Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks
Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:
1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?
2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?
Open technology refers to the idea of allowing different voices in the internet to be heard and refers to the idea of digital content being hard to control as it can be altered before reaching the consumer. Also, referring to an internet built around the 'end-to-end' principle, in which any connected computer can exchange data with another computer and also free software that is able to be used changed and distributed by anybody who wants to. Because of this I don't agree with this idea as it sounds like many issues will arise from it as there won't be enough control.
4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?
5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?
Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody
Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:
1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?
He states 'A profession is something that exists to solve a hard problem-typically one that requires some form of specialisation. (For example a race car driver requires specialised training in order to ensure that he/she can drive the car safely and at speed).
This applies to the traditional newspaper industry as for example journalists require training in order to do their job as efficiently as possible.
2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?
Because of the growth of the internet and its 'new ecosystem', the newspaper industry now ask different questions in regards to publishing. The questions have alternated from 'why publish this?' to 'why not?'. Considering there has been a large amount of promotion when it comes to mass ameuteurisation there is less focus on traditional news, with another question rising being, 'what happens when there's nothing unique about publishing anymore, because users can do it for themselves'.
3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?
Trent Lott's 2002 speech became popular news due to the controversy surrounding what he had said, which was that he pledged his alliance with Thurmond, who was well known for having heavy republican views. After this he was then confronted by other politicians like President Bush.
4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?
Mass amateurisation is the growth of self-published content found on the internet, the idea of everybody being able to produce content as well as consume it.
5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?
This links to the current media landscape and concept of fake news as it implies that if a news story is continuously brought up it'll become more and more believable and consistent on social media.
6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?
It is suggested that we are in the middle of an internet revolution as the internet enables us to encourage changes, however this can separately be viewed as chaos as the changes are not always a good thing.
7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?
Shirky is suggesting that audiences no longer just consume content, they also create it too even if they don't have high levels of training that would usually be necessary when creating news stories. This is very important as it may mean that the quality of news/media information may decrease as audiences are less professional when it comes to journalism.
8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?
There was great anxiety as a more efficient method of printing words in masses was introduced, scribes weren't needed as much. A scribe was a very respectable job title as it meant you had a very good understanding of literacy, therefore giving this job to just anybody acted as a form of intellectual and political chaos.
9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?
Photography is a good example of mass amateurisation as it is extremely easy for just about anybody to take a picture as smart phones increasingly become more popular all over the world, giving people the opportunity to just simply open up their camera and upload it to the internet with just a few taps.
10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed?
I believe mass amateurisation is a positive thing due to the fact that anybody can express their own opinions and thoughts on a wide range of matters in their own personal way, making a voice for themselves. This also makes the media more diverse. However many people will disagree and say it is a negative thing as it is resulting in a lack of professionalism in the world of media and the quality of news is continuously decreasing
A/A* extension work: read Chapter 1 ‘It takes a village to find a phone’ and Chapter 4 ‘Publish, then filter’ to further understand Shirky’s ideas concerning the ‘End of audience’.
1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?
- The network connects us to other people
- It provides a great source of information
- It can be used for campaigning and political action to draw attention to abuses and fight for human rights
- It's a great place for gaming and education, which can be used to make a lot of money, as well as a place where you can meet your friends.
2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?
- A lot of bullying and abuse takes place there.
- There's pornography that you don't want to see
- Illegal images of child abuse that you might come across
- Extremist and radicals can use the network to try to influence people to join their cause
- Fraud, scams, ripoffs and malicious software
- The dark web
Open technology refers to the idea of allowing different voices in the internet to be heard and refers to the idea of digital content being hard to control as it can be altered before reaching the consumer. Also, referring to an internet built around the 'end-to-end' principle, in which any connected computer can exchange data with another computer and also free software that is able to be used changed and distributed by anybody who wants to. Because of this I don't agree with this idea as it sounds like many issues will arise from it as there won't be enough control.
4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?
- A less private life
- An unregulated world
- 'We know you want to understand the world and engage with it, so how do we deliver news media that can operate effectively online and still make money?'
- We know you care about other people around the world, and want a fairer more just world- so how can the network help there?'
5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?
I believe that the Internet is very balanced at the moment as there is both a good amount of control and openness, and so by having more of the other would surely create problems as it may cause an outrage amongst people. Openness allows people to feel comfortable and express their views and opinions, on the other hand, control ensures we are given reasonable guidelines for us.
Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody
Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:
1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?
He states 'A profession is something that exists to solve a hard problem-typically one that requires some form of specialisation. (For example a race car driver requires specialised training in order to ensure that he/she can drive the car safely and at speed).
This applies to the traditional newspaper industry as for example journalists require training in order to do their job as efficiently as possible.
2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?
Because of the growth of the internet and its 'new ecosystem', the newspaper industry now ask different questions in regards to publishing. The questions have alternated from 'why publish this?' to 'why not?'. Considering there has been a large amount of promotion when it comes to mass ameuteurisation there is less focus on traditional news, with another question rising being, 'what happens when there's nothing unique about publishing anymore, because users can do it for themselves'.
3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?
Trent Lott's 2002 speech became popular news due to the controversy surrounding what he had said, which was that he pledged his alliance with Thurmond, who was well known for having heavy republican views. After this he was then confronted by other politicians like President Bush.
4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?
Mass amateurisation is the growth of self-published content found on the internet, the idea of everybody being able to produce content as well as consume it.
5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?
This links to the current media landscape and concept of fake news as it implies that if a news story is continuously brought up it'll become more and more believable and consistent on social media.
6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?
It is suggested that we are in the middle of an internet revolution as the internet enables us to encourage changes, however this can separately be viewed as chaos as the changes are not always a good thing.
7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?
Shirky is suggesting that audiences no longer just consume content, they also create it too even if they don't have high levels of training that would usually be necessary when creating news stories. This is very important as it may mean that the quality of news/media information may decrease as audiences are less professional when it comes to journalism.
8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?
There was great anxiety as a more efficient method of printing words in masses was introduced, scribes weren't needed as much. A scribe was a very respectable job title as it meant you had a very good understanding of literacy, therefore giving this job to just anybody acted as a form of intellectual and political chaos.
9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?
Photography is a good example of mass amateurisation as it is extremely easy for just about anybody to take a picture as smart phones increasingly become more popular all over the world, giving people the opportunity to just simply open up their camera and upload it to the internet with just a few taps.
10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed?
I believe mass amateurisation is a positive thing due to the fact that anybody can express their own opinions and thoughts on a wide range of matters in their own personal way, making a voice for themselves. This also makes the media more diverse. However many people will disagree and say it is a negative thing as it is resulting in a lack of professionalism in the world of media and the quality of news is continuously decreasing
A/A* extension work: read Chapter 1 ‘It takes a village to find a phone’ and Chapter 4 ‘Publish, then filter’ to further understand Shirky’s ideas concerning the ‘End of audience’.
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