#huizenlim

Image obtained: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/life-before-smartphones_n_4100477.html

For the final blog post for this semester, we have been asked to discuss about new media, big data and telemetrics. It feels like not long ago, watching a television program was just a singular activity. However, it seems so hard to recollect when was the last time I actually watched a television program without simultaneously being on my laptop or smartphone. I remember I was 9 when the first season of American Idol premiered. It was one of the first few programs on television that encouraged audience members’ participation. By calling a designated number or sending a text message, audience members had the power to save a contestant from elimination.

In recent years, we have observed how social networking sites have slowly become an integral component in audience member participation with television programs. Twitter in particular, has become one of the main platforms utilized on television programs to engage with audience members. One of the main reasons behind it is that, Twitter was the first platform whereby hashtags were invented and became a method to stimulate discussion. According to Harrington (2013, 240), “Twitter's relationship with television concerns the opportunities the platform affords users for connecting with other viewers in real time, and engaging in a live, effectively unmediated, communal discussion of television programs.”

Image obtained: http://rebloggy.com/post/my-gif-gif-american-horror-story-ahs-frances-conroy-balenciaga-fasion-coven-amer/75014104387

One of my favourite television programs was the American Horror Story series. Each season takes place in a different setting. For the recent season, the series focused on characters and stories related to covens. Every Wednesday, the creator of the show Ryan Murphy, posts tweets on Twitter to encourage audience participation and stimulate discussions. In order to keep track of the tweets sent out by each audience member, Ryan Murphy urged them to accompany each tweet with the hashtag, #AHSCoven.  Personally, I rarely feel the need to participate on Twitter, unless I am contacted by one of my friends. However, there was one particular episode of the show that I felt was so epic that I had to share the scene (as seen above) on Twitter. I included the hashtag, #AHSCoven and managed to engage in discussion with other Twitter users/ AHSCoven followers. 

Image obtained: Woodford, Darryl, Katie Prowd and Axel Bruns. (n.d.). “Telemetrics: Towards Measuring Social Media Engagement with Television.” 

In this week’s lecture, we learned about the importance of big data and telemetrics in measuring audience members’ engagement with television. Woodford, Prows and Burns (n.d.), discussed the advantages of using Twitter Excitement Index over traditional volume metrics. One of the main advantages is that tools such as the Twitter Excitement Index provide more in-depth understanding regarding audience members, rather than just measuring the size of audience members tuning in to a particular show.  Harrington (2013, 245) supports that statement by stating, “Twitter enables researchers to observe the activities of audience members at real-time, analyse the type of discussions they are engaged in.”

In retrospect, I feel that the inclusion of new media, big data and telemetrics have helped revolutionised television programming for the better.  Instead of being perceived as just numbers and figures, the entertainment industry now has the ability to view their audience members as individuals with characteristics which fit into a category. This knowledge would help change the landscape of television programming and enable companies to predict the success and failures of a particular television program. 

Hui Zen Lim

n8515247

References

Harrington, Stephen. 2013. “Ch 18 Tweeting about the Telly: Live TV, Audiences, and Social Media.” In Twitter and Society, edited by Katrin Weller, Axel Bruns, Jean Burgess, Merja Mahrt & Cornelius Puschmann, 237-248. New York, NY: Peter Lang. Accessed May 10, 2014. http://www.qut.eblib.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1632466&echo=1&userid=c3Xw17fqmwlt3ZS7F8tSrg%3d%3d&tstamp=1399782147&id=C49936EA245F6FFF0B151DE95DA82DD5C87CF8BC

Image obtained: http://paytonandco.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/socialitical-logo-final.png

New Media, Politics and Engagement…… When I found out that this was one of the topics that we would need to analyse, I was definitely not looking forward to it. One of the main reasons is because politics is not an area which I particularly enjoy reading or discussing about. However, after attending the lecture, tutorial and doing the readings, I realized that I do have a personal story that relates to the topic.

