Kate Crawford’s ‘Noise, Now: Listening to networks’ draws attention to the constant upgrades, transitions and technological advances threatening the structure and functioning of society. It also touches on the present-day reality of social media and technology now controlling us instead of us controlling it.
I found the comment given by a gentlemen in Venice in 1899 from Crawford’s article to be quite fascinating, ‘the nearest motorized vehicle was far away, but sporadic outdoor conversation in the alley below my bedroom window… effectively murdered sleep’ (p. 65).
This same problem is demonstrated today through social media and networking. Taking place of people below windows carrying out real life verbal conversations are the mobile phone and laptop society utilizing devices containing many social media technologies such as twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Skype and a countless catalogue of other addictive and must have technologies, continuing to deprive people of sleep and rob them of time to live productive and fulfilling lives. From my own experience as an adolescent living through such a rapidly growing period of technological advancement I can recall many times of just scraping deadlines in VCE and suffering from severe lack of sleep due to procrastination and dependency on the many services the internet and mobile phones have to offer.
Crawford introduces the reader to Adam Greenfield, who jokingly proposes opening a café chain which contains technologies that block electromagnetic interference therefore no wifi, no web, no e-mail, which emphasizes the eeriness of us as human beings needing an outside party to control and limit our use of social media created by ourselves (p. 69).
Bibliography:
Crawford, K., 2010, ‘Noise, Now: Listening to Networks’ in Meanjin Quarterly, Vol. 69, No. 2, pp. 64-9.
http://ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?url=http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=201006209;res=APAFT
Thursday 19 May 2011
Monday 9 May 2011
Week 10: 'Networking'
Paul Booths ‘Rereading Fandom: MySpace Character Personas and Narrative identification’ (2008), delivers the interesting concept of ‘transmediation’, a concept created by Henry Jenkins (2006) which, from my understanding is a mode of advertising involved with creating a narrative which is then dispersed through a number of different mediums to target a mass market of people.
Booths article focuses particularly on social networks and the way in which ‘using their own fan created texts’ has not only for the consumer but producer, reinvented the structure and practice of narrative reading and consuming as a whole. It also explores the new found freedom of fabricating personas through social networks and denying who you truthfully are to attain a deeper connection with particular television show, book or movie character/s.
This creation of something you’re not in order to fit in and have easy accessibility in doing so was a facet of this concept I found very fascinating. When thinking about school and even uni life there are countless examples such as dressing a particular way, making certain life choices such as drinking, smoking or even choosing who and who not to talk to which fall into this mould of deception and reconstruction to target the desired audience.
I think this idea captures the essence of transmediation and narrative construction and identification as a whole, as in order to target the audience of interest the narrative must converge with as many point as possible and involve the audience on a much more diverse level making it more than the earlier one dimensional system of producer and consumer but now a three dimensional narrative system in which the audience interacts and has control and identity within the narrative of their choosing.
Bibiolography:
Booth, P., 2008, ‘Rereading Fandom: MySpace Character Personas and Narrative Identification’ in Critical Studies in Media Communication, Vol. 25, No. 5, pp 514-536.
http://ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?url=http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a904854605~f rm=titlelink
Booths article focuses particularly on social networks and the way in which ‘using their own fan created texts’ has not only for the consumer but producer, reinvented the structure and practice of narrative reading and consuming as a whole. It also explores the new found freedom of fabricating personas through social networks and denying who you truthfully are to attain a deeper connection with particular television show, book or movie character/s.
This creation of something you’re not in order to fit in and have easy accessibility in doing so was a facet of this concept I found very fascinating. When thinking about school and even uni life there are countless examples such as dressing a particular way, making certain life choices such as drinking, smoking or even choosing who and who not to talk to which fall into this mould of deception and reconstruction to target the desired audience.
I think this idea captures the essence of transmediation and narrative construction and identification as a whole, as in order to target the audience of interest the narrative must converge with as many point as possible and involve the audience on a much more diverse level making it more than the earlier one dimensional system of producer and consumer but now a three dimensional narrative system in which the audience interacts and has control and identity within the narrative of their choosing.
