of the larger population now using media for the most basic human activities such as eating a meal, reflects our need to be constantly affirmed and accepted by our peers. This idea of Self-formation as Theresa (2014) examines becomes a public performance of typing oneself into being and media, as Deuze (2011) reflects, becomes a playground for a search of meaning and belonging. Our second self, our “media self” is constantly shaping, assembling and re-shaping selfhood and as a result we are reconstructing our self-identity so much so that we are unaware of our two selves because we are so heavily involved and consumed with our media life.
This brings me to the last and perhaps most interesting concept in my opinion from last week, the idea that media could disappear and become invisible. As quoted from Deuze’s Media Life (2011) “The increasing invisibility of media is exemplified by their disappearing from consciousness when used intensely.” The immersion of new media and hence the domestication of technologies are partly responsible for their disappearing from our consciousness. Because new media demand our attention in the contemporary age, these practises become so frequent and normal that we no longer think or act without them, and as the meme suggests, it has already become so vital for us to be connected to one another in the most rudimentary ways. On the whole, our society is irrevocably connected.
References:
Deuze, Mark. 2011. “Media life”, journal of Media, Culture & Society 33(1): 137- 148
Sauter, Theresa. 2014. “New Media and Society, New Media and Identity: Week 2 lectures notes.” Accessed March 16, 2014