Auto-cultivation

In Creeber’s chapter “Digital theory: theorizing New Media”, he draws a line between old and new media by situating them into different historical periods of time, namely modernism and postmodernism. Old media is positioned in modernism, which is combined with a pessimistic theoretical framework approach, carried out by the Frankfurt School. A cultural shift occurred to postmodernism, in which new media play the main role. Postmodernist theory suggests an active audience with a developing public sphere (cf. Habermans)(Creeber, 2009, pp. 11-17).

Both in Creeber’s and Jenkins’ work, the notion of New Media combined with participatory culture is ubiquitous (Creeber, 2009, p. 19 & Jenkins, 2006, p. 3). This interactivity of the consumers, such as Web 2.0., implies a difference in  the consumption of media (Jenkins, 2006, p. 17). The ‘audience’, creating their own content with relatively equal power as the ‘media producers’, now face new opportunities, but also challenges to keep the content flow. In this respect, taking into account the Cultivation Theory by Gerbner might be useful. With old media, it was clear that, as Creeber states it too, one dominate ideology was cultivating the audience. However, applying this theory to New Media results in the understanding that now, audience have to cultivate themselves. With an unequal access to the New Media and less possibility to gate keep the information flow, those who have greater abilities to participate in this emerging culture (Jenkins, p. 3), which are usually the higher socio-economic classes, become the beholders of the ‘truth’, deciding what content will be consumed.

Furthermore, the Old Media theory of the hypodermic needle effect model should not be neglected. Media, whether old or new, do not differ in the fact that they both exercise consistent effects on those receiving it. But important to recognize is that the nature of the effects are changing. With the ‘audience’ as the main content provider, the content of the media is differing,  which is usually stated by critics as a decline in quality. And off course, it is self-evident that different content implies different influences.

Bibliography

Creeber, G. (2009) DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: where old and new media collide. revised version. NYU Press.

Automated media, rise of the machines?

Lev Manovich has identified how factors, such as computerisation, have changed medias function and social significance while new media takes its place as the staple of the digital age. Manovich "reduces all principles of new media to five: numerical  representation, modularity, automation, variability and cultural transcoding", identifying the key factors which differentiate old and new media (Manovich, 2002, pg.44). All new media is now made up of "digital code" and so "becomes programmable", allowing computers to store, produce and distribute our media (Manovich, 2002, pg.49). Before technology was just a tool for media, just a calculator which aided us but with technological advancements it now shares in the creative production process.

Manovich notes how "human intentionally can be removed from the creative process, at least in part", software such as Photoshop, creates, edits and filters our content for us at the click of a button, taking most human interaction out of new media (Manovich, 2002, pg.53). Are we being limited by computers? By relying on automated technology, we take a back seat in creating media compared to the manual processes of old media. We live in a society "now concerned as much with accessing and re-using existing media as with creating new one" (Manovich, 2002, pg.55). If everyone is re-using existing media, this may stunt the creative possibility's of new media, leaving us with ideas that will never be imagined.

Artificial intelligence becomes ever more real, as computerised controls such as "software agents" filters our media for what it deems relevant, using our information and profiles to adapt new media around us (Manovich, 2002, pg.55). Creating a Big Brother mentality, as we are being monitored, controlled and restricted by computer technology. Although as seen in video games, this control is merely an illusion  by "AI engines" which "use a variety of approaches to simulate human intelligence", restricting our own choices to fit within the rules of its own digital world (Manovich, 2002, pg.54). Though digitization has also given the user more control over time and media, such as through "random access"(Manovich, 2002, pg.67). By rejecting the "human-centered" order of old media such as the fixed order of videotapes, it allows time to be "managed, analysed and manipulated more easily"(Manovich, 2002, pg.67).

Bibliography
Manovich, L. (2002) The Language Of New Media, (Cambridge, Mass, :London MIT 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 culture, An Introduction.

