Module 3.2: Networks of Information

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This weeks reader by Melissa Wall 'Blogs of War' defines news as 'new information about a subject of some public interest that is shared with some portion of the public.' I found it interesting that Wall described the changes of news starting in 1955. During that period news was presented as a mere reflection of reality, a detached, neutral report. Researchers began pointing out that news was not a 'mirror' of reality but a manufactured cultural product that was dependent on professional routines and also on broader forces such as ideological powers exercised by elites within society. She said the news began being reproduced the structures of power already existent in society! A writing style imitating fiction arose during the 1960's, abandoning objectivity. By the end of the 20th century governmental policy dominates news now with a small number of giant corporations whom the bottom line is profit (Wall, 2005).

News and current affairs blogs on the other hand offer the opinion of the blogger and can be biased, however blogging is changing journalism creating a more conversational, dialogic and decentralised type of news. They have been dubbed 'do-it-yourself' journalism which does not follow the canons in face checking, seeking out alternative or opposing views (Wall, 2005).

Janey Gordons reader 'The Mobile Phone and the Public Sphere: Mobile phone usage in three critical situations" discusses the London Bombings in 2005, the Asian tsunami in 2004 and the SARS outbreak in China in 2003. In each case mobile phones, blogs and YouTube played prominent roles in news reporting. Gordon explains the Chinese government concealed the numbers of affected people and played down the disease's seriousness until messages were sent out of the country via mobile phones. It was then that the World Health Organisation (WHO) got involved and reported accurate statistics. Mobile phones were recording live footage of the Asian tsunami when it hit coastlines in Indonesia however many coastal areas were not able to be informed of the forthcoming dangers due to lack of beacons. Since this tragedy beacons have been installed. Prominent news companies were requesting footage from witnesses - the citizen journalists - who recorded the terrible effects of the floodwaters. Mobile phones also captured the tragic bombings in London during 2005. The media were unable to get to the scenes in time and onlookers were able to record footage of the bus and subway bombings. These images and videos were then uploaded to YouTube and blogging sites for the world to see (Gordon, 2007).


Discussion 1:
How is Wikipedia an example of participatory culture and/or collective intelligence? How is material contributed to the site? Why is the idea of 'neutrality' important? Is Wikipedia a credible source of information, and why/why not?

Wikipedia can be edited by anyone who registers as a member. Anyone can register for free and start making alterations to any topic at any time. This is why it is considered participatory. It is also considered collective intelligence because its members collect information on various subjects to add to Wikipedia. It has a community of regular members who are vigilant about their favourite topics, topics which they are passionate about. They set up their accounts so if any other person makes an amendment to information that they have previously added - they are notified and can delete or amend it accordingly.

According to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, many of their regular contributors are educated, articulate members who spend many hours entering/editing various topics to ensure the information is current and correct. Their aim, along with Jimmy Wales original vision, is to maintain a free encyclopaedia for the world to access (Wales, 2005).

Jimmy talks of the kind of information available on Wikipedia. He says it's not the sites aim to contain right and wrong information, but 'neutral' information. Wikipedia must remain neutral and contain information offering all points of view (Wales, 2005).

Some people believe Wikipedia is a credible source, others do not. Academically it is not accepted, HOWEVER it is useful for a brief description or definition that can then be backed up with reliable, credible and possibly peer-reviewed sources. It is possible that if a person was going to rely on Wikipedia and not research any other source, then the information could possibly be incorrect or biased based on the opinion of the person who entered that information.

Discussion 2:
With regards to news media, what is gatekeeping? Who does it? What function does it serve - why is it important? What effects do newer media such as blogs and online social networks have on the identity and function of gatekeepers? 

Gatekeeping in relation to media is the process by which a system or an authoritative figure will permit or deny access to information. Gatekeepers control the flow of information sent out to the general public. Generally it is either the government (in the case of China) or the heads of traditional media - newspapers and broadcast news - which have this role. Gatekeeping can be positive in the way that it could prevent mass hysteria, however it can also have a negative effect. When SARS broke out in China in 2002 the Chinese government understated the problem and maintained reporting restrictions. They did not inform the World Health Organisation (WHO) of its severity and concealment was deliberate. The message was spread via SMS (Gordon, 2007).

New media channels like YouTube, social networking sites and blogs have no gatekeepers so messages are getting through to the world. An example of this is the current issue of Occupy Wall Street protests. These protestors are receiving little or no media coverage through traditional media avenues. Their cause is mainly being broadcast via YouTube videos recorded on mobile phones or digital cameras. The gatekeepers have no control over these video makers or bloggers and these videos are giving the filters (the producers) identity. News is spread via mobile phone audio reports and pictures without  the gatekeeping or editorship of corporate news media (Gordon, 2007).

Some traditional media request footage of current issues as they happen, eg. the tsunami in Indonesia. In this case it can be edited before going to print or air, however some citizen journalists who capture images of major events put reports in the public sphere via personal blogs (Gordon, 2007).


Discussion 3:
As I mentioned in this week's video, the unit content was produced prior to Wikileaks really taking off. How do you think Wikileaks could be understood in terms of the ideas of Modules 3.1 & 3.2?

