- 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
Monday, April 1, 2013
Questions for Podcasting Economics
- All answers by James Wrona
1) How does podcasting fit into the organizational communication in business, non-profit, and academic contexts?
- As far as business goes, podcasts fit in because they can provide advertisement for a product and can provide a way for companies to get their products out there in a new and unique way. They can encorporate commercials and advertisements into their podcasts. For non-profit organizations, podcasting is good because it promotes interactivity and it is much less harsh than text giving the listener the option to listen, as opposed to forcing them to read due to the lower amount of attention required for audio. In terms of academics, it gives students a new opportunity to learn. It is very interactive so the student is very much in control of his education which has proven to be quite effective in getting students to receive better grades. Very few students like to read, more students will be willing to listen to a podcast.
2) Why does the speaker say that podcasting extends message?
- The speaker says that podcasting extends the message because it is able to send across a message in some of the proven most effective ways possible: audio, video, and the Internet. The information in a podcast can be short and sweet or dragged on depending on what the content creator wishes. He or she can have more or less to say about it which opts for the extending of an original message.
3) How does podcasting encourage participation culture according to the speaker?
- Podcasting is different because it encourages action. It provides the listener with information and hopes the listener will take action based off of what has been said. Information found in podcasts come from a variety of different sources and then those sources are used to make a new podcast which will influence more and more and it never stops. That's what participation culture is all about. One can argue that the sole purpose of creating a podcast is to get somebody else to create their own podcast. Everyone has their own unique way to make something better by adding something to the original message, and that is what podcasting is all about: participation culture.
4) What are the three critical concepts of development for a successful media when the speaker talks about email, blogging, and online ad? Why does podcasting have the three elements?
- The three critical concepts for developing a successful media in regards to email, blogging, and online advertisement are: whether or not your listeners pay attention to the information (entertaining), the tools that you provide to the user to access the information (educational), and whether or not the listeners can interact with the information (ease). Podcasting has these three elements because they all, when put together, create a successful podcast. First, and foremost, keeping the attention of your listener is undeniably crucial otherwise you're talking to yourself. Second, the tools that you provide to the user to access the information are also critical. You can't just talk about it: you have to allow your listener the opportunity to find it themselves and look into it as well. Finally, whether or not the listeners can interact with the information is also very important. Like I said before, podcasting is all about participation culture and if the user doesn't feel like he or she is included in your podcast in some way or another then they will not be interested in listening to what you have to say. It is as simple as that. All three of these elements when used properly create a quality podcast.
5) How does the concept of digital media convergence get applied in podcasting when the speaker discusses the compounding media?
- It's quite simple. Podcasting is available on so many different mediums: whether it be a mobile phone, YouTube, the Internet, or anything else. A podcast can be a .mp4, .wmv, .mp3, .wav, and multiple other files. It's so accessible from anywhere you go and the compounding media is referring to how all of these different mediums become one medium ultimately and that is the podcast. But, it's available in so many different forms and accessible from so many different outlets and that is what the concept of digital media convergence is all about.
1) How does podcasting fit into the organizational communication in business, non-profit, and academic contexts?
- As far as business goes, podcasts fit in because they can provide advertisement for a product and can provide a way for companies to get their products out there in a new and unique way. They can encorporate commercials and advertisements into their podcasts. For non-profit organizations, podcasting is good because it promotes interactivity and it is much less harsh than text giving the listener the option to listen, as opposed to forcing them to read due to the lower amount of attention required for audio. In terms of academics, it gives students a new opportunity to learn. It is very interactive so the student is very much in control of his education which has proven to be quite effective in getting students to receive better grades. Very few students like to read, more students will be willing to listen to a podcast.
2) Why does the speaker say that podcasting extends message?
- The speaker says that podcasting extends the message because it is able to send across a message in some of the proven most effective ways possible: audio, video, and the Internet. The information in a podcast can be short and sweet or dragged on depending on what the content creator wishes. He or she can have more or less to say about it which opts for the extending of an original message.
3) How does podcasting encourage participation culture according to the speaker?
- Podcasting is different because it encourages action. It provides the listener with information and hopes the listener will take action based off of what has been said. Information found in podcasts come from a variety of different sources and then those sources are used to make a new podcast which will influence more and more and it never stops. That's what participation culture is all about. One can argue that the sole purpose of creating a podcast is to get somebody else to create their own podcast. Everyone has their own unique way to make something better by adding something to the original message, and that is what podcasting is all about: participation culture.
