Final Thoughts.....

It is already Easter, people have been fooled, and essays have been written. I would like to discuss my final project for this class in particular. I decided to create a YouTube video that examines the difference between mainstream and alternative media. The link is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9vEKPfTVg4 . I wanted to raise the point that in our democratic society it is the job of citizens to become active consumers and critical of the information presented to us. The interactive nature of the internet affords us this capability. The internet, especially the proliferation of blogs and alternative news sites, allows a multiple of different viewpoints to enter the public domain. Therefore citizens are able to formulate their own unique opinions and challenge mainstream ideology, because when it comes down to it, in order for our democratic society to function properly citizens must be informed and have their own unique opinions.

I ran into a couple of problems while creating this video. The first problem was the fact that the program which allows YouTube videos to be converted into an editable format did not work on my computer. This meant that I had to film YouTube videos with my webcam in order to place them in my video. This is the first breach of copyright I am aware of and I am sure there are many more. The second problem and the most noticeable was that when I posted my video to YouTube the audio did not work due to copyright infringement. So apparently I chose a song that is protected under copyright law and therefore has been taken off YouTube. The sketchy video quality and the lack of sound, I feel, have taken away from some of the effectiveness of the video.

While this has been rather disappointing in regards to my final project it has opened my eyes to the strict copyright laws of our society. While there have been significant steps forward with regards to the formation of creative commons, intellectual property is still highly regarded as that, property. These strict copyright laws, which define ideas as property, run counter to how a society should function. Historically societies have advanced by building off and expanding from previous ideas. The internet allows this sharing of information and ideas now more than ever, we must embrace this new technology and use it to our advantage. I have tried to do this without much success. I feel that this is due to the time constraints, and my lack of technical knowledge. This was the first YouTube video I tried to create, and I plan to make more in the future and learn from my previous mistakes with this video.

The creation of this video and my active role in the blogosphere has opened my eyes to the participatory nature of the internet. After actively participating within alternative media I don’t feel that I could go back to my old lifestyle of consuming simply mainstream media. The blogosphere has opened my eyes to a whole new world of interactive media, I do not plan on becoming a passive consumer of media I have embraced my status as an active participant within the media and look forward to carrying on this trend. It has been great blogging in this community and I look forward to meeting all of you in the blogosphere at some point in the future.

Until next time keep Expanding Societies Regulations

- The Ubiquitous Civilian

Convergence: Cowabunga Dude!!!

Recently in a number of my courses the issue of convergence culture or transmedia has been raised. At first I did not truly understand what this term meant but as I did a bit of independent research and learned from my classes I realized thatI have known about transmedia since I was born. I am of course talking here about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the turtles are one of the most successful examples of transmedia franchises in our history. Spanning from comic books to video games the turtles have crossed numerous media platforms to tell the story of genetically mutated turtles who fight crime in the streets of NYC. The site http://www.ninjaturtles.com/ provides a great history of the TMNT explaining how the story was created in a small apartment and ended up becoming a pop culture phenomenon that is still popular to this day.

The issue of transmedia and convergence culture is most famously discussed by Henry Jenkins. Essentially Jenkins argues that transmedia / convergence is the art of telling a story across a variety of media platforms. The success of convergence culture and transmedia rests upon the active participation of citizens. This is because with the proliferation of new media technologies based upon interactivity, such as the internet and video games, consumers have become active creators of meanings. The process of production no longer rests solely upon mainstream media producers, but rather relies upon the active involvement of fan communities who take the story into their own hands and create new and exciting scenarios for the characters. Jenkins example of this transmedia phenomenon is Star Wars, he uses this example because fans are particularly active in creating stories that are separate from the traditional story universe of Star Wars. This article can be found here http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/starwars.html. While Star Wars is an excellent example of a story that has managed to spread across a wide variety of media outlets, I feel that the TMNT have been far more successful in reaching every available media platform. Before I continue my discussion of the TMNT there is one example of Star Wars transmedia that I cannot leave out, George Lucas in Love. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5058529870025933880# this movie was created by former USC film students and parodies how George Lucas created the media spectacle that is Star Wars.

