https://youtu.be/6bO87w7q794
Having finished our respective parts of the project, it’s time for us to reconvene and pool together what we’ve learnt. Through her research and interviews with musicians, a Facebook page administrator and a model, Dusty found that many said they were not particularly affected by their audience’s feedback and therefore would not take it on board if it were negative. However, praise from audience members had more effect on them than anything and would allow them to keep making works of the same nature that continue to satisfy their viewers. The interactivity of their audience seems to help grow a certain style in their creative processes.
This was similar to what Maggie found in her research into YouTube. A more tailored form of interactivity exists on YouTube, where users such as Epic Rap Battles or Shane Dawson utilise fan comments to actively adapt their content, satisfying fan needs and making them feel as though they are actively participating in the production of content. However, Maggie also found that there were limits to audience interactivity when she was looking at the relationship between Twitter and the more traditional broadcast medium that is TV. While she found that Twitter is helping audiences feel more engaged with a show they are watching and each other through inviting them to join a conversation, there are still issues with it. The sheer volume of Twitter means that it seems to lack filtering, and can dilute interactivity. Overall in her research, Maggie concluded that while there are limits to audience interactivity still, due to modern technology the difference between producer and consumer is becoming more and more fluid and audiences are gaining increasing control over the content they consume.
Jac’s conclusion was similar; that audience interactivity is still growing. He discovered that as new technology and innovative thinking expands our media forms and outlets, we as an audience are able to become more involved in our media based world. We not only actively consume but also participate and contribute. Jac concluded that we can now shape our own media world, boost what we see and express our discontentment about things that we don’t like. He also discovered that there are now more avenues through which audiences can create their own content, as we are provided with more outlets for media that we want to create. For those who want to create their own form of media (photography, video, articles, etc.) it is easier for them to find an audience and in reverse to be found by an audience. The flow of media is far stronger than it was when it was limited to film, television, print and radio.
Through doing this project we’ve come to discover and really appreciate the various ways in which the audience and can connect to media texts and producers. We’ve examined examples of interactive audiences, and tried to create interactivity within our own audience through the use of a Twitter hashtag, YouTube annotations and comments and embedded Facebook like buttons. We have found that although there are still limitations to audience interactivity, the audience is more involved than it has ever been and the ‘participation generation’ will continue to grow.