Response 1 & 1B – SarahS
RESPONSE 1B
1- Child-Marriage is seen as a huge problem in foreign countries, however within the US this is a massive issue that is legal in most states, yet the victims are silenced by these laws.
2- Aggregate, Automate, and Visualize Data: Compile the information on these laws in an attractive graphic that is easy to read. Create posters with images of children getting married with a caption like, “would you believe this is legal in most US states?”
Crowdsource the Job: Create a website that allows for victims of child-marriage to speak up. Ask them to create videos explaining their experience.
Upstage the Man: Go to officials who have support child-marriage laws and/or shut down bills that are attempting to put these laws in place against child marriage and ask them for a comment or explanation. Or do it at a local govt meeting and get it on video. Create an uncomfortable stir.
3- Everyone is my target audience. I could create a viral video and pass it on to different websites that are aware of this issue. Also creating posters, images for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc… and videos for all platforms as well.
I. WHAT IS NEW MEDIA?
Describe the hallmark characteristics of New Media. How do you think this changes who has the power to “define reality” via the media? Give an example of where this might be the case. (2-3 paragraphs)
In the article, What is New Media, there are two significant hallmarks that were pointed out. The first hallmark being that “Uniquely individualized information can simultaneously be delivered or displayed to a potentially infinite number of people.” The second hallmark listed in the article is that “Each of the people involved — whether publisher, broadcasters, or consumer — shares equal and reciprocal control over that content.”
What these two hallmarks indicate is a change in how people are seeing reality. In this way, if someone wants to only see certain articles and content of a particular persuasion, that is entirely possible. In the article, it seems that the author was stating that in New Media reality is changed because of the relationship between user and distributor. With modern advancements, the New Media in society learns what the user is interested in, and adapts to it. If someone finds themselves frequenting online clothing stores, then the current technology in place will recognize that and suddenly that person will starting seeing more ads and suggestions for online clothing stores. Similarly, if one only wants to see right-wing influenced websites and articles, new media will allow for an increased amount of right-winged propaganda and websites to appear, seemingly like magic. That type of influence can and will dramatically change one’s reality, as they are receiving an incredibly narrow point of view.
II. NEW MEDIA STRATEGIES
After reading the article, answer the following questions (you should cut/paste the questions from exercise 1 into your post, then your answer of solution B or B copying the full answer, then your explanation for why this is the correct answer; for exercise 2, just post the single problem you are choosing and follow with your brainstorm/solutions)
EXERCISE 1: WHICH IS THE NEW MEDIA SOLUTION?
For each of the following past capstone ideas, identify which solution embodies the “many-to-many” principle and which one doesn’t and explain why in 1-2 paragraphs.
PROBLEM: A DISAPPEARING LANGUAGE
Ian Larson wanted to help preserve the Passamaquoddy language from extinction.
Solution B Distribute laptops with video cameras to schoolkids in the Passamaquoddy community, and ask them to record their grandparents telling stories in Passamaquoddy. Upload these to a Web site along with the grandparents’ definitions of particular words used in the story, and make these words searchable via a tag cloud.
This is the correct answer because it is using a number of the New Media Strategies. It’s using the “Distribute and Collect Information” strategy by providing the kids with their own means of information collection and then allowing many people to collect that information. It is also a textbook example of “Crowdsourcing”, which is defined as asking a community or the general public to contribute to a problem that would normally be resolved by experts.
PROBLEM: NEGLECTED RUINS
Evan Habeeb wanted to make people aware of the beauty of abandoned buildings.
Solution B Build a Web site that allows adventurers to print stickers they can leave behind in abandoned buildings they explore. Create the stickers so they can be scanned by a mobile phone to reveal a Web site built to feature photographs taken by those explorers.
This is an example of “DIY” because it’s allowing the people themselves to print out the sticker and put it on the abandoned building. I believe it is also a case of “Mobilizing People” because it’s taking an army of adventurers, giving them a task, and then setting them free to do it themselves in these homes.
PROBLEM: MISUNDERSTANDING COMPUTER ANIMATION
Ryan Schaller and Jason Walker wanted to help people understand the many layers required to create a computer-animated film, including wireframe, textures, and light effects. As a case study, they created an animation depicting a cartoon archeologist digging for ancient artifacts.
Solution A Design and build a touch-screen interface that allows viewers to “rub” away layers of the film with their hands to reveal previous stages of the animation as it plays.
Not only does this seem like a more elegant solution, but with people who are already having issues understanding technology, I don’t think a bunch of reading and images of archeology is going to engage their interests. With this solution, it mobilizes the user and allows them to interact while simultaneously feeding them information.
PROBLEM: A BROKEN FOUNTAIN
Danielle Gagner wanted to renovate the waterfall fountain under the skylight in the middle of the University Union, which had fallen into disrepair.
Solution A Repurpose the existing plumbing to irrigate a garden planted in the former fountain. Research the types of plants that would grow well together at different levels of the fountain, and meet with dining hall staff to find out what herbs or vegetables they might add to salads and other offerings. Then plant these in collaboration with the sustainable agriculture club on campus, and invite students to pick the resulting parsley, strawberries, and other fares from the garden for their lunch.
I picked this as the answer because it seems to serve the community in a way that the other didn’t. I’d say that this is a way of “Crowdsourcing”. Not the usual way, however, her use of the dining hall employees and her collaboration with the sustainable agriculture club on campus is crowdsourcing as well as “Tapping into Local Networks”. Her idea of keeping the local community in mind and repurposing the waterfall fountain is unique and an excellent use of resources whereas the other solution would’ve been just a waste of electricity.
EXERCISE 2: INVENT YOUR OWN MANY-TO-MANY SOLUTIONS
Pick one of the following problems and brainstorm a solution that embodies a many-to-many approach. Describe your solution in two or more paragraphs.
EDUCATIONAL BOOKS ARE BORING
How can you help educational writers make use of appealing formats like comic books?
CROWDSOURCE THE JOB: Initially make a Facebook community or a website asking the people to ask questions about the educational topic. What have they always wondered about a certain issue? How does a certain thing in the world work? Addressing the curiosity of the people could lead them to want to read more into a book.
AGGREGATE, AUTOMATE, AND VISUALIZE DATA: Create an interactive book with highlights to the questions collected in the previous crowdsourcing step. Also allow for interesting pictures, drawings, and charts to engage interest.
SHARE WHAT WAS INACCESSIBLE: There could be a way for (say, it was a geology textbook) kids from all over the world to upload their examples of “X type of rock” or whatever, so more information and examples can be shown. Plus, it would get the kids to mobilize and be excited about the topic.
III. THEATER OF THE OPPRESSED
How does media oppress people in this article, and how does Boal try to give that power back to people? How does he use humor to do this? (2-3 paragraphs)
Boal uses interaction with the “Spectactors” as a way to give power to the people. Humor is created through the comfortability of the people to say what they feel, which, in the case of Invisible Theater, can result in some comedy.
How can New Media accomplish a similar goal? give a few examples. You can add projects we review in class, but you might want to start by trying to think of some yourself. (2 paragraphs)
One thought on “Response 1 & 1B – SarahS”
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Description of new media is clear and examples helpful; but what about the big change from hierarchy (1-many), to network (many-many). Does this concentrate or distribute power? What does the mean for humans in a new media culture?
What I really liked seeing in your writing, is a stem of new media strategies and tactics–it’s clear you are developing a sense of these conceptually–and you can ink this to technical solutions too!
Try reading the Boal more deeply, as he really is the “source” for the kind of political theater of YES Men and other New media performers.