In recent years, new media has become a crucial element in politics and engagement. As someone who severely lacks knowledge regarding politics, new media is the platform I turn to for all of my information. Besides that, there are three perspectives discussed in the lecture regarding the role of new media in politics and engagement. The roles are mobilisation/activism, transparency and campaigning (Sauter 2014).

In the United States of America, you have to be 21 and above, in order to consume alcohol. Unlike many other countries around the world, you have to be 21 and above in Malaysia, in order to vote. Election seasons are often chaotic periods of time in Malaysia. One of the causes of the chaos is the accusations towards the Election Commission under the Prime Minister’s Department. They have often been scrutinised for manipulating the electoral process, by providing unfair advantages to the ruling National Front coalition (Bersih 2014).

Translation: Power to the people. Allow clean and fair elections. 

Image obtained: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4znNXuxSHUo/T6WBP0ixLlI/AAAAAAAAEoE/6R08f7HWOQc/s1600/bersih+image.jpg

“Bersih” which means clean in Malay, is a non-governmental organization in Malaysia driven to provide fair elections for the citizens of Malaysia. On the 10th of November 2007, they organized their first rally, which managed to recruit about 30,000 people to attend (Tay 2012). During that period of time, new media did not have a significant presence in terms of politics and engagement. However, when "Bersih" conducted their second rally in 2011, the turnout had increased by almost 20,000 people. In addition to that, citizens of Malaysia in over 20 other countries participated in the rally, posting up pictures of themselves wearing yellow coloured shirts (Tay 2012). 

The reason behind the rise of participants is that new media and networked communication structures have enabled “Bersih” to collect forces and mobilise crowds (Castells 2012). Supporters consistently gathered on the “Bersih” official Facebook and Twitter pages to share their thoughts on the situation in Malaysia. As a result, it created a sense of togetherness for the people, allowing others to overcome their fear of voicing out their opinions (Sauter 2014). 

I feel that the involvement of new media in politics and engagement is not only an asset to the people of the country but also for the politicians. These platforms allow politicians to understand how their fellow countrymen truly feel about the situations in their country, what actions could be taken to satisfy them. When the time comes for me to vote, I feel glad because I would be able to rely on new media to make a well-informed and well-decided choice on who I would like to support. 

Hui Zen Lim 

n8515247

References 

Bersih. 2014. "Bersih." Accessed May 4, 2014. http://www.bersih.org/

Castells, Manuel. 2012. Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age. Cambridge: Polity Press. 

Sauter, Theresa. 2014. “KCB206 Internet, Self and Beyond: Week 8 lecture notes.” Accessed May 1, 2014. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_108110_1&content_id=_5232450_1

For the last few weeks, discussions for this unit have been centered on new media and the role it plays in various industries, how it has affected the self and beyond. Finally, this week we were given the opportunity to actually conduct an in depth analysis on new media communication.

In regards to new media communication, one of the components focused on was the concept of computer mediated communication. According to Sauter (2014), “computer mediated communication is the use of tools and technologies to communicate information across time and space.” What are these tools and technologies referred to by Theresa? Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and many others have become essential tools and technologies for communication in this millennium.

There are two arguments about computer mediated communication, it has either impoverished or enhanced practices of communication. Baym (2010, 51) argued that computer mediated communication result in shallow, untrustworthy and inadequate interactions. People often portray false identities and form insincere relationships. On the contrary, Baym (2010, 50) has also expressed that, “this form of communication has encouraged the abandonment of stereotypes and prejudices; detachment of mind from body.” In addition to that, this form of communication has stimulated more engagement with writing, self-reflection and creativity (Sauter 2014). 

For instance, this post will evaluate Snapchat and its purposes. It could be viewed as either an impoverishment or enhancement to the practices of communication. Snapchat has been notoriously known as a tool which assists new media users with their sexual pursuits. This tool enables them to send explicit contents in the form of images, videos and words to seduce interested parties. People would say that this has definitely degraded the way we communicate with others. However, that is not the only functions of Snapchat, it also encourages new media users to evoke creativity. The images below illustrate how new media users challenge the preconceptions of Snapchat. 

