Week 7 Entry

In addition to their role as consumable products and information sources, new media are increasingly the basis on which entire careers and even industries are established. These industries extend beyond gatekeeper roles such as information technology support and web programming and into micro sections where companies exist only to perform small, behind-the-scenes roles that are essential to the maintenance and further development of new media. Some of these companies include application developers, website monitors and even online gamers. Because of the size and apparent invisibility of such firms, employment and participation with them is often carried out in a manner that in contrast to traditional media and offline industries is rather informal, relying more on “who you know,” as opposed to “what you know,” (Gill 2007, 25).

Gill (2007) uses qualitative information gathered through an interview methodology to explain these human resources informalities in the new media sector and the inherent challenges they bring about.  The subjects of the interviews touch on issues such as low income, lonely work environments and isolated working conditions, as well as poor networking opportunities and client acquisition. I believe that because by its very definition new media is new, the industry structure has yet to develop into one that offers improved opportunities for its practitioner, including a sustainable revenue model and better pathways for both client and inter-organizational networking.

Reference:

Gill, R. (2007). Informality is the New Black. In Technobohemians or the new Cybertariat? New Media work in Amsterdam a decade after the web. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures: 24-30 & 38-43.

Week 6 Entry

Society’s adoption of new media into everyday practices has over the past 15 years made drastic changes to the ways that people approach searching for information. Even with topics as personal as health and wellbeing, advanced Internet searches have the potential to not only change the traditional model of information exchange, but also to alter the very relationships between the various parties involved in the process (Wyatt et al, 2008). Lewis (2006) suggests that one of the many affects that this metamorphosis has had on the health industry is that the responsibility for looking after one’s own health has shifted further towards the individual and away from the government or broader society. But while there are benefits to this easier access to information – issues do arise over the credibility of some online sources and how they compare to a non-virtual health professional. Not all online sources of health information can be shown to have the patient or searcher’s health benefits as their primary interest. There is also the issue of subjectivity, some health information, especially that regarding treatments or diagnosis, cannot be applied to all readers, whether or not they do is better left to the discretion and expertise of a qualified health care professional. 

References:

Lewis, T. (2006). Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria? Media, Culture & Society, volume 28, issue 4: 521-539.

Wyatt, S., Harris, R. and Wathen, N. (2008). The Go-Betweens: Health, Technology and Info(r)mediation. In Mediating Health Information: The Go-Betweens in a Changing Socio-Technical Landscape. Sally Wyatt, Nadine Wathen and Roma Harris (eds), pp. 1-12. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Week 5 Entry

The dynamic media environment in which modern consumers exist allows for changes in the not only the way that we use media as a communication tool but also in the way that we interact with it on both a behavioural and intellectual level. Deuze (2011) proposes that media and communications studies be conducted with a consideration to the viewpoint that reality exists in media, as opposed to with it. This idea comes with the suggestion that media has become so inherent in our social interactions that it effectively becomes “invisible,” shaping our respective lives without us noticing.

I would agree with this concept to some extent, media has always played an essential role in shaping social practices, as do all products of mass production. That said, consumers in western society at least hold a certain degree of control over the ways they use media, as different individuals and cultures consume it in different ways. This is reflected in a Bell’s (2006) paper on the incorporation and appropriation of mobile phones into culture as items that impact on their owner’s social capital. Also noted in this paper was the avoidant approach that some user’s had towards adopting the apparent culture of mobile phone use – further supporting my view that consumers do have a choice on how they consume media and content and technology.

References:

Bell, G. (2006). The Age of the Thumb: a Cultural Reading of Mobile Technologies from Asia. In Knowledge, Technology & Policy. 19 (2), 41-57.

Deuze, M. (2011) Media life. In Media, Culture & Society. 33 (1), 137-148.

Week 4 entry

With the introduction and adoption of new communication technologies the question reoccurs whether the Government controls the media or the media control the government. Shirky (2011) takes the optimistic view that social media gives society, through improved communicative freedom, an opportunity to extend the boundaries of the public sphere and include a broader variety citizens into political debate. I certainly agree with this point – social media in its essence is designed to introduce people with common interests in a virtual space where discussion and debate can occur in the public eye. This does to some extent empower citizens under authoritarian governments, as Shirky (2011) cites, giving them better organisation and influence in uprisings or demonstrations. As such, it should be the role of libertarian governments to maintain citizens’ right to communicative freedom.

This does however raise the next question of morality in regards to freedom of speech online. Hamelink (2006, 119) uses examples of moral issues relating to Internet freedom such as candid, unauthorised photography, cyber-bullying and software piracy. In other media and in offline society, there are laws and recognised guidelines that define what is appropriate however in such a large, constantly changing space as the world-wide-web, it is neither possible nor practical to enforce laws without inhibiting an individual’s right to speech. It should then be the responsibility of the user to decide what content is and isn’t appropriate for their own use and managing serious Internet crime such as child pornography and fraud should be the focus of government regulation as per local law.

References:

Hamelink, C. (2006). The Ethics of the Internet: Can we cope with Lies and Deceit on the Net? In Ideologies of the Internet, K. Sarikakis & Daya Thussu, pp. 115-130. New Jersey: Hampton Press.

Shirky, C. (2011). The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change in Foreign Affairs. Volume 90, Issue 1;  pg. 28, 15 pgs

Playlist is Character? (Week 3 Blog)

Playlist is character - Levy (2006, pp.23) proposes this concept that has been assumed knowledge amongst social groups since the iPod first conquered the realm of portable music. It certainly can’t be denied that an individual’s choice of music does offer a degree of reflection on their personality, however I disagree with the notion that the music on your iPod is “not just what you like – It’s who you are,” as Levy (2006, 26) suggests. Rather, I would put forward that an individual’s playlist is a selection of music, which somebody else wrote, performed and recorded, for the enjoyment and interpretation of consumers. By Levy’s rationale, if a stranger looked at my playlist without meeting me first, they would be able to draw the conclusion that I was an urban hipster, probably wearing skinny jeans and thick-rimmed glasses, an assumption that couldn’t be further from the truth. That said, an individual’s iPod playlist does offer a reflection on their personality because certain types of music apply different levels appeal to certain types of people, however what someone listens to on the train to work doesn’t come close to being definitive of their character.

Reference:

Levy, S. 2006. The perfect thing: how the ipod shuffles commerce, culture and coolness. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.