Remix Culture

For our next network media workshop we was given an exercise to complete, which would involve a bit of creativity. The main outcome of this workshop was to show evidence of Remixing. Our task was to remix an album cover, be doing this we would have to follow some instructions, which was to go through different links, firstly it was Wikipedia to find the name of our band. Secondly we was asked to find any choice of quote through another link the finally we would have to find a picture we will use for the album cover on ‘Flickr’.

Once we had all these ingredients we would now have to use the software Photoshop to put this album cover together. After all of that this is what I ended up with, but remixing is not only to do with album cover and pictures but also videos. There was a great example that was used in my network media lecture on a Hitler play, which has been remixed countless amount of times and with different outcomes.  

Pucha Kucha Presentation

For our next presentation we had to prepare a 5-minute presentation about O’Reilly’s web 2.0 and one of its topics and later be given back peer feedback. In my group which consisted of four people we came up with the group name; Media Moguls.

The possible subjects that we could include in our presentation was Web as Platform / Cloud computing, The Long Tail, Collective Intelligence, Folksonomy, Data as the Next Intel Inside, Software above the level of a Single Device, Network Effects, and Attention Economy/Free Labour.

Out of the eight subjects we chose to present the information on Collective Intelligence. We wanted to get to work straight away so we assigned the people in our group with different titles or attributes that are connected to collective intelligence. For our presentation we wanted to find the proper definition for web 2.0 and from there we would include our separate slides, so we did our research.

For our presentation we decided to only include photographs of what we are going to talk about, this is because we watched a video in our workshop on how we should present so we took our choice of method and used notes rather than reading it of the presentation, this is so there is more interaction with the audience and they will not be distracted by the information on the presentation. We believe this is a better way to present. In my slides I was to touch on the social media sites and search engines such as, Yahoo, Twitter, and Amazon. The main outcome of our presentation and our individual slides was to explain how data is collected by web sites such as these and are used to benefit the users.

Notes   

Yahoo –

. Yahoo is a worldwide famous search engine

. Being a search engine it is also split up into different category.

. Yahoo has different components that give the consumers what they want, such as Yahoo Mail, Yahoo News, Advertising, and Yahoo Video

. Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Music, Yahoo! Movies, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Answers and Yahoo! Games

. Caterers to the majority of its target groups and consumers.

Twitter –

Created march 2006 launched July

Twitter is a social networking device which is similar to a blog

Twitter is one of the largest growing social networks; it has grown like this because it is easily accessible, via mobile phone, lap/ computer.

Changes, which allowed us to watch and share videos, groups, and images

Twitter also famous because you can access the information that you want to hear, such as your favourite celeb news, worldwide news or what your friend is saying.

If there is news this is a good source to receive information because it is feeding you round the clock information also, you can be receiving first had information from someone who could be there.

This is similar to word or mouth which travels very quick and reading somebody else’s account  

Amazon –

Amazon is one of the world's largest online retailer (founded 1995)

Started as an online bookstore, but expanded to selling DVDs, CDs, MP3 downloads, computer software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, and toys. (Online store)

The store radically changes based on customer interests, showing programming titles

Based round your common interest, gives recommendation because of the collective data and whilst searching it will give you suggestions like all search engines to give you more things you may be interested in.

8 Traits Workshop

In my recent network media workshop we explored a new topic, which is a theory, named the 8 traits of new media landscape by ‘Henry Jenkins’. The eight traits that we had explored had different titles, which where Innovative, Convergent, Everyday, Appropriative, Networked, Global, Generational, and Unequal. The main outcome of these different titles and the topic in general is the educate the young people for a participatory culture; this is basically where we as the youth are labelled as, with relation to the new media age. It understands the relationship with the current media and its developing transitions.

Within the eight traits we would later be asked to include one of them in our Pucha Kucha presentation and we will also have to do a 1000 word essay on our chosen trait.

Out of the eight traits I decided to talk about the ‘Everyday’ theory, Henry Jenkins says, ‘our family rooms have become home entertainment centres. Our family hearths are now electronic. Media technologies are fully integrated into our everyday social interactions’.  This means we have come more involved with technology and it has become a necessity, a must have whether or not it is a family shared experience.

Henry Jenkins believes there is a situation or problem that is believed to be that all new media technology has become such a necessity it has become a massive part in our everyday lives and we have become so unaware and blind whether or not this is true.

In my normal home environment my family room is full of different entertaining systems such as a, TV, Xbox Consol, Computer, DVD Player and then we have our personal entertaining hardware such as personal mobile phones, personal laptops and televisions, and music playing devices. The new media is said to have an effect on families, which are pros and cons, for example creating a wedge between the family, less human interaction and more with technology but on the other hand it helps to bring distant families together.

In relation to my personal life I do not believe I can go an entire day without having to use some sort or new media, because I am so used to waking up and the first thing I do is check my phone, or going on my laptop to find out the latest news, which is another good example that this trait does have belief that ‘There is a danger that as this technology becomes so familiar, so much a part of our daily routines that it becomes invisible to us’

Reading through Henry Jenkins and his 8 traits theory I have seen that they all have a connection and can relate to each other and it has also made me aware for the modern day and the young peoples relation to the new media.  

Double Logic of Remediation

In my recent workshop we explored a new topic named the double logic of remediation. According to J. David Bolter and Richard A. Grusin their theory on the topic is the characteristics of new media and its continuous remediating media outlets such as television, radio, journalism and other old media.

Remediation also spreads out and takes two different forms to explain it, such as immediacy and hypermediacy in its media form.

 

Immediacy, which I like to call being lost in the moment during a session with a media source, it is being lost in the environment, more involved and realistic and unaware of the new media. For example, when you are watching a horror movie, you feel extremely involved as if you are a character in the movie; you feel the suspense, tension, scared, scream and in general reactions to the movie. Another source of media that can be consumed and have the outcome of immediacy is video games. For a great example is the famous virtual pilot game. This gives you a real life experience of what it is like to pilot and it is as realistic to the real thing. 

Whereas Hypermediacy is the complete opposite, this is where you are completely aware of the use of media; an example of this is a new media source where you can connect to friends and family over the world for free over Skype. For Skype all you need is a webcam to make video calls and communicate where you will be fully aware and constantly reminded of the new media used to make this possible. There is also another term that can sum up hypermediacy ‘breaking of the fourth wall’. The fourth wall is an imaginary wall placed in front of the stage where the audience sees the action and the other three walls are placed behind and both sides of the audience. From my research, since this is the first time I have heard of this is when the character if fully aware of the fictional role being played whether addressing an audience directly or indirectly and when the fourth wall is broken the audience realise it is a media and may interact with the creator, and this is where they communicate with the audience and the use of immediacy and hypermediacy comes in and creates the double logic of remediation.

In conclusion finding out about this has made me more aware of the media I consume and how it effects me towards immediacy and hypermediacy but I think it depends on the type of person you are as it doesn’t affect me as much as it might affect somebody else and I don’t believe it could really play a major role in reality.    

1st Entry

Welcome, this blog was created as a reflective journal based around  my module network media, in my media and communications course. This blog will be updated weekly on my workshop classes and lectures also including my own opinions, strength's and weaknesses and my overall time and experience on the course.