We suffer from a case of ‘selfiecentrism’

It is evident that the way we interact with the ‘stars’ of our society has dramatically changed. From the traditional newspaper and radio, we now have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There was a point in society where publicists, journalists and PR agents were what controlled an individuals identity.

But there has been a shift in rolls.

We now do not need to pay thousands of dollars to a reporter to sell your story in a particular way, or pay an agent extra to promote your ‘identity’. Now the most commitment required is an email, and date of birth. The rest is FREE and controlled by YOU. Social media has revolutionised the way the way we represent and present our persona.

Our online persona is defined by our digital objects in the forms of statuses, selfies, photo albums etc. We use these tools to create an identity for others to understand who we are, for the everyday individual it can be formally known as being ‘judged’ or in a celebrities case ‘admired’.

Turner outlines three main definitions of celebrities “(1) celebrity as a way that people are represented and talked about; (2) a process by which a person is turned into a commodity; and (3) an aspect of culture which is constantly being reinscribed and reformulated”. Kim Kardashian-West. A renowned selfie queen, who is now yet to release her newest book called ‘selfish’. A composition of her selfies over the last couple of years. She is what some could describe a ‘cultural phenomenon’, and is a reflection of Turners definitions.

Her online presence has attracted 31.7 million twitter followers and 32.4 million Instagram followers. Her constant activity is what has uplifted her image. Through her online presence and the content she posts, she has been able to create various images for herself, various examples seen in the youtube clip I created below.

Through these images we see how Kim wants to represent herself, selfies to high fashion photoshoots we can see that her intentions are to expand her image. While she is managed by her very own ‘momager‘, social media gives her the opportunity to promote herself and present herself in the ideal way.

But while social media promotes celebrities, we cannot forget the most important factor to a stars fame. FANS. Senft describes fan based activity as ‘micro-celebrity‘. where fans interact with a stars online presence through commenting, reblogging, favoriting etc. Twitter is one of the largest platforms that allows fans to directly interact with their ‘idols’, Erving Goffman describes this as a metaphor considering “how celebrity practice is performed with the help of others”. We create digital objects that reflect our persona and ultimately have the chance to grab the attention of our star, this can be through a simple tweet, image or the utterly powerful hashtag.

Social media has reinvented the way our stars promote themselves and reach out to their fanbase. Are we saying goodbye to tradition and hello to the influx of egocentrism?

New Age Fashion

Physical and digital.

I question myself as to what my understanding of this relationship is. Although I have come to some conclusion.

Convergence.

Digital crafting is the action of merging a material object i.e shoes, with a form of  technology such as LED lights to create. The convergence of these two concepts come together to create the new phenomenon of LED sneakers.

Wearable technology is ideal in describing craft and digital making – and not only because it is my chosen media platform.

From this weeks lecture and further explored through the tutorial a phrase was said which allowed me to understand this weeks content. ‘Speculative realism‘ – when we look at an object we intend to find the correlation between thought and being.

I agree with this term, in the process of digital crafting manufactures and designers brainstorm the ways in which they can transform a tangible object into a digital artefact. We can explore this through LED sneakers. Below is a DIY video on how to create your own LED Sneakers.

What is happening to the world of journalism?

Citizen Journalism seems to be taking over all types of newsfeeds both in positive and negative ways, the meme I have created above explains my view on the various types of social media commentators.

Journalism has been subject to media convergence which is effectively conveyed through the differences between legacy media and citizen journalism. Legacy media is based around the traditional forms of media such as radio, television or newspaper. Citizen journalism is where citizens of society are using various forms of technology to report on current issues, through statuses, tweets or photographs.

What is the difference?

Citizen journalism is classified as ‘produsage’, where the user has the liberty of creating what they desire with limited gatekeepers. Whereas legacy media you are passively interacting with media sources through listening or reading, and much of the content presented has gone through careful editing and consideration.

Pierre Levy concept of ‘Collective Intelligence‘, communicates the idea that no individual has the ability to comprehend all knowledge of a topic. Rather through technology and various users each are able to add or expand to the topic they are focusing on.

Collective Intelligence is a crucial term in my opinion, when explaining the relationship between citizen journalism and legacy media. Where legacy media presents the forefront of the particular story, citizen journalism then gives the opportunity for individuals to state their opinion or findings in relation to the current event. It also allows instantaneous exposure. We are exposed to a variety of views regarding the trending topic.

Citizen journalism is emerging and will continue to emerge as technology enhances. Rather than assuming that legacy media is fading, citizen journalism is enhancing legacy media and allowing society to interact and enhance the quality of news.

TransWhat?

Thinking about the success of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter or Disney’s Frozen or Marvel’s Avengers, I always thought that the endless amounts of success and ‘obsession’ came from appearances, advertising and various forms of merchandising. Until I was made aware of the term ‘transmedia’.

Transmedia is the act of telling multiple stories over a range of different mediums. Henry Jenkins describes transmedia as being “Represents a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience”. Despite the initial story being told, each medium adjusts and adds their own play on the original story in a sense relating back to last weeks post on ‘remixing’. By having such a widespread of platforms that showcase stories it allows the focus on one particular area or reveals unknown facts about the subject, for example ‘Pottermore‘; the interactive Harry Potter website allows you to play online as a witch or wizard. As the user works their way through the book, each chapter reveals a hidden secret or fact that was not made clear in the coinciding film.

