Monday, November 1, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Fantasy Convergence
As the internet and all of its many functions continue to change, the link between the internet and participatory culture has continued to grow stronger. In recent years, the explosion of social networking sites alone serves as sufficient evidence of the ever-increasing sense of community and convergence experienced online. We are currently seeing a trend in which different online communities are popping up everywhere. Whatever your niche is, chances are you can find a group of people involved with some form of social networking site, who share your same interest. These communities stretch beyond common interest and into a realm of intimate personal communication and connection. In this essay, I will examine a fantasy football league and how this an example of participatory culture and media convergence experienced online. While this may seem trivial on the surface, I will use examples from our class readings, videos, and discussions to demonstrate how a fantasy football league facilitates an intimate level of personal communication through different media platforms for those involved.
I am personally in a fantasy football league that is hosted by Yahoo. For the purpose of this essay, it is important to understand the basics on how a fantasy football league works. There are fourteen people in my league. The first step towards creating your fantasy football team is the draft. This step also requires everyone in the league to be online at the same time. We picked a time when everyone was free and could be in front of a computer. The draft picks are generated randomly. If you are lucky enough to draw the first round selection, you draft your first player then watch as the other thirteen people select their first pick respectively. This process continues until everyone has selected their entire roster. It took us about an hour and a half to complete. The fantasy season correlates with the NFL’s season. Every week, you play a different person from your league. The players you drafted acquire your points according to their performance on the field that week. For example, your quarterback will put up one point for every twenty passing yards he has. He will give you three points every time he throws for a touchdown. Points are deducted from negative stats, such as interceptions. When all of your players have completed their games you will win your matchup for the week if they had better performances than your fantasy opponent’s.
The interaction among fantasy league members does not stop once you have selected your team. Rosters can constantly change because you can make trades with other people. You can propose a trade to anyone and they can accept or deny your offer. There is even a “trash talk” link available to show you who else is signed into their fantasy account, if you wish to make some friendly conversation with them. Fantasy football is an excellent example of convergence culture, especially when it comes to different media platforms. Since I have joined a fantasy league, I am incapable of watching a football game on television without my computer right by my side. The internet is now pivotal to my football viewing experience because I can keep track of my weekly matchup as it is played out. If my running back scores a touchdown, I stare at my computer screen for the five seconds it takes to credit his points to my team total with an application called stat tracker. Stat tracker also allows me to view all the details of every other match up in the league. I have two roommates who are also in my league, so every Sunday and Monday night you will find three people watching television with three laptops close at hand.
This example of media convergence focuses primarily on the fusion of two different technologies. Jenkins states that convergence is less about technology and more about communication. He believes that, “Convergence occurs within the brains of individual consumers and through their social interactions with others” (Jenkins, 3). I believe convergence is about both the physical technologies and thoughts and interactions. There is no convergence without cognition. People must identify how to use converging technologies before they can interact with others within their context. I can interact with people without using technology. If I do not understand how to utilize a computer to set up a fantasy team, I cannot interact with people within that specific social network comprised of converging mediums. Both parts are equally necessary. The converging technologies facilitate a place for interaction.
One part of the Wesch lecture at the Library of Congress particularly stood out to me. Towards the end of the presentation he showed a compilation of different individual’s hands. All the hands had text written on the inside with a general theme of unity. Some of the hands read things like: “one world”, “we are all connected,” and “come together.” In this instance, I felt like seeing was more powerful than hearing. It was useful to include because sometimes simple imagery has a more lasting impression than words from a man behind a podium. The imagery encompassed his main idea. The internet, through many different outlets and forums is increasingly contributing to a community where users feel personally connected with each other. It is becoming more and more intimate.
