Category: Jenna Wagner

1. What kind of effects do interactive media, social media, and new media have on traditional media, specifically? If the traditional media incorporated new media, would their online sales/ad revenue increase?

After the reading, I think that new media will have a tremendous impact on the way that traditional media accomplishes its goals. There is a huge shift taking place in the media world. Traditional media is going to have to come on board, or they are going to seize to exist. I think that traditional media will start to incorporate more interactive elements into the way they present their content and information. I think that more interactive elements would definitely help the traditional media’s ad revenue to increase. More people would want to read the content. In the future, however, I don’t think that traditional media will exist though. The shift will be so great, the traditional media will dissolve.

2. Could the increase in media produced by the public increase online advertising sales? Would more people be willing to click these advertisements if the content was produced by the public?

I think this new media has lead to a change in the way people perceive content and also the content they want to receive. As blogging has come into existence, more and more people value what other people have to say. I think opinions are playing a key role in the content we are receiving. This is also a scary thought. I don’t want all of the information to be some else’s opinion. I would prefer my children’s children to know the facts as well, not just what someone’s opinion was.

I don’t think that the change in content would increase advertising sales on the Internet, though. With the way the economy is, I think people are just not willing to spend the extra money. I also feel that a lot of people are scared of online ads. I know I am extremely hesitant to click on an online ad.

3. How much will the reportorial aspect of media change? For example, with blogging, will it transform into a more reportorial trend? (i.e. bloggers becoming more like reporters than commentators?

Blogging is growing more and more as the years progress on. Bloggers are becoming a valued part of the news world. I think that in the future, bloggers will start reporting the news the way they see it, including the facts. I can even see news stations hiring bloggers to report on daily events. This would be a huge shift in the media/news world. It would put the news in the viewers’ hands and allow us to get information even more quickly than we already do.

I am excited for the shift that is occurring within media. Change and progression is always good, I think.

1. What kind of effects do interactive media, social media, and new media have on traditional media, specifically? If the traditional media incorporated new media, would their online sales/ad revenue increase?

2. Could the increase in media produced by the public increase online advertising sales? Would more people be willing to click these advertisements if the content was produced by the public?

3. How much will the reportorial aspect of media change? For example, with blogging, will it transform into a more reportorial trend? (i.e. bloggers becoming more like reporters than commentators?

Benkler

1. How much peer-to-peer sharing is okay? In terms of what should be open source and available for free to users?

After the reading, I have determined that it is quite difficult to determine how much peer-to-peer sharing is okay. I have an interesting opinion about this I think. I try to buy movies and music if I want it and avoid getting copies from friends. However, I feel that a lot of people in culture today think that movies, music, etc. are overly priced and that we are being shafted when it comes to how much we are paying for it. I think this is one of the main reasons why peer-to-peer sharing has become such a problem in the recent years. People simply do not want to pay $20-25 dollars for a movie, when they could get it for free. The whole concept of pirating media brings up an entirely new topic to deal with.

I do not, however, think that everything should be open source and available for free to all users. If this were the case, then there would be no prestige in creating work, because then everyone could have it. It is exactly the same reason as to why music artists got so upset over the Napster case. They created those songs, and wanted to reap the benefits from them. Open source software is a cool thing though. I love it when I can get a program for free and not have to buy it. So there is definitely a conflicting case to be made about what media should be free.

2. What can motivate us, as designers, to produce information, knowing that other people are going to use it? Should we be okay with wanting to inspire other people from our work?

After thinking about this question again, I do not think that it is really relevant. We, as designers, should be honored for other people to like our work enough to want to be inspired from it and use it. After all, this is one of the reasons why we create work. We want it to inspire creativity in other people.

Shirky

3. Is everyone really capable of “publishing” in today’s culture? How can we truly define publishing and the art of being a professional?

After the reading, I have determined that with the way that media is turning these days in our culture, it truly does seem that everyone can publish. After all, it seems that some people are getting jobs because of their blogging capabilities. The example mentioned in the book about the lost phone, was very representative of this. Evan simply published a website about the lost phone, and people reacted to it immediately. It just goes to show that anything you put on the web is “published” and made available for anyone to see. We are all capable of publishing work, we don’t necessarily have to be a professional in the field. With the changing media, the definition of publishing and being a professional has changed drastically. You no longer have to be a professional in our field to publish something. I am sure that the media will continue to change and these ideas will change along with it.