Wikileaks is about leaking protected information that they feel the public should be made aware of. Some people agree that the government should keep certain secrets secret, however others feel there should be no secrets. The problem with this is some government secrets are classified to protect the citizens and prevent hysteria. Black and Bryan, 2011 state WikiLeaks disclosures have encouraged dreams of libertarian societies where rulers and powerholders — including diplomats — cannot hide from accountability (Black & Bryant, 2011). They then go on to say history tells us that utopian visions generated by ‘technical fixes’ are mere mirages and that "diplomats will find ways to circumvent the piercing eye of digital technology, just as in the past they negotiated their way around, and indeed exploited, the communication revolutions of print, telegraph and telephone in order to consolidate their roles as knowledge managers servicing the knowledge needs of their political masters" (Black & Bryant, 2011).

Government agencies will (if they haven't already) employ the cleverest of hackers and computer scientists to prevent breaches of security.

References:

Black, A., & Bryant, A. (2011). Knowledge management and diplomacy: Reflections on the demise of the valedictory despatch in the context of an informational history of the British Diplomatic Service. First Monday, 16(103).

Gordon, J. (2007). The Mobile Phone and the Public Sphere: Mobile Phone Usage in Three Critical Situations. Convergence, 13(307). doi: 10.1177/1354856507079181  

Wales, J. (Writer). (2005). Jimmy Wales: How a Ragtag Band Created Wikipedia [Video]. In TedTalksDirector (Producer), TEDTalksDirector. United States of America: YouTube

Wall, M. (2005). Blogs of War: Weblogs as news. Journalism, 2005(6), 153. doi: 10.1177/1464884905051006

Module 3.1: Inform me! News media

This week's iLecture was by Mignon Shadlow who claims investigative journalism has had very positive results, e.g. defining moments like the end of apartheid, the Berlin Wall and the Australian Royal Commission into aboriginal deaths. She also reminded us of the Watergate scandal in 1972 where President Nixon resigned after conversations recorded on tape were leaked to the press. He was, and still is, the only American president to have resigned. In summary there was a break and enter at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters at the Watergate Complex which led to an arrest. President Nixon covered up the break in and he was implicated in a slush fund which paid for the break in. Several Nixon administration officials were arrested.  Here is a factual account from the Washington Times.

The Harper reader, which was written in 2003, is a little outdated now. Harper speaks of journalism having 'defining moments'. For print journalism it may have been the Watergate investigation. The defining moment in radio news may have been the crash of the Hindenburg and for television news - the assassination of John F Kennedy (Harper, 2003). Has there been one for online journalism yet? Probably not because online journalism is only relatively new.

The differences between print and online journalism are outlined below:
Print -

• Value intensity - if the story is of great magnitude it is likely to pass through the gatekeeper
• Unexpectedness - unexpected stories provide interesting material
• Sociocultural values
• Continuity - if it has passed through the gatekeeper before, it is likely to pass through again
• Cultural proximity - based on the number of people of ethnic background living in the area - will depend on the number of ethnic stories.

Online -

• Time span - events that coincide with the frame of publication
• Clarity or lack of ambiguity - doubtful stories may not be published
• Consonance - events congruent with an expectation
• Composition - some items are chosen simply because they contrast with other stories.

At present there are protestors in Wall Street, New York City protesting about the greed and wealth of banking industry heads. People are losing their homes and jobs while these money-hungry executives reap in bonuses of millions of dollars. These protests are not being aired on traditional media so protestors are reliant on citizen journalism. There are several channels on YouTube (see above video) showing videos of protestors. Another recent case of citizen journalism is the death of Steve Jobs, Apple founder. His death has had the biggest online reaction of any event in history. When news of his death broke there were 6000 tweets per second (Stevenson, 2011).


Discussion 1:
How do you get your news - what sources do you use? How do these differ to how your parents and grandparents got their news, or how your children might get their news now?

I get my news from various media types. As I am logged into Facebook every day, I get some headlines but mostly technology news that way. However I still like to watch the 6pm news when sitting down to dinner. My family did that when I was a kid and I guess it is a tradition I haven't grown out of. If I am driving I will have the radio on and listen for the hourly news to get local updates for my area.

My parents still watch the television news, listen to talkback radio and read the daily and Sunday newspapers. My parents don't get news from the internet at all.

My grandparents are no longer with us, but they always watched the 11am news, 6pm news and ABC news daily. I also remember my dear old Grandad waiting patiently for the paper boy to delivery the Daily Telegraph. They didn't own a computer before they died so never access online media at all.

My kids aren't interested in news, however my teenage daughter does like to watch A Current Affair with us after the news, but as for headlines - they have no interest.

Discussion 2:
Do you think online news is more or less credible than traditional news? Why or why not?

In my opinion traditional media controls what we see and hear and is very one-sided. I'm all for citizen journalism. Just look at the Occupy Wall Street protests going on at present. I read somewhere (if I find the reference I will post it as I can't find it right now) that traditional media is very right wing and mainly covers liberal conservative issues.  Just because it's on TV or in the paper, doesn't necessarily mean it is true. Consumers need to be more open these days and read more online content to get both sides of every story.

