Media 1 Photo Essay
This collection of photos is a visual representation of how the audience connects with the media and the media connects with the audience, specifically online. As technology and innovation has advanced so has the ability to directly influence the media world around us. No longer are we passive consumers, expressing our interest or disinterest with a limited few people, now we can express our views globally in public forums for all to see. Our consumption has become far more active. On sites such as Twitter and Facebook we express our views and thoughts on anything and everything involved in media. We not only express views of the media created by others, we also create our own. There are a multitude of apps and websites that allow us to display multiple forms of media (photography, graphic design, video, articles, etc.). Through this we are able to find an audience and for an audience to discover us. The concept of placing and individual in front of a large-scale screen, to interact with and be covered by, is in many ways a very literal representation of how individuals as part of the media audience are involved. Everyone is part of the media audience, it is unavoidable. We as the Participation Generation can communicate, inspire, generate and contribute to our own media landscapes.
Originally created as a way for friends to connect and share, a public online diary, Facebook became so much more. It still maintains its origins as its primary function but is now used by celebrities, businesses, artists, corporations and any other kind of organisation to advertise, express opinions and share news. Facebook has become a large part of the information-sharing network. Most news and current affairs appear on Facebook before they do in any newspaper or radio bulletin. However Facebook allows audience members to filter what they discover, to an extent. You like pages that interest you or post relevant items and you ignore and avoid those that don’t. We are able to control the stream of media that reaches us. Manage our exposure. Everything and everyone has a Facebook page (except my Dad). All interests are available. It can also create global trends, such as KONY or the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. However due to it’s nature these things are remarkably temporary. Facebook is not just about receiving it is a major platform for expressing. We can express our own views as posts, share articles that we want others to see and directly comment on just about anything. Your politician makes a post, you can comment on it telling him exactly what you think if you feel so inclined. Liking something is a way of showing approval, support or validation. Yet it is still relatively non-committal and low-key compared to commenting or sharing.
Facebook is the gateway to the media world in many senses. Here is a place where the audience is most receptive and often very vocal. We have created for ourselves a sea of media in multitude of forms. A place where everything can come together to be expressed, discussed, analysed, approved/disapproved of, shared and connected with. Here the audience is assembled and provided with a direct line of contact.
FACEBOOK PROFILE
The concept of the Facebook Profile also deserves special consideration. Here we present our online selves. Different to that of other social media sites (Instagram, Tumblr, etc) our Facebook profile is tends to be a more raw representation of ourselves. Photo’s that not only we chose but friends too. Opinions expressed. Likes up for display. Basic information like date of birth and workplace laid out. Of course this is often only shared with those you’re friends with and you can limit it further to show less information but many don’t. The concept of Facebook stalking is a product of having all this online representation of ourselves available. People are able to sift through your profile and learn varying things about you, depending on what content you have available. In many ways a media face and history, however still potentially manipulated.
Instagram is like a personal highlights reel. We use it to capture snapshots of our daily lives, holidays, social interaction and various adventures and post it for all our friends to view. It also helps create art out of everyday things. The eggs you had for breakfast or the new bed sheets you purchased. Everyone is contributing, in the form of his or her own personalised diaries, to an expansive and constant flow of photography. Instagram allows you to create memories to share with others, however you decide which memories to share and from what angle (literally and figuratively) we share them. In this regard it is almost a misrepresentation or perhaps glamorised version of what our lives are actually like. Instagram does not accurately reflect day-to-day existence, in selects the beautiful, artistic or exciting moments. Instagram is a prime example of ordinary people being able to contribute to the media flow around them and construct their media based identity.
SNAPCHAT
Primarily for sharing temporary slices of your own life with others, Snapchat enabled quick glimpses of what others where doing, attending, involved in, creating and more. Recently though Our Story feature was introduced, something much more significant to the connection between media and audience. Here anyone can contribute their own image or video to a global audience. Cities have “Stories” to contribute to and Major events as well (e.g Indian Kite Festival or 2015 Logie Awards). This is media phenomenon. Being able to instantaneously share a slice of your life when in connection to something larger. Concentrated all together to be appreciated worldwide.
TUMBLR
Tumblr provides a particularly unique form of media expression. Often more accepting of the various differences, interests, quirks and traits, tumblr is platform to connect with like-minded individuals and to share thought, image, video and sound. Unlike that of Instagram of Snapchat you do not necessarily even need to create your own media from scratch, you can just share someone else’s. It is also a common platform for fan-bases. Those indulging in various popular (or in some cases unpopular) media can connect to share views, create based on inspiration and reflect. Here audience has strong control of media, able to manipulate it to further extent. Or simply able to just promote and share art in varying forms.
YOUTUBE
Youtube is an outlet for all things moving image. From music video’s to vlog’s. Short films to instructional clips. Again like other media forms the audience is able to not only create, but can express their own opinions on things created by others. In some cases Youtube videos are specifically requested to participate. Things like choose your own ending videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge7iBWtoCfk),what would you like to see next videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07mJ0z7p8fs) and leave comments below to feature in the next video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zKGi183TsE). Through this easily accessible media outlet many individual/groups have found fame. Those like Jamie from Jamie’s World, Ray William Johnson, Philip DeFranco and more are now minor (arguably potentially major) celebrities in their own right. It is not just an outlet for home-grown media however. Youtube has such a range of professionalism from mainstream movie trailers and music videos to cat video compilations. The importance from Youtube partly stems from this mix of content. Everything is available here for everyone and any of us audience members to contribute to it.
MEDIA LANDSCAPE
Consider the image above. The landscape projection is symbolic of our media landscape and here an individual captures it, edits on their phone and pushes out into the stream of media again.
We shape our own media landscape.
Mold it.
Add to it.
Detract from it.
Filter it.
Similar to how we might with photograph on one of our multiple online image platforms, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. We are immersed in it and covered in it as the individual is yet still in a sense detached from it and able to influence, manipulate and control it.
AUDIENCE
The image above is representative of you as part of the media audience. An active part of a worldwide crowd, no one is exempt (except maybe remote Amazonian tribes) from being in some way connected to the media, be it a billboard, the newspaper we read or the Facebook status we make. We are all part of an enormous collective. Although as in the image we stand apart from the crowd. We are individuals in the media stream. Yes part of a collective but still unique. We control our media: how we are represented in it and what reaches us. Our opinions are shared, often instantly, and made known to the sources of our opinions. We share our own media: create it in all it’s various forms to be shared and critiqued. The audience and the media are a single thing. It is not separate. You are in some way or another participating and contributing.
Model: Dusty Johnston
Click here for our collaborative conclusion.