4) What are the three critical concepts of development for a successful media when the speaker talks about email, blogging, and online ad? Why does podcasting have the three elements?
- The three critical concepts for developing a successful media in regards to email, blogging, and online advertisement are: whether or not your listeners pay attention to the information (entertaining), the tools that you provide to the user to access the information (educational), and whether or not the listeners can interact with the information (ease). Podcasting has these three elements because they all, when put together, create a successful podcast. First, and foremost, keeping the attention of your listener is undeniably crucial otherwise you're talking to yourself. Second, the tools that you provide to the user to access the information are also critical. You can't just talk about it: you have to allow your listener the opportunity to find it themselves and look into it as well. Finally, whether or not the listeners can interact with the information is also very important. Like I said before, podcasting is all about participation culture and if the user doesn't feel like he or she is included in your podcast in some way or another then they will not be interested in listening to what you have to say. It is as simple as that. All three of these elements when used properly create a quality podcast.
5) How does the concept of digital media convergence get applied in podcasting when the speaker discusses the compounding media?
- It's quite simple. Podcasting is available on so many different mediums: whether it be a mobile phone, YouTube, the Internet, or anything else. A podcast can be a .mp4, .wmv, .mp3, .wav, and multiple other files. It's so accessible from anywhere you go and the compounding media is referring to how all of these different mediums become one medium ultimately and that is the podcast. But, it's available in so many different forms and accessible from so many different outlets and that is what the concept of digital media convergence is all about.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Journalism: This Isn't Amateur Hour
People today are willing to accept anything as truth. Some regular person can snap a picture and add a caption and automatically it's reliable news. You need to rely on the professionals to keep you as informed as possible.
While it's easier to go on Twitter, you need something more reliable for your news. Twitter doesn't require fact checking. That Twitter user isn't properly trained to provide news to you. The anchors and reporters of your local news channel are. The writers for various news websites are. I must implore you to remember the importance of trusting professional journalists over citizen journalists.
In a recent meeting of The Society of Professional Journalism, Executive Editor of Amarillo Global News Lee Wolverton said, "To me that's what journalism is really all about. It's about producing work that changes the way things are done... That's what it's all about and we have a rare privilege in our profession to do that." Professional journalists are not only trained in what they do but they simply love what they do.
In a much more blunt opinion, Phillip Defranco, host of a popular YouTube news channel, mentions the true dangers of trusting citizen journalists without question. He mentions a hypothetical scenario where someone says, "Did you know that ice cream causes cancer?" and notes his response would be, "I should probably not relay that information to millions of people that are looking on me to actually be correct and talk with thought." While much more blunt, he makes a good point. You should never even question whether you should trust your news sources to professionals. It should just be natural.
Without question, when it comes to your news, it shouldn't be amateur hour. Professional journalists are the only real journalists. They are trained professionals who cannot tell you anything without going through a gruesome fact checking process administered by other trained professionals first. Choose your news source wisely. Leave it to the professionals.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
The Best and Worst Site Designs on the Web
- All websites found and reviewed by: James Wrona
Worst Web Site Design: Million Dollar Home Page
- http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com -
I honestly don't even know what I'm supposed to say about this site. I'm honestly afraid to click on anything on the website although the entire website is one ginormous hyperlink. What especially angers me about this site is that the creator of this has actually made one million dollars by creating the website. The website's ginormous image, which is the only thing on the website, consists of a bunch of microscopic images that don't really link to anything different and you can't read what the microscopic images are supposed to say or be of. Definitely the worst web site design that I have ever seen in my long history of using the Internet.
Best Web Site Design: Gamebattles
- http://gamebattles.majorleaguegaming.com -
I used to be obsessed with this website because I used to play a lot of competitive video games in middle school and early high school. I always liked the way that they designed their website. The top left corner is the most important part and it has the option for new users to "log in or sign up." Obviously, they are very much aware of the importance of that spot. At the very, very bottom, you will see the copyright information so they obviously knew the lack of importance that the bottom of a web page has. I definitely must congratulate the efforts that went into creating this website because it is a very well deserving winner of my "Best Web Site Design" award.
Worst Web Site Design: Million Dollar Home Page
- http://www.milliondollarhomepage.com -
I honestly don't even know what I'm supposed to say about this site. I'm honestly afraid to click on anything on the website although the entire website is one ginormous hyperlink. What especially angers me about this site is that the creator of this has actually made one million dollars by creating the website. The website's ginormous image, which is the only thing on the website, consists of a bunch of microscopic images that don't really link to anything different and you can't read what the microscopic images are supposed to say or be of. Definitely the worst web site design that I have ever seen in my long history of using the Internet.
