This week Networked Media focused on exploring ‘the network’. By looking at the readings and lecture slides I was able to understand some of the key ideas of what the network means in regards to our course prompt; How the affordances of Instagram affect the way photos and videos are authored, published, and distributed in the network.

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One of the readings “New Media: A Critical Introduction”, authored by Martin Lister gave me insight into the notion of User- Generated Content and the way it has affected the way we interact and use the web. Lister suggests that everyone in our modern world no longer needs to know the intricacies of coding in order to share and market on the internet. Lister explained “the increasingly interactive user is constructed as being part of an ever more intimate feedback loop with media producers” (Lister et al 2009,223). This means there has been a large shift in the way people are marketing, advertising and sharing now that platforms are easy to use and user friendly. Instagram is an example of a platform that highlights this concept, the way the platform allows ordinary and everyday users to promote their products and brands is a dramatic juxtaposition to how brand promotion was done in traditionally. Further, content making and distribution as a result has become more equal as people with fewer expertise in digital media softwares are afforded the same access as those who do harness complex software skills.

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My Own example of this is Instagram Influencer Stephanie Claire Smith.

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She is a famous social media influencer on Instagram with 1.6m followers. She started off as just a model posting both about her shoots and outings with friends, however due to her high demand and publicity on social media she was able to start using her platform to promote two business’. Steph constantly posts content on her page for her own fitness brand ‘Keep it Cleaner’ and retail brand ‘Soda Shades’. This works for her as she is both passionate about her brands and fits the part with her sporty physique and summer life style (always wearing sun glasses). She was able to turn her social media account into a business account as she changed the way she was posting and began promoting on her page. This new way of advertising has worked in this instance as the way these two brands attract customers is through her online presence and influence. I believe that this is a great example of Listers concept User- Generated content.

READING: Lister, M et al 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, 2009. (Sections: Networks, Users and Economics pp 163-169; Wiki Worlds and Web 2.0 pp 204-209; The Long Tail pp 197-200; User-generated content, we are all users now pp 221-232.)