There are numerous fan fiction videos that have been made surrounding the turtles this is one example which I found particularly funny http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D9p-wmtIJc. There is also a website committed to ninja turtle fan fiction, where fans actually write scripts that include themselves in the ninja turtle universe http://www.fanfiction.net/cartoon/Ninja_Turtles/ .It is not only fan fiction that makes the TMNT a perfect example of transmedia, although it is a great example of active fan participation utilizing the interactive nature of new media, it is the fact that this supersystem of entertainment has reached every media outlet available. The series began as a comic book, evolved into a television, which later evolved into a video game, this led to the creation of a movie, on top of this the turtles have numerous action figures and have appeared in anti drug public service announcements. This PSA may seem comical now but back then it showed the influence that the TMNT had over the youth of the day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMfWMS9zgAo .

Overall the turtles exemplify what we are talking about when we discuss convergence culture. The reach across various platforms to effectively tell a story and invite audience participation is the defining feature of transmedia. The entertainment industry should look to the turtles on tips of how to create a truly successful transmedia story that can endure the ages.

Until next time stay Extremely Super Radical, as the turtles would say: Cowabunga dude!!!

- The Ubiquitous Civilian

Hackers: Harmful or Helpful?

The notion of hackers is a relatively new one; this is because the internet is relatively new. Hackers use the internet as their personal playground exploring the net and looking for new and innovative ways to interact with the internet. The name hacker is usually associated negatively; hackers have been seen as cyber criminals that patrol the internet reeking havoc at every turn. These types of hackers are called black hat hackers, they are notorious to breaking into large corporation’s website and causing trouble that leads to economic losses. The intent of these hackers is nothing more than to disturb the status quo, and cause problems for large corporations that they feel deserve to be messed with.

On the other side of the equation are white hat hackers. These hackers are seen as a positive influence on the internet. They are often hired by corporations to test the integrity of their websites, and make sure that other hackers cannot crack the code, break into the system and cause a disruption to business. The most famous example of a white hat hacker would probably have to be Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple computers. Wozniak began hacking after he dropped out of college with his friend Steve Jobs. The two took their technological prowess and invested it into creating the first fully functional personal computer. Another famous example of a white hat hacker is Tim Berners-Lee, who is most popularly famed with creating the internet. Both Wozniak and Berners-Lee are examples of white hat hackers who have propelled technology forward, and created advancements in technology that have led to our current technologically advanced society. This website provides information on the most infamous black and white hat hackers of our time http://www.itsecurity.com/features/top-10-famous-hackers-042407/ .

While some hackers use their technological superiority to disturb the status quo and upset society, others use these skills in a positive way to help advance society and make improvements to technologies. The website http://www.hacker.org/ is an example of a site that promotes the uses of hacking in a positive manner. The site is a collection of games where hackers have to create their own computer generated players and compete against other hackers to win the game. This is an example of hackers using their technological superiority for good rather than evil. The site provides a socially acceptable way for hackers to improve their skills and put them to use in a positive effective manner. The website http://lifehacker.com/ is also another example of a hacker website that employs the positive use of hacking. This website provides valuable information and recommendations on technological products that the majority of citizens have no idea about. Therefore this site provides a valuable social function by creating a forum where people can discuss the best and worst features of new products; it informs the average citizen and helps them in their purchasing decisions.

Overall it all comes down to the personal choices a hacker has to make. The decision to serve society in a useful way or disrupt society is a personal one. We as a society can only hope that there will be a greater emergence of white hat hackers that serve a valuable social function, and as such will drive technology forward. Hackers can be seen as the engine that drives technological advancements forward, or as the sludge in the engine that causes your car to break down. As society comes to better understand hackers I feel there will be an emergence of the white hat hackers, because the work of a hacker will be valued rather than regarded as a social ill.

Until next time keep exploring social relations

- The Ubiquitous Civilian

Comment, Judge, Particpate

This past Tuesday night, March 9^th, I was sitting at home watching The Daily Show with John Stewart, as I usually do Monday through Thursday nights. This show was particularly interesting because of the guest speaker that Stewart had on, Marc Theissen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Thiessen. Theissen is the author of the book Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting the Next Attack, in which he essentially defends the torture techniques used by officials at Guantanamo bay. He defends the use of torture because he thinks that these techniques have provided the US with valuable information, which in turn have stopped future terrorist attacks. As per usual Jon Stewart provides opposition to this view, which in turn leads to a heated debate. Throughout the interview the two constantly interrupt each other, leading Theissen to believe that he did not get his point across. Stewart then turns to the internet as a way to continue on the debate.

