Networked Media Essay
Through documenting my media use over several days, I have learnt that personally in regards to authoring, publishing and distributing online media, I have become a consumer, and a passive audience member. Perhaps this is because with the use of new online media, and Web 2.0, there is millions of content being published online constantly, which means there are infinite types of media to consume, yet the media that is being published, can become instantly lost. As Hinton and Hjorth state, “if we could see these connections plotted around the globe, the world would be illuminated like an exquisite decoration, (Hinton and Hjorth, 2013).” As Web 1.0 was just the beginning of the internet, it was “less refined (Hinton and Hjorth, 2013), and no one was talking about Web 1.0, until Web 2.0 was introduced. Different to Web 1.0, Web 2.0 controls the interaction and connection between websites and web users in an easy and efficient way. As Web 2.0 encourages the publishing and sharing of media, I have noticed that within the online world, we have perhaps shared and published too much content, leaving online users with the easiest option, to consume.
The process I went through to collect my evidence for the documentation began with brainstorming in the workshop, as a collective, what media we use on a daily basis, and how and why we use that media. What I then documented throughout the seven days after the workshop, was media such as ‘Facebook and Instagram’, which were types of social media I discovered I used at the same time everyday, in the morning, during the day, and in the evening. I also noted I use other forms of media regularly such as Netflix; for example on day 3, I watched the movie ‘Me Before You’ on Netflix, and I watched several episodes of ‘Riverdale’ on day 2,the night before, as well as Youtube, Twitter and Snapchat. Yet of course, I noticed that as I was using these forms of media, I was not publishing, but I was constantly consuming. There was other forms of media that I used for necessary reasons, such as using the PTV website, as on day 1 I used Safari to check my train lines timetable, as well as checking the weather online, checking my bank account balance and posting on my blog.
Throughout the documentation process, I learnt that I rarely publish or distribute any type of media. Perhaps the reasons why I have become such a heavy consumer of social and online media, is because everyday I fall into a routine, as if I am controlled by the media, as Hinton and Hjorth write “ web 2.0 threatens control and colonisation of users social lives, (Hinton and Hjorth, 2013).” I do believe this, as I feel that I am controlled by the social media world, and the world of ‘Web 2.0’. It is as if I have trained my brain or social media has trained my brain over time, to constantly be checking Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, perhaps out of fear I will be missing out otherwise.
Another reason as to why I do consume media, over publishing it, is that “Web 2.0 makes creating media less complicated, and this in turn leads to much more content being put online as the technical barriers to creation are removed, (Hinton and Hjorth, 2013).” This meaning, that nowadays anyone can produce and create media and distribute it online, as there are no more ‘technical barriers’. Most of the content I watch is made professionally, by film directors, and producers of Netflix, yet there are exceptions. I do watch Youtubers who have made a name for themselves through their numerous subscribers. But what about the millions of other amateur media creators, who work hard to produce great content? That content becomes immediately lost, piled under millions of other content being produced seconds later. An interesting point Ethan Zuckerman makes is that “web 1.0 was invented to allow physicists to share research papers and web 2.0 was created to allow people to share pictures of cats (Hinton and Hjorth, 2013).” This relates to my idea that Web 2.0 has helped create some amazing content and has benefited connecting the world through social media, yet too much unnecessary content is clearly being produced and distributed online, that it is hiding away the necessary content.
Perhaps the idea of not only me, but many others out there choosing to consume media over publishing or distributing media, is due to privacy reasons. In the reading Hinton and Hjorth suggest that media users have a private and public account for Instagram and Twitter. This is to suggest that people might prefer to consume media on their public account, and produce and share their photos on their private accounts. From personal experience, although I do sometimes post a photo on my public account, I know I would feel more comfortable to be myself online, if I did have a private account that I could share photos of myself, with only my close friends and family. Hinton and Hjorth make a reference to this in the reading, as they write most people in the world will have a Twitter account because “Twitter is always at hand on mobile, but people are not always actively engaged with it, (Hinton and Hjorth, 2013).” Meaning people are happy to use Twitter by checking their Twitter feed, and seeing what is trending, yet they more than likely won’t post themselves, unless they have a large following. However Private Twitter accounts, who follow and are followed by the people that know them, will more than likely post and feel a sense of freedom to be themselves online.
Therefore by reflecting on my own documentation experience, I realised that I am a heavy consumer of media and not a publisher. The biggest issue I encountered, was the fact that I do not use my voice enough online or publish my own content, unless I need to for Uni. I did expect that I would document myself consuming media, yet not as much as I did actually document, as even on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, I no longer share my own content. I disliked the fact that I was documenting what seemed like the exact same media use everyday, as I did realise, I fall into a routine when it comes to consuming media.
This exercise has shown me that I am a big consumer of media, and have become a passive audience member, when viewing online media. There is evidence to back up this claim, that I have explained within this essay, yet I do find it a problem. I want to be more of a publisher and creator of my own media content. Although there are difficulties when amateur media practitioners try to publish their own work, it doesn’t mean there is no point to it. New media, Web 2.0, although at times seems daunting and overwhelming, is actually pretty incredible, and with all the tools anyone can get access to, it would be a shame for me to forever passively observe others content, without attempting to distribute my own.
References
Hinton, S & Hjorth, L, 2013, Understanding Social Media, Sage Publications