Online media champions left wing ideals of change, and this position is understandable. The online world has never been part of the nexus of governance by symbiosis that typified the right. It derives no benefits from it, and sees no reason why any part of it cannot be challenged. (Lee, 2011).

References:

Harper, C. (2003). Journalism in a Digital Age. In H. J. D. Thorbum (Ed.), Democracy and new media (pp. 271-280).

Lee, H (2011). Future Media: Revolving door of the centre.  Retrieved from http://theonlinecitizen.com/2011/09/future-media-revolving-door-of-the-centre/

Stevenson, S. (Producer). (2011). 3.1 Inform Me [video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSv7rjfStPs

Module 2.5: All The World's a Game

Image courtesy of TORLEY via Flickr.

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This week's iLecture was given by David Savat. He discussed how the military use game simulators for training. He stated World of Warcraft (WOW) is more than just a game. It's a commercial product consumed worldwide. It's bigger than the film industry. (Savat, 2011). I was surprised by this. I was sure the film industry was more profitable than gaming! He explained that MMORPG's are a construct. Rules enable actions and relations and govern behaviour. There are open designs like Second Life and Project Entropia, where you can create content for the game and you own the rights to it. There are also and closed designs like WOW and Everquest where you can't change much not alter the game world. He also coined the term 'gold farmer's as those people who trade virtual goods for real money.

I watched a TV show called Taboo: Fantasies on National Geographic channel this week which showed a Second Life gamer who makes enough money from the game not to have to go out to work. His avatar name is 'Stroker' and he sells virtual sex beds in the game Second Life. He sells them for Linden dollars which equates to US dollars. He lives in a huge home in Florida near the beach, has a wife and kids and plays this 'game' every day. He has built up a reputation in Second Life for a commodity which players want - and are happy to pay big bucks for. This video shows a snippet of his wares and discusses a law suit where Stroker is suing another avatar for creating copies of the sex bed.

David also explained the term 'grief-play' where players are getting killed in real life for actions within a game. A grief player engages in playing to disrupt or distress other players’ gaming experiences, and derives enjoyment from such behaviour (Lin & Chuen-Tsai, 2005).

The reader by Coleman & Dyer-Witheford explained the terms commons and commodities. Commons are referred to as those items which players use, but not own. Commodities are exchanged for profit. What I didn't realise was how big the gaming industry is It is estimated that, in 2005, World of Warcraft alone was bringing Blizzard, its developer, over $700 million a year, while worldwide MMOG revenues were over $1.5 billion. This seems no commons, but a game commodity par excellence (Coleman & Dyer-Witherford, 2007).

Discussion:
How is user production in games different from other forms of media consumption? Or isn't it?We can't alter other media content, we can only complain about it, comment on it or ignore it. Within some games we can alter it. As David Savat explains in his iLecture: there are open designs like Second Life and Project Entropia where you can create content. That content belongs to you. There are also closed design games like World of Warcraft and Everquest where you cannot change much in the game world.

As there is no commonly agreed definition of User Generated Content (UGC) the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has proposed three main characteristics:

• Publication requirement - UGC has to be published in some context (e.g. on a website or on a social networking site)
• Creative effort - A “certain amount of creative effort [has to be] put into creating the work”. It is particularly important that “users add their own value to the work”
• Creation outside of professional routines and practice - typically UGC is created without the “expectation of remuneration” (Clever et al. n.d.)

Check out this video about an avatar from Second Life suing another avatar for stealing one of his. It's an interesting story.

References:
Clever, N., Kirchner, A., Schray, D., and Schulte. (n.d). User Generated Content. Retrieved from http://www.wi.uni-muenster.de/wi/studieren/io/ws08-09/essay/IEessay%20user-generated%20content.pdf


Coleman, S., & Dyer-Witheford, N. (2007). Playing on the Digital Commons: collectivities, capital and contestation in videogame culture. Media Culture Society, 29(934). doi: 10.1177/0163443707081700

Lin, H., & Chuen-Tsai, S. (2005). The 'White eyed player culture' : Grief Play and Construction of Deviance in MMORP's Retrieved from http://www.digra.org/dl/db/06278.21161.pdf

Woods, S (2011). Topic 2.4: Play with me [iLecture]. from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/lectopia.lasso?ut=3453

Module 2.4: Play With Me

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This week's topic is about a topic which interests me as a game player...it's about gaming and I've decided I want to be a Ludologist.

Ludologist: a person who plays and researches games for a living...hell yeah!

Let me start by agreeing with Sam Stevenson that gaming theory is interesting and important. It's a valid form of entertainment (Stevenson, 2011). Not everyone agrees. Huizinga said in the 1950's that play is voluntary, is not serious, is separate from the real, is unproductive and promotes social groupings. I agree that it promotes social grouping - well some games do. Obviously solitary ones do not. But I do not agree that gaming is unproductive and it CAN be very serious at times, depending on the game of course.

