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Week 4: Creating New Media Content - Carissa Dalton

In recent years society has been exposed to a digital transformation. As technology continues to advance, so do the ways in which media interacts with consumers. New technologies enhance our capabilities as operators in a modern world. Flew (2014) raises the question of why some media are considered to be new? The newness of media is certainly subjective, with some linking new media to that of variants on long established media products.  However, It must be acknowledged that the changes in media production, distribution and consumption over the last two decades capture changes that go beyond the actual devices themselves.  Furthermore, old media –print, broadcasting, film, still images – sets a foundation for new media and its place in society (Flew, 2104).  

The rise of hybrid economies and the increasing nature of community spaces such as YouTube exemplify how crowd accelerated innovation is becoming more and more pervasive. Crowd accelerated innovation proves to be one of the most effective forms of communication amongst consumers, suggesting that modern media audiences play a crucial role in creating, distributing and consuming media content. As discussed in Rosen (2006), Dan Gillmor understands that the “former audience” refers to the owners and operators of tools that were once exclusively used by media people to capture and hold their attention. For example, Rosen gives the example of how shooting, editing and distributing video once belonged to media bodies but now these elements are in the control of the user. This understanding links strongly to the view that web 2.0 has allowed for the redistribution of media power. This decentralisation means that new media audiences are far more empowered than ever before, moving from one-way, top down to two-way bottom-up communication (Green and Jenkins 2011, 109).  A once favorably centralized media scheme connected people up to the centers of power but not across to others. Now a horizontal flow, user-to-user, is just as significant as the vertical one (Rosen, 2006).

Let’s play is a series of screen shots or a recorded video that documents a play-through of a video game and usually includes commentary by the gamer. The rise of this user-generated phenomenon is owed to YouTube, which is one of the most active fields of online video sharing and content creation. By gamers sharing their own personal experiences to already established games, they are able to apply their own creative abilities. The growing concept that is Let’s play changes the way users experience gaming.  Furthermore, Let’s play links strongly to the notion of hybrid economies as discussed in Lessig (2008) in that it builds upon both the sharing and commercial economies and has the potential to dominate the architecture for commerce on the web.

The increasingly pervasive nature of user-generated media content, particularly the Let’s play phenomenon, is directly linked to the creation of new media content, which effectively empowers modern media audiences. 

References

Flew, Terry. 2014. “Ch 1: Introduction to New Media.” In New Media. 4th ed, 1-17 Melbourne: Oxford University Press

Green, Joshua and Henry Jenkins. 2011. “Spreadable Media. How Audiences Create Value and Meaning in a Networked Economy.” In The Handbook of Media Audiences edited by Virginia Nightingale, 109-127. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell

Lessig, Lawrence. 2008. “Chapter 7: Hybrid Economies” In Remix: Making Art and Culture Thrive in the Hybrid Economy, 177-224. New York, NY: Penguin

Rosen, Jay. 2006. “The People Formerly Known as the Audience.” PressThink: Ghost of Democracy in the Media Machine, June 27. Accessed March 21, 2014. http”//archive.pressthink.org/2006/06/27/ppl_frmr.html 

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Week 10: New Media, Big Data and Telemetrics – Carissa Dalton

“While the audience may have fragmented, the mass audience still exists for those events that bind us together in space and time. Exploiting the continuing power of this immediacy will be the future of commercial television.” (Herd in Harrington, 2013).

Over the past decade new media has undoubtedly changed the media industry, particularly the television industry. The concept of technological convergence is central to the ways in which audiences engage with television content. Technological convergence has afforded consumers access to a digital library of television content that is accessible at any time across a wide range of catch up services.

Harrington addresses the idea that, in changing the way content is distributed, these services have radically changed how, where, and through what technologies television can be experienced, leading some to suggest that we have entered into a "post-broadcast" (Turner & Tay, 2009), or"post-network" (Lotz, 2009) era.

Conversely, it is argued that television “is neither beating nor losing to new media in some sort of cosmic clash of technology”, and in fact, the old and the new media are continually developing a mutually beneficial relationship (Gray and Lotz, 2012). So, it is justified to assess how and where the forces of convergence enhance television-viewing patterns and how the concept of “mass conversation” provided by social media impacts upon their collective use.

