- All Answers by: James Wrona
1) What is the Current network and how does it aim to democratize television? How does this relate to convergence culture?
- The Current network is the new form of a network that has been created by citizen journalists. It aims to democratize television by allowing everyday people the oppurtunity to have a say in what is shown on television. That relates to the convergence culture by making everything interactive and encouraging participation which is what convergence is all about.
2) The “critical pessimists” focus primarily on the obstacles to achieving a more democratic society, namely the power of big media. While the author acknowledges that media concentration is a real problem, is there still hope for a more participatory media culture?
- I definitely feel like there is still hope for a more participatory media culture. In the world of today, everyone wants to have their voices heard. People create accounts with the intention of getting people to listen to what they say, so everyday people will continue to strive to have their voices heard.
3) While we don’t have any models for what a mature, fully realized knowledge culture would look like, the author describes some prototypes. Describe one or two of the prototypes that you find of interest and explain why you think these are good examples (global frequency, smart mobs, adhocracies, long tail, subscription-based).
- My absolute favorite one was definitely the long tail prototype. That one definitely gives us, the consumers, the biggest sense of a voice out of all of them. The success of that particular network will be completely based upon how we feel about their content and what they are providing us. Naturally, that will force the companies to listen to their consumers' reviews and will allow for us to have a real voice in what is produced.
4) Why is Wikipedia a good example of an adhocracy (or knowledge culture) and how is this approach different than the intellectual property of the mass media?
- Wikipedia is a good example of an adhocracy because anyone can provide information on a topic and post it to the website. This is different than the intellectual property of the mass media because, in that, the only people who are allowed to post on a given topic are people who are certified as knowing what they are talking about in that particular area.
5) Where does the power of participation come from, why is it an important political right, and do we still have a participation gap as a society?
- The power of participation comes from our human nature. We all want to talk to one another and communicate with our fellow man as much as possible. It is an important political right because our country is based on the principles of free speech and free press. The new press is the Internet so you should have the freedom to post whatever you wish and be protected by the government. There is still a participation gap as a society for many reasons some of the biggest ones including age and motivation. Some older people are not aware of how to use the Internet to its full potential and some people are simply not motivated enough to go out and make their voices heard.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Digital Media Project: Podcast by James Wrona, Lucia White, Johanna Blume, Jonathan Amaya, and Alex Valerio
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Questions for “The Future Hold for the Mobile Industry”
- All answers by: James Wrona
1) How does the mobile phone in today’s communication market illustrate digital convergence?
- The mobile phone in today's communication market is the epitome of digital convergence even more so now than it was when it first came out and that is saying something. The mobile phone is where all the different mediums come together right in the palm of your hand. Whether it be email, television, the Internet, or any other popular medium, you can guarantee that there is a way that your mobile phone can access and serve those functions. It also encourages interactivity between phone users by sharing phone numbers, BBMs or any other form of sharing. The mobile phone is the very definition of digital convergence.
2) Why is mobility the future of digital communication? Please use the two media technology theories in the article “The Song of the Alphabet in Cyberspace” to explain the mobility.
- The two media technology theories in the article "The Song of the Alphabet in Cyberspace" are that technology is made to be an extension of ourselves and that technology is meant to bring us back to a natural, acoustic world. With those in mind, mobility is the future of digital communication because our mobile devices have, truly, become an extension of ourselves. It's gotten to the point where you experience a feeling of a minor panic attack if you pat your pocket and you don't feel your phone. We have become undoubtedly dependent on our mobile devices. It is our main form of communication at this point. You can take out your phone and communicate through: texting, email, phone calls, and so much more. Mobility is undeniably the future of digital communication.
3) How does the possible integration of the mobile technology with the biological sensors create new opportunities for digital media communication in the future according to the digital media experts in the article? What are the possible ethical concerns?