Jenkins' reader The War Between Effects and Meaning: Rethinking the video game debate, stresses that we need to understand the difference between the effects of game playing and the meaning. He declares the effects are seen as emerging more or less spontaneously and that meanings emerge through an active process of interpretation and reflect our conscious engagement. (Jenkins, 2009). He believes that games can be powerful learning tools - look at the military. They use simulated games to train soldiers. Michael Macedonia who is the chief scientist and technical director of the U.S. Army Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation Command (STRICOM) declares that for more than two decades the U.S. military has demon- strated interest in commercial games, beginning with the in- troduction of Mech War to the Army War College by James Dunnigan in the late 1970s. (Macedonia, 2001).

There is an argument that violent games create violent behaviour, however Jenkins disagrees. Research has shown that players who fight one another to death in a game, do actually grow closer as friends off screen. Many anti-gamers only look at the surface of the game and don't look beneath at the emotional meanings, stories and images.

Since the Columbine High School massacre of 1999, game developers have had to have a good look at the level of violence in games and have changed them so they are more challenging - not just about killing, but rewarding for positive behaviour and moral changes. Here is an article about Columbine 10 years on.  Some one had the nerve to develop a game after the massacre aptly named Columbine Game. That is one I am NOT interested in.

The Thornham reader "Claiming a stake in the video game" is a study on gamers. She claims there are clear paradoxes in the way games are simultaneously set up as escapism, fantasy and play by theorists and the industry alike but are claimed by adult gamers as serious, rational and logical pastimes. Adults feel they need to justify their game playing as more than just pleasure or escapism. It's interesting to note that while she was studying the gamers, the gamers declared that the initial purchase of a game console was due to peer pressure and that it was a status symbol to own one. One gamer simply wanted to 'fit in' and to have the power of owning something desirable, which other kids want or admire. An important thing to note here is that the pleasure of gaming is less about the games themselves and more to do with the presence of friends in a social environment.

Discussion 1:
What is your history of gaming? How has your experience changed due to technological convergence (or hasn't it)? How do you rationalize your participation in games?

I am an avid game player and have been most of my life. As a kid I would play scrabble, monopoly, elastics, hopscotch, skipping, jacks and other outside games with my friends and cousins. Most weekends my parents would take me to my grandparents house for a weekly family catch-up with other relatives. There we would all play boggle, scrabble, yahtzee and cards. It was the highlight of my week. It was all about catching up, chatting and sharing. I loved those times.

Sometime in the 80's I was given my first hand-held electronic game - the original Donkey Kong. I clocked it within days! I played this regularly until my brother was given a Nintendo 64 and he and I conquered Super Mario together. Then I married and moved out and didn't play games for years. During the 90's we acquired a 2nd hand computer and it had Leisure Suit Larry installed on it. (Thanks for reminding me about that game, Sam!) Shortly after this we bought a Sega Megadrive (which very soon became obsolete because Playstation took over) and played games on that console semi-regularly. However by this time I was working full-time so game-play couldn't take up much of my time.

Fast forward 10 years and we bought a PS2 and I conquered Lara Croft Tomb Raider's 1, 2 & 3. Goodness knows how I found the time, but my husband does remember calling me to bed in the wee hours of most mornings. lol How I managed to get to work on time is a mystery.

When that machine died, my kids were babies - so again no game-play for a couple of years until 2 years ago! 2 years ago we bought an XBox for our son. Then an XBox 360, then I upgraded my old computer to a fast and powerful laptop with broadband access. Things have never been the same since. We now have smart phones, a Wii, the 2 XBoxes and 2 iPod Touch's. Every day I will play apps on my iPod Touch. It is my favourite toy.

Games define me as much as music and food. I love child-like, colourful games with levels where you collect things. I'm not into killing people any more. I will play games during study breaks, while waiting in queues, waiting in the car for the kids, and to wind down at the end of the day. Over all the game devices in our house, I prefer my iPod touch. I rarely play games off-line any more. If it's a rainy day and the kids are bored, we will sometimes play board games. The only game-playing off-line that I do love is jigsaw puzzles and most school holidays I will get out a 500 or 2000 piece and spend days doing it.

The way I rationalise game play is I play purely for relaxation. I'm not competitive and would often give up if I am waiting on an opponent to make a move! So I no longer play games which require opponents. I think my kids are the same - they play for relaxation and I will only let them play once their chores and homework is done.

Discussion 2:

What are some of the criticisms that can be made about gaming? Do you agree with them?

One criticism that comes to mind is that game play takes time away from family responsibilities. I have to disagree. Firstly I always ensure my kids have done their chores and homework before they play. For myself - I only play to unwind either in between studying, while dinner is cooking, at the end of a busy day. However often I play with the kids. For example my son and I both have iPod Touch's. When he downloaded Angry Birds last year he was having so much fun playing it that I downloaded it on mine. From then on every evening after dinner, we would sit together competing with each other on our iPod's.

Nowadays it's Plants Vs Zombies. We compete by racing each other through the levels and by collecting achievements. We play together, talk together, refine our strategies and cheer when we win a new achievement. The game-playing isn't face to face, but we are next to each other on the couch enjoying quality time together.

Same with my teenage daughter. We both play The Sims and we get our characters to interact in the game like we do in real life. We both have Android phones and we will often challenge each other in games like Angry Birds or Doodle Jump while relaxing on the weekend.