One of the most commonly used social media platforms that enhance the idea of “mass conversation” is Twitter. Harrington asserts that the platform affords users to connect with other viewers in real time to engage in a live, almost unmediated discussion. This form of dual engagement demonstrates that, contrary to the stereotypical belief, television is a highly social medium that brings people together around a shared point of interest (Lemish, 1982; Morley, 1986).

The Carrie Diaries

In 2013, the second season finale of The Carrie Diaries went to air with no confirmation as to whether a third season of the Sex & the City prequel would reach the production stage. Viewers were clearly motivated to push for the production of a third season and took to social media to ensure that they had their voices heard.  A petition was created on change.org, which allowed for fans to register their interest in a third season. Those who signed the petition were strongly encouraged to watch the season finale live and tweet at the CW Network accompanied by the hashtags, #TheCarrieDiariesSeason3, #WeWantTCDSeason3, #RenewTheCarrieDiaries and #SaveTheCarrieDiaries. While, The Carrie Diaries was cancelled on the 8th of May, the petition was then opened up to include potential buyers such as ABC Family, MTV and Netflix.

By the way that the television industry is continually developing in relation with social media, is it impractical for networks to assume that the production of quality content will be a determining factor in what programming audiences choose. It is quintessential for networks to establish and maintain relationships with viewers, and communicate connections that encourage routine and loyalty of viewers (Jones, 2012).

References:

Harrington, Stephen. 2013. “Tweeting About the Telly: Live TV, Audiences, and Social Media.” In Twitter and Society, edited by Katrin Weller, Axel Bruns, Jean Burgess, Merja Mahrt and Cornelius Puschmann, 237-248. New York: Peter Lang.

Gray, J., & Lotz, A. D. (2012). Television studies. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.

Jones, J. P. (2012). The 'new' news as no 'news': U.S. cable news channels as branded political entertainment television. Media International Australia, (144), 146-155.

Lemish, D. (1982). The rules of viewing television in public places. Journal of Broadcasting, 26(4). 757-781.

Lotz, A. D. (Ed.). (2009). Beyond prime time: Television programming in the post-network era. London, UK: Routledge.

Morley, D. (1986). Family television: Cultural power and domestic leisure. London, UK: Comedia.

Turner, G., & Tay, J. (Eds.). (2009). Television studies after TV: Understanding television in the post-broadcast era. London, UK: Routledge.

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Week 9: New Media Politics and Engagement - Carissa Dalton

In a day and age where technology and social media is increasingly advancing the ways in which society functions and communicates, it seems reasonable to conclude that opportunities for expression of both political and social views are more prevalent than ever before. 

New media platforms have satisfied the need for users to express their views on various political and social issues. Additionally, they have allowed society to actively engage in the discussion of issues that affect society and made campaigning for social change much more accessible and easy to coordinate.

Gladwell (2010) addresses the idea that “The world, we are told, is in the midst of a revolution. The new tools of social media have reinvented social activism. With Facebook and Twitter and the like, the traditional relationship between political authority and popular will has been upended, making it easier for the powerless to collaborate, coordinate, and give voice to their concerns.”

However, it is argued that new media is effective only at increasing participation as opposed to motivation.

Aaker and Smith write, “Social networks are particularly effective at increasing motivation”. However, social networks are effective at increasing participation—by lessening the level of motivation that participation requires (Gladwell, 2010).

  Breast Cancer Awareness and the No Make Up Selfie

A recent example of online activism that demonstrates the above argument of lessening the level of motivation that participation requires is the trend associated with breast cancer awareness. The trend involved users of Facebook uploading a photo, most commonly a selfie accompanied by the hash tag, #nomakeupselfie. This trend caused some debate as to whether the photos accompanied by the hash tag actually aided in breast cancer awareness. Some argued that it was nothing more than an act of “slacktivism”, which describes the act of participating in a self-serving activity as an alternative to expending effort to actually contribute to fixing an issue.  While this may not have been the most beneficial and selfless way to raise awareness for the issue at hand, the popular trend got people talking and to go with the common cliché, any publicity is good publicity.  

The rise of new media and its pervasive nature has undoubtedly altered social and political movements, particularly with exposure and spread ability on a global scale. It is easier than ever before to achieve public attention and contribution on various political and social issues with media platforms becoming so widespread.

While new media does allow for ease in contribution and participation, not all political and social movements are successful. Most people will remember the Kony 2012 movement, a short film produced by the Invisible Children Inc., which involved raising awareness of the movement to make African cult and militia leader Joseph Kony globally known in order to have him arrested by the end of 2012. The campaign eventually died out but it did create a way for people to feel as though they were contributing to a greater good.

