We are human, Aren't we?

"The concept of 'human' is unthinkable without technology but we act as if it is"
(Shaw, 2008: p.81)

Shaw opens the chapter with a paraphrase of the quote from Stiegler (1998) where he claims "The human [..] invents himself in the technical by inventing the tool - by becoming exteriorised techno-logically" (p.141)

Shaw is talking about the means which we find out for ourself that we are human. The technological advancements in departments such as health and sports, help us program, monitor and test out bodies to see if everything is running as it should be. The idea that there needs to be blood pumping around out bodies to be alive, only came about after Galem understanding of our veins and hearts. This was later proved to be incorrect, when William Harvey's findings, which were aided by technology, showed that blood came from and to the heart. 

We can also look at different objects which hold a similar principle. For example, gender, race, age, class. These are things which are highlighted in our society, more than what they should be. Of course, race and gender have their obvious technicalities, but society uses these to categorise humans into separate groups, as if to divide us. Shaw re-refences to the quote made ealier in the chapter, which said that "bodies are obsolete", (Shaw, 2008: 81) and pushes this even further, saying that the human body in society is "dependent on accepted differentiations" (Shaw, 2008:87)

Gender is the most prolific of this differentiation. As with the first 30 seconds of being born, a baby is judged on whether it is male or female. Its a baby, a human, but according to society, it has already been deemed as to which class it will be placed in.

I can never imagine a society without these classes. It will never happen.

Bibliography
Shaw, D. (2008), Technoculture: The Key Concepts, Oxford Press.
Stiegler, B. (Technics and Time, 1: The Fault of Epimetheus. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

Media, Technology and Convergence

"Old Media are not being displaced. Rather, their functions and status are shifted by introduction of new technology's" (Jenkins, 2008 p.16)

Jenkins explains during the course of his book that there is a dynamic shift between older mediums and technologies such as "the word-processing program converged with the typewriter" (Jenkins, 2008, p.5). Most technologies derive from older versions of the next version. Updates,  Recreations and Reinterpretations of the same thing making it feel new. Convergence being a form of forced teamwork, technology takes on a working progress of multiple abilities. Streaming platforms now a convergent of Television and Internet spaces shows the development of modern re imaginations by global brands such as BBC with the Iplayer.

Internet available Televisions known as 'Smart Televisions' have access to streaming broadcasters such as BBC, 4oD and Netflix. Although it seems like a great idea, one flaw always stands above the rest. The end user. Unable to understand or wont let themselves understand because they don't want to see it as a re-imagined form of Television. The Convergence of these technologies forces those end users to take a side they prefer

With all the technologies forming into one device creates an inevitable question, what can we put in it next? Jenkins talks about being at the New Orleans Media Experience, which was to discuss the future of media with its technologies. Jenkins suggests that those participants of the conference had taken a different approach towards the event, instead of visiting the conference to view ways of changing the media industry, they come to look for the "just right - the right investments, predictions, and business models" (Jenkins, 2008 p.7). Being happy with just getting by, business being more money making rather than life changing. If these companies insist on giving their consumers products that have all singing all dancing technologies and no one understands it, How does this help our future developments? Are they just reinventing the wheel for no reason?


Bibliography:

Jenkins, H., 2008. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide Revised., NYU Press.

Convergence, Media Ownership and Consumer Participation

Convergence is an increasingly common term in debates about New Media. However,  convergence does not imply a replacement of old media by new media, contrary to what many people believe. Rather,  it is a collaboration and a combination of platforms, new forms of content and the active role of the consumer.

“Convergence involves both a change in the way media is produced and a change in the way media is consumed” (Jenkins, 2008, p16).  It is a process that is driven by both corporate companies and consumers. On the one hand, media companies are learning to control the flow of content in order to reach the largest audience and to increase their profit.  On the other hand, consumers are also exercising  increasing control over content and interaction with other consumers.  However, the main question to be asked is whether the phenomenon of convergence is beneficial for society or not.

Therefore, the consequences of media ownership are of particular concern, especially since only a limited number of big media companies seem to dominate the whole media and entertainment industry. An example of such a company is Warner Bros., which has shifted attention away from a singular focus on films to a focus on the entertainment industry in general, producing popular music, computer games, web sites, toys and books (Jenkins, 2008, p16). As a result, this can contribute to a decline in the variety of offers. Then again, big media corporations can also positively contribute to more competence of the producers and the quality of products.

Moreover, the term convergence also implies a cultural shift, as consumers are playing an increasingly active role in the creation of content. To describe this shift, Henry Jenkins uses the term participatory culture (Jenkins, 2008, p3).  However, Jenkins also acknowledges that in this participatory culture, not all individuals are equal in their ability to participate. He states that “corporations (…) still exert greater power than any individual consumer or even the aggregate of consumers. And some consumers have greater abilities to participate in this emerging culture than others.” (Jenkins, 2008, p3). The main problem remains both an unequal access to new technologies, as well as the lack of skills, which results in exclusion of certain groups of people in this so-called participatory culture.



Bibliography
Jenkins, H., 2008. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide Revised., NYU Press.