Image obtained: http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/24-funny-clever-snapchat-pics

Image obtained: http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/24-funny-clever-snapchat-pics

The following snaps not only induce laughter for the recipient of the snaps, they also inspire other Snapchat users to go beyond their boundaries, create original and imaginative responses to the snaps. 

Boyd (2014) mentioned that, “Snapchat asks you to stand still and pay attention to the gift that some in your network just gave you.” I definitely agree with that quote because each time I receive a snap from my friends, I feel like it is my birthday, filled with overwhelming joy. Besides that, each snap is only limited to a maximum of 10 seconds. During the summer break last year, I returned to Malaysia and Snapchat really helped me stay in touch with my friends. Due to the time differences and busy schedules, communicating with my friends in real-time proved to be a difficulty. Snapchat allowed us to build stories to share with one another. When I came back to Australia, it felt like I had not been away for the last three months. 

Instead of arguing between the impoverishments or enhancements, Sauter (2014) said that, “We should focus on how users and technologies converge to produce new creative ways of interacting, meaning-making and self-formation.” This is supported by Baym (2010, 62) who states that, "As people appropriate the possibilities of textual media to convey social cues... they build identities for themselves, interpersonal relationships and create social contexts."

Despite my own personal belief that these tools have improve the way we communicate, I do agree with what they have said. It is far more fascinating to explore the relationship between new media users and technologies, rather than the pros and cons. 

Hui Zen Lim 

n8515247

References 

Baym, Nancy K. 2010. “Chapter 3 : Communication in Digital Spaces” In Personal connections in the digital age, edited by Nancy Baym, 50-71. Cambridge: Polity Press. Accessed April 5, 2014. https://qutvirtual3.qut.edu.au/qv/olt_material_search_p?p_unit_code=KCB206

Boyd, Danah. 2014. “Why Snapchat is Valuable: It’s All About Attention.” Accessed April 5, 2014. http://socialmediacollective.org/2014/03/21/snapchat-attention/  

For the past few weeks, we have been discussing how new media and the emergence of Web 2.0 has enabled and empowered media audiences to become active participants in today's media industry. My post for this week will carry on with themes that were discussed in my previous posts and further expand how the following changes have also resulted in a transformation in the entertainment industry.

One of the biggest changes is that we are no longer confined to specific media platforms for our consumption of entertainment. These days, we are able to do that through new and revolutionised modes of transmission (Sauter, 2014). According to Sauter (2014), Transmedia is when content is generated on different platforms and integrated into one story. The storyline builds from one medium to next, involving active audience participation and personalisation.

Sauter (2014) mentioned that, "new media entertainment contains 10 propositions." The fourth proposition is participatory fandom. Participatory fandom is one aspect of new media entertainment that has shown a significant change in terms of the development of participatory culture. The Lord of the Rings director and producer, Peter Jackson has included fans as “consumer affiliates” throughout all aspects of the film production process (Shefrin 2007, 265). Thus, resulting in an "Inclusionary vibe" (Flynn 2011, cited in Shefrin 2007, 274). 

The Inside film series developed through the partnership of Intel and Toshiba is an ideal example whereby transmedia and participatory fandom are incorporated into the entertainment industry. I discovered this film series last year during the summer break while I was browsing around for free movies to watch at home. This particular film series caught my attention because they were labelled as social films. Despite being Hollywood production films, including notable stars such as Emmy Rossum, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Topher Grace, these films take place on social media platforms. Audience members were encouraged to participate on Facebook and Twitter to be a part of the film. The film is broken down into several portions then posted up on YouTube.

The first film released from the series was Inside, a social film thriller starring Emmy Rossum. In the movie, Emmy Rossum would read Facebook posts and Tweets from audience members to help her character, safely make it out of her predicament (Wasserman, 2011). The film was well received by audience members, due to its innovative approach that has not been seen in any films.  

Being a sucker for romantic comedies, I was instantaneously in love with the second film from the series, The Beauty Inside. The film was not only well received by the audience members, it became the Cannes Lions Branded Content & Entertainment Grand Prix winner and won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding New Approach to an Original Daytime Program or Series in 2013 (AdNews, 2013). The difference between the first and second movie is that this time audience members were not only asked to post statuses and tweets to assist with the development of the film's storyline, they were asked to play the lead character of the film.