Convergence culture is not simply "the flow of content across multiple media platforms", it cannot be summed up in the action of using a mobile to watch TV (Jenkins, 2008, p2). It is a new media network of shared ideas and knowledge, "a cultural shift as consumers are encouraged to seek out new information and make connections among dispersed  media content" (Jenkins, 2008, p3). No longer is the individual a powerless, passive consumer, but instead multitasking, sharing, exploring and interacting with other participants though multiple media, creating the media experience they desire. Without "participatory culture", creating a "buzz", media industry's would lose their power and influence over the masses, decreasing their media contents value (Jenkins,2008, p3). Identifying the significance of social networking where new media community's come together to create a "collective intelligence" (Jenkins, 2008, p4). Although empowering the participant, giving them mediums to share and create. The media industry's still build and control the mediums, using participants for the industry's own gain, such as how Facebook users generate most of the content.

Consumers are significant in "driving the process" of convergence, they are the active core mechanism which determines how to use and connect media platforms for their own media experience (Jenkins, 2008, p8). Identifying how singular platforms no longer maintain interest, no one wants a mobile that's just a mobile; they want a more connective experience. Where each mediums quality's and functions can connect and compensate for another's, such as using "games to explore ideas that couldn't fit within two-hour films"(Jenkins, 2008,p9), creating a richer media experience. This experience is delivered through "delivery systems" which are "only technologies", they become obsolete in our fast past consumer society (Jenkins, 2008, p14). What stays constant is the "media", the "cultural systems", rooted in our culture, our media desires, constantly evolving to meet society's needs (Jenkins, 2008, p14). Convergence resolves our need for on the go access to multiple media quickly and efficiently and will only grow more complex with time.

Although convergence is by no means harmonious, instead a "perpetual tangle" of different "specialized" mediums trying to intertwine and dominate one another (Jenkins, 2008, p15). With different functions, software's and intended uses "There is no single black box", but instead a mass of devices filling our homes (Jenkins, 2008, p16).

Bibliography
Jenkins, H. (2008) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, 2nd revised edition, NYU Press

Convergence and participatory culture

"Welcome to convergence culture (...), where the power of the media producer and the power of the media consumer interact in unpredictable ways." (Jenkins, 2008, p2). Convergence is described as a process where different industries work together and the boundaries between different media fade. In this introduction Jenkins highlights the active participation of media consumers as a key feature of this process. It seems as if convergence culture would not exist if the consumer hadn't changed. However it remains unclear whether today's "active" consumer is actually different from yesterday's traditional media users.

The term "participatory culture" brings the image to mind of an engaged community where everybody's voice is heard, like Plato's utopian democracy. But just as there was no role for women and slaves in Plato's state, not everybody's voice is heard in this participatory culture either. Jenkins (2008, p3) acknowledges this by saying that "(n)ot all participants are created equal", but with this he mainly seems to aim at corporate media. However, it could be argued that the "active" audience is merely a small elite group. Research shows that the digital divide still exists both within (Van Deursen and Van Dijk, 2013) and between countries (Bacao et al., 2012). This means that there are large differences in access and ability to use technology.

Even if you look at the consumers who use New Media (almost) every day, the question remains whether they are really as active as Jenkins seems to suggest. When looking at Youtube for instance -for Jenkins says this evolution is still mainly restricted to recreational life - it becomes clear that most visitors don't actually upload videos or even comment on them and that the active produsers are just a small group. It looks like many users still use New Media in similar ways as the passive, old media.

Jenkins -like Time magazine in electing "you" person of the year- seems to be too convinced of a widespread participatory culture. Technology may have already changed a great deal in the process of convergence, but the evolution of the user still seems to be at an early stage.

Bibliography
Bacao, F., Cruz-Jesus, F. and Oliveira, T. (2012) Digital divide across the European Union, Information and Management, 49 (6), pp.288-289.
Jenkins, H., 2008. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide Revised., NYU Press.
Van Deurzen, A. J. and Van Dijk, J. A. (2013) The digital divide shifts to differences in usage, New Media and Society, 0 (0), pp. 14-16.