Remediation assessment:
For our remediation assessment I have decided to remediate a movie scene into a comic. I have chosen one of my favourite movies from the 80's 'Back To The Future' starring Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd. I chose a scene near the beginning of the film where Marty (played by Michael J Fox) is summonsed by Doc (played by Christopher Lloyd) to attend the local shopping mall carpark for a surprise. When Marty and Doc's dog, Einstein, arrive they are greeted by Doc and a huge transporter truck. Doc unveils a car which has a very special purpose. I chose this scene because it explains the crux of the movie and that is...well I don't want to spoil it! You'll have to watch it.

References:
Jenkins, H. (2006). The War between effects and meanng: Rethinking the video game debate D. Buckingham & R Willett (Eds., Digital Generations: Children, Young People, and New Media (pp. 19-31).

Macedonia, M. (2001). Games, Simulation and Military Education. The Army Science Board Summer Study, 2001. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ffpiu018.pdf

Thornham, H. (2009). Claiming a stake in the videogame: What grownups say to rationalise and normalise gaming. Convergence: The international journal of research into new media technologies, 15(141). Retrieved from doi: 10.1177/135485650810158

Module 2.3: Entertaining the world: Using media across cultural boundaries

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This week's topic is about media across cultural boundaries. In the iLecture by Dr Thomas Jayaprakesh he  uses Arjun Appadurai's definition of Globalisation as 5 inter-related dimensions:

1. Ethnoscape - flow of immigrants
2. Technoscape - rapid movement of technology
3. Financescape - rapid flow of money via markets
4. Mediascape - flow of images and information
5. Ideoscape - images of democracy, freedom, welfare and rights.

There are 3 kinds of geographical audiences. They are:

1. local - the audience who consumes only local popular culture text
2. diasporic audience - a culture of people living away from their homeland consuming media from their homeland
3. Those who consume transnational culture text like foreign films and TV.

Dr Jayaprakesh quotes Henry Jenkins "media convergence has no end point. It's ongoing, occurring at various intersections between media technologies, industries, content and audience". (Jenkins, 2006).

Youth listen to similar music, TV and wear similar clothes meaning the new media landscape has captured the image of western youth, however Asian youth are more complex than superficial and are quite conservative. Youth are generally attracted to commercially based entertainment programs broadcast by global channels. Bollywood films have sold more tickets in the UK than English language films (Jayaprakash, 2011).

The reader by Henry Jenkins 'Pop Cosmopolitanism: Mapping Cultural Flows in an Age of Media Convergence' defines pop cosmopolitan as someone whose embrace of global popular media represents an escape route out of the parochialism of their local community. (Jenkins, 2006). He states globalisation has profoundly altered the nature of American popular culture and that a growing number of popular culture that Americans consume comes from elsewhere, especially Asia. Media convergence is more than simply a technological shift; it alters the relationship between existing technologies, industries, markets, genres and audiences. This results in surges of lurches and panic.

The media imperialism argument blurs the distinction between at least four forms of power: economic (the ability to produce and distribute cultural goods), cultural (the ability to produce and circulate forms and meanings), political (the ability to impose ideologies), and psychological (the ability to shape desire, fantasy and identity). Within this formulation, Western economic dominance over global entertainment both expresses and extends American's status as a superpower national the flow of cultural goods shapes the beliefs and the fantasies of worldwide consumers, reshaping local cultures in accordance with US economic and political interests. (Jenkins, 2006).

Americans can't get enough of Asian media so the American entertainment industry believes that if you can't beat them, join them! There have been a number of large companies producing films in Chinese, German, Italian and Japanese. Many cartoons shown in American now are actually made in Asia. The Power Rangers, which was created in Japan, was remade for western distribution, re-cast with multi American characters and the dialogue altered for Americans. Pokemon was the first Japanese product successfully received world wide and the first to challenge western dominance in the global production of cultural goods. It made $1 billion in product sales within 1 year. Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! are now unavoidable aspects of children's culture. (Jenkins, 2006)

Pop cosmopolitans are increasingly being drawn to Indian fashion and culture. Madonna used henna and an Indian religious iconography in her 'Ray of Light' Tour.

Image courtesy of Henna by Heather via Flickr.com.

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The reader by Ramesh Srinivasan "Indigenous, ethnic and cultural articulations of new media" defines the term 'digital divide' as the gap between people who have access to technology and those who don't, or have very little. Putnam finds a decline in civic, religious and political participation across American society. (Putnam,2000). Could this be because everyone is online? In virtual communities, social networking instead of face to face? There are benefits of recording videos to get community and political backing. Take a look at the Kayapo tribe of Central Brazil. When they were given video recorders they began recording their history, visits to other communities and documenting issues that affected them. It resulted in international exposure and acquisition of sustainable land. Indigenous communities have also appropriated new media to activate their own cultural, political, economic and other causes. A wide variety of indigenous websites are now in existence (Srinivasan, 2006). He notes that physical distance has no consequence as communication is instant via media technologies. It is obvious the Internet provides small communities and indigenous people a means of self representation. Srinivasan concludes eventually varriers between cultural difference and information/media technology will continue to erode and media research will uncover new empowering potential uses of technology. (Srinivasan, 2006).

