The ABC's of interactivity

With concentration spans of only a few minutes, children's television content producers have a tough brief to engage their easily distracted audience. Slipping on my mummy hat I look closer at the way these programs foster interaction with their audience.

Giggle and Hoot showcase a selection of creative masterpieces in their Giggle Gallery each day in their regular show and send in a picture to the Wiggles and you could be dancing alongside the Wiggles as the rarely seen green Wiggle in their weekday show. And who could overlook an Australian childhood staple - Playschool. In this day an age, you can interact with the Playschool ipad app and animate your very own Playschool movie.

If we look at this a bit closer lets consider how all of these 'texts' come to life in the various live shows. At a Wiggles show, take along a bunch of roses for Dorothy to collect or perhaps a bone for lovable dog Wags. Perhaps your more of a Thomas the Tank Engine fan, they pop along to a Day Out With Thomas to get your fill of toot toot styled fun.

As Henry Jenkins explains, transmedia story telling is becoming increasing popular within the digital culture and whilst these examples preschool entertainment don't require complex piecing together of various components of the story aka Lost, they are an example of interactive media and cross platform diversification of text demonstrating the ability to engage audiences via various platforms and offering new versions of the content.

I think childhood entertainment producers are masters of interactivity, after all their audience demands it. So to see the emerging platforms and innovative forms of engagement and interactivity in digital media should we be looking to Dorothy the Dinosaur?

Jenkins, H. (2009) Henry Jenkins on Transmedia. Retrieved from http://vimeo.com/4672634

Smith, Aaron. (2009) Transmedia Storytelling in television 2.0. Retrieved from
http://blogs.middlebury.edu/mediacp/2009/07/05/the-world-of-lost/

Remediation project

I guess when you hear people say, "that would make a great movie", is an example of how people are considering text in a different form. The Remediation Project that we have been asked to construct for #med104 asks us to interrupt a piece of text and reconstruct it into a digital format. By transposing the content to a new digital format it is expected that we will encounter elements in the production, distribution and consumption that are unique to the digital environment and give us a greater understanding for the possibilities challenges and limitations of the content in the digital medium.

A text that I have enjoyed is Characters, Cultural Stories revealed through typography. A publication by Stephen Bantam, published in 2011 by Thames & Hudson Australia in association with the State Library of Victoria. The book takes the reader on a journey through the history, controversy, maintenance and milestones of popular Melbourne signs such as The Skipping Girl vinegar sign, Astoria Taxis, Nylex Plastics Clock and many others. The book gives an interesting account of Melbourne's history revealing attitudes toward immigration, architecture, town planning, activism, the diversifying population as well as providing insight into the city's battles, prominent industry and corporations as well as the evolving, developing character of Australia's second largest city.

Initially for the project I thought that I would pull the whole publication into one remediated version, however upon reflection I think an interpretation of one of the stories covered in the text, will allow me to produce an interesting, informative and enjoyable piece of digital media, more so that if I try to remediate the text as a whole.

Topic 1.2 Regulating cyberspace

This weeks reading had us introduced to the topic of cyberspace. Lessig highlighted cyberspace as not being as easily definable as real space, but did carry on to explain it as involvement and investment in virtual space. Cyberspace is not logging into Internet banking and paying some bills but instead a constructed, ongoing reality channel that is happening outside (or is that inside?) the restrictions of living reality.
Lessig continues that most of us don't live in cyberspace and for myself this is true however I disagree with his definition that,"for our kids, cyberspace is increasingly their second life," surely cyberspace is not another life, rather it is simply a part of this one?
I've been into Second Life, I created an avatar, strolled around, tele-ported to far, barren lands, I even attended a uni chat session in the realm with the tutor and other students. But for me it didn't feel like some special place where people roam as gender neutral cats or the like. It felt like a rather boring game with some awkward graphics. The more I chat to people about Second Life the more my thoughts are supported; people that love MMOG are attracted to the platform, so I question Lessig, is cyberspace not just another evolution in gaming? But attached to that statement I think it wise to consider, perhaps a bigger question of, what is and isn't gaming?
Stepping away from the cyberspace concept, what Lessig is trying to achieve by this (book) introduction was to reveal the unregulated nature of the virtual world. He draws upon examples that question our own thinking about regulation. Should we give power to anyone to regulate what is and isn't allowed in cyberspace? and with that who would regulate? and even more contentious, what would be regulated. Unsavoury material to me, may be pure enjoyment and entertainment to you. My political views may be in the minority but surely they are still my views to have. If someone was to attempt to regulate, what jurisdictions would they encompass? I think one of the biggest questions in regard to regulation is, when would it stop? Just as Lessig describes the the definition of cyberspace as fuzzy, so to would be the line for regulated content.There is the real possibility that regulation, in inapporpriate hands could lead to politically aligned persuastion on the regualted material. Before mass connection to Internet, we consumed the media that was presented to us by multinational corporations, newspapers, televsion broadcasts, radio. The Internet has not only made authors of us all, but it has also enabled the consumption of diverse opinion and content. Would regulation cost us this freedom of diverse information simply because an institution deemed it to be inappropriate?