The question still remains as to whether an online presence of social and political movements actually makes a difference. However, regardless of this, it is undoubtedly a prevalent tool that is easily accessible for the broadcast of injustice or discussion of an issue (Shirky, 2011).

  References:

 Gladwell, Malcom. 2010. “Small Change: Why the Revolution will not be Tweeted.” The New Yorker, October 4. Accessed 23rd April 2014 http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=all

  Shirky, Clay. 2011 “The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change.”  Foreign Affairs 90:1.Accessed 23rd April 2014http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67038/clay-shirky/the-political-power-of-social-media

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Week 7: New Media Communication

Mediated Communication 

Mediated communication is based on the idea of using technologies to communicate and record information across time and space and is often contrasted with face-to-face communication. The concept of mediated communication causes some controversy over whether these uses of technology enhance or diminish practices of communication, language and people relations (Baym, 2010). The discussion of new media communication, particularly Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), raises some question as to how practices of self, these technologies and their contexts are embedded in shaping communication practices (Crystal, 2001).

  Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)

New media communication in the form of CMC raises some question as to whether it is considered to be speech or writing. Crystal (2006), argues that is considered to be “written speech” which connotes a somewhat conversational approach to the understanding of CMC. However, the argument that it lacks instantaneous responses, rhythm and does not allow for the expression of body language or gestures is certainly a relevant point. Alternatively, netspeak links CMC more to written communication than speech. However, it is far less formal and less carefully constructed. So, it most certainly can be concluded that CMC falls somewhere in between spoken and written communication.

  Enhancement or Impoverishment?

The arguments surrounding mediated communication and whether it enhances or diminishes communication practices cause much controversy. On one hand, it allows for more effective engagement with regards to self-reflection and creativity, particularly through audio-visual platforms (Baym, 2010). Otherwise, some argue that social interactions are inadequate and reclusiveness is encouraged (Baron, 2008).

Another viewpoint is that mediated communication neither enhances or diminishes communication practices in that there a lot of other factors that need to be considered in its assessment. Baym (2010) addresses aspects including user agency, contexts, expectations and motivations for interacting and the offline existence of a given relationship.

So, if mediated communication neither enhances or diminishes communication practices and does not fall within the realm of neither speech nor writing then what is it?

As discussed by both Baym (2010) and Crystal (2006) mediated communication can be described as a third medium which blends styles from both spoken and written communication with added stylistic elements including those of film, television, music, videos and photography.

  Domestication of Hash tags

Mediated communication, particularly CMC, changes the way we interact with others.  Our language and our means of expression have certainly evolved with developments in technology. For example, hash tagging, which initially emerged on twitter, has since spilled over onto other platforms. Not only are they used for topical discussion or as prompts for conversation but also as emotive markers (Bruns and Moe, 2013).

Furthermore, mediated communication is strongly associated with self-formation. As Baym (2010) states “As people appropriate the possibilities of textual media to convey social cues, create immediacy, entertain, and show off… they build identities for themselves, build interpersonal realtionships, and create social contexts”.

  References

Baym, Nancy. 2010. “Ch 3: Communication in Digital Spaces.” In Personal Connections in the Digital Age, 50-70. Cambridge MA: Polity Press.

Baron, Naomi. 2008. “Ch 1: Email to Your Brain: Language in an Online and Mobile World.” In Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World, 3-10. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bruns, Axel and Hallvard Moe. 2013. “Ch 2: Structural Layers of Communication on Twitter.” In Twitter and Society edited by Katrin Weller, Axel Bruns, Jean Burgess, Merja Mahrt & Cornelius Puschmann, 29-41. New York, NY: Peter Lang.

Crystal, David. 2011. Language and the Internet. Cambridge University Press.

Crystal, David. 2006. “Ch 2: The Medium of Netspeak.” In Language and the Internet. 2nd ed, 26-65. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Week 6: New Media and the Entertainment Industry - Carissa Dalton

Altered Consumption

New media and the ever changing relationship it shares with the entertainment and news industry highlights the ways in which audiences now interact with both entertainment and news media landscapes. New modes of transmission have altered both the consumption and production of entertainment and news for audiences. It is now commonplace for online sources to be mobile, personalized and on demand. This draws upon the idea that new media provides new opportunities for self formation and provides audiences with the affordances to work in and with the entertainment and news industry, making interaction and co-production much more accessible. There is no doubt that new media has changed the news media landscape and altered the perceptions behind journalism. Increasing rates of citizen journalism are very much prevalent due to technological advances which raises the question of whether citizen journalism via new media platforms pose a threat to professional journalism or enhance media reporting (Bruns, 2012)?

