Week 5 readings: New media entertainment and self-formation (Ingeborg Ruud)
The new media entertainment landscape gives rise to the participatory practice of audiences consequently resulting in the blurring of boundaries between audiences and artist (Literat, 2012). YouTube represents a great example. The website has not only made participation and production easy, but it has guided their users into a landscape where self-expression is turned into play and entertainment.
Self-formation through amateur videos on YouTube
The new media entertainment industry can be characterised by different propositions. I will here place focus on new media entertainment as holding characteristics of self-formation alongside blurred lines in light of amateur videos published on YouTube.
As humans and social beings we depend upon feedback from each other in order to shape and create healthy identities and concepts of ourselves. As we live in a technological era of time, one will naturally seek self-formation through these technologies and tools. As technology presents opportunities as well as challenges within this field, I will place focus on this question: Are we collectively creators of value or are we trying to promote ourselves with the eye on the prize of fame?
Collectivism or individualism?
Burgess and Green (2009) present the divided approach given amateur video production and publishing: on one hand they can be seen as having an individualistic focus, developed to promote the individual. On the other hand, they produce value by representing the simplicity of everyday life and are genuinely produced to participate and contribute in the social network.
The value of including the crowd
As both Shefrin (2004) and Literats (2012) discusses, new media entertainment is starting to see the value of harnessing the crowds in various ways so that participatory products can see the light of day. These projects of collective creativity argue investment in social, cultural as well as economic capital. Ioana Literat (2012) asks; do we stand out the most when we stand together? I believe the answer is yes. I think we need to place focus and empower the good in others instead of solely empower ourselves as being more famous than others.
As knowing that power and democratization on the web is somewhat blurred one needs to ask: what we are giving power to as empowered new media citizens? I believe it is reason to not only look at power as a way in which to participate. I also believe that one needs to critically analyze what one is participating in and thereby empowering. Imagine a new media landscape where power is in the hands of those empowering individuals to do good.
References:
Literat, Ioana. 2012. "The work of art in the age of mediated participation: Crowdsourced art and collective creativity." International Journal of Communication 6: 2962-2984.
Burgess, Jean and Joshua Green. 2009. “You Tube and the Mainstream Media.” In YouTube: Online Video and Participatory Culture edited by Jean Burgess, Joshua Green and Henry Jenkins, 15-37. Cambridge, MA: Polity Press
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.
