Enter World: exploring mediated cultures

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

The Media Psychology Review launched today. It has a great selection of authors and topics in the inaugural issue. Be sure to check out Dr. Jon Cabiria’s research on Virtual World Engagement and Pam Rutledge’s qualitative enquiry into defining media psychology within the APA. 

Monday, July 28, 2008

Stoooopid .... why the Google generation isn’t as smart as it thinks is another look at how media technology and social networking can sliver our thoughts. What most writers fail to note when lamenting the use of the Internet is that choices are involved. Brushing off Google, Microsoft, IMB, and Intel as “the companies most active in denying us our craving for depth, the great distracters” is an easy way to blame others for what one chooses to do with the access.

While skimming many things on the Internet is an option, it is also possible to become immersed in a good book or long article using the same medium. Check out the Top 100 Books being downloaded at Project Gutenberg, or read the close to 2,000-word article I’m discussing here.

In addition, it’s necessary to distinguish between multitasking and interruption. I would argue they are not the same thing. Advertisements, train announcements, the neighbor’s blaring radio ... these are not a part of multitasking. Our attention is not being intentionally split between this and another project, it is being distracted by uninvited or unexpected information. Multitasking could mean copying the information being researched into an email for a friend, while creating a post about it and keeping the database searches running for more information. There is a huge difference in the level of concentration being given to the deep thoughts about a project when it is being interpreted for various outlets versus pulling out of those deep thoughts to address something else.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The message has transcended media. The medium is no longer the massage. McLuhan’s insight was visionary and accurate for a time. Now the same message can reach multitudes simultaneously through multiple media formats. Messages are no longer shaped for one medium upon which they travel. Media are redefining media.

Monday, July 07, 2008

The stories with which we define our lives come in large part from communication with others. At the local level that may mean through face-to-face interaction, talking on the phone, or sending an email. At the community level it may even come in the form of a neighborhood newsletter. However, there are other levels of these stories being spread by regional, national, and international media as well. The stories told about our communities that we do not experience firsthand still add to the overall beliefs about that community. Braddock is a prime example.

People in Pittsburgh are constantly asking us why we moved here, with fear or disgust in their voices. They tell us the streets aren’t safe and warn us not to walk past any recessed doorways after dark. To be sure, Braddock has had its share of violence that we’ve heard of—community history. But we have not seen any firsthand nor ever felt threatened. On the contrary our neighbors are extremely friendly, offering to help us paint and telling us how they chased off kids who were breaking the windows when the house was empty. The people at the post office are so friendly, they may even have the Douglas post office beat. On the other end, our neighborhood also has its share of crackheads. At least they ask for work rather than breaking my car window like the meth addicts in Juneau.

But the people who live here now and who are friendly are only one side of the community that we have found in Braddock. We are also members of a group Ryan likened to ex-pats in Europe. People who have moved here to do something who may not have ever met one another in any other situation, but group together because of this shared experience.

Neither of these communities we experience firsthand on a daily basis have their stories told in the regional news. When we read Google alerts and topix.com news related to Braddock it is almost always about a shooting, fire, or slaying. They aren’t even all in Braddock. They are on Braddock Avenue, which runs throughout the city, or in North Braddock. But the impression this leaves on the Pittsburghers who read this news on a daily basis is that Braddock is filled with violence.

Not once in these news feeds have I seen an article about the 70 local youth who are employed on the urban farm this summer. No coverage of how they are building raised gardens around local homes and teaching the residents to grow their own vegetables. There isn’t coverage of the heavy Americorp volunteer presence in the community and the miriad activities they are enabling. There are no articles on the rehabilitation of numerous buildings throughout the city. So many people here are fixing up buildings that I can’t go to Lowe’s without running into someone I know, and I’m there almost every day.

This discrepancy is causing a divide between the story we tell about our community and the one others in the region believe about it.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The potential of social networking for news, through community or independent journalism, is vast. However, there will be a gap in in-depth investigative reporting if professional organizations with funding no longer dig deeper into stories. This isn’t to say that the mass media are fulfilling this entirely. I’m skeptical of the news industry in its current form. The same wire stories are plopped into every local paper, the papers reprint articles from other papers and quote one another.