Discussion 1:

What is the digital divide? What are its consequences, and how can it be overcome?
Digital divide refers to the gap between people who have access to technology and those who do not. For example third world countries, those of low socio economic demographic, or unemployed, those in remote areas with no Internet access, people over 50yrs old and those with disabilities. I found an interesting paper by the NTIA (the National Telecommunications and Information Administration) who states: "We are
approaching the point where not having access to these tools is likely to put an individual at a competitive disadvantage and in a position of being a less-than-full participant in the digital economy. Most groups, regardless of income, education, race or ethnicity, location, age, or gender are making dramatic gains." (Mineta, 2000).

Despite this report being 11 years old, it clearly shows the steps the U.S has made to connect people. And that is happening here in Australia with the NBN too. Over time I feel there will be no remote areas without internet access.

References:
Jayaprakash, T. (2011). 2.3 Entertaining the World [iLecture]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=599174&cnt=true&usr=15477071&name=not-indicated

Jenkins, J (2006). Pop Cosmopolitanism: Mapping Cultural Flows in an age of Media Convergence. In H. Jenkins, Fans, bloggers and gamers: exploring participatory culture (pp 152 - 172). New York: New York University Press.

Mineta, N. (2000). Falling Through The Net: Toward Digital Inclusion. Retrieved from http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/fttn00.pdf

Putnam, R. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York S. Schuster (Ed.)

Srinivasan, R. (2006). Indigenous, ethnic and cultural articulations of new media. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 9(4), 497-518. Retrieved from  doi: 10.1177/136787790606989

Module 2.2: Don't touch that! Copyright, ownership and institutional control

Image courtesy of Mike Seyfang via Flickr.com

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Copyright is a complex area of law which is really difficult to understand. The laws have changed over the years. Did you know that the song Happy Birthday is owned by Walt Disney? And any performance of that song in public results in Disney receiving royalties for it...yes...in movies too! Considering Disney didn't write the song, it's absurd!

The Collins reader titled Recovering Fair Use argues that copyright enforcement has spun out of control. Collins states that the balance between private and public interests in creative works is facilitated by the doctrine of fair use (as codified in the United States Copyright Act 1976, Section 107). He goes on to say despite its flexibility, fair use has been systematically eroded by ever encroaching copyrights. The rise of the Web 2.0 phase with its emphasis on end-user created content has led to an unrelenting wave of creativity, and much of its incorporates or 'mashes up' copyrighted material. The copyright rules have gone too far. the law has abandoned its reason for being: to encourage learning and the creation of new works. Collins refers to Lessig here "few, if any, things...are strictly original throughout. Every book in literature, science and art, borrows and must necessarily borrow and use much which was well known and used before". Recently the Federal Supreme Court and lower courts have stressed that copyright was intended to promote creativity and have upheld the fair doctrine, but in order for the balance to exist in copyright law, cases must come before the course, copyright myth must be challenged.

The Lessig documentary Laws that choke creativity was an interesting read. He is pro-remixes and transformative works and believes the copyright laws are unfair.

• 1941 legal access to music was broken
• People make remixes for fun, not money
• The kids of today don't give 2 hoots about copyright laws. They believe they should be fought
• Music should be made public freely for non commerical use AND not freely for commercial use
• We (our generation) made mixed tapes. Our kids remix music. We watched TV. Our kids make TV.

Another video I watched this week was called A Fair(y) Use Tale which gives us a run-down on copyright laws:

• Only the copyright owner has the right to use their work
• It's forbidden to use a copyright work without permission granted
• Copyright laws differ in different countries
• Fair Use means a copyright may be broken - you can borrow a small amount of copyrighted material to teach, for news reporting, for parody and for critical comment AS LONG as it doesn't change the value of the original work in the marketplace. 

The iLecture by Em McAvan spoke about copyright laws in relation to music and how music distribution has changed copyright laws. Em refers to Lessig's statement that we have changed from a read-only culture to a read-write culture. Read-only meaning the act of consumption where there's a beginning, a middle and an end. Read-write meaning open endedness. Something that's reworkable, able to be reworked. Other points:

• Copyright laws sprung up early in the 20th century when making exact copies (bootlegging) was rife and artists were not being compensated
• Prince (the singer) changed his name so he could start writing his own songs which Warner Bros was opposed to.

The reason why Prince changed his name is here. He states: The first step I have taken towards the ultimate goal of emancipation from the chains that bind me to Warner Bros. was to change my name from Prince to the Love Symbol. Prince is the name that my mother gave me at birth. Warner Bros. took the name, trademarked it, and used it as the main marketing tool to promote all of the music that I wrote. The company owns the name Prince and all related music marketed under Prince. I became merely a pawn used to produce more money for Warner Bros.