- Although I mentioned before that the mobile technology is starting to become an extension of us, with the possible integration of the biological sensors, the technology would become us. Digital media experts in the article argue that this is the ultimate future of mobile media because it does away with the hassle of having to remember your phone everyday because you would be your phone. The possible ethical concerns regarding this integration would definitely be that it essentially takes away our humanity. We would become one with machines or robots, if you will. It's kind of scary to think of a world where we become machinery. Would we become immortal as well? Would we need to be charged like our phones do? What does this mean for our humanity? Those are a few of the possible ethical concerns that could be raised regarding the possible integration of mobile technology with biological sensors.
4) Why are sociability and connectivity the important key for the future of mobile media?
- Sociability and connectivity are, without a doubt, important keys for the future of mobile media and they go hand in hand. Sociability is the whole purpose of mobile media. You take our your phone to be social whether that means going on Facebook, Twitter, texting, emailing, or calling your friends. However, in order to be sociable, you have to have tools to do so and that is where connectivity comes in. That's where you share your phone number with others, go on Facebook and look at your friends, or go on Twitter and see the people you are following and what they are talking about. These two concepts are monumental for the future of mobile media and they are beginning to get integrated more and more. A classic example of this is the new Facebook Home phone that is literally a phone centered around the social experience, particularly Facebook. Mobile media is all about sociability and connectivity and that is why they are the key to a successful future for mobile media.
1) How does the mobile phone in today’s communication market illustrate digital convergence?
- The mobile phone in today's communication market is the epitome of digital convergence even more so now than it was when it first came out and that is saying something. The mobile phone is where all the different mediums come together right in the palm of your hand. Whether it be email, television, the Internet, or any other popular medium, you can guarantee that there is a way that your mobile phone can access and serve those functions. It also encourages interactivity between phone users by sharing phone numbers, BBMs or any other form of sharing. The mobile phone is the very definition of digital convergence.
2) Why is mobility the future of digital communication? Please use the two media technology theories in the article “The Song of the Alphabet in Cyberspace” to explain the mobility.
- The two media technology theories in the article "The Song of the Alphabet in Cyberspace" are that technology is made to be an extension of ourselves and that technology is meant to bring us back to a natural, acoustic world. With those in mind, mobility is the future of digital communication because our mobile devices have, truly, become an extension of ourselves. It's gotten to the point where you experience a feeling of a minor panic attack if you pat your pocket and you don't feel your phone. We have become undoubtedly dependent on our mobile devices. It is our main form of communication at this point. You can take out your phone and communicate through: texting, email, phone calls, and so much more. Mobility is undeniably the future of digital communication.
3) How does the possible integration of the mobile technology with the biological sensors create new opportunities for digital media communication in the future according to the digital media experts in the article? What are the possible ethical concerns?
- Although I mentioned before that the mobile technology is starting to become an extension of us, with the possible integration of the biological sensors, the technology would become us. Digital media experts in the article argue that this is the ultimate future of mobile media because it does away with the hassle of having to remember your phone everyday because you would be your phone. The possible ethical concerns regarding this integration would definitely be that it essentially takes away our humanity. We would become one with machines or robots, if you will. It's kind of scary to think of a world where we become machinery. Would we become immortal as well? Would we need to be charged like our phones do? What does this mean for our humanity? Those are a few of the possible ethical concerns that could be raised regarding the possible integration of mobile technology with biological sensors.
4) Why are sociability and connectivity the important key for the future of mobile media?
- Sociability and connectivity are, without a doubt, important keys for the future of mobile media and they go hand in hand. Sociability is the whole purpose of mobile media. You take our your phone to be social whether that means going on Facebook, Twitter, texting, emailing, or calling your friends. However, in order to be sociable, you have to have tools to do so and that is where connectivity comes in. That's where you share your phone number with others, go on Facebook and look at your friends, or go on Twitter and see the people you are following and what they are talking about. These two concepts are monumental for the future of mobile media and they are beginning to get integrated more and more. A classic example of this is the new Facebook Home phone that is literally a phone centered around the social experience, particularly Facebook. Mobile media is all about sociability and connectivity and that is why they are the key to a successful future for mobile media.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Digital Movies: A Whole New Ball Game
Once upon a time, movies were made with 35 mm film and digital film was just an idea for crazy people. If someone said movies would change to make you a part of it, they'd call you crazy.