After watching the entire Inside film series, I feel that there are definitely many exciting opportunities to be explored by the entertainment industry. Social films signify the beginning of a new era for actors, writers, producers and directors. 

Hui Zen Lim 

n8515247

References

AdNews. 2013. "Branded content: What makes Toshiba and Intel's The Beauty Inside so good?" Accessed April 2, 2014. http://www.adnews.com.au/adnews/branded-content-what-makes-toshiba-and-intel-s-the-beauty-inside-so-good

Sauter, Theresa. Dr. 2014. “KCB206 Internet, Self and Beyond: Week 5 lecture notes.” Accessed April 1, 2014. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_4_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FlistContent.jsp%3Fcourse_id%3D_108110_1%26content_id%3D_5232445_1

Shefrin, Elana. 2004. “Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Participatory Fandom: Mapping New Congruencies Between the Internet and Media Entertainment Culture.” Critical Studies in Media Communication 21 (3): 261-281

In my previous post, I discussed how the emergence of community and collaboration spaces on Web 2.0 has provided audiences with a new avenue to be empowered and express their creativity. However, despite all the perks that come with these new sources of empowerment and creativity, I cannot help but wonder, what is the price we have to pay for it? To quote one of my favourite shows at the moment, Once Upon a Time, “magic always comes with a price.” In this scenario, new media would replace magic in the quote. 

Crowdsourcing is an essential tool for companies and corporations. It is used to harness collective resources such as knowledge, money and creativity to solve problems and produce things (Sauter, 2014). Crowdsourcing enables tasks to be completed with minimal cost and effort, but is it ethical for companies and corporations to be doing this? 

According to Fuchs (2014, 110), as users of the internet become more active and collaborative in creating user generated content, there is a greater risk that they could potentially become victims of exploited surplus value. Instead of being empowered users, they are becoming a commodity to businesses, often without their knowledge or being paid for the full extent of their contribution. 

Corporate web platform operators and their third party advertising clients continuously monitor and record personal date and online activities of new media users. "They store merge and analyse collected data, which allows them to create detailed user profiles and to know a lot about the users' personal interests and online behaviour." (Fuchs 2014, 108). I find this idea to be rather terrifying and an invasion of my privacy, especially after finding out the implications of the following activity in one of my lectures for AMB200 Consumer Behaviour. 

The lecturer for the following unit shared a story about how Target found out a high school student was pregnant before her father even knew about it. Every time when we are conducting any activities online we are sharing the most intimate parts of our lives with unknown people. Hill (2012) who wrote an article regarding Target stated that, "Target assigns every customer a Guest ID number, tied to their credit card, name, or email address that becomes a bucket that stores a history of everything they have bought and any demographic information Target has collected from them or bought from other sources."

Basically, this high school student was online looking for information regarding pregnancy and browsed through Target for some supplies. The problem was she did not know that her search history would be used by Target. Target sent a brochure to her home that involved pregnancy products and baby products. Her father, who had no knowledge that his teenage daughter was pregnant, picked up the brochure while she was in school. The girl's father was furious and made an angry phone call to Target, but the call centre support team told him that they sent the brochure based on records of his daughter's online activity. A few days later he called back to Target to apologize, confirming that he was really going to be a grandfather. 

Image obtained: http://www.buzzfeed.com/zgalehouse/135-30-rock-gifsjust-because-7sat

At the beginning of my post I asked, "what is the price?" I believe the price for all the perks is our privacy and freedom to say what personal information can or cannot be used. This in turn relates back to my first post regarding new media and privacy. Do we really have a say in how much privacy we have once we are engaged in new media platforms? Well the corporations seem to be telling us, "No, you don't!"

Hui Zen Lim 

n8515247

References

Fuchs, Christian. 2014. “The Power and Political Economy of Social Media.” In Social Media: An Introduction, 97 – 125. London: Sage Publications.

Hill, Kashmir. 2012. “How target figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did.” Accessed March 29, 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/