`In his lecture, Wesch stated that when media changes, human relationships will also change. This perfectly encompasses the entire idea of convergence culture. Technology is not killing personal human communication. It is enhancing it in every way it possibly can. As I mentioned previously, we must first identify the change and familiarize ourselves with it. If you can do that, you will find that a sense of community and connection will open itself in ways that you never would have imagined.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Euthanasia Hacking Class
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/06/2865643.htm
I found the nature of this article very interesting. The Australian government plans to set up an internet filter that will block certain websites containing information about illegal activities. One of those websites is that of a pro-euthanasia group called Exit International. Euthanasia is illegal in Australia, but that will not stop people from finding information on the issue if the groups founder, Dr. Phillip Nitshke can do anything about it. Exit International is holding seminars in different citys around Australia to teach elderly people how to bypass the government mandated internet filter. Dr. Nitske says that, "The idea seems to be increased use of censorship as a means of curtailing or stifling public comment and debate on the issue." Exit International believes that the elderly population has a right to information regarding euthanasia regardless of the government's stance on the issue. Increasing enrollment in the hacking classes suggests that the Australian elderly share the same belief.
I found the nature of this article very interesting. The Australian government plans to set up an internet filter that will block certain websites containing information about illegal activities. One of those websites is that of a pro-euthanasia group called Exit International. Euthanasia is illegal in Australia, but that will not stop people from finding information on the issue if the groups founder, Dr. Phillip Nitshke can do anything about it. Exit International is holding seminars in different citys around Australia to teach elderly people how to bypass the government mandated internet filter. Dr. Nitske says that, "The idea seems to be increased use of censorship as a means of curtailing or stifling public comment and debate on the issue." Exit International believes that the elderly population has a right to information regarding euthanasia regardless of the government's stance on the issue. Increasing enrollment in the hacking classes suggests that the Australian elderly share the same belief.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
1st Blog Essay
It is extremely difficult to imagine life without the internet. The internet has become a routine part of everyday life and manifested itself in our culture. It is the vessel businesses use to keep in touch with clients, children use for entertainment, and people working full-time jobs use to attain a college degree. It is virtually an endless source of information available at the click of a button. When considering this, I guess it is not surprising how fast such a new technology has imbedded itself so deep into our way of life. Sometimes it seems as though the internet has always been. Facebook alone has become so popular and relevant that it is hard to recollect the pre-Facebook age. This was especially evident to me when I was reading over the instructions for this assignment. I really had to rack my brain to remember some of my first encounters with the internet. The internet’s significance makes it seem incredibly older than it actually is. It seems as though man’s discovery of the internet was the equivalent to his discovery of fire or the invention of the wheel. With that in mind, I will try to the best of my abilities to recall ancient history for you.
I was in elementary school when I had my first encounter with the internet. As far as I can remember, my friend Daniel was the first person to have an internet accessible computer in his house. He was the only one out of all my friends. When he would have a sleep over after one of our coach pitch baseball games, we would all be gathered around the computer screen. It was a big deal because none of us other kids had been exposed to this before. I distinctly remember the sound the computer would make as the dial-up modem connected to the internet. We created our own neighborhoods with the Sims program and our own amusement parks with Rollercoaster Tycoon. We also searched the internet for cheat codes for Playstation and Super Nintendo video games. I am sure we were also doing other Ninja Turtle type things as well. I can recall Daniel’s mother yelling from downstairs that we need to get off the computer because we were tying up the phone line for too long. The distinction between dial-up and DSL internet connection is comparable to the earth’s Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras. Each bringing about new changes and advances in evolution that changed the way people live and interact within each time frame and context. As the early evolution of the internet continued to advance it carried over to my middle school years with a new craze. AIM was wildly popular by the time I was an early teenager. All of my friends were using it and we would have conversations among three and four people at a time. I can remember updating my away messages and my profile and looking at others to see what my friends were doing. The sound of a door opening would come over the speakers every time a new friend signed online and I would hurry to look and see who it was. I would spend hours on weeknights talking to my friends about school, football practice, and what we were going to do the next day. Now AIM seems dead and has been replaced by Facebook. This is further evidence of the fast paced nature of the internet. What is new today is old tomorrow. Change is inevitable. While they may not have ever envisioned these changes would occur so rapidly and evolve to be so complex, Bush and Hawthorne both understood the central idea.