I miss the imagined days of real reporting: muckraking and breaking huge cover ups. Maybe it really happened the way I imagine it, but it certainly doesn’t happen enough now. There are some magazines out there willing to spend the money to investigate a topic over a long period of time to get to the guts, but that’s happening less and less. Despite the drawbacks of the mass media, the public taking control doesn’t yet offer a full alternative. There is only so much we can tell one another through word of mouth and without taking time out of our lives to get first-hand information. Certain individuals, or groups, will need to become amateur reporters and spend significant amounts of time and energy covering the news.

One thing that gives me hope for the future of community journalism is the development of spot.us—a 2008 winner of the Knight News Challenge. Spot.us is a news version of the UK trend to publicly fund musicians so they can make their own albums, like sellaband.com. It’s a way for a reporter to bring an idea to the public and let them decide if it’s worth covering. The articles that get funded get written, edited, and distributed.

A community-focused social network like this fills the void and levels the playing field. Amateurs and professional journalists alike will be able to apply for funding, and we the people will be able to choose what gets investigated in our communities. We Media, most definitely.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Fielding added new electronic books to one of the online libraries, and I spent a while yesterday skimming through them. The content of Technophobia: The Psychological Impact of Information Technology stuck with me the most. Technophobia is a fear of technology (distinct from social convictions opposed to the use of technology) that affects 1/3 of the industrialized world.

What was interesting to me was the inclusion of sex/gender theories with research showing women had a higher rate of technophobia. Brosnan looked at the difference in male and female levels of technophobia through psychological concepts of gender versus biological bases. The idea is that the physical state of being female is not necessarily what makes a woman more anxious about using technology, but rather the acceptance of the societal beliefs about femininity. When the computer itself was not masculinized by the social group, girls and boys were balanced in their technology use. In situations where the computer was masculinized, women with higher levels of masculinity used computers more. The same is not true for men—a lower level of masculinity in men was linked to a higher interest in computers.

Overall the book is interesting, I just wish I could download it to my iLiad so that I wasn’t tied to the computer. Reading an entire book on the computer screen is not going to happen, that’s why I bought the portable reader.

Monday, June 23, 2008

I started another section on this site to explore the details of renovating a house in Braddock. My plan is to collect stories about Braddock, rehabbing, and contractors to share with others who may be interested in visiting or moving here. Rather than blogging chronologically about it, I’ve chosen to write in more detail on specific topics. It’s a rough-in right now, but I’m making some progress with content.

Part of the decision was based on filling up my Flickr account with photos of destruction in the house that all looked the same. It needed more, the photos needed their stories told. Also, it was annoying me that only the latest 200 demo photos were available in my photostream. My solution was to use my own site, and make more out of the photos.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Zines save lives...that’s what Justin Hocking tells us. Justin is the executive director of Portland Oregon’s Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC), which provides training, events, and libraries for independently published creations. I’ve taken a tour of the library and work spaces, and just thinking about the letterpresses they have available in there gets me excited about taking back the media and making zines. 

So what is this about saving lives? In addition to IPRC’s ten years of enabling publishing, they are now working on a Media Action Program (MAP) teaching teens to critically de-construct media messages. Following is an interview with Justin about the program, the power of zines, and independent publishing’s influence on culture:

1) Let’s start with a little bit about you first: What drew you to independent publishing?

I always wanted to be a writer.  Some friends introduced me to zines in college and I was hooked.  I collaborated on a bunch of zines and eventually made my own skateboard zine called Landpirate.  After studying creative writing in graduate school, I moved to New York City and worked as an editor for a publishing company.  I really liked editing, but a big part of my job was reading hundreds of submissions and writing rejection letters.  I got tired of that and New York in general, so I jumped at the chance to come back out west to Portland.  I love working at the IPRC, where instead of rejecting people’s work, I can show them how to publish it themselves!

2) MAP addresses the deconstruction of media messages by teens. What about zines makes them the chosen style of independent publishing for this outreach program?

I think zines and writing in general require a pretty high level of introspection, thought and creativity.  And starting back with Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” self-publications have been successful vectors for critical thinking and even dissent.  On a more practical level, zines are fairly simple and can be produced right in a classroom, sometimes in less than two hours, and then students have something tangible to take home and share.

