“If we have largely looked toward utopian, positive movement
in network cultures, we note new threats emerging as well.”( Varnelis,p 159) (Green’s
critical)
Looking at new medias and new literacies at this
moment in time is pretty exciting. It seems that from every social, political
and cultural perspective we are witnessing and participating in a monumental
evolutionary shift in defining who we are as Modern Man. A socio-technological
phenomena, as Mizuko Ito would refer to it. We are living in a time of rapidly
emergent, evolving and uncharted territories. The affordances of technology and
access to information combined with innovation and collaborative invention and
usage has brought us some amazing abilities, advances and diversities. The ways
that we spend our time, communicate, consume, manage, and the ways that we
gather and share information in our day to day has changed. (Green’s
operational)
What we know to be true in the world is no longer heard from
several traditional media outlets that create monologues with content .We now
have the capability to access information from many sources, many of which are “two
way” in nature, allowing for response, query and discourse. New media provides
a platform to publish that which isn’t discussed, or is omitted in traditional medias.
Rachel Raquero reporting on emergent themes in new media…says that in Brazil,
conventional media outlets are watching social media and responding in their
reporting to discourse found there. Raquero recognizes that this may not change
anything specifically, but it does create a possibility to deepen understanding
by presenting different viewpoints and this has the potential to create debate.
This is an example of social media referred to as “citizen media.” (Green’s
cultural)
Because social media
affords an ability to share information and media with social cohorts, it is
supporting the creation of youth social movements. Youth create strategies to connect with others
internationally on issues of global corruption, environmental and humanitarian
concerns.
New ways to spread democracy, creating collective projects,
and finding new forms of social mobilization have been afforded through new
media and creative usage. Social media creates a platform for inter generational
connection and communication. And in this ‘best of all possible worlds’, Henry Jenkins recognizes the emergence of a strong participatory culture…easy access,
support your interests, connect to like minds, share the info, create change in
magnitude and multitude. “Be the Change”.
Open source archives are contributed to daily for public
use through public domain licensing.... sample, remix and create.
Social media is ubiquitous in youth culture. Have a phone?
Don’t leave home without it.
Amazing good stuff and so much more, without a doubt.
And now for the flip side, which seems to be of concern to those
who are studying this social phenomena.(I will premise the following discussion
with the statement that across the board none of the reading I have done has
advocated for abolishing the evil technology driven monster. Most development
of social media, the internet and Web2.0 is viewed as an amazing set of tools, with the
capacity to implement huge change…for global betterment and are well received as cause for hope and
inspiration.)
In Networked Publics we are cautioned or reminded that
“All too often, discussions of contemporary society are depicted in the rosiest
of terms. Sometimes this relentless optimism is a product of fatigue with
outmoded modeled of criticism: sometimes this is just propaganda”(Varnelis,p.159)
Saskia Sassen in her videoed talk entitled, “Network, Power and Democracy,
“warns that it is a misconception that technologically afforded openness of
information and many choices necessarily produces democratic outcomes.” Racuero
refers to the negative aspects of social media as “the dark side”. She does
however, bring to our attention that perhaps social media “is showing social
problems-not making them.”(Green’s operational, cultural and critical)
We’ve all recognized in some situation or other too much engagement
with devices, and communication…creating distraction from everything else…you
know, couples on their phones at the restaurant, kids in class gazing into
screens instead of engaging the present.(Okay…that may be their present.)
Lines between private and public are blurring. People are creating
digital narratives…piecing together a persona of how they want to be
perceived and how they relate to their
own identities…a mash up of what they like, or what they think others may like.…
promoting themselves as part of consumer based culture. (Some kids think of corporate logos as part
of their personal identities.) I am always shocked when a student uses a
Facebook image of themselves for reference in a self-portrait. WHO is that 2o
something year old sexpot in the photo your showing me?)
Cyber bullying. Flaming. Sexist, prejudiced and violent
messages are spread.... sometimes under the guise of humor. David Tosh of the cable
TV show Tosh 5.0 comes to mind. We may be laughing at the gender bashing,
stereotypes, stupidity and mean spirited behavior brought to our attention for
entertainment, but in some underlying dialog those ideas are entering our
consciousness.
There is so much
information, that we stop paying attention and/or stop creating dialog and instead
we defer to the 20% population of popular bloggers for info and opinion
formation, recreating yet another traditional media perhaps of a different
flavor. We revert back to being passive participants.
Aggregation of biased, unchallenged information creates the “echo
chamber” effect which can create a false sense of reality, balance and lack of
diversity.
Use of propaganda,
for creating radicalized youth groups and extreme violence against violence has
been cited most recently in news reporting through NPR and the BBC.
Data mining, identity theft, targeted marketing, and privacy
issues are just a few…more.
But that being said…none of this is leaving. Much of it is
viewed from a traditional perspective. We are no longer operating in a
traditional landscape. There is a need for change and to find a meeting place
for the old and the new.
We need to teach social-techno protocol.
We need to incorporate the teaching of civics through a
critical lens instead of minimizing, whitewashing or obliterating in schools.
Saskia Sassen says, “We need to research to understand the social
logic and utility of the user” with the access we have. We need to do the hard
work to innovate new platforms that accommodate equal distribution in an effort
towards democracy. We need to ask of ourselves and our institutions, How do we engage in this media more
effectively? (Green’s critical)
We need to always be aware that technological
access and openness do not necessarily produce a democratic outcome.
“The question we face at the dawn of network culture is
whether we, the inhabitants of our networked publics, can reach across our micro
clustered worlds to coalesce into a force capable of understanding the
condition we are in and produce positive change, preserving what is good.” (
Varnelis,p.160)
Raquel Recuero - Digital Youth, Social Movements, and
Democracy in Brazil
Published on Jun 17, 2014
Saskia Sassen: Networks, Power, and Democracy http://Networkpublics.org
Published on Jul 26, 2012
Saskia Sassen spoke at the
Netpublics research group on Networks, Power & Democracy on March 23, 2006.
Varnelis, K.(Ed.).(2008). Networked Publics. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: The MIT Press. Amazon.com)
