USER-GENERATED CONTENT Martin Lister et al. New Media: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge, 2009. Print.

This reading discusses how New Media has shown a shift from the audience being spectators to users who alter and create media. As a result there is now more than ever a blurred line between professional media producers to amateurs.

Lister cites the internet as being the driving force behind the shift in audience participation in media texts. As the UK Channel Four TV claimed in 2007 “the next generation of customers will be more active and creative in building content”. This is evident in the way TV shows have used forums and other social media platforms to engage their audiences and create fan culture.

Computer game fan culture has gone beyond that in giving feedback to video game creators, the creation of walkthroughs, fan art and other fan culture practices. Lister notes, “active play with text produces a tendency for player to refashion text in struggle to gain mastery over it.”

This convergence behaviour is allowing audiences to be active rather than passive spectators. Those sectors of the media industry that have embraced this change as an extension of their marketing power have received better feedback and incorporated them into their products.

In terms of organising our event, the question I have is how do we generate active users who have a “desire to be a part of it… to continue the moment of the text through constant reiteration and circulation.”? How do we create such a desire? Organising something that people will be appealed to is the key to creating a successful social media event.