However, in today's world, that's what we have. Movies are being completely digitized and are more available than they were ever before. In some ways, it is painful to the film industry because there are now new ways to watch movies through both legal means such as Netflix and Hulu and illegal means such as movie sharing websites for free online.
Despite the drawbacks, big movie companies are not only accepting of the change to digital movies, they are pushing for it! With this change to digital means to make movies, the film they use is more economical and it is not as easily damaged which leads to the film lasting longer times.
3D movies have now become an even larger phenomenon as movie companies have begun recreating their original works and bringing them back as a digital movie in 3D. There are countless examples including: The Lion King 3D, Titanic 3D, and the new Jurassic Park 3D. This process has proven to be a real goldmine.
Without a doubt, the change to digital movies is more of a positive for the movie industry than anything. While this has allowed people the opportunity to watch movies illegally, there is no way to recreate a 3D experience from your computer.
It's fascinating to realize that this change happened in nine years and we've come so far. It simply makes one wonder: what is next?
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Questions for TV Tomorrow Articles
- All Answers By: James Wrona
Questions for "Reinventing Television"
1) What will happen to the future TV according to the article “Reinventing Television.”
- What will happen to the future of TV has already started so the author was very much so right. The author said that it will eventually become something that we can watch on a variety of different mediums as opposed to just the TV. Today, you can watch TV shows online, legally or otherwise, on your phone, on your video game consoles, etc.
2) How does the digital convergence make the individualization of TV consumption possible?
- Because of this digital convergence, the individualization of TV consumption is possible because you no longer have to abide by a TV schedule. You can search up, "Watch Survivor online," at anytime as opposed to having to make sure you are at your TV set on Wednesdays at 9 PM. It really is amazing what the Internet and digital convergence is capable of.
3) When talking about the Internet, why does Steward emphasize on the content that matters regardless where it stands?
- As we have learned about countless times before, the idea of media illiteracy is very dangerous. So, being aware of the content of the material you are accessing on the Internet is incredibly important. It's as simple as that. It is crucial.
1) How does the Internet change the TV programming in the industry?
- Simply put, the TV is not the only place you can watch TV anymore. You can watch it anywhere now. I personally always miss my shows and catch up on them online. You can watch them legally on such sites as Hulu or you can go deeper and use torrents or illegal viewing sites. TV does not hold the monopoly on entertainment anymore. The internet is just as important for people to catch up on their shows as the TV is especially because they don't have to abide by the schedule that the TV has.
2) What makes Yahoo the fifth network that illustrates the process of digital convergence?
- Yahoo is an incredible tool for digital convergence. It is available on any form of a medium and it promotes interactivity like crazy. It is all about people searching and encouraging others to do the same. It features trending searches to get people interested in something they may not have otherwise been interested in. Yahoo is almost the epitome of digital media convergence, to be frank.
3) How does Yahoo’s search engine work to search videos?
- They have teamed up with other companies to open up over 50 years of television and film archives and have made it readily accessible through Yahoo's search engine technology and has been made faster, simpler, and more efficient. This allows them to deliver videos, pictures, and all different forms of media at the press of a button.
Questions for "ESPN"
4) Please use digital convergence to explain ESPN programming of the football games.
- By cooperating with a variety of other sources to provide their information from a variety of other text and video sources, they are able to stream the media to a variety of mediums. For example, you are now able to watch a football game live with all the varying statistics from your mobile phone while you are on the go. They pull in data from a variety of other sources and feed that to us along with the live media as well. Eventually, all of these mediums lead back to the Internet where all of this information can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, and at any time.
5) Why is ESPY no longer a TV company but a media company? What makes this shift possible?