Best Web Site Design: Gamebattles
- http://gamebattles.majorleaguegaming.com -
I used to be obsessed with this website because I used to play a lot of competitive video games in middle school and early high school. I always liked the way that they designed their website. The top left corner is the most important part and it has the option for new users to "log in or sign up." Obviously, they are very much aware of the importance of that spot. At the very, very bottom, you will see the copyright information so they obviously knew the lack of importance that the bottom of a web page has. I definitely must congratulate the efforts that went into creating this website because it is a very well deserving winner of my "Best Web Site Design" award.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Blogging on Politics: New Gun Control Laws
 |
| Amounts of mass shootings in the U.S. since 1999 |
Obviously, such as with any debate there are varying sides to it with different opinions on the matter for each side. The people who are most in opposition to the new gun control law are people who stand by the Second Amendment which gives people the right to bear arms. However, the people against it are making the argument that you can still bear arms but just not as easily as it has been in the past in an attempt to slow down the amounts of shootings that have happened in recent years. There are obviously extremists on both sides as well. On one side, people say to completely eliminate any and all checking and just give people guns when they ask for them. On the other extreme, people are trying to set up armed security guards at each and every school, which if I do say so myself goes against their very message.
Celebrities' "Demand a Plan" PSA
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/us/gun-control-laws-clear-initial-hurdle-in-colorado.html?_r=0
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/15/us/new-york-gun-bill
http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Politics/obama-makes-plea-gun-control-state-union/story?id=18481837
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Questions for "Can Blogs Revolutionize Progressive Politics?"
All answers by James Wrona
1) Why do the Democratic leaders embrace blogging as a potential political communication considering the traditional media landscape in politics?
- Democratic leaders embrace blogging as a potential political communication because it allows for them to get their campaigns out much easier to a younger demographic and a more minority focused demographic through the use of such sites as: Facebook, twitter, and tumblr.
2) Blogging encourages a participatory culture. In what way does the participatory culture in blogging expand digital media convergence?
- Blogging encourages digital media convergence because when someone has something to say, regardless of their expertise in the subject, they can publish their thoughts to the rest of the world who can then share it with all of their friends and send it along to everyone and they can then access it through all of their means of access including mobile devices.
3) In the article, the author says: “The ability of the Internet to erase geographical distances can become a structural weakness in elections where district lines and eligibility are key.” How can blogging counter this weakness in the process of turning the netroots to grassroots?
- Blogging counters those weaknesses in the process by making sure that the people who are going to be most impacted by the topic that is covered in the blog are the ones reading it. Because of that ability to access the information more easily, it gives it a much more basic feel as opposed to being so complicated. By simply clicking a subscribe button on a blog, you are automatically notified when a blog that interests you has a new post much like when you are subscribed to a newspaper company or a magazine and they send it to your house whenever a new version is released.
4) The author spends the second half of the article discussing the lack of diversity in current blogosphere dominated by elite bloggers. Please use the concept of digital convergence to explain how blogs can become the real bearer of freedom, democracy, egalitarianism, and participation in the new media communication?
1) Why do the Democratic leaders embrace blogging as a potential political communication considering the traditional media landscape in politics?
- Democratic leaders embrace blogging as a potential political communication because it allows for them to get their campaigns out much easier to a younger demographic and a more minority focused demographic through the use of such sites as: Facebook, twitter, and tumblr.
2) Blogging encourages a participatory culture. In what way does the participatory culture in blogging expand digital media convergence?
- Blogging encourages digital media convergence because when someone has something to say, regardless of their expertise in the subject, they can publish their thoughts to the rest of the world who can then share it with all of their friends and send it along to everyone and they can then access it through all of their means of access including mobile devices.
3) In the article, the author says: “The ability of the Internet to erase geographical distances can become a structural weakness in elections where district lines and eligibility are key.” How can blogging counter this weakness in the process of turning the netroots to grassroots?
- Blogging counters those weaknesses in the process by making sure that the people who are going to be most impacted by the topic that is covered in the blog are the ones reading it. Because of that ability to access the information more easily, it gives it a much more basic feel as opposed to being so complicated. By simply clicking a subscribe button on a blog, you are automatically notified when a blog that interests you has a new post much like when you are subscribed to a newspaper company or a magazine and they send it to your house whenever a new version is released.
4) The author spends the second half of the article discussing the lack of diversity in current blogosphere dominated by elite bloggers. Please use the concept of digital convergence to explain how blogs can become the real bearer of freedom, democracy, egalitarianism, and participation in the new media communication?