What is important here is what Stewart said when stating that the interview can be carried on using the internet. He made direct reference to the interactive participatory nature of the internet, where people can judge and comment on the video, thus expressing their own unique opinions on the subject. The interview can be watched on this link http://www.thecomedynetwork.ca/Displayblog.aspx?bpid=e18d08ca-8621-4322-bbe6-f860dbee413d, also on this link is the extended interview that only aired over the internet. The internet as a medium is extremely useful in this case because it allowed for a continuation of the show, in which uncut, uncensored material could be viewed and commented upon.

The fact that Stewart turned to the internet as a medium is important to note because it marks a transition, in which mainstream media is starting to realize the capabilities the internet provides. The participatory nature of the internet is important to shows like The Daily Show because it is political in nature, and everyone has their own opinion when it comes to politics. The internet, through sites such as YouTube, allow viewers to express their thoughts through the comment function, and as such allows for the formation of distinct communities where people with the same outlook on life can meet and share ideas. The connective style of writing inherent is blogging is a prime example of this. I found a blog posting on the huffington post discussing this same issue. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/marc-thiessen-jon-stewart_n_493218.html.

The internet is also interesting to observe in this regard because of the quick response time. Literally right after the show people on the internet where discussing the extended interview, which was posted immediately after it was completed. This quick response time and the participatory nature of the internet has stirred an interest in conventional media outlets, such as television, looking to reach a new generation of viewers that want to become active participants rather than passive receptors. The active participant is a defining feature of our current society, and this is being realized by mainstream media outlets that are trying to tap into this new generation of internet savvy citizens. This instance on The Daily Show only marks the beginning of a transition that will be happening right before our very eyes.

Until next time keep Expanding Societies Regulations

- The Ubiquitous Civilian

Sampling: Creativity at work or a sign of disrespect?

The issue of sampling is becoming more prevalent in the music industry now more than ever thanks to the explosion of computer programs that allow for the easy remixing of music, such as serato http://www.serato.com/ . Now rather than people striving to create their own original pieces of music, it is widely accepted that remixing other peoples music is seen as a form of original expression. I have no problem with this, seeing as Hip Hop is my favorite genre of music that is based upon sampling of old music. What I do have a problem with is when this remixing and sampling becomes a blatant steal of someone else’s hard work. The example that sticks out in my mind is Eminem stealing the beat of a lesser known underground Hip Hop artist Dreddy Kruger. Dreddy Kruger is affiliated with the large Hip Hop group: Wu-Tang Clan. Wu Tang has always prided themselves on creating unique sounding Hip Hop that is unlike anything else in the genre. This is apparent by listening to some of their famous tracks that are deeply influenced through the use of old ninja movies such as Da mystery of Cheesboxin’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl6jwab3HWk and Protect Ya Neck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GDPZpRmTg0&feature=related .

What is of importance here is that Dreddy Kruger a member of the Wu-Tang Clan is not well known in the mainstream music industry. His most popular release was the album “Think Differently Music: Wu Tang meets the Indie Culture”, the very title of this album indicates its underground appeal and its reach out to the indie movement. One of the most popular tracks on the album “Preservation” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3rKpn5p5co only has 3,000 views on YouTube. This can be contrasted against mainstream artist Eminem, whose track “Crack a Bottle” which has over 8.5 million views http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uolqQsQplB0 .

When you listen to this song it is quite apparent that Eminem has blatantly used the exact same beat as in “Preservation”, a song which Dreddy Kruger independently produced. This upsets me because in the past there has been ‘beef’ between these two artists, and this was Eminem’s way of disrespecting and getting back at Dreddy. This is clearly a sign of disrespect seeing as how Eminem’s video has over 8.5 million views and not one comment recognizes that the beat was clearly stolen and unchanged from Dreddy Kruger, whereas the limited comments on the “Preservation” video recognize that the beat is clearly stolen. What really gets me going is that in the song “Crack a Bottle” Eminem says that he “hates the game and the way it looks”, when he is clearly part of the problem, stealing a beat and not giving any credit where it is due.

It is this blatant disrespect and stealing of music that threatens the success of Hip Hop as a genre, I mean if one of the biggest names in the game can get away with this what is stopping millions of other aspiring artists from simply stealing music and making it their own. It is in this regard that I believe in the fair use policy of the copyright laws. I am not opposed to the practice of sampling as long as it is done in a tasteful manner, with the proper people getting credit and recognition that their music has been remixed to create something new. I am opposed however to the downright stealing of music where no credit is given and no remorse is felt, it was not a part of the song Eminem took but rather the whole song beat for beat.