Isn’t this like multimedia but?

NO. Multimedia tells a single story over multiple mediums whereas transmedia showcases multiple stories over multiple forms of media. Transmedia flexibility enhances a sense of realism to the fiction. Game designer Neil young devised the term “additive comprehension” which is the way in which new texts are able to add new pieces of information which broaden our knowledge of the fiction.

Disney is one of the world’s biggest companies, and within this company there are endless amounts of franchises such as Frozen, Toy Story and Mickey Mouse. Disney is an example of its work with transmedia, Mickey Mouse is one of Disney’s first and oldest characters. Over the years we have seen multiple movies based around the character as well as emerging television shows that appear on ‘Disney Junior’ and multiple video games and comics. Through the various types of mediums different fact and takes on Mickey Mouse have emerged which reflects it timeless success and ability to appeal to all new and old ages.

To check out more of Disney in Transmedia check out – http://www.scoop.it/t/transmedia-storytelling-for-the-digital-age/?tag=Disney

It seems as if transmedia has become the pinnacle of many franchises, giving the liberty and ability of expansion that widens the contents audience.

Remix Culture

http://prezi.com/nnpcm0mfhynw/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

On the topic of remixing, I thought I would give Prezi a go.

“Everything is a remix” – Kirby Ferguson

Remix culture has come a long way, with the help of convergent media it will only continue to expand. Over the last several decades music has largely been associated with remixing. Although diving into the world of film, art etc it seems that even what we deem to be ‘original’ is an appropriation of another existing artefact e.g. songs, movies, artworks.

I have found that while myself and many others question the originality of the ‘remixed’ content that is produced, each appropriation has its own unique take on the former product which in a sense I would argue is ‘original’. When we speak about remixing, it is not only copying and pasting elements of project onto a new platform but it is more about what we are incorporating these elements into and how we use it.

Started from the bottom now we’re here.

https://soundcloud.com/miaiorfino18/empowering-our-audiences

So this week I decided to experiment with Soundcloud. I apologise for my voice and the change in tone at times!

We explore the ways in which the convergence of media has empowered its audiences. From my understanding social media allows us to instantaneously share photos, likes and comments. Through this we are becoming active consumers rather than passive. But I also talk about how our empowerment has affected celebrities such as Kim Kardashian through our online activity and persona.

Feel free to leave a comments!

Apples and Aliens.

Society is divided into two categories, apples and aliens. I for one enjoy my fresh fruit, its easy to cut up, easy to digest and I enjoy staying up to date with the freshest fruit on the market. Whereas aliens aren’t particularly my thing, researching about their existence, characterisation and there aesthetics are not appealing to me.

Apple and Android can be described as being on the ‘opposite ends of the spectrum’. In this weeks lecture we were able to delve into the world of technology and analyse the difference between a ‘closed application‘ and a ‘generative platform‘. A closed application represents Apple, Apple products are designed in such a way that limits user access to software and operating system and allows manufactures to retain predominant control. For example each software update is automatically programmed by the existing manufacturer, the user is unable to select certain parts of the update another would be the creation of applications. Apple must approve of its function and make in order for it to progress into the app store. Generative platform coincides with Android, its gives flexibility and innovation to the user. It allows the user to have choice in what they want to do and how they want to modify their device.

Since researching into ‘Wearable Technology‘ as my chosen media platform, I looked at the Apple iWatch and Android wear. This YouTube video explains both types of watches:

From researching the difference between Apple and Android and then comparing the information on each watch, I found that both appear to be exponentially similar. They appear to be locked applications, as they both have software and apps built in to aid to the users everyday needs. They are both generative in the sense that you can customise the clock face as well as the wrist strap, personally I think that these watches defy the barrier between Android and Apple due to their similarities.

Although on the other hand the ‘Pebble Watch‘, an interactive watch that is compatible with both iOS and Android. Many would argue that the Pebble Time Smartwatch is better than both the Android and Apple watch, one reason being that it is able to be compatible with various ecosystems which appeal to a mass market rather than a niche market. This shows that the Pebble Watch is a generative platform, which is preferred over a closed application.

It is interesting when comparing PCs to Macs and Android to iPhones. The general public prefer a locked platform, although when it comes to wearables a generative platform is preferred and is leaves the flexibility to connect one type of technology to the other.

Some food for thought

OMG is that me?

Posting, sharing and commenting are all a part of the social networking world. It is how we communicate with each other and keep up-to-date with the latest news concerning our friends, family and even celebrities. But did you know everything that is put onto social media is then owned by that certain platform?

When it comes to reading the terms and conditions, I will admit I think it is the biggest waste of time.

Image Source

Although until reading about the importance of copyright, I discovered that the terms and conditions are actually a vital part of signing up to each media platform.