- Digital convergence, like I mentioned earlier, is all about interactivity between users on the blogosphere. Blogs can become the real bearer of freedom, democracy, egalitarianism, and participation in that regard because absolutely anyone who has access to a computer and has an opinion in their head, they can share that information with the rest of the world who can then share it with their friends who share it with theirs and then they leave their thoughts on your thoughts and it goes on and on. Blogs are the perfect outlet for digital media convergence in that regard.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Answers to "Virtual Revolution" Parts 1, 2, and 3
All answers by: James Wrona
1) The web is celebrated as the revolutionary technology that is great leveling of humanity creating equal oppurtunity, equal access, and equal potential. However, there are only a quarter of people on the earth who can use it. How do you explain the controversial argument here?
- The basic issue is regarding countries that are not able to access the internet both in 3rd world locations, such as Africa which was mentioned in the video, and even certain 1st world locations that simply cannot afford a computer or the costs that come with it. So, unfortunately, the 25% of people become handicapped by the web and are unable to connect with the other 75% of the population that cannot use it.
2) How is Wikipedia the best example to implement the leveling ideas of the Web rooted in the cultural revolution of 1960s, namely the Libertarianism in the counter culture? How does it explain some of the digital convergences?
- In Libertarianism, expertise and hierarchy do not matter. That is exactly what Wikipedia is all about. Absolutely anyone from anywhere can post whatever they want onto Wikipedia and have their voices heard regardless of their level of expertise or knowledge on the subject. It's a perfect explanation of digital convergences because it is a bunch of people that are able to connect to each other and share like information through the World Wide Web.
3) How does the Web make it possible for different kinds of digital convergence?
- Like I mentioned in my answer to the previous question, the Web is one of the biggest promoters of digital convergence. It is all about people who, through social media, blogs, and many other forms of communication, are able to access countless content even from their mobile device. That is what digital convergence is all about.
4) How can the Internet become a challenge for traditional authority? Use the political landscape changes in some countries to illustrate your answer.
- The Internet is one of the absolute greatest challenges for traditional authority. The one perfect example is the example of Oly Okollah who began a blog documenting the uncensored truth regarding violence in Kenya. By showing, through the Internet, the harsh treatment people in Kenya were going through, it put immense pressure on the government who started to force change.
5) Do you believe that getting information free can set us free eventually? Why or why not? Do you see any concerns of the complete freedom or self-expression without limit on the Internet? Why or why not?
- I believe that getting information free is good and bad. It's good because, obviously, we all desire to have the access to all the information we can possibly have and we do not like to be kept in the dark regarding anything. However, if we are able to get all our information free, we would begin to settle for information that lacks credibility and expertise. The complete freedom and self-expression without limit on the Internet is also very risky. If something gains credibility when it doesn't rightfully deserve it, people will begin to mistake the opinions of that particular author with fact. There should be limitations to how much expression is possible on the Internet because the Internet isn't written in pencil, it's written in pen. Once something is up, everyone can see it and there's no getting rid of it.
6) In traditional media communication, it has the "vertical" authority. In the Web communication, it becomes "horizontal?" How do you explain the change? How does this create the possibility for digital media convergence?
- In traditional media communication, there was much more credibility behind what is posted on the internet giving it a "vertical" model of authority. However, by eliminating the expertise behind posts, and putting everyone on an equal level of credibility, it becomes more "horizontal." This creates the possibility for digital media convergence because now people can honestly say that what they have to say matters to a great amount of people. With the more users comes more content and more sharing of said content.
7) Why is that the Web is free critical for the success of the Web itself? How does that clash with the corporate business ideology? How does that pose challenges for copyright issues at the same time? What will happen if the Web is not free?
- The fact that the Web is free is absolutely vital to its success because that is what got it all of its users in the first place. It's what lured billions to it, and, if they take that aspect away, it's all downhill from there for the Web. However, there are a lot of issues with corporate business and copyright issues. Napster, for example, was taken to court and shut down due to violation of copyright laws but Napster was a big thing in that it was the start of the steady decline of the amount of money that corporate companies make when they create albums due to free sharing of music among users of the Web. A more recent issue regarding copyright and corporations losing money due to the Web is YouTube and "copyright strikes." Now, YouTube users will get banned after having three instances of uploading copyrighted material without permission. However, that won't stop them from making more and more accounts and sharing with more and more people. There's really no way that the corporations will ever win the battle on copyright regarding YouTube which is terrible for the business and money making aspect of those corporations. If the Web is not free, the digital divide that was mentioned in the first question will get exponentially larger. Along with that, less users will use it and there will be less balance regarding who has access to what than there already is.
