A2 MEDIA STUDIES -G325

Section B: COLLECTIVE IDENTITY

Lesson 11

Teenagers Online

» The rise of the Internet as a place to shop, play and socialise has led to some interesting arguments about the value of Web 2.0

» The two main discussion points are:

» CONVERGENCE

» IDENTITY

Digital Convergence» How much do you remember about convergence?

» We are living in an age when changes in communications, storytelling and information technologies are reshaping almost every aspect of contemporary life -- including how we create, consume, learn, and interact with each other. A whole range of new technologies enable consumers to archive, annotate, appropriate, and recirculate media content and in the process, these technologies have altered the ways that consumers interact with core institutions of government, education, and commerce. (Jenkins, 2006)

Digital Identity

» “Identities are not ‘given’ but are constructed and negotiated” (Gauntlett, 2003)

» In what ways do you construct your own Identity?

Some Examples

» Catfish Trailer

» Catfish (TV) Trailer

What is a Catfish?

» Vince, talking with Nev, tells a story. He says that when live cod were shipped to Asia from North America, the fish's inactivity in their tanks resulted in only mushy flesh reaching the destination; but fishermen found that putting catfish in the tanks with the cod kept them active, and thus ensured the quality of the fish.

» Vince talks of how there are people in everyone's lives who keep us active, always on our toes and always thinking. It is implied that he believes Angela to be such a person.

Henry Jenkins» ConceptsParticipatory Culture

» Explanation

» As technology continues to enable new avenues for communication, collaboration, and circulation of ideas, it has also given rise to new opportunities for consumers to create their own content. Barriers like time and money are beginning to become less significant to large groups of consumers.

» For example, the creation of movies once required large amounts of expensive equipment, but now movie clips can be made with equipment that is affordable to a growing number of people. The ease with which consumers create new material has also grown. Extensive knowledge of computer programming is no longer necessary to create content on the internet.

» Media sharing over the Internet acts as a platform to invite users to participate and create communities that share similar interests through duplicated sources, original content, and repurposed material

Henry Jenkins» Affiliations— memberships, formal and informal, in online

communities centered around various forms of media, such as Friendster, Facebook, message boards, metagaming, game clans, or MySpace).

» Expressions— producing new creative forms, such as digital sampling, skinning and modding, fan videomaking, fan fiction writing, zines, mash-ups).

» Collaborative Problem-solving— working together in teams, formal and informal, to complete tasks and develop new knowledge (such as through Wikipedia, alternative reality gaming, spoiling).

» Circulations— Shaping the flow of media (such as podcasting, blogging)