Bush and Hawthorne address change in technology in their respective writings that we read and discussed in class. However, they both take completely different approaches. I believe that Bush focused more on what technological advancement meant for our world in an academic setting and Hawthorne emphasized its’ impact on social constructs and interactions. Bush discusses how technology has been used in the depletion of human life and well being. He believed we should turn our attention to ways that will help improve our quality of life. Bush thought technology should be used not as a weapon, but as a means of “Progressive freedom.” His memex device would aid in this by helping researches, scientists, and scholars share information. It would be much faster and more efficient. If someone had already researched a specific topic you could build further upon their research because you wouldn’t have to do everything they had just done. His idea is very impressive for his time and very predictive of the nature of the internet. However, I tend to be more of a skeptic. Bush focused on all the positive qualities and potential without really addressing the possible consequences.
Hawthorne seems as though he would be a car salesman’s toughest customer. He would look the car over with a keen eye for any scratches or scuffs. He would never settle for a price he thought to be too high. This is the way he approached the wood stove. He looked at it very carefully and weighed the pros and cons. He came to conclude that the price we as a people would have to pay for the stove was too high. It would compromise social meaning and interaction. We would lose one of the essential components of our humanity. Human communication through physical conversation would be choked out by this new invention. To a certain extent, this has happened with the inception and development of the internet. I mentioned earlier, a room full of elementary school aged boys sitting around a computer screen. We sat there until we were told we had to get off of the computer. Before Daniel got that computer, we always played basketball when we went to his house. We played for hours until it was time to wash up and eat dinner. The internet has done amazing things for society and it has also contributed to lazier less personal society. Everything is available with that one click of a button. I know sometimes I do not want to cook dinner. So instead of cooking, or even talking to another person at a drive-through window, I can get online, place an order on the Boone Takeout website, and have it brought to my house. Is this a convenience or just another step towards an ever progressing less personal society? Newspapers all around the country are dying fast because there is not much they have to offer that the internet does not. What will be next? Will we lose the need for libraries and printed books? A more compelling question is what would that mean for our society? Hawthorne made a prediction about the direction of our interaction with each other. I do not know if it will come true or not, but I do believe he definitely has enough evidence to make a good case.
I was in elementary school when I had my first encounter with the internet. As far as I can remember, my friend Daniel was the first person to have an internet accessible computer in his house. He was the only one out of all my friends. When he would have a sleep over after one of our coach pitch baseball games, we would all be gathered around the computer screen. It was a big deal because none of us other kids had been exposed to this before. I distinctly remember the sound the computer would make as the dial-up modem connected to the internet. We created our own neighborhoods with the Sims program and our own amusement parks with Rollercoaster Tycoon. We also searched the internet for cheat codes for Playstation and Super Nintendo video games. I am sure we were also doing other Ninja Turtle type things as well. I can recall Daniel’s mother yelling from downstairs that we need to get off the computer because we were tying up the phone line for too long. The distinction between dial-up and DSL internet connection is comparable to the earth’s Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras. Each bringing about new changes and advances in evolution that changed the way people live and interact within each time frame and context. As the early evolution of the internet continued to advance it carried over to my middle school years with a new craze. AIM was wildly popular by the time I was an early teenager. All of my friends were using it and we would have conversations among three and four people at a time. I can remember updating my away messages and my profile and looking at others to see what my friends were doing. The sound of a door opening would come over the speakers every time a new friend signed online and I would hurry to look and see who it was. I would spend hours on weeknights talking to my friends about school, football practice, and what we were going to do the next day. Now AIM seems dead and has been replaced by Facebook. This is further evidence of the fast paced nature of the internet. What is new today is old tomorrow. Change is inevitable. While they may not have ever envisioned these changes would occur so rapidly and evolve to be so complex, Bush and Hawthorne both understood the central idea.