Lessig supports regulation of the Internet but is juxtaposed as to how it can be achieved in a 'proper' way, that severs the civil liberties of the population, both in real space and in the virtual space.

------
Lessig, L. (2006). Four puzzles from cyber space. In L. Lessig Code version 2.0 (pp 9-30). New York: Basic Books. (available online through the code 2.0 wiki - you can also download the entire book))

Topic 1.1 Convergence, media consumption and rapid change in media technology

This weeks study material had us view a YouTube clip, Did you Know that highlighted via collated statistical data, the rapid change in technology and with that our media consumption. It reflected on the short time in which we have adopted change. From the wonder of computing power that corporations were employing and moving to pocket sized essential devices that we use in all matter of our everyday lives. We often hear people quote "how ever did we survive without [insert essential technological device here]" but in reality it has been a rapid, yet gradual shift.

Take, for instance the mobile phone. First, due to high cost they made a presence in the business sector where important people had big boxy antenna mobile phones, but as they became more affordable, they penetrated in the domestic market too. Gradually as technology allowed, new features were introduced such as text and picture messaging. As cost, sizes and function has improved so to has take up rates.

One statement that caught my interest was that "more video was uploaded to Yoube in the last 2 months than if ABC, NBC and (not sure), had been airing new content everyday of the year since 1948" (@1.10). Whilst this is an amazing statistic I find that it is a bit sensationalist as it fails to consider as number of points relevant to that content:
1/ the quality of the content
2/ the type of content
3/ the audience viewing the content

Essentially what the clip suggests is that we want it smaller, smarter, faster, pretty, expandable, adaptable, accessible, and free!

It seems media, assisted by the speed of technology developmental is increasing our access to it, but shouldn't we consider what attention we give it? Does more access mean I am more engaged or less engaged with media? It also makes me consider just how small small is? I mean, do we want computing power in our blood cell (@4.09). Surely this road of technology development is on a collision course with ethics and philosophy! (@3.50)


"The mobile device will be the worlds primary connection tool to the Internet in 2020", considering this statement was made in 2009, I wonder if the explosion of tablet computing onto the market has changed that view, or is the tablet considered to be a mobile (read:portable) device?

The second piece we considered was a post by Henry Jenkins. The article regarding participatory culture, touches on a number of factors relevant to participation: Fear, digital divide, education, collaboration, diversity, copyright, content ownership, author audiences, globalisation and the social and political frameworks. Jenkins summarise these points briefly however each are complex issues and require much consideration and discussion.

Having just recently concluded study into collaboration knowledge networks (NET308) I was interested to read Jenkins perspective on Rethinking collective intelligence. New platforms enable us to connect and work together in new ways. We can engaged diverse crowds, informed sources, up to the minute information, gender and age rich groups we have opportunity to produce more informed knowledge leading to greater intelligence and problem solving power. Take the example of Baked Relief, a movement that formed during the Queensland floods in 2010. Through social networking, and purely aluristic motives, a movement emerged that recognised and ongoing fulfilled a need within their local communities to supply food to the SES volunteers working in flood effected zones. A effort such as this could not have been achieved without the technology that facilitated the collaboration.

A documentary that touches on this concept of collective intelligence was (@40.00),The Code which used random guesses of, how many jelly beans are in a jar, to reveal the power of collective intelligence. (I found this whole documentary fascinating!)

I agree with Jenkins statement on this that, "We need to continue to push for alternative platforms and practices which embrace and explore the potential of collective intelligence so that we better understand what kinds of ethical, pedagogical, and political principles must be in place before we can realize new forms of citizenly engagement." Jenkins, 2009. I feel that examples such as Baked Relief will become increasingly relevant as we uncover the potential of the collective intelligence.

Jenkins (2009) Critical Information Studies For a Participatory Culture (Part Two). Retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/2009/04/what_went_wrong_with_web_20_cr_1.html

Myers, (2011) Watch The Incredible 70-Year Evolution Of The Cell Phone. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/complete-visual-history-of-cell-phones-2011-5#1938-1

Media Consumption by generation (Infographic)

Further to my last post which looked at my personal Media consumption habits, I happened upon this infographic (who doesn't love an infographic!) and thought it an interesting summary of the media consumption habits across multiple generataions.  

Created by: MBA Online

Media consumption

Group dynamics

Our recent study period began on Monday and already we are scrambling to form cohesive groups for our major piece of work this SP. I'm not a fan of group work simply because I like to work at my own pace. Previously I have  found myself in groups where some members have lower expectations of what they want to achieve from the work (ie A credit mark verses a HD mark). This week one scramble to get sorted into groups of three makes me feel a bit like high school and standing in line to get picked for the basketball team! Best I get cracking and read the material so I'm not left as the final pick!

Before we jump full steam ahead into the group task we first analyse our own learning style. I am
Reflective (5), Sensing (5), Visual (9) and Sequential (5).

http://www.jcu.edu.au/tldinfo/learningskills/learningst/index.html