1) The web is celebrated as the revolutionary technology that is great leveling of humanity creating equal oppurtunity, equal access, and equal potential. However, there are only a quarter of people on the earth who can use it. How do you explain the controversial argument here?
- The basic issue is regarding countries that are not able to access the internet both in 3rd world locations, such as Africa which was mentioned in the video, and even certain 1st world locations that simply cannot afford a computer or the costs that come with it. So, unfortunately, the 25% of people become handicapped by the web and are unable to connect with the other 75% of the population that cannot use it.
2) How is Wikipedia the best example to implement the leveling ideas of the Web rooted in the cultural revolution of 1960s, namely the Libertarianism in the counter culture? How does it explain some of the digital convergences?
- In Libertarianism, expertise and hierarchy do not matter. That is exactly what Wikipedia is all about. Absolutely anyone from anywhere can post whatever they want onto Wikipedia and have their voices heard regardless of their level of expertise or knowledge on the subject. It's a perfect explanation of digital convergences because it is a bunch of people that are able to connect to each other and share like information through the World Wide Web.
3) How does the Web make it possible for different kinds of digital convergence?
- Like I mentioned in my answer to the previous question, the Web is one of the biggest promoters of digital convergence. It is all about people who, through social media, blogs, and many other forms of communication, are able to access countless content even from their mobile device. That is what digital convergence is all about.
4) How can the Internet become a challenge for traditional authority? Use the political landscape changes in some countries to illustrate your answer.
- The Internet is one of the absolute greatest challenges for traditional authority. The one perfect example is the example of Oly Okollah who began a blog documenting the uncensored truth regarding violence in Kenya. By showing, through the Internet, the harsh treatment people in Kenya were going through, it put immense pressure on the government who started to force change.
5) Do you believe that getting information free can set us free eventually? Why or why not? Do you see any concerns of the complete freedom or self-expression without limit on the Internet? Why or why not?
- I believe that getting information free is good and bad. It's good because, obviously, we all desire to have the access to all the information we can possibly have and we do not like to be kept in the dark regarding anything. However, if we are able to get all our information free, we would begin to settle for information that lacks credibility and expertise. The complete freedom and self-expression without limit on the Internet is also very risky. If something gains credibility when it doesn't rightfully deserve it, people will begin to mistake the opinions of that particular author with fact. There should be limitations to how much expression is possible on the Internet because the Internet isn't written in pencil, it's written in pen. Once something is up, everyone can see it and there's no getting rid of it.
6) In traditional media communication, it has the "vertical" authority. In the Web communication, it becomes "horizontal?" How do you explain the change? How does this create the possibility for digital media convergence?
- In traditional media communication, there was much more credibility behind what is posted on the internet giving it a "vertical" model of authority. However, by eliminating the expertise behind posts, and putting everyone on an equal level of credibility, it becomes more "horizontal." This creates the possibility for digital media convergence because now people can honestly say that what they have to say matters to a great amount of people. With the more users comes more content and more sharing of said content.
7) Why is that the Web is free critical for the success of the Web itself? How does that clash with the corporate business ideology? How does that pose challenges for copyright issues at the same time? What will happen if the Web is not free?
- The fact that the Web is free is absolutely vital to its success because that is what got it all of its users in the first place. It's what lured billions to it, and, if they take that aspect away, it's all downhill from there for the Web. However, there are a lot of issues with corporate business and copyright issues. Napster, for example, was taken to court and shut down due to violation of copyright laws but Napster was a big thing in that it was the start of the steady decline of the amount of money that corporate companies make when they create albums due to free sharing of music among users of the Web. A more recent issue regarding copyright and corporations losing money due to the Web is YouTube and "copyright strikes." Now, YouTube users will get banned after having three instances of uploading copyrighted material without permission. However, that won't stop them from making more and more accounts and sharing with more and more people. There's really no way that the corporations will ever win the battle on copyright regarding YouTube which is terrible for the business and money making aspect of those corporations. If the Web is not free, the digital divide that was mentioned in the first question will get exponentially larger. Along with that, less users will use it and there will be less balance regarding who has access to what than there already is.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Questions for the article "Historical Development of the Internet and World Wide Web"
All answers by: James Wrona
1) Why is broadband service the key for the success of online communication? What are social effects of broadband service? How does the broadband service make digital convergence possible?