In response to Taylor’s question of “Has the growth of mass media use led to the depletion of “close-knit” or “strong” affiliation relationships? I feel that mass media has hurt some relationships in our culture today. Think about it, how many young relationships fail because one person gets mad that some other person is posting stuff on their boyfriend/girlfriend’s Facebook wall? A lot of this also has to deal with trust. I feel like as a culture, we are trusting people less and less.

Benkler

1. How much peer-to-peer sharing is okay? In terms of what should be open source and available for free to users?

2. What can motivate us, as designers, to produce information, knowing that other people are going to use it? Should we be okay with wanting to inspire other people from our work?

Shirky

3. Is everyone really capable of “publishing” in today’s culture? How can we truly define publishing and the art of being a professional?

1. How do technology and mass communication relate to each other and is social media included in this definition of technology?

The reading explains that producing mass media to massive audiences is a fairly new idea. The printing press has been around for several hundred years; however, “the technologies for recording, preserving, and transmitting sounds and moving images appeared much more recently”, according to our textbook. The “penny press” was the first to produce newspapers to mass audiences. The book states that the beginning of the modern newspaper era “can be seen as the dawn of American mass communication”. The invention of steam engines and the telegraph during the Industrial Revolution also led to technological development.

America has progressed in technology extremely fast. At the turn of the 20th century, magazines, books, printed advertising, the phonograph, motion picture cinemas, and radio all were introduced and were fighting for America’s attention. Ever since then, we have been growing into a technological power house. New things are being developed everyday.

I enjoyed reading about the history of America’s technology. I find it extremely interesting to see where we have come from and it makes me excited to think about where we are going. As far as the “social media” aspect of my question, I think that our technology is getting extremely advanced. However, I do not consider social media a type of technology. I do, however, feel that the tools that are use to participate in social media will get more advanced. Who knows what the next step will be after having Facebook and Twitter on cell phones, but I am excited for the future.

2. Does an active audience think about theory the way that we are interactive media artists do? How do we interpret what an active audience is looking for in media?

I think I have come to discover that an audience does not thinking about theory whenever they are choosing a medium or when they are involved in the media. They actively seek out which medium best suits their needs and represents what they are trying to discover. I think we, as designers, can only conduct research to discover what it is that an active audience is looking for. I feel like different audiences uses different mediums at different points in time. A designer simply needs to keep up with the trends and conduct research to discover what it is that their target audience is looking for.

3. Do all of the theories mentioned in the chapters relate to each other in some way? What theory is best suitable for an audience in interactive media?

I have come to discover than no theory in particular is the perfect theory for an audience. I do, however, think that all the theories coincide with each other in some way. I feel like whenever you are working with a specific audience, research is the best way to start. A designer/developer can theorize about something all day; however, until they conduct the research, the theory is worthless.

In response to my classmate’s question of “Who is ultimately responsible for conveying the truth to the public?”, this is an interesting question to ask. I could ponder it for a long time. However, in today’s culture, I think that the government and the media try to convey the “truth” the American public. However, what do we really define as the truth? Also, can we ever really know what the truth is? I feel like sometimes we only know what we are told. This is a scary though, especially in today’s world. Should we all just follow and tell what we believe to be true? Maybe we should rely on anyone else to tell us the truth. Maybe we should be telling the truth for ourselves. Interesting question to ponder.

Fan Disconnection: Interactivity and Social Media in Motorsports

Racing is something that has been a part of my life since I was little. I have grown up around Nascar all my life. I have also been racing since I was 16 years old. As I dive deeper into Interactive Media and what I want to do with the rest of my life, I am beginning to go back to my roots. I know that after I graduate from the iMedia program that I want to work in some form of racing. Therefore, I have begun to question the sport of racing from a marketing and social media perspective.

As I have been thinking about this research project I have been considering my true passion of racing. As we talk more and more about social media and interactivity in class, I have been thinking about racing in general from a social media stand point. I have realized that there is a true lack of social media in the racing world compared to other sports. For example, many other athletes tweet about their lives personally and professionally. Not many Nascar drivers or racecar drivers in general, if any, tweet on a regular basis. I think that fans need to have that connection with the drivers, and they are simply not getting it. I have formulated the hypothesis that the lack of fan interaction from many different angles, including social media, is why Nascar and other racing are struggling at this point.

