“Screenagers”

Nathan

In the 1990’s Douglas Rushkoff, an American media theorist and writer, coined the phrase “screenagers” to describe the generation growing up immersed in digital media. This generation, for the first time, grew up thinking images on screens were not simply still pictures, but rather content that could be manipulated.

These ‘screenagers’ are digital natives, they navigate the digital forms innately unlike older generations who could be seen as  digital immigrants.

I decided to test this. We grew up with the Internet and computers and from mid way through primary school I can remember computers being omnipresent. However I can also remember a time without Internet (although we still had computers – I spent so much free time on that PC Pinball game). When I told my sister about my Internet-less childhood she couldn’t believe me. Although she is only 6 years younger, the technology gap is huge.

 

Network Literacy

Nathan

To be literate, in the sense of being able to navigate a form of information exchange, is to to have knowledge and understanding of that form deeply embedded from years of teaching. Print mediums were commonly accepted as the key ‘forms’ of information translation, with books, journals and essays being some of its tools. However with the rise of the internet and the establishment of an online framework for information sharing, print literacy is quickly being overtaken by ‘network literacy’.

Knowledge is now being expressed and distributed in online forms such as online articles, social media, videos and blogs. Network literacy is being able to navigate the internet and these forms, participate with peers online, and have an understanding of the logics and protocols of these online networks.

The online content is being shared across the Internet and being woven together, creating an interconnected form of knowledge communication between internet services. This means that ‘the parts remain as parts at all times’. It also means that the distinction between consumer and creator is becoming blurred as it is easier to contribute content as well as access it.

  • XML: A way to standardize the publication so that the information can be shared
  • RSS: A syndication system based on XML that allows easy exchange of content between different services
  • Tag: A keyword that is attached to content in order to make it easier to search for

Symposium #3 Notes

Nathan

1. How much freedom do we have when writing critically of others or others’ work before we become liable for defamation or copyright infringement?

 

  • Blogs are essentially on copyright lockdown
  • Defamation comes in relation to reputation; if your accusations harm another’s professional reputation then you will be open to defamation charges. Personalizing (naming) in a blog is dangerous
  • Separating opinion from writing un-bias in your blog can help to avoid defamation charges
  • In some defamation cases, truth as a defense is acceptable, however in certain cases it is not a sufficient defense
  • It is not a criminal matter until it is brought to a court; copyright and defamation are civil offences, so unless you’re caught you cannot be charged
  • Imbedded YouTube videos in your blog have implied liability with the host site, i.e. YouTube hold liability for that content if it breaches copyright
    • YouTube have algorithms that run similarity reports to check if there are any copyright violations, and videos are automatically taken down – YouTube is kind of safe in this sense
  • It’s up to the original creator and/or copyright holder to police the breaches in that copyright
    • E.g. if a band’s song lyrics are used in a video, or a cover of the song, etc. it is up to the musicians to police that and press copyright charges
  • If you slander someone based upon gender, race, religion, sex, etc. it is illegal; there is no freedom of speech protection in Australia (America is the only country that has enshrined freedom of speech as a protection)
  • Intent doesn’t matter; if it is offensive to someone then your intent doesn’t matter, it is still offense. The same applies to copyright, whether or not you intended to sexist, racist, etc. if someone interprets that as such, then it is.
  • Opinion v. Criticism; criticism comes from a learned perspective. Opinion has no such backing (a mechanic critiquing a car vs. an everyday person)
  • If someone comments on a blog you host and that comment has links to illegal content, you are responsible as the host for that content

 

2. Copyright protects published content, however this protection does not extend to the ideas or concepts that this content was based on. At what point does content or “fact” become an idea? And vice versa?

 

  • You can patent a way to create a certain way, combining various elements to create something like a drug or medicine
  • E.g. Microsoft has trademarked the word ‘Windows’ however windows companies don’t have to pay Microsoft when they use the word in their companies because it’s a different context

Youth Blog Culture

Nathan

Blogs are an amazing way to collate and present ideas, findings, discussions, opinions, artistic works and many other forms of content. The blog has become a tool for both personal and professional content sharing and its flexibility as a forum has made the blog invaluable to employers and educators alike. However the blog has really taken off within youth culture.

It seems that more young people are taking up blogs as a hobby, almost as a substitute journal or diary, in which they can post their feelings, opinions and life events (anonymously if they so choose). Wheres blogs are only used by older generations if they work in a media orientated profession, or have interest and activity within media, the percentage of social and leisure blogs among youth is much higher. High school to university aged students are using blogs to share among their social circles.

Back to the diversity of blogs. Many older bloggers, already established in their media profession, operate multiple blogs: one for professional use and one for social use. For example, a friend of mine works as a advertising designer and as part of her job she is required to keep up a blog with all of her work and projects for prospective clients to view; almost like a portfolio. She also has her own personal blog where she can re-post other content she found interesting and publish her own content and opinions independent from her advertising firm.

Comedy Critics

Nathan

A little aways from Networked Media but still relevant to media as a whole.

A great read and some great videos showing how comedy can actually be an important platform for social criticism and in fact comedians can often be the most honest and transparent critics. This article and its attached videos focus mainly on the scientific community and the debates over Climate Change, Vaccination and Evolution.

Comedy vs. Anti-Science

“Triple Screening”

Nathan

Today’s society seems to have an insatiable lust for information. This lust has led to a ‘hypermediated’ media front, with social media forums like Facebook and twitter dominating our screens. Smart phones and advancements in 3G have allowed this deluge of information to be more accessible than ever before.

Such a desire for more and more information has been met with programs flooding multiple stories at once; news headlines are shown in one corner of a screen with weather or stocks scrolling on the bottom while a presenter talks about and elaborates upon another story.

An alternative to this hypermediate news form is ‘multi-screening’. The advancement of mobile devices and the increasing percentage of homes having one or more mobile devices (be it a laptop, tablet, or smart phone) has led to people utilizing more than one device at a time. Many people will sit in front of the television, watching the news, while updating their twitter. More ‘advanced’ multi-screeners resort to ‘triple-screening’, where they will have, say, a laptop checking social media, a television program running, and a smartphone to text.

Such an overflow of information has made it both easy to communicate news and information and fast, with almost immediate updates flowing through these media forums.

Online Identity

Nathan

Touched on briefly in the first reading was the notion of an online identity. We all Google potential employers, teachers etc. and what we’re searching for is their online persona. As Networked Media students we are beginning to develop our own online identity and that identity is legitimate and public.

Everything we put put on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any social media become public and can be scrutinized by potential employers. Essentially we are recognized by the content we pubish. This social information can be controlled through a blog however, and the blog becomes a helpful tool for establishing and promoting your online identity.