- Broadband service is the key for the success of online communication because it has allowed for much more interactivity, bandwidth, and a new acoustic world to be formed in the digital age. One of the biggest social effects of broadband service is that we can access much more information in real time based upon the transfer, creation, and consumption of information. Broadband service makes digital convergence possible by allowing users to access the World Wide Web which is the headquarters of convergence. Now, we can stream a wide variety of things at remarkably fast speeds.
2) Why does the use of World Wide Web open the door of the Internet communication to a much wider audience? In what way does the Web with graphical web browsers move the online communication to "acoustic world" discussed in the previous class?
- The World Wide Web opens the door of Internet communication to a much wider audience by providing servers which are all connected through different IP addresses, websites, and servers. What that means is that it can be accessed, essentially, by anyone, anywhere, or anytime. The Web moves the online communication to the "acoustic world" by allowing the internet to be interactive and interactivity is the key to an acoustic world.
3) How might telecommunication change if the government supporter the development of broadband Internet for everyone?
- It would change the way that information would be created, distributed, and consumed. It would also make information much more accessible to everyone regardless of whether they are rich or poor. Information would be free for anyone to get access to.
4) News organizations were changed by the telegraph, and a whole new business of news, that of the wire services, was created because of the telegraph. Discuss other industries that could benefit from rapid dissemination of information and how and why they would benefit from it.
- With a rapid dissemination of information, commercial companies would be able to make much more money and reach more people while their ad may still be relevant as opposed to being too late. If they were able to find out about what happened during the moment that it happened, they would be able to create an advertisement playing off of that event which will reach more people faster so they would wind up making more money for their company.
5) Choose one of the common methods of online communication and think of how it could be improved in terms of facilitating communication between people, ensuring quality communication, and enabling the greatest number of users to distribute information.
- Without a doubt, twitter is becoming bigger and bigger as far as being able to communicate with people both close to you and on the other side of the world with a single click. By adding a single hash tag, people who didn't even know you existed are now able to read what you have to say about a particular event. It is definitely one of the biggest methods of online communication and companies are realizing that and incorporating it by adding hash tags to commercials and television shows.
1) Why is broadband service the key for the success of online communication? What are social effects of broadband service? How does the broadband service make digital convergence possible?
- Broadband service is the key for the success of online communication because it has allowed for much more interactivity, bandwidth, and a new acoustic world to be formed in the digital age. One of the biggest social effects of broadband service is that we can access much more information in real time based upon the transfer, creation, and consumption of information. Broadband service makes digital convergence possible by allowing users to access the World Wide Web which is the headquarters of convergence. Now, we can stream a wide variety of things at remarkably fast speeds.
2) Why does the use of World Wide Web open the door of the Internet communication to a much wider audience? In what way does the Web with graphical web browsers move the online communication to "acoustic world" discussed in the previous class?
- The World Wide Web opens the door of Internet communication to a much wider audience by providing servers which are all connected through different IP addresses, websites, and servers. What that means is that it can be accessed, essentially, by anyone, anywhere, or anytime. The Web moves the online communication to the "acoustic world" by allowing the internet to be interactive and interactivity is the key to an acoustic world.
3) How might telecommunication change if the government supporter the development of broadband Internet for everyone?
- It would change the way that information would be created, distributed, and consumed. It would also make information much more accessible to everyone regardless of whether they are rich or poor. Information would be free for anyone to get access to.
4) News organizations were changed by the telegraph, and a whole new business of news, that of the wire services, was created because of the telegraph. Discuss other industries that could benefit from rapid dissemination of information and how and why they would benefit from it.
- With a rapid dissemination of information, commercial companies would be able to make much more money and reach more people while their ad may still be relevant as opposed to being too late. If they were able to find out about what happened during the moment that it happened, they would be able to create an advertisement playing off of that event which will reach more people faster so they would wind up making more money for their company.
5) Choose one of the common methods of online communication and think of how it could be improved in terms of facilitating communication between people, ensuring quality communication, and enabling the greatest number of users to distribute information.
- Without a doubt, twitter is becoming bigger and bigger as far as being able to communicate with people both close to you and on the other side of the world with a single click. By adding a single hash tag, people who didn't even know you existed are now able to read what you have to say about a particular event. It is definitely one of the biggest methods of online communication and companies are realizing that and incorporating it by adding hash tags to commercials and television shows.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Questions for "The Song of the Alphabet in Cyberspace."
All answers by: James Wrona
1) What are the differences between the pre-literate acoustic world and the alphabet visual world? How does the media of television become a part of the acoustic world?