Bibiolography:
Booth, P., 2008, ‘Rereading Fandom: MySpace Character Personas and Narrative Identification’ in Critical Studies in Media Communication, Vol. 25, No. 5, pp 514-536.
http://ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?url=http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a904854605~f rm=titlelink
Tuesday 3 May 2011
Week 09 media lit blog: ‘Othering’
Article: compulsory sexuality and lesbian experience
Adrienne Rich confronts a very sensitive and critical issue in her article ‘Compulsory Heterosexuality and lesbian existence’ which, looks at the idea of heterosexuality being the ‘normal’ way of life, as well as the way in which this norm has influenced feminism and the role of women past and present. She states that ‘’A feminist critique of compulsory heterosexual orientation for women is long overdue’ (p. 229). Through juxtaposing heterosexual and lesbian existence Rich points out that feminist beliefs and concerns have ways of limiting and disadvantaging women as a collective group and is in dire need of review.
Interesting generalisations in relation to lesbian relationships are critiqued in Rich’s argument such as the act of being a lesbian resulting from a bitterness towards men (p.229) I find the ‘acting out on bitterness towards men idea’ to be quite distasteful and inaccurate in generalising the motives and feelings of lesbians. A similar train of thought could be- the generalisation that all fat people are fat due to acting out on their bitterness towards thin people, which, of course is completely ridiculous and capricious generalisation to take up.
Jennifer Miller also known, as ‘the bearded lady’ is a person I thought was of great relevance to this subject matter. When asked in an interview ‘Why do you think people are so interested by that? (In regards to her refusal to shave/ remove her facial hair) she had this to say ‘Well it crosses gender boundaries, so that’s fascinating, that’s just endlessly fascinating. Why is it fascinating to people? I don’t know. It’s probably fascinating to people because we’re all in constant, if not battle-dialogue or interesting levels of interaction with the many sides of ourselves that might not always fit in our prescribed gender roles.’
The idea of ‘prescribed gender roles’ is a huge component of Rich’s contention, the idea of women’s roles being to satisfy men, men who have throughout history denied women their sexuality, confined, overpowered, objectified and withheld from societies knowledge and cultural attainments. (p.233)
Bibliography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoschCAdpjs
Rich, A., 1993, ‘Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence’ in The Gay and Lesbian Studies Reader, Routledge, New York, pp. 227-254.
Found on through http://ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?url=http://onlineres.swin.edu.au/572513.pdf
Adrienne Rich confronts a very sensitive and critical issue in her article ‘Compulsory Heterosexuality and lesbian existence’ which, looks at the idea of heterosexuality being the ‘normal’ way of life, as well as the way in which this norm has influenced feminism and the role of women past and present. She states that ‘’A feminist critique of compulsory heterosexual orientation for women is long overdue’ (p. 229). Through juxtaposing heterosexual and lesbian existence Rich points out that feminist beliefs and concerns have ways of limiting and disadvantaging women as a collective group and is in dire need of review.
Interesting generalisations in relation to lesbian relationships are critiqued in Rich’s argument such as the act of being a lesbian resulting from a bitterness towards men (p.229) I find the ‘acting out on bitterness towards men idea’ to be quite distasteful and inaccurate in generalising the motives and feelings of lesbians. A similar train of thought could be- the generalisation that all fat people are fat due to acting out on their bitterness towards thin people, which, of course is completely ridiculous and capricious generalisation to take up.
Jennifer Miller also known, as ‘the bearded lady’ is a person I thought was of great relevance to this subject matter. When asked in an interview ‘Why do you think people are so interested by that? (In regards to her refusal to shave/ remove her facial hair) she had this to say ‘Well it crosses gender boundaries, so that’s fascinating, that’s just endlessly fascinating. Why is it fascinating to people? I don’t know. It’s probably fascinating to people because we’re all in constant, if not battle-dialogue or interesting levels of interaction with the many sides of ourselves that might not always fit in our prescribed gender roles.’
The idea of ‘prescribed gender roles’ is a huge component of Rich’s contention, the idea of women’s roles being to satisfy men, men who have throughout history denied women their sexuality, confined, overpowered, objectified and withheld from societies knowledge and cultural attainments. (p.233)
Bibliography
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoschCAdpjs
Rich, A., 1993, ‘Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence’ in The Gay and Lesbian Studies Reader, Routledge, New York, pp. 227-254.
Found on through http://ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/login?url=http://onlineres.swin.edu.au/572513.pdf
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