Convergence

The author describes convergence culture as “describ[ing] technological, industrial, cultural, and social changes in the ways media circulates within our culture.” The circulation of media con- tent must have the active participation of consumers. The author describes creative engagement as a way to“document conflicting perspectives on media change rather than to critique them. I don’t think we can meaningfully critique convergence until it is more fully understood; yet if the public doesn’t get some insights into the discussions that are taking place, they will have little to no input into decisions that will dramatically change their relationship to media.” Essentially he is saying that creative engagement allows people to analyze the subject at hand and enables them to think critically of the subject, further broadening their understandings. By having a clearer understanding of topics, individuals are more capable of effectively participate in convergence.

Long Tail

Through class discussion and Chris Anderson’s video on Long Tail Theory, I’ve understood that this theory finds selling small amounts of hard-to-find items to consumers just as important as selling large volumes of few products. A personal example of this is when I was in the market for a Johnny Flynn vinyl but I couldn’t necessarily find it in the record store. After recognizing that this item is not a common vinyl in the United States I decided to search for it on Amazon. After finding it on Amazon and recognizing that the product is more available and less expensive than buying in a store, it proved to be a more efficient and effective means of buying vinyl. Through my online consumer behavior on Amazon, I find that it relates to the cross-subsidies model and the simplifier segment. I use Amazon often and so I finally made the switch to Amazon Prime, which allows for “free two day shipping”. I wanted the products featured on Amazon (the products that entice me) and through the demand for these products I was willing to pay to $99 a year in order to receive these benefits. The shipping is “free” but in reality I am paying for the shipping upfront through purchasing an Amazon Prime account.In terms of the simplifier segment, Amazon has proven to be a reliable source of getting the precise object that I want. I wanted a Johnny Flynn album and with one simple search on Amazon I was easily able to purchase the product.

New Media and Technology

5 Ways New Media Are Changing Politics I recommend this article because I feel like it gives a good indication as to where new media and technology is leading our political system (among other facets in our country). It was an interesting view of how technology is shaping our decision making process. While the Internet allows us to obtain large amounts of information, it was interesting to me how the article addressed how people are becoming more inclined to become selective viewers. After reading this article I began to analyze what news sources and other Internet sites I use to obtain information and why I choose specific sites. In class we have discussed what makes sites appealing to us and I have realized that has a lot to do with what sources I access. This is a big deal because in retrospect the more appealing the sites are (even if the content doesn’t adhere to the highest standards of validity) the more people will access them. Therefore, I think it is safe to say that websites have a lot of manipulation and by creating an interface that is appealing has the potential to influence people and the way in which they acquire information.

Network Laws

I think that Reed’s Law makes most sense in regards to evaluating networks because it scales exponentially with the size of the network. It recognizes the size of the network and it focuses on distinguishing relationships, providing meaning to networks by looking at how network affiliations use social networks and what kinds of groups formulate as a result. Unlike the other laws I think that this has a more substantial impact because it looks at multiple variables rather than simply gathering ratings or evaluating communication values through an undefined value. Unlike Sarnoff’s Law and Metcalfe’s Law, Reed’s Law works primarily in gathering insight on “meaningful” interactions, by looking at the causation of networks formed. What I mean by this is that Sarnoff’s viewership does not entail the value or success of traditional broadcasting, rather it is just a measure of reach. Simply reaching many people does not calculate value, it means there was a certain amount of exposure (doesn’t include significance). In regards to Metcalfe’s law, valuing assumes that there are different factors to which makes something better or worse in a relationship, this law simple follows the practice of a level playing field, making all networks equal. I think that within the next five years people will continue to get their information from smartphones and tablets. I think that the technology will heighten and that there will be quicker and more efficient applications to make it easier to obtain information, but I foresee smartphones and tablets holding their ground within the next couple years. Portability and reliability are major factors of consumer happiness so if these two factors are placed in one manageable device, which they already are, this will maintain its dominance as an information provider. I also think that people will remain using laptops, but that like with the smartphones and tablets, I think that computers will continue to be smaller, more portable, and have advanced programming to adhere to the users needs and desires.

Why We Blog

The Why we blog article investigated blog practices as a form of personal communication and expression by conducting in-depth interviews with bloggers in and around Stanford University. The study focused on blogging practices and blogging motivations (blogs as documentation, commentary, catharsis, muse and community forum). I found this article to be especially interesting in that it took blogs and analyzed its meaning as a form of medium. Today, there are an increasing amount of mediums to communicate through, and through reading this article I see there is a lot to be said as to why blogs have become more popular. There is tremendous diversity in blog content, as well as many different types of bloggers, which essentially means the sky is the limit for users. Blogs are at the disposal of users, allowing bloggers to create whatever content they want, when they want and how often they want. This article did a fine job at narrowing the key motivations as to why people blog and to what discretion they use when they do blog. I thought the idea of the blogger’s personal ethics code to be a riveting attribution to blogs as a medium. It is under my impression that there is no censorship of personal blogs, and so it is an interesting assessment that people must decide for themselves what ethical principles they will adhere too. In terms of their blogging, will they remain under the hegemonic practices, refraining from cussing, criticizing, etc.? Or will they engage in counter behavior? Will they post regularly or infrequently? I think that these are actual concerns for people to decide when maintaining a blog as to not let it impede on ones personal life or to negatively affect someone else. In terms of motivations, I thought this article brought great perspective into why people choose to make a blog in the first place. I think when people have the desire to create a blog whether it be to document ones life, for personal commentary, for catharsis, as a muse, as a community forum it can completely determine how the blog is managed. In my opinion, I think it is important to establish your reason for blogging from the get-go because then it allows you realize your personal ethics code. If I am using this for personal use, I will manage my privacy and only allow others to view information I am comfortable revealing. If I am planning on leaving information up for discussion, I will use different speech to engage others. Overall, I found this article to be a great transition for me as a new blogger because it lets me understand the importance of examining my own practices and motivations of blogging. Through the study I was able to determine what type of blogger I intend to be and to what discretion my content will be.

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