With the deskilling of the music industry that has been created by programs such as serato, that allow for the visual matching of sound wave lengths rather than actually listening to what would work, I fear that this stealing of music will happen more often. Now that everyone with access to a computer has the capability to remix songs and label them their own, what is stopping them from just stealing music as Eminem did, I mean if one of the biggest names in Hip Hop can get away with it what is stopping a bedroom DJ from doing the same thing. I believe we must take a step back and think about what constitutes creativity versus the deliberate stealing of music that is seen as a sign of disrespect.

Until next time keep exercising social responsibility

- the ubiquitous civilian

“Eh Oh Canada Go” a national disgrace and example of social media failure

The recent advertising campaign by Pepsi and the attempt to brand a hockey cheer for team Canada has been a massive failure. This marketing campaign tried to utilize new social media to create hype around the promotion of a new corporate inspired cheer that would represent Canada at the past world junior championships in Saskatoon, and hopefully the upcoming 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver. While it was an admirable attempt by Pepsi to reach out and embrace new social media, and alternative forms of self promotion, it ended up being a marketing disaster and an example of how not to employ the use of social media.

This marketing campaign failed on many different levels, but its biggest failure was in its utilization of social media. Firstly the idea of a corporate inspired cheer that in essence brands Canadians was doomed to fail from the beginning. This is because the idea of a cheer is that it unites a nation, it provides a common chant that everyone in the nation is aware of and supports. The cheer is used to support Canadian hockey, and in essence represents the passion that is Canadian hockey. The idea that Pepsi, an American corporation, created a cheer that represents all of Canada is flawed from the outset. By trying to brand a cheer, Pepsi was essentially trying to brand all of Canada as a Pepsi drinking and supporting nation. The very idea makes me sick to my stomach, that Canada should be represented by an American corporation, I mean even the colours of Pepsi (red, white, and blue) are direct symbols of the American flag, and in hockey America is one of, if not Canada’s biggest rival. This is just my personal opinion on the matter; I would not want to be represented by a heartless corporation that’s only goal is to maximize profits, because lets face it Pepsi is a business like any other and its main goal is too make money; not inspire an entire nation. Many Canadian citizens did not support the cheer because it is Pepsi’s way of exploiting citizens to selflessly promote a corporation that frankly does not even know what hockey means to Canadian citizens.

While this has just been a rant of my own personal opinions on the matter, there is no doubt that Pepsi failed to successfully utilize social media. Social media by definition is participatory in nature, and is known for the creation of online communities that voice their opinions. After the official release of the Pepsi cheer “Eh Oh Canada Go” an enormous online community was created that called for a boycott of the cheer. This is seen in the over 60 Facebook groups opposing the cheer, especially seen in the group that has nearly 100,000 members. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=217528662837#!/group.php?v=wall&gid=217528662837. This number can be contrasted against the official Pepsi fan page on Facebook, which only has 130,000 fans. The Canadian citizens outrage reached further than alternative news outlets reaching mainstream newspapers such as the Vancouver sun http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Canada+junior+hockey+chant+falls+flat/2412382/story.html. Pepsi’s greatest failure was seen in the social medium of twitter. There were thousands of posts on the Pepsi twitter page badmouthing the cheer, with no response from Pepsi. The corporation instead reverted to mindless tweets about what day of the week it was ignoring the outcry of the online community. This blatant disregard for the online community connected with social media is a prime example of how Pepsi failed to utilize social media effectively. http://search.twitter.com/search?q=pepsi+cheer.

There are also an abundant amount of YouTube videos on the internet criticising the cheer and its failure to engage actively with fans. This video is just one of the many that shares this opinion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc7gOoGeG3E.

While it was a noble attempt to utilize social media Pepsi missed the most important facet of social media; its interactive quality that allows citizens to express their own opinions. By not responding to these opinions Pepsi failed to actively contribute to the social media campaign they created, and as such has taken away from their credibility as a major marketing powerhouse. This is demonstrated by the fact that Pepsi has given up on promoting the cheer, while giving no public statement as to why the campaign ceases to exist. If Pepsi actively sought out to explain the reasoning behind the cheer it may not have ended up this way, but the failure to utilize citizen media is what lead to the downfall of this cheer, known to many as a disgrace to Canadian culture.