- In the pre-literate acoustic world, information lacked biases and was one directional able to be accessed from anywhere and everywhere. In the alphabet visual world, everything has a meaning along with a purpose promoting abstract thought. It is dictated by much higher and more structured thought. The media of television becomes a part of the acoustic world because it plays to our five senses because it is "musical, mythic and immersive while lacking a defined perspective."
2) Why does the alphabet have the segregating tendencies? How exactly does the printing press reverse the segregating tendencies?
- Because the alphabet is so complex and abstract in thought, naturally, it will have segregating tendencies. At first, very few people were able to understand the alphabet or create thoughts using the alphabet. The printing press reversed those segregating tendencies by making printed material and text much more available to everyone so now everyone is able to access the alphabet and use it to gain knowledge and thought processes.
3) How does the alphabetic communication in online communication make cyberspace acoustic? How is the online acoustic world different from the television, radio, or print acoustic world?
- Alphabetic communication in online communication makes cyberspace acoustic because it covers every aspect of every form of communication that we are aware of. The alphabet places language into different forms that are able to simulate all of our senses. The online acoustic world is different from the the television, radio, or print acoustic world because they are closed, acoustic spaces.
4) Not only do we invent media and media technologies but also we select their uses in different contexts. What are the two selection criteria? According to the selection criteria, please discuss what will happen to our online communication in 20 years.
- The two selection criteria are that "We want media to extend our communication beyond biological boundaries and we want media to recapture elements of that biological communication even though we have exceeded it in our extensions." Based off of these selection criteria, in 20 years our online communication will have grown exponentially because we will never settle. So, technology will continue to grow and change and the technology that is not able to change with the times fast enough will become irrelevant.
1) What are the differences between the pre-literate acoustic world and the alphabet visual world? How does the media of television become a part of the acoustic world?
- In the pre-literate acoustic world, information lacked biases and was one directional able to be accessed from anywhere and everywhere. In the alphabet visual world, everything has a meaning along with a purpose promoting abstract thought. It is dictated by much higher and more structured thought. The media of television becomes a part of the acoustic world because it plays to our five senses because it is "musical, mythic and immersive while lacking a defined perspective."
2) Why does the alphabet have the segregating tendencies? How exactly does the printing press reverse the segregating tendencies?
- Because the alphabet is so complex and abstract in thought, naturally, it will have segregating tendencies. At first, very few people were able to understand the alphabet or create thoughts using the alphabet. The printing press reversed those segregating tendencies by making printed material and text much more available to everyone so now everyone is able to access the alphabet and use it to gain knowledge and thought processes.
3) How does the alphabetic communication in online communication make cyberspace acoustic? How is the online acoustic world different from the television, radio, or print acoustic world?
- Alphabetic communication in online communication makes cyberspace acoustic because it covers every aspect of every form of communication that we are aware of. The alphabet places language into different forms that are able to simulate all of our senses. The online acoustic world is different from the the television, radio, or print acoustic world because they are closed, acoustic spaces.
4) Not only do we invent media and media technologies but also we select their uses in different contexts. What are the two selection criteria? According to the selection criteria, please discuss what will happen to our online communication in 20 years.
- The two selection criteria are that "We want media to extend our communication beyond biological boundaries and we want media to recapture elements of that biological communication even though we have exceeded it in our extensions." Based off of these selection criteria, in 20 years our online communication will have grown exponentially because we will never settle. So, technology will continue to grow and change and the technology that is not able to change with the times fast enough will become irrelevant.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Questions for "Introduction: 'Worship at the Altar of Convergence'" to the book Convergence Culture by Henry Jenkins
All answers by: James Wrona
1) Why does convergence happen in the communication and media fields? What are the two conditions that lead to convergence?
- Media convergence occurs because it represents a cultural shift as consumers are encouraged to seek out new information and make connections among dispersed media content. It also forces both forms of media, whether "old" media or "new" media to coexist together to allow the consumer to decide which one will eventually become the superior form of media. In summation, convergence simply exists to allow media to create a message in one single efficient way. The first condition that leads to convergence is when the same content is made available to travel through many different channels and take many different forms at the point of reception by new media technologies. The second condition that leads to convergence is when it is more desirable for companies to send messages and content across said various channels as opposed to within a single media platform.
2) What are the three different kinds of digital convergence discussed in the article?
- The three different kinds of digital convergence discussed in the article are: the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want.
3) What cultural and social impacts does digital convergence have in addition to technological changes?