Bush and Hawthorne address change in technology in their respective writings that we read and discussed in class. However, they both take completely different approaches. I believe that Bush focused more on what technological advancement meant for our world in an academic setting and Hawthorne emphasized its’ impact on social constructs and interactions. Bush discusses how technology has been used in the depletion of human life and well being. He believed we should turn our attention to ways that will help improve our quality of life. Bush thought technology should be used not as a weapon, but as a means of “Progressive freedom.” His memex device would aid in this by helping researches, scientists, and scholars share information. It would be much faster and more efficient. If someone had already researched a specific topic you could build further upon their research because you wouldn’t have to do everything they had just done. His idea is very impressive for his time and very predictive of the nature of the internet. However, I tend to be more of a skeptic. Bush focused on all the positive qualities and potential without really addressing the possible consequences.
Hawthorne seems as though he would be a car salesman’s toughest customer. He would look the car over with a keen eye for any scratches or scuffs. He would never settle for a price he thought to be too high. This is the way he approached the wood stove. He looked at it very carefully and weighed the pros and cons. He came to conclude that the price we as a people would have to pay for the stove was too high. It would compromise social meaning and interaction. We would lose one of the essential components of our humanity. Human communication through physical conversation would be choked out by this new invention. To a certain extent, this has happened with the inception and development of the internet. I mentioned earlier, a room full of elementary school aged boys sitting around a computer screen. We sat there until we were told we had to get off of the computer. Before Daniel got that computer, we always played basketball when we went to his house. We played for hours until it was time to wash up and eat dinner. The internet has done amazing things for society and it has also contributed to lazier less personal society. Everything is available with that one click of a button. I know sometimes I do not want to cook dinner. So instead of cooking, or even talking to another person at a drive-through window, I can get online, place an order on the Boone Takeout website, and have it brought to my house. Is this a convenience or just another step towards an ever progressing less personal society? Newspapers all around the country are dying fast because there is not much they have to offer that the internet does not. What will be next? Will we lose the need for libraries and printed books? A more compelling question is what would that mean for our society? Hawthorne made a prediction about the direction of our interaction with each other. I do not know if it will come true or not, but I do believe he definitely has enough evidence to make a good case.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Dangers of the Internet
http://www.netsmartz.org/news/dec02-02.htm
This link has an article about a girl who was murdered by a man she met on an online chat room. I found it ironic, given the material we have been discussing in class. Bush was way ahead of his time in thinking of a device that would be capable of networking and file sharing. I think it would be safe to say that in his inception of the idea he had only pure intentions. He believed that we should use our technological advances for the common good and improvement of our society. The internet has developed and is probally more complex than Bush could have ever imagined. However, this story goes to show that the internet is not always used with the betterment of society in mind. It is like anything else. It can be used to achieve great good and it can prove to be deadly. The motives of those using any technolgy determine the impact that technology has on our society.
This link has an article about a girl who was murdered by a man she met on an online chat room. I found it ironic, given the material we have been discussing in class. Bush was way ahead of his time in thinking of a device that would be capable of networking and file sharing. I think it would be safe to say that in his inception of the idea he had only pure intentions. He believed that we should use our technological advances for the common good and improvement of our society. The internet has developed and is probally more complex than Bush could have ever imagined. However, this story goes to show that the internet is not always used with the betterment of society in mind. It is like anything else. It can be used to achieve great good and it can prove to be deadly. The motives of those using any technolgy determine the impact that technology has on our society.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
HBO Eastbound and Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPKUhXkP7tY&feature=related
This is a clip from an HBO comedy series that I think is one of the funnier shows on tv. If you've never seen it, it's about a washed up ex-MLB pitcher who blew all his money and had to move back to his hometown and coach middle school PE.
This is a clip from an HBO comedy series that I think is one of the funnier shows on tv. If you've never seen it, it's about a washed up ex-MLB pitcher who blew all his money and had to move back to his hometown and coach middle school PE.
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