Until next time keep Employing Scrutinizing Responses

- The Ubiquitous Civilian

Enacting Social Responsibility

The defining feature of society is fluidity; society is not something static rather it is always changing. This idea of an evolutionary society is paramount when discussing technology, because the choices we make as a collective society ultimately end up shaping the influence that certain technologies have within our society. The most recent technology that society has influenced is the internet. The internet was originally created by the United States military as a closed network of information. But ever since the internet has been open to the public sphere its role has drastically changed. The internet was originally limited in scope, and was used to provide information to those connected to the limited network. But the internet has evolved into a more participatory medium where millions of users can connect and share information. This is the result of the social pressures exerted by the public sphere in a call for a more open and participatory medium. The result has been the explosion of citizen media.

Citizen media is a new form of participatory journalism, where citizens from all over the world actively create social networks where information can be provided and shared. The key aspects of citizen media are seen as providing a radical change to the mainstream media, presenting journalism as a social responsibility, and replacing objectivity with personal biases. This explosion of citizen media, seen as alternative journalism, has called into question what truly constitutes journalism? The most key defining feature of mainstream journalism has always been providing objective information to the public sphere so that they can make informed political decisions. What has been called into question about this definition recently is the notion of objectivity.

The key defining principle of mainstream media has been the strive for objectivity in the news. Now citizen media such as blogs, are calling into question this notion of objectivity. The key defining feature of citizen media has been that of personal accounts of stories that are heavily biased and present information from a certain point of view. This pronounced point of view allows the reader to understand the bias in the article and therefore formulate their own unique opinions. The mainstream media on the other hand states that they are unbiased; this is exemplified by FOX news slogan “fair and balanced.” Fox news is an easy target because their slogan “fair and balanced’ is often seen as comical when you are presented programming such as the O’Reily Factor, which clearly demonstrates a right wing bias. This article in the LA times deals with this issue of FOX news bias http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/30/entertainment/et-onthemedia30.

What is not lost here is the active role that the citizen must play in consuming this information. We can not idly stand by and be passive consumers of information, we as citizens, especially in this age of the internet, must be active consumers of information and seek to question everything we are told. That is because mainstream media is a business like any other in our capitalist society, and therefore information is viewed as their commodity. In order to make profits they must be able to sell their commodity, this undoubtedly leads to bias in the mainstream media because they are heavily influenced by corporate power. Citizen media is similar to that of mainstream media in this regard because it is written with a distinct point of view, only with citizen media this view is often explicitly stated. John Stewart from “The Daily” show is an example of an alternative news outlet that has a distinct liberal bias, and is critical of mainstream media. In this youtube clip John Stewart accuses the talk show hosts of CNN’s show “CrossFire” as ‘hurting America.’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmj6JADOZ-8. Stewart states that talk shows such as “CrossFire” are hurting America because they are failing in their civic duty to be socially responsible. They fail in this regard because they present biased information that in turn just acts as propaganda for the ruling parties.

While mainstream media has always been viewed as a reliable source of information, the internet has not. This is because the internet is an open network where any one with access to this network can produce content. Wikipedia is an example of an internet resource that can be unreliable because content can be created by any one. This example shows how everything on the internet can not be trusted, just as information presented to us by mainstream media cannot be trusted because it has an underlying bias that is not presented to the public sphere. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_biography_controversy. Blogs and other forms of citizen media are similar to that of Wikipedia because the information is generated by ordinary citizens that are often not experts on the topics they are discussing.

Both the mainstream media and alternative journalism, such as citizen media present media with a certain bias. This is because the author of stories often has an ulterior motive, in that they are trying to persuade the general public to think a certain way. Therefore we need to be critical of every thing we read, realize it presents biased information, and be an active reader who forms his or her own opinion. Citizen media, such as internet blogs allow us, citizens, to become active in the public sphere and formulate and express our own unique opinions. This explosion of citizen media, facilitated by the internet demonstrates how the public sphere is changing, due to our decisions as a collective society. This evolution of journalistic practices is happening as we speak and write about these issues on the internet. We as citizens are actively shaping the public sphere and the end result will be due to our actions as a collective group. We citizens are actively shaping the future, the decisions we make will have a direct impact on the near future. Therefore we need to realize that the saying ‘ignorance is bliss’ does not apply in our current society, and we need to critically assess everything we read. In this time of change and we are actively shaping the future, therefore we should strive to make informed decisions based upon our own beliefs not those projected upon us.

Until next time keep Enacting Social Responsibility.

- The Ubiquitous Civilian