  Citizen Journalism

Put simply, citizen journalism refers to news gathering and reporting about a newsworthy topic that is done by members of the general public rather than by professional news agencies in the mainstream media. Now more than ever the general public plays an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and distributing news and information. People from diverse backgrounds are able to interact with media agencies to share opinions and contribute to news almost instantaneously due to new media affordances (Bulkley, 2012).  While there are certainly valid arguments scrutinising citizen journalism and the threat it poses to professional journalists, there are circumstances where citizen journalism has and is proving to enhance media reporting and the general well-being of society (Jian and Usher, 2014). 

  Afghanistan Social Media Summit: Paiwandgãh

For example, following the first social media summit in Afghanistan last year it was brainstormed as to how social networking could assist in transforming Afghan society.  A citizen journalism platform called Paiwandgãh was a project that launched with the purpose of covering the upcoming presidential election from more of a hyper local perspective. American entrepreneur, Eileen Guo states “… don't really take into account the amount of change that is taking place in Afghanistan—especially among the youth. There's a whole new generation that grew up in post-Taliban Afghanistan, and some of them are voting for the first time, with their smartphones in hand.” Paiwandgãh aims to encourage political engagement, give a voice to the unheard and act as a resource for voters which vastly differs from the violent and oppressed perspective published by the mainstream, media (Neal, 2014).

Ultimately, new media has indeed changed the ways in which audiences consume media and interact with news and entertainment media landscapes. New media entertainment involves audiences in new ways, particularly with regards to audience interaction, co-production, participation and convergence. However some argue that it encourages exploitation and commodification.

  References

Bulkley, Kate. 2012. “The rise of citizen journalism.” The Guardian, June 11. Accessed April 1, 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/jun/11/rise-of-citizen-journalism

  Bruns, Axel. 2012. “Journalists and Twitter: How Australian News Organisations Adapt to a New Medium.” Media International Australia Incorporating Culture and Policy, (144): 97-107

  Jian, Lian and Nikki Usher. 2013. “Crowd-Funded Journalism.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 19 (2): 155-170

  Neal, Meghan. 2014. “Citizen Journalists are Live-Blogging the Afghan Presidential Election.” Motherboard, March 31. Accessed April 1, 2014. http://motherboard.vice.com/read/citizen-journalists-are-live-blogging-the-afghan-presidential-election

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Week 5: New Media Enterprises - Carissa Dalton

Networked Societies 

Within the discussion of new media enterprises this week, came the exploration of networked societies. It was evident that the concept of a networked society is largely associated with technological advancements and ultimately allows for a more flexible and dynamic working landscape. Networked societies blur the lines between consumption and production, work and play and waged and unwaged labour.  As these boundaries continue to blur, questions of self-presentation become more complex. How individuals and organisations engage in public practices that are aimed at “personal branding” ultimately establishes an identity for themselves and the assemblies to which they belong. Crowdsourcing is a particularly relevant example of networked societies and illustrates an overriding relation to new media enterprises. Coca-Cola’s, Where Will Happiness Strike Next?, campaign harnessed crowd creativity to generate ideas and in the production process (Gilpin, 2011).  

   Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is an umbrella term that refers to the collaboration of collective resources in the form of knowledge, money or creativity, to solve problems or produce new things. While crowdsourcing has a history in charity and non-profitable organisations, the dominance of Web 2.0 is when it really began to flourish. Some types of crowdsourcing include crowd labour, crowd creativity, distributed knowledge, open innovation and crowd funding. However, the overriding message behind the whole concept of crowdsourcing is that workers micro-task for a collective output, which eventually helps an organization achieve its core goal. This form of new media labour sees the provider gain a financially viable and diverse workforce at a cost effective output. Some argue that new media labour empowers consumers and allows room for the “greater democratization of commerce” (Howe, 2008). While others believe that new media labour exploits consumers and only fuels corporate colonization (Fuchs, 2014).