- Digital convergence has made the entertainment industry much less of a "monopoly" like industry. Now, it is possible for basically everyone to get their work out to the public eye through the world wide web as opposed to before when the entertainment industry was owned by a select elite of very few people. On that same idea, we are now a culture that has the major goal of spreading around information of all different varieties rapidly and easily thanks to the impact of digital convergence.
4) Do the new media displace old media in the history of media development? Why or why not?
- According to the author of the article, old media never really "dies," it simply adapts. For example, the music that we listened to on an original 8 track tape is the same as the music we listen to in a recreation of that 8 track tape in a "Best of" CD for that band. The media simply is applied in a new way in "new" media than it was in "old" media. However, the author of this article says that old and new media will soon intertwine in even more complex ways than ever before.
5) The convergence happens from both the top-down corporate level and bottom-up grassroots level. How do both levels change the traditional concept of media consumption?
- In regards to media consumption, the top-down corporate level and the bottom-up grassroots level have had to reconsider their previous understanding regarding their roles in the production, distribution, and consumption of media. Because, like I mentioned earlier, media convergence has made the world of media a much more equal playing field, both of those levels have equal opportunity to share their work with the world. The traditional concept of media consumption is basically obsolete in a world of media convergence because it makes everyone the opportunity to spread their message as opposed to how it has traditionally been controlled by a selective, few elite.
6) What does digital convergence in media indicate for communication and journalism professionals in the future?
- Digital convergence, as well as the digital age in general, is making it very hard for journalism majors to find work. They can no longer approach it through the traditional newspaper style of writing with newspapers becoming more and more obsolete to a new form of digital journalism through websites and blogs. As far as communication professionals, they are now being forced to pick sides between companies which are becoming, in an essence, more and more similar (via the Black Box Theory) everyday. It is becoming harder and harder to find that edge over the competition with the way that all forms of hardware, technology, and media are being converged.
1) Why does convergence happen in the communication and media fields? What are the two conditions that lead to convergence?
- Media convergence occurs because it represents a cultural shift as consumers are encouraged to seek out new information and make connections among dispersed media content. It also forces both forms of media, whether "old" media or "new" media to coexist together to allow the consumer to decide which one will eventually become the superior form of media. In summation, convergence simply exists to allow media to create a message in one single efficient way. The first condition that leads to convergence is when the same content is made available to travel through many different channels and take many different forms at the point of reception by new media technologies. The second condition that leads to convergence is when it is more desirable for companies to send messages and content across said various channels as opposed to within a single media platform.
2) What are the three different kinds of digital convergence discussed in the article?
- The three different kinds of digital convergence discussed in the article are: the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want.
3) What cultural and social impacts does digital convergence have in addition to technological changes?
- Digital convergence has made the entertainment industry much less of a "monopoly" like industry. Now, it is possible for basically everyone to get their work out to the public eye through the world wide web as opposed to before when the entertainment industry was owned by a select elite of very few people. On that same idea, we are now a culture that has the major goal of spreading around information of all different varieties rapidly and easily thanks to the impact of digital convergence.
4) Do the new media displace old media in the history of media development? Why or why not?
- According to the author of the article, old media never really "dies," it simply adapts. For example, the music that we listened to on an original 8 track tape is the same as the music we listen to in a recreation of that 8 track tape in a "Best of" CD for that band. The media simply is applied in a new way in "new" media than it was in "old" media. However, the author of this article says that old and new media will soon intertwine in even more complex ways than ever before.
5) The convergence happens from both the top-down corporate level and bottom-up grassroots level. How do both levels change the traditional concept of media consumption?
- In regards to media consumption, the top-down corporate level and the bottom-up grassroots level have had to reconsider their previous understanding regarding their roles in the production, distribution, and consumption of media. Because, like I mentioned earlier, media convergence has made the world of media a much more equal playing field, both of those levels have equal opportunity to share their work with the world. The traditional concept of media consumption is basically obsolete in a world of media convergence because it makes everyone the opportunity to spread their message as opposed to how it has traditionally been controlled by a selective, few elite.
6) What does digital convergence in media indicate for communication and journalism professionals in the future?
- Digital convergence, as well as the digital age in general, is making it very hard for journalism majors to find work. They can no longer approach it through the traditional newspaper style of writing with newspapers becoming more and more obsolete to a new form of digital journalism through websites and blogs. As far as communication professionals, they are now being forced to pick sides between companies which are becoming, in an essence, more and more similar (via the Black Box Theory) everyday. It is becoming harder and harder to find that edge over the competition with the way that all forms of hardware, technology, and media are being converged.
Monday, January 28, 2013
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