Copyright is the legal description of ownership over an individuals work and its creativity, whether it be a book, artwork, phrase or song. The first sign of copyright appeared in 1710 for the Statue of Queen Anne, which granted the owners monopoly for 14 years after publication. The modern foundation of copyright is based around the Berne Convention of 1886 which allowed writers monopoly 50 years after the authors death.

When creating profiles on social media platforms, copyright laws and legislations for the website appear in the terms and conditions. I was intrigued and researched into Facebook and Instagram, to find out what various terms and conditions cover. I first looked at Facebook and it stated:

“You grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it. “ – Facebook Terms of Service

Instagram expressed:

“Instagram does NOT claim ANY ownership rights in the text, files, images, photos, video, sounds, musical works, works of authorship, applications, or any other materials (collectively, “Content”) that you post on or through the Instagram Services. By displaying or publishing (“posting”) any Content on or through the Instagram Services, you hereby grant to Instagram a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, worldwide, limited license to use, modify, delete from, add to, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce and translate such Content, including without limitation distributing part or all of the Site in any media formats through any media channels, except Content not shared publicly (“private”) will not be distributed outside the Instagram Services”.- Instagram Terms of Use

In order to begin using either of the social media networks, terms and conditions must be agreed to. Therefore you are now are permitting the network admin to either use or filter what is being posted. In a sense this can be used to protect the identity of social media as it eliminates the risk of being a platform for violence and abuse.

The modernisation of society is heavily based around the technological movement. Without copyright, there would not be a platform of security either in the ideas you create or the posts you share online.

Maybe next time think twice about agreeing to the TNC’s.

Technology Overload.

As Kenneth Slessor once said “Time flows past them like a hundred yachts”. Time is inevitable and continues to transcend, thus as evolution progresses societal and technological change occur in order to coincide with humanities growth. This is formally explained through Marshall McLuhan’s theory “the medium is the message”.

After several days I have finally grasped this concept. McLuhan breaks down this into two parts; the ‘medium’ and the ‘message’. McLuhan first explains the ‘message’, describing it as being “the change of scare or pace or pattern” that a new innovation brings into society. He brings to light that the ‘message’ is not the ‘medium’ itself where as it is more a reflection of societies attitude towards and encourages us too look beyond the obvious and seek the unknown. An example would be documentaries, whilst it is a form of entertainment and education it also serves as a platform for the individual and showcase their lives to a wider audience giving access to a micro perspective rather than a macro perspective such as magazine ‘gossip’. The ‘medium’ is how we tangibly communicate this ‘message’ and showcasing change such as radio or television.

Image Source

Due to the evolution of society both culturally and socially this concept of ‘medium’ needs to progressively ‘advance’, in order to coincide with the modernization of humanity. Therefore affecting the ‘message’ that is conveyed through these significant creations. Telecommunication began as an experiment creating ‘electrochemical’ telegraphy, which was able to convey a message comprised of Latin numerals and numbers that was sent a few kilometers away. Progressively through time the telephone was introduced and allowed communication between different cities and eventually other parts of the world. In 1973 the first mobile phone was invented which was a branch from the traditional telephone, as it became portable and eased the way communicating occurred.

When comparing the very first mobile phone to todays latest Samsung or iPhone 6, its evolution is remarkable. The latest iPhone now incorporates a camera, GPS and the Internet, which highlights the convergence of different media technologies. Some would say that the ‘iPhone makes life easier’ as it has numerous different functions that apply to our everyday lives, and lessen the gadgets we need to carry in order to complete daily tasks.

Until looking into Marshall McLuhan’s theory of “medium is the message”, I have never formally noticed the drastic changes such mediums have throughout society and how each one conveys a different message and brings to light the ‘non-obvious’. “Control over change would seem to consist in moving not with it but ahead of it. Anticipation gives the power to deflect and control force” (p.199)

Being Welcomed To The World of ‘Professionalism’

Brobdingnagian. Pandiculation.

These are what came up as I googled “long and complicated words”. Going through high school we were ‘advised’ by some to utilise the thesaurus and find bigger words that were able to make our arguments sound more ‘sophisticated’ and ‘professional’. Honestly most of the time my writing lost its meaning, if you were to point out a sentence and ask what a certain word meant 7/10 times it was never in my vocabulary.

You’re now thinking to yourself, why? How can you be a good writer if you can’t understand your own writing?

I asked myself this every time I went to write an essay. Commonly feedback would revolve around ‘try using more sophisticated language to boost your argument’, this was never a strong point of mine.

My first day of Uni contradicted this feedback, we were told in several lectures that the best blogs/articles are written in the simplest form. They utilise simple words and expressions that are able to enhance and give clarity to a point.

By reading some of the posts recommended to us by lectures and investigating authors like George Orwell, I found that even the most timeless writers suggest using simple yet sophisticated language and how this can create a professional tone to your piece of work in the simplest ways.

Being welcomed to the world of ‘professionalism’, is quite daunting at first. Fancy vocabulary is what comes to mind when I first picture what it means to become a professional writer. I will be honest it is very intimidating.

But from reading pieces that come from some of the best writers, is comforting when they explain how simplicity can be utilised in such a way to give your writing clarity and make your audience interested in what you have to tell.

Maybe being welcomed into the world of professionalism, isn’t so intimidating after all.