  Crowdsourcing: Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is one of the many organisations on board with crowdsourcing in the form of cloud labour and crowd creativity. The company used a much more openly-sourced business model in the form of its “Shaping a Better Future” challenge which asks entrepreneurs to create improvement-ventures for the project-hubs of youth employment, education, environment and health. Additionally, they have also run a campaign known as “Where Will Happiness Strike Next?” which is a series of short films and television commercials, which relied heavily on the social media input of consumers. Consumers would contribute ideas about what it is that creates happiness. These crowdsourced suggestions via social media were then used for marketing its products more effectively (5 Examples of Companies Innovating with Crowdsourcing, 2013).

  New Media Labour

While there are many benefits of new media labour including having individuals from diverse backgrounds being able to easily contribute regardless of their place in society, some argue that new media labour promotes user exploitation. The idea that audiences are sold as a commodity to advertisers and are constantly exposed to commodification is certainly valid. Meaning that this form of exploitation permeates market logic and top down power, as discussed above with regards to Coca-Cola’s “Shaping a Better Future” scheme (Fuschs, 2014).

  References

5 Examples of Companies Innovating with Crowdsourcing. 2013. The InnoCentive Blog, October 18. Accessed March 28, 2014. http://www.innocentive.com/blog/2013/10/18/5-examples-of-companies-innovating-with-crowdsourcing/ 

Gilpin, Dawn R. (2011). Working the Twittersphere – Microblogging as Professional Identity Contrcution. In A Networked Self – Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites edited by Zizi Papacharissi, 232-250. New York: Routledge

Howe, Jeff. 2008. Crowdsourcing: How the power of the crowd is driving the future of business. London: Random House

Fuschs, Christian. 2014. “The Power and Political Economy of Social Media.” In Social Media: An Introduction, 97 – 125. London: Sage Publications

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Week 3: New media and expression of identity - Carissa Dalton

Media is principally a method of communication that reaches or influences people widely. Today, we live in a world that has collided with media. This concept has been referred to as ‘techno-social hybridity’ or a ‘mediapolis’ -an idea that suggests a life lived in rather than with media (Deuze, 2011, 137). Thus, blurring the boundaries between the traditional model of producer and consumer media consumption, ultimately allows for freedom of expression and identity.

Theoretical frameworks discussed in Personal Connections in the Digital Age (Baym, 2010) address the concepts of “technological determinism”, “social construction of technology” and “social shaping of technology”. These concepts examine the notions that machines change us, people hold the power and people make use of the affordances that technological qualities enable respectively. While it is clear that we are shaped in technologically mediated ways, we are shaped in mutual interrelations with technologies. 

Social media is now the world’s largest mass media and is the main provider of self-expression through new media. Outlets such as Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook are particularly relevant examples. Identity often intersects with the forms and methods of self-expression. Chris Poole, founder of canv.as, addresses the idea that it’s a users’ context within a social media audience that counts when it comes to services that enhance self-expression. He states, “Its not who you share with, it's who you share as . . . Identity is prismatic . . . We are all multifaceted people, we are more like diamonds, you can look at people from any angle and see something different and yet they are still the same (TechWebTv, 2012)."

This view links strongly to the ideas discussed in the self-reflexivity concept in that we present different aspects of ourselves to different audiences with regards to changing contexts and circumstances. In a way, this “prismatic identity” enhances creativity by allowing for creation and sharing from different shapes of our selfhood. For example, the identity we portray as a worker or employee on outlets such as LinkedIn may be vastly different to our expression of self on Instagram or Facebook as a friend, son or daughter (Deuze, 2011).

It can be concluded that new media and self-formation are strongly related in that we use new media to form understandings of others and ourselves. Networked publics give consumers the ability to build upon social networks based upon common interests or connections such as political beliefs, musical taste or social status.  The information one reveals on a given social media platform may vary immensely from the information revealed on another social media platform, linking back to the idea of the “prismatic identity” (Donath and Boyd, 2004, 72).

  References:

Baym, Nancy. 2010. “Chapter 2: Making New Media Make Sense.” In Personal Connections in the Digital Age, 22-25. Cambridge MA: Polity Press. Accessed March 11, 2014.

  Donath, Judith and Boyd, Danah. 2004. “Public Displays of Connection.” BT Technology Journal 22 (4): 71-82.

  Deuze, Mark. 2011. “Media Life.” Media Culture & Society 33 (1): 137. Accessed March 11, 2014.

  TechWebTV. 2012. "Web 2.0 Summit: Self Expression through Social Media – Chris Poole." YouTube video, posted April 3. Accessed March 11, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYIingBky5A.

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Carissa Dalton