• In 1995 the mp3 went public and was infinitely reproducible
• Napster changed the distribution of music drastically. Over 50 million people were members when the site was forced to close in 2001
• The RIAA (Record Industry of America) took on Napster as a file sharer and charged them with facilitating file sharing and illegal music distribution
• A bit torrent site in Sweden was also closed and the owners jailed and fined
• By July 2006 the RIAA had sued over 17,000 people for file sharing, then another 23,000 over the next 3 years
• The record companies are pushing to make examples out of those who distribute and obtain music illegally
• In regards to Fair Use - transformative works are OK as is parody
• The iPod was launched in 2001. iTunes reverted our read-write culture back to a read-only culture through it's encryption methods called DRM
• DRM limits the copying of a file to 5 computers but to an unlimited number of iPods. It doesn't suit the needs of a transformative participatory culture.

The Creative Commons Laws page is quite extensive and even has links to material we can use freely. In a nutshell:

• Attribution - give credit to the original aurthor
• Share Alike
• Non-commercial
• No derivative works (re-works not permitted)

Discussion 1
How has the internet changed our ideas about production and consumption?
The internet has given we consumers the technology to produce (create) our own work. However, as easy as it is - it doesn't make it right. Just because we can, doesn't mean we should. Just because I have the skills to rob a bank, doesn't mean I am permitted to.

The documentary relies a lot on the work of Girl Talk--do you think he is an original artist? Why or why not?
No - he is sampling music from other artists, which in my opinion is stealing.

In addition to charging royalties (which already prevent a lot of people from using copyrighted material in the creation of texts) copyright holders also have the right to veto the use of their material within a context of interpretation they don't like. Is this a type of censorship?
Yes, it's censorship. The artist should either make their material legal to copy or illegal. If they make it legal, they should lose all rights and have no say in it's remixes.

When writing an essay, we can manipulate Shakespeare or an academic source for example, as long as we cite and reference them. Why can't this principle relate to other types of texts we may produce?
Good question. Why isn't this the case?

Peer-to-peer downloading is discussed in the film. Anyone brave enough to share their thoughts on this and whether or not they have done it? Do we all pretend we aren't, by definition, copyright criminals?
When I got my first computer it was around the same time as Napster came on the scene. I joined and downloaded a few songs. My computer developed a virus and ended up at the local tip. I felt it was karma. It made me realise it was the wrong thing to do and since then I've only ever bought songs from iTunes. I've never downloaded a movie of TV show either. Everyone I know does though!

The history of Napster is also discussed in the documentary. Napster users created the biggest library of music in history--why is this something that is discouraged?
It is discouraged because the original artist isn't being credited or paid royalties. Think about any piece of work you create, whether it's a piece of art, sculpture, scribble, poem, song, or even essay. Think about the time you've spent creating that piece of work from it's conception to completion. Would you like it if someone stole it from you? You'd probably be happy to give it away to someone, but if many copies of it were distributed without your permission, how would you feel?

Discussion 2
What are the benefits of copyright?
There are benefits only for the author/artist/creator which simply put is financial compensation. There are no benefits for the consumer in relation to the consumer. As a consumer you need to be aware of the laws and willing to pay the price (fine/imprisonment) if caught using copyrighted material.

Are there other ways of thinking about copyright that should be considered?

In my opinion everyone using someone else's material (whether it be a quote, a song, movie, written text) needs to be credited back to the original author. I wouldn't like to know how many people have taken one of my recipes from my cooking blog and called it their own. When I have time, I'm going to put up some copyright rules on the page.

Reference
Collins, S. (2008). Recovering Fair Use. M/C Journal, 11(6). Retrieved from http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/105

Module 2.1: Entertain me

This week's tutorial and readers were about blockbuster movies, fan fiction and vidding. Let's start by defining some terms.

• A blockbuster movie can be defined as a movie with high production costs and good returns
• A pre-sold identity is an actor who appears in a sequel and already has a huge following from their first movie
• Vidding is when people cut and paste images or video clips and add music to make their own creation, similar to remixes and mash-ups
• Fanfiction (or fanfic) is a work of fiction written by fans for fans, taking a source text or a famous person as a point of departure. It's shared online. Thousands are written daily
• Fandom is a community of similar people who interact in some way through discussions or their creative works
• Fanlore is a wiki—a multi-authored website—that any fan can contribute to. Our goal is to record both the history and current state of our fan communities—fan works, fan activities, fan terminology, individual fans and fannish-related events.

The reader by Henry Jenkins is about the video called Vidding. Vidding is described as an expression, a creative outlet, to give people something to say. Video makers (or Vidders) learn about themselves when making videos as it gives them an outlet for emotion. New vidders arrive on the scene every day, without any historical context or legal fears, and plunk their vids onto YouTube without a second thought. They post publicly and promote themselves enthusiastically, and why not? That's what everybody does on the Internet. (Jenkins, 2008).

The iLecture by Tama Leaver is about Dr Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog - a short series never aired on TV, but released on the internet. The creator, Joss Whedon had created TV series like Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Fireflies and already had a huge following, however his next project Dr Horrible obtained a large following even before it's release. Conversations, not just promotion portals; and participation, not just dissemination (Leaver, 2011). He goes on to talk about the shifting roles of actors into directing, producing or writing; and also the shift from zappers to loyals. Zappers watch TV, casuals commit to one or two shows, but loyals watch the whole series and buy promotional material. Australians download more television per capita than any other nation. (Leaver, 2011). This is because Australia doesn't get new US shows until weeks, sometimes months after the US launch date and Aussies want to keep up to date with the show's online communities.

