Reflective Essay
I’ve completed seven collegiate level English courses but this one, by far, will be the most memorable. Participatory Culture at the heart of it all, the pedagogical value of this course elaborates not only about the history of social expression but also new, modern methods of doing so, with emphasis on social activism. As a child of the 90s, the internet has never been strange and it’s difficult to recall a time in when it didn’t exist as an option for whatever the need. As technology progressed, our access and knowledge of it did as well. We pride ourselves on my familiarity with different websites and applications and are complacent about our standing until a new form emerges. But, it’s important to look backward before looking forward. The history of social media extends far past the advent of the internet. Issues of copyright and proliferation of content have long been matters of great debate. The era of participatory culture began with the exchange of the first letter. But today, it’s manifested into numerous different formats, accessible to all.
Beginning with the class blog, this course has been centered on the use of digital presentation of mass media. The concepts of authorship and production mixed with viewership and consumption amass the grand idea of the prosumer. We are all producers and consumers of content in the digital realm. Equal parts creator and spectator, all participants have an equal stake in the output that is generated. Through shared-space platforms such as blogs, each participant has an equal opportunity to contribute to the conversation. We construct an idea, build upon each other’s concepts, reformat content, and then generate something entirely new. This is the art of the remix. It’s a delicate balance between copying and reinvigorating that often leads to intense dispute. As technology advances, the legislation to regulate ownership struggles to remain relevant.
In publishing our course assignments, it was made especially important to note that reproduction of material was made possible by our protect rights as students of an educational institution. The avoidance of copyright infringement is as large a part of participatory culture as the content itself. The concept of copyrights as law first emerged in the 1700s as English attempt to regulate book publishing. It was an early attempt to combat piracy and privatize ownership of intellectual works but since then, it’s been an integral part of legislation especially in the United States. Where copyright laws protected creators from private control, the First Amendment of the United States constitution protected creators against State control. This allows the prosumers (producers and consumers) of the digital era to freely create and disburse through the use of the internet the content that perpetuates our modern culture. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 is the first copyright law in United States history that directly addresses internet’s role in consumption and production. This act explicates highly criminalized violations in an early attempt to slow the progression of illegal reproduction at the start of the Age of Information. Less than 20 years later, the pursuit continues in efforts to protect creators whilst careful not to limit access to content. This becomes especially important when discussing social media platforms.
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and subsidiaries comprise today’s largest methods of social production of media. These platforms have immense potential to do great justice and aid in political revolutions. Where once periodicals and news anchors were society’s main form of media activism, tactical media has filled the role. This course afford the opportunity to take advantage of the mechanism that is tactical media, allowing students to create platforms that both educate and prompt viewers to participate in a low stakes environment. But this gives way to possibly the greatest con of these social media platforms, the birth of slacktivism. It becomes increasingly difficult to engage society into any real forms of participation when individuals feel equally gratified by simply clicking a “Like” button or joining a fan page. Our student-run tactical media projects positioned us to actively engage with a cause of importance but indirectly forced us to combat the problem of slacktivism and clicktivism in explicitly requesting action. Real engagement doesn’t necessarily involve leaving the setting of one’s home, but it does require leaving the setting of one’s comfort zone; it requires effort.
The internet based participatory culture of today faces many challenges, the biggest perhaps being society’s shortened attention span. As the leading generation for social media, it’s our job advance methods of social activism. The culmination of this course bridged each mini assignment into one final project. In a sense, we each contributed to the cause of ending slacktivism. Our tactical media websites used BitStrips, Memes, Infographic, and videos to illustrate our cause in a highly appealing and engaging manner. We aimed to devoid participants of the illusion of meaningful participation by offering active commitment, a disappearing art.
Beginning with the class blog, this course has been centered on the use of digital presentation of mass media. The concepts of authorship and production mixed with viewership and consumption amass the grand idea of the prosumer. We are all producers and consumers of content in the digital realm. Equal parts creator and spectator, all participants have an equal stake in the output that is generated. Through shared-space platforms such as blogs, each participant has an equal opportunity to contribute to the conversation. We construct an idea, build upon each other’s concepts, reformat content, and then generate something entirely new. This is the art of the remix. It’s a delicate balance between copying and reinvigorating that often leads to intense dispute. As technology advances, the legislation to regulate ownership struggles to remain relevant.
In publishing our course assignments, it was made especially important to note that reproduction of material was made possible by our protect rights as students of an educational institution. The avoidance of copyright infringement is as large a part of participatory culture as the content itself. The concept of copyrights as law first emerged in the 1700s as English attempt to regulate book publishing. It was an early attempt to combat piracy and privatize ownership of intellectual works but since then, it’s been an integral part of legislation especially in the United States. Where copyright laws protected creators from private control, the First Amendment of the United States constitution protected creators against State control. This allows the prosumers (producers and consumers) of the digital era to freely create and disburse through the use of the internet the content that perpetuates our modern culture. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 is the first copyright law in United States history that directly addresses internet’s role in consumption and production. This act explicates highly criminalized violations in an early attempt to slow the progression of illegal reproduction at the start of the Age of Information. Less than 20 years later, the pursuit continues in efforts to protect creators whilst careful not to limit access to content. This becomes especially important when discussing social media platforms.
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube and subsidiaries comprise today’s largest methods of social production of media. These platforms have immense potential to do great justice and aid in political revolutions. Where once periodicals and news anchors were society’s main form of media activism, tactical media has filled the role. This course afford the opportunity to take advantage of the mechanism that is tactical media, allowing students to create platforms that both educate and prompt viewers to participate in a low stakes environment. But this gives way to possibly the greatest con of these social media platforms, the birth of slacktivism. It becomes increasingly difficult to engage society into any real forms of participation when individuals feel equally gratified by simply clicking a “Like” button or joining a fan page. Our student-run tactical media projects positioned us to actively engage with a cause of importance but indirectly forced us to combat the problem of slacktivism and clicktivism in explicitly requesting action. Real engagement doesn’t necessarily involve leaving the setting of one’s home, but it does require leaving the setting of one’s comfort zone; it requires effort.
The internet based participatory culture of today faces many challenges, the biggest perhaps being society’s shortened attention span. As the leading generation for social media, it’s our job advance methods of social activism. The culmination of this course bridged each mini assignment into one final project. In a sense, we each contributed to the cause of ending slacktivism. Our tactical media websites used BitStrips, Memes, Infographic, and videos to illustrate our cause in a highly appealing and engaging manner. We aimed to devoid participants of the illusion of meaningful participation by offering active commitment, a disappearing art.