The class reading for week 1 on ‘What is Networked Media?’ was really interesting. The paragraph of metaphorical description made this subject, and networked media as a practice out in the world, sound quite amazing. I particularly found the description of this as a small boat, on an ‘ocean of ideas’, to help myself put into perspective the actuality of any networked media around the world. The amazing ability for this boat of networked media to drift, and float, and just be – hover over an entire ocean of ideas. The ocean being what connects all the ideas together in a big jumbled way, and the boat being the mighty and powerful, being able to see these ideas and find the ones that can make a difference. However, as the metaphor identifies Networked Media with a boat, it can also be observed that this boat will drift past many various ideas, most likely bypassing some incredible ones, as it floats, possibly missing out on certain ideas and thoughts that could be useful.

The sentence form this reading that stuck with me the most is, ‘Each wave is different. Different enough to have a difference, a difference that matters.’ This sentence kind of makes me feel inspired when I read it, and makes me think of all the ideas, concepts and thoughts that are out there in the world, or in the ‘ocean,’ that matter, and in which Networked Media can find and work with to create new and amazing things.

Image from http://www.fansshare.com/gallery/photos/10633663/white-heather-race/

Coming back from mid semester holidays was a little harder than I thought it would be; I got used to sleeping in, not having to worry about anything being due, or whether I had done any readings for the next week. Not saying I wasn’t also a little excited to get into learning new things again, I was. But still, being lazy at home was slightly more appealing at the time. So, I did in fact come into semester two a little scared, yet excited at the same time…

And now, sitting here after completing my first week of Networked Media, I can say that I really did enjoy both the first  ‘unlecture’ and tutorial for this subject.

I found the Unlecture to be really interesting, and I enjoyed listening to everything that was discussed. The talk of how mostly everyone in the Western world these days has a media making product in their pocket, or in their home, was fascinating. I guess until then, I’d never really thought about it in such a sense, in my mind, creating film and television and radio, was only for the people who could afford the best equipment and crews to make it happen. I guess I, and many other people, have just been taking technology, such as the iPhone, and it’s ability to make good quality media, for granted. Listening in the unlecture this week was really easy and insightful, I feel like it was a great way to segway into the course and what we will be dealing with for the next semester.

As for the tutorial, I found it also to be enjoyable. Going over all the assessment details helped me get more organised and setting up this blog was fun. I spent a lot of the time going over ideas in my head for possible blog posts, and I guess at first, and still a little now, the thought of updating a blog every week was and is quite daunting.. In my head I keep thinking, ‘what am I going to write my blog posts about?’, ‘How will I have enough to say in order to write the required amount of posts each week?’. Yeah, I still don’t really know the answers. However, I do know that whatever happens, updating this blog will be a fun way to stay on track and learn everything I need to throughout this course, and also a fun way to talk about things that interest me not only as a media student, but as a person outsid eof university life.

So overall, after making it past the initial, ‘I can’t be bothered going back to uni,’ post holidays stage, I enjoyed what I learnt in my first week as a Networked Media student, and I look forward to everything else to come in this course!