Image courtesy of Richard Elzey via Flickr.com
Creative Commons Licence

The reader by Marco Cucco entitled The Promise is great: the blockbuster and the Hollywood economy was a very interesting read as I am an avid movie watcher. It tells the history of the blockbuster and the US film industry. From as far back as the 1950's Hollywood was experiencing a slum in movie sales due to people moving to the suburbs, buying houses and cars and having no time or money for the luxury of movies. The film executives, in response to this down-turn, decided to release fewer, but larger (big budget) movies per year and focussing on their promotion. Television had an impact on movie-goers with the release of the VCR. Steven Spielberg encompassed the idea of promoting his blockbuster movie, Jaws on television a week before it hit the cinemas. This defined the future of film promotion from there on in. Jaws was also the first movie to be released on the opening weekend at several cinemas setting in motion a strategy that is still used today. (Cucco, 2009).

Since the 1970's some genres have fallen by the wayside - musicals, westerns, biblical films, war films and films taken from literature. More popular are science fiction and adventure films. A blockbuster is not thought of as an artistic product, but a commercial one, meant to produce money and cover the expenses of those films that have not reached the break-even point as well as those projects that have been stopped during their development. (Cucco, 2009).

Stars are considered pre-sold identities or high concept as they draw in the fans from the original movie back into the cinema for the sequels. From an economic point of view, the star has 2 fundamental functions: to guarantee the movie access to the market and guarantee that the public will be attracted to the cinema. This is possible because stars have turned into brand products. (Cucco, 2009).

Discussion 1
What are some of the ways you participate as fan? Have you ever written fan fiction? Do you participate online in a fan forum somewhere? Why do you think we do this?

I had to think about this question for awhile because I immediately thought I wasn't a fan of anything. After gazing out the window for inspiration I could only come up with this response...

I love Super Mario Bros - and a big thanks to Carissa for the link to the cardboard box game, I loved it. lol I originally had the game on Nintendo 64 and finished all worlds. Then I bought it for my kids to play on their Nintendo DS' (well! for me to play!). Then I bought it for the Wii and finally I liked the Facebook page. That's as far as I go in regards to fandom I'm afraid :(

Discussion 2

Do you use any interactive media texts online? What are they, and what options do you have to interact on them?

The interactive online texts I use are Facebook, the Oasis site, my cooking blog and Best Recipes. I interact with Facebook everyday by posting status updates, commenting on my friends statuses and uploading photos for my friends and family to see.

I use Oasis nearly every day for uni learning, watching iLectures, reading suggested texts and posting in Blackboard. I find Oasis a user-friendly site and look forward to reading fellow student's messages.

When my husband and I renovated our kitchen last year I finally got a new kitchen after 19yrs. Since then I've developed a love of cooking. I joined Best Recipes after searching for a particular recipe. It is an Australian cooking site where recipes and tips are shared. I've uploaded pictures and recipes to the site, posted questions in the forums and have learned valuable cooking tips from the other members.

I also started my own cooking blog. I cook simple, quick and family-friendly meals. They are not gourmet, but they are very nice and great for busy people who don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. Followers can post comments and questions and also print the recipes so they can try them out.

https://www.facebook.com/nell68crab
http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/forums/member.php?u=116758&tab=aboutme&simple=1
http://nellscookingblog.blogspot.com/

Discussion 3
How is the blockbuster film deemed to be different to other types of film? Cucco explains the blockbuster is a film which usually costs a lot of money to make, but also makes a lot of money in sales. They always have a major star and usually has exceptional special effects.(Cucco, 2009).

Are these differences meaningful?
They are meaningful because of the major star, special effects and the money spent on making the films. Cucco explains the reason why the blockbuster came about was because when people stopped going to the movies in the 1950's due to buying expensive commodities like houses and cars, major film companies reduced the number films released each year to focus on a major film (a blockbuster). They are also meaningful because the intent is that the blockbuster will make enough money to compensate for losses of movies which have poor sales and those which don't finish production. (Cucco, 2009) .

Why do you think we associate the blockbuster model with a drop of quality? (And what makes a film a 'quality' one?)
I disagree. I don't know anyone who associates a blockbuster with poor quality. I consider myself a movie buff and see hundreds every year...I must admit I look forward to Thursdays when new movies air at my local cinema. I think what makes a film a quality one is 3 things: a) the main actor(s); b) the special effects; and c) the Director. I will always go out of my way to see a film if I'm familiar with the actor(s), the Director and if I've enjoyed their previous films.

References
Cucco, M. (2009). The Promise is Great: The blockbuster and the Hollywood economy. Media Culture & Society, 31, 215-230. doi:10.1177/0163443708100315

Jenkins, H. (2008). Fan Vidding: A Labour of Love (part 2). Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2008/12/in_many_ways_the_emergence.html

Leaver, T. (2011). Entertain me [Lecture]. Retrieved from http://dbs.ilectures.curtin.edu.au/lectopia/casterframe.lasso?fid=599139&cnt=true&usr=not-indicated&name=not-indicated