3) You have said “Our ultimate goal is to help young people move from being passive consumers of media to active creators of artwork, writing, zines, and ultimately, the culture they live in.” What role do zines and zine makers play in the expanding presence of participatory media in our society? And what differences or similarities do you see between creation of and participation in media versus consumption?

Zinesters have always been at the forefront of participatory culture.  An aesthetic that I believe is central to most zines is the idea that when the media isn’t serving you or the world, it’s time to become the media. And I think that for a lot of young people, the media is actually doing them a disservice, in the way that it glamorizes violence, unattainable standards of beauty and conspicuous consumption.  Something we talk about during MAP sessions is the way the constant bombardment of media messages can actually affect your thinking and your behavior.  In their zines, students are pretty open about the fact that mainstream media affects their sense of self esteem, the way they define beauty, and the way they define what is means to be a “real” man or woman.  So we try to empower them to challenge negative media messages in their zines.  By creating a zine, they become the media and actually help re-create culture.  You can see it happening just in the culture of the classroom--when people have something creative to work on, there’s a kind of fun, collaborative spirit that lights up the room.  That spirit is present every day at the IPRC, and over ten years I really believe we’ve had a positive affect on the overall culture in Portland.

It’s interesting to see how many zinesters are now using internet technology and blogging as a way to cross-pollinate their creative projects. It’s exciting to see truly visionary people like this coming up with forums that encourage actual participation.  On the other hand, so much contemporary media--tv shows, movies, certain web content--allows people to sort of “check out.” People have difficult lives and they need to check out sometimes, of course, but the danger is that we become a nation of passive consumers.  I personally find the contemporary DIY craft movement really encouraging--so many people are in to creating things (including handmade and incredibly artful zines), rather than just shopping.  It gives people a sense of meaning and purpose, and whether or not they’re conscious of it, they’re influencing the larger culture.  That’s what the IPRC’s all about.

4) When will the workshops begin and what schools will be participating?

MAP began officially in September of 2007.  We held quite a few workshops this past school year, in places like Franklin High School, the Caldera Arts program, Clackamas Community College and Janus Shelter for Youth.

5) Where can readers find more information about this program or contact you?

They can read more on our website, www.iprc.org, or give us a ring at 503.827.0249 and ask for Justin or AnnMarie.

Saturday, June 07, 2008

The concept of a truly democratic internet culture is being eroded by access. Although large corporations have been building sites and trying to take over the internet terrain for years, at least users still have the choice of what to visit—or we did.

Our limited options for accessing the internet are beginning to take even that decision away. I’m staying at a place right now that uses Comcast, and it’s like constantly hitting my head against the wall. I work from home, so I need to be able to upload and download large files. But the more you use, the slower your service gets. I’ve also noticed a significant difference in accessing lowes.com and homedepot.com—Home Depot’s site works and Lowe’s doesn’t. This makes me feisty and annoyed, so I drive to Lowe’s and buy things there since I can’t compare prices online and the stores are in opposite directions. I don’t like the idea that Comcast might be partnering with Home Depot to slow down my access to competitors. So Lowe’s wins. Another company site I’ve noticed is extremely slow is Netflix. Could it be because Comcast has Fancast—a competitor to Netflix?

What really are our options for internet access? It seems like any smaller company providing access is just renting the lines from Comcast or Verizon, so the services will still have the same limitations. Here’s what I can come up with ...

Comcast. High speed, unless you use it. Don’t be fooled by the connections they offer, since they admit to “managing” your access.

3G wireless internet access anywhere you roam. ATT (also available through other providers). Limited to a single computer, but accessible from anywhere with satellite, radio, or cell phone signals. Drawback: ATT sells wire tapping of phone lines, so prepare to sign up for exhibitionism along with service.

Verizon FiOS. This is my choice for now. I’m sure there are problems with Verizon just like any other company, but at least they won’t tell me what I can and can’t access. Plus the FiOS option, as opposed to DSL, finally brings their service up to a competitive speed with cable service providers.

Are there other options I’m missing?