- As I mentioned before, TV is not the big head it used to be a long time ago. Now, ESPNY has realized that and is providing themselves to a variety of mediums. The reason they did this, and what made this shift possible, was that they needed to expand and TV was, simply put, not the proper means to do that. In today's world, they knew that expanding to the Internet and mobile devices was much more than going to a TV. The Internet has made this all possible by incorporating all the different forms of media and placing it all on one medium: the Internet.
Questions for "Reinventing Television"
1) What will happen to the future TV according to the article “Reinventing Television.”
- What will happen to the future of TV has already started so the author was very much so right. The author said that it will eventually become something that we can watch on a variety of different mediums as opposed to just the TV. Today, you can watch TV shows online, legally or otherwise, on your phone, on your video game consoles, etc.
2) How does the digital convergence make the individualization of TV consumption possible?
- Because of this digital convergence, the individualization of TV consumption is possible because you no longer have to abide by a TV schedule. You can search up, "Watch Survivor online," at anytime as opposed to having to make sure you are at your TV set on Wednesdays at 9 PM. It really is amazing what the Internet and digital convergence is capable of.
3) When talking about the Internet, why does Steward emphasize on the content that matters regardless where it stands?
- As we have learned about countless times before, the idea of media illiteracy is very dangerous. So, being aware of the content of the material you are accessing on the Internet is incredibly important. It's as simple as that. It is crucial.
1) How does the Internet change the TV programming in the industry?
- Simply put, the TV is not the only place you can watch TV anymore. You can watch it anywhere now. I personally always miss my shows and catch up on them online. You can watch them legally on such sites as Hulu or you can go deeper and use torrents or illegal viewing sites. TV does not hold the monopoly on entertainment anymore. The internet is just as important for people to catch up on their shows as the TV is especially because they don't have to abide by the schedule that the TV has.
2) What makes Yahoo the fifth network that illustrates the process of digital convergence?
- Yahoo is an incredible tool for digital convergence. It is available on any form of a medium and it promotes interactivity like crazy. It is all about people searching and encouraging others to do the same. It features trending searches to get people interested in something they may not have otherwise been interested in. Yahoo is almost the epitome of digital media convergence, to be frank.
3) How does Yahoo’s search engine work to search videos?
- They have teamed up with other companies to open up over 50 years of television and film archives and have made it readily accessible through Yahoo's search engine technology and has been made faster, simpler, and more efficient. This allows them to deliver videos, pictures, and all different forms of media at the press of a button.
Questions for "ESPN"
4) Please use digital convergence to explain ESPN programming of the football games.
- By cooperating with a variety of other sources to provide their information from a variety of other text and video sources, they are able to stream the media to a variety of mediums. For example, you are now able to watch a football game live with all the varying statistics from your mobile phone while you are on the go. They pull in data from a variety of other sources and feed that to us along with the live media as well. Eventually, all of these mediums lead back to the Internet where all of this information can be accessed by anyone, anywhere, and at any time.
5) Why is ESPY no longer a TV company but a media company? What makes this shift possible?
- As I mentioned before, TV is not the big head it used to be a long time ago. Now, ESPNY has realized that and is providing themselves to a variety of mediums. The reason they did this, and what made this shift possible, was that they needed to expand and TV was, simply put, not the proper means to do that. In today's world, they knew that expanding to the Internet and mobile devices was much more than going to a TV. The Internet has made this all possible by incorporating all the different forms of media and placing it all on one medium: the Internet.
Homework Exercise: Podcasting I
Specific Podcast
http://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/episodes/86313-podcasting-i-communication-journalism-at-rider-university
My Podcasting Site:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/10666
My Podcasting Site RSS Feed
http://www.buzzsprout.com/10666.rss
http://www.buzzsprout.com/admin/episodes/86313-podcasting-i-communication-journalism-at-rider-university
My Podcasting Site:
http://www.buzzsprout.com/10666
My Podcasting Site RSS Feed
http://www.buzzsprout.com/10666.rss
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
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