THEORY - Media in the Online Age

Interactivity VS Passivity     - The New Passivity

INTERACTIVITY - the process of two people or things working together and influencing each other.

PASSIVITY - acceptance of what happens, without active response or resistance.



Balkanisation VS Splinternet 

SPLINTERNET - is a characterisation of the internet, dividing due to various factors (technology, commerce, politics, nationalism, religion and interests). 

Countries like China has erected a " Great Firewall" for political reasons while other nations such as US and Australia have discussed plans to create a similar firewall to block child pornography or weapon-making instructions. 

TECHNOLOGY 
Some people see the problem in terms of new devices using different standards. Users don't require web browsers to access the internet as hardware tools are becoming increasingly available and creates their own set of standards. It all works because the Web is standardised, Google works because the web is standardised. However as new devices incorporate their own networks, technology etc, many are able to "hide content" from search engines. 

COMMERCIAL LOCK-IN 
Many new gadgets have "hidden agenda" to hold you in their ecosystem. In the age of Splinternet, ads are more tightly controlled by platforms. Blackberry default browser is Bing because network operator Verizon has a deal with Microsoft. Google Android serves Google ads under apps like Pandora (music app). They rationalise new standards possibly as a result of companies wanting to increase their revenue through targeted advertising to their own user base. Content from the web is different on devices (PC- Mobile) or hidden behind passwords making it harder for developers to create a unified experience for users. Pages don't look the same due to screen size and don't work the same (iPhones don't support Flash). 

POLITICS AND NATIONALISM Iran, China and Saudi Arabia filter a wide range of topics and also block large amounts of content related to specific topics. Numerous countries engaged in "substantial politically motivated filtering", to websites related to border disputes, separatists and extremists. Political writer Evgeny Morozov questions whether "the internet brings us closer together despite it's early ideals that it would increase understanding, foster tolerance and ultimately promote world peace and that in actual fact the opposite may be happening. Digital content that can be accessed by UK citizens is becoming more unavailable to non UK citizens. However, In Norway, 50,000 copyrighted books are available online but you can only access them when you are in Norway. As a result, many governments are blocking internet access to their own citizens which is resulting in the creation of the splinternet. 

Link balkanistation to net neutrality 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THEORY - Short Film Analysis 'Let's Not Panic'

LETS NOT PANIC  "When an asteroid threatens to hit New York, twenty-something Sadie embarks on a quest from Brooklyn to Manhatton to reunite with the man she loves - her therapist." The genre of this film is a comedy about a girl falling in love with her therapist and having him rescue her from a natural disaster. There isnt an extensive list of characters for this film which is a good thing as it means that the narrative is a lot easier to follow. The time setting this short film follows a split narrative that is based around future imagined events and present day. This short film begins with the character subject "Sadie" fantasising about her therapist however you don't actually see him until later in the narrative.  You are immediately greeted with a voiceover of Sadie talking about her fantasises and acting out what she is thinking so the viewer has visual and aural view. It then clips to her lying on a sofa in his office in different clothing and o...
Read more

PRODUCTION - Codes and Conventions

Image
A mockumentary is a  a television programme or film which takes the form of a serious documentary in order to satirise it's subject.  Mockumentary productions are often used to analyse or comment on current affairs and events by using fictional settings or parodies in documentary forms itself. Mocumentaries tend to be comedic / pseudo-documentaries. Pseudo-Documentaries shouldn't be confused with  Docudramas  as they are similar however not the same. Pseudo Documentaries are a fictional genre that dramatic techniques are combined with documentary elements to portray real life events. Docudramas are a genre in which documentaries are mixed with fictional events.  The term "mockumentary" originated in the 1960's and popularised in mid 1980's. Mocumentaries tend to be presented as historical documentaries, discussing past events or pieces following people through various events. I watched a series on BBC called "Life and Death Row" which fol...
Read more

THEORY - Representation in our film "The Secret"

Representation refers to the construction of any medium of aspects of reality such as people, places, events etc. Our film "The Secret" is based around a real story however we put our own twist on it making it more fictional. We tried to make our film appealing to as many social groups as we could like age, gender, sexuality.  Theorist Judith Butler created a theory - 'Queer Theory'. Her theory generates the idea that gender doesn't control all aspects of our identity or our perception of others. Gender is flexible in the way it is represented whether it is in Television or in film. This applies to our film in the sense of erasing the negativity associated with homosexuality. We applied the theory with the intention to help our audience be more open to homosexuality and with how more common this theme is in every day life. By talking about the topic so openly and using a stereotypical teenage setting it helps normalise the topic to those who might not be so open ...
Read more