Through my research, I hope to answer the question as to why social media is not used as much within motorsports as it is in other sports? Does this have an impact on motorsports fans? Is this disconnection what is causing the sport to lose fans? All of these questions bring interesting insights and value to the topic. If something is not done to challenge the way that fans perceive the sport, I am fearful that Nascar and other racing will begin a downward spiral. People are simply not as interested in the sport as they used to be. There has to be some reason for this, and I am determined to figure it out.

I also want to touch on interactivity in my research. How do motorsports fans interact with social media, websites, and brands? How much attention do fans pay to the marketing and branding that goes on within the sport? Ultimately, with answering all of these previously mentioned questions, I hope to provide new insight to the topic of social media in motorsports and to expand on the ideas of marketing, interactivity and social media.

The method of collection is an important part in the research process. My research will be based partly on previous research in social media and marketing in other sports and partly on my own research. I plan to conduct interviews of both interactive media professionals and professionals within motorsports. I also want to formulate a focus group to allow me to get the opinions of fans of the racing world.

There are so many different angles that I could take with this research. I hope that as I am conducting the research, my topic will become even more narrowed and insightful. This topic is a true passion of mine and I hope that it will add value to the sport of racing and impact the way that professionals in the sport think about the fans.

1. How do technology and mass communication relate to each other and is social media included in this definition of technology?

2. Does an active audience think about theory the way that we are interactive media artists do? How do we interpret what an active audience is looking for in media?

3. Do all of the theories mentioned in the chapters relate to each other in some way? What theory is best suitable for an audience in interactive media?

1. I never knew that you could theorize about anything you want to. The textbook and class discussions have opened my eyes to a lot of different things. For example, going over the theories in class was an interesting learning experience. I had no idea there were so many different theories that could relate to interactive media and to us as designers and developers. Therefore, the first questions that I asked at the beginning of the week were valid questions. Since I have never had a theory class before, it is opening my eyes to a whole new realm of interactive media. For example, I never knew there were so many ways to measure a theory. From class discussions and activities, I have learned that there are a variety of things to consider when you question or analyze a theory.

2. In response to my second question, “How can we, as US citizens, make sure that the ideas we are receiving from the media are correct and not just theorized ideas the directors came up with?” I think that this question still poses an interesting point. I think there is really no true way to know for sure that someone is not just theorizing about something. However, from the class discussions and textbook, I have realized that there are many ways to analyze a theory (from scope, to validity, to heuristic value, etc.) If there is something in question in the news, I could always do research on the subject matter and analyze the topic based on the criteria we learned in class.

3. In response to the third question I asked, “What can we do to make sure that we communicate effectively through the different mediums as well?” The book doesn’t really touch on this subject too much yet; however, I think my answer is slowly coming to me. I think that being a good communicator is all about knowing your audience and knowing how to relate to your audience. If I know who my audience is and the mediums they choose to work with, I think I can get my points across to them in a way they will understand and respect.

Nicole makes a valid point when she talks about the Political Economy of the Media Theory. She poses the question “Which came first: consumer influence or media influence?” This is an interesting thought to consider. I feel like in today’s culture, people are influenced greatly by the media. They think, feel, and believe what the media tell them to. I’m not going to get on my soap box yet and bring up the concerns that I have for my future children and the way the media will influence them. However, I do feel that the media influence on today’s culture is becoming a huge issue.

Whenever I opened our book and seriously thought about what I was getting ready to read, I thought, theory??? But after reading the first chapter, it really sparked my interest. I have never really taken a theory class before; however, I think I have always linked theory, research, and knowledge together.

1. The book stated that theory is answering questions that offer explanations or predictions about how some aspect of the world works. I don’t think that I ever really thought theory related to anything in interactive media. For example, what are some examples of how interactive media and theory go together? What do people in the interactive media field theorize about? The book touched on this subject a little; however, I am still a little confused as to how many topics within the field can actually be questioned.

2. The book mentioned the media as it pertains to the news and how communication and theory affects news outlets. How can we, as US citizens, make sure that the ideas we are receiving from the media are correct and not just theorized ideas the directors came up with?

3. There are many different ways that we can get information. I think that being in the interactive media field opens us up to a whole new line of communication. New information is always being thrown at us from every angle. What can we do to make sure that we communicate effectively through the different mediums as well?