a) How do file sharing, online downloading and the ‘networking’ of new material change the way music is consumed?
File sharing and online downloading and networking has changed the way music is consumed because like the Arctic Monkeys who posted their music on Myspace, it means new music can be discovered by people before record labels have signed them up. Downloading must in some way affect the sales of record as most people download using something other than itunes where you have to pay for each song, people tend to use uTorrent which is free.
b) How and why could any band ‘make it’ through social networking/content sharing sites?
Again bands can make it through social networking/ content sharing sites because now record companies are looking online for new and up and coming bands to see what is out there and what people like at the current time.
c) Has/will this change popular music?
I think popular music is forever changing, as there is always new music being created and played to the public, weather its online or in a club.
d) Will we still need media companies in future if people can produce and distribute cultural products directly?
I think we will still need media companies in the future as bands and artists need the backing and guidance from people who know how the industry works, however you will have people producing and distributing their own music like we do today.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Week 4- Part 2-Into The Blogsphere
I think that not every site should have an online community, i think the phrase has been over used because it seems that pretty much any website which has a forum can become a online community. Is this right i wonder? I do however think that virtual communities are important because of social reasons- some argue that they replace the relationships relationships people have with others as people become more isolated from there neighbours ( Rheinsold 1993, Schuler 1996)
Virtual communities allow people to connect with others around the world who share the same interests, creating a global village, (this however doesn't always happen) which is really is like expanding a persons real life village community around the world! As people become more connected via the virtual communities, they get the benefits of social relationships with like minded others.
Virtual Settlement is a very usually concept because it shows how virtual communities can change into a settlement making more people involved, by putting their links to websites on the forum or blog space. It also provides a sense of community, just like for me facebook does as it keeps me in contact with all my friends at home or at uni, it makes me feel like i am still in touch with what is going on at home in Wiltshire! In forums and blogs you get the sense of a community as you are discussing the same topic and then may go on to become good friends with your fellow bloggers!
Lurkers i think are people who like to read what is going on and see what other people think about what is being said, i myself are one of these and i tend not to comment unless what i think hasn't been said. I do think that everyone has a different people within a virtual community from the lurkers tho those who post and comment all the time.
Virtual communities allow people to connect with others around the world who share the same interests, creating a global village, (this however doesn't always happen) which is really is like expanding a persons real life village community around the world! As people become more connected via the virtual communities, they get the benefits of social relationships with like minded others.
Virtual Settlement is a very usually concept because it shows how virtual communities can change into a settlement making more people involved, by putting their links to websites on the forum or blog space. It also provides a sense of community, just like for me facebook does as it keeps me in contact with all my friends at home or at uni, it makes me feel like i am still in touch with what is going on at home in Wiltshire! In forums and blogs you get the sense of a community as you are discussing the same topic and then may go on to become good friends with your fellow bloggers!
Lurkers i think are people who like to read what is going on and see what other people think about what is being said, i myself are one of these and i tend not to comment unless what i think hasn't been said. I do think that everyone has a different people within a virtual community from the lurkers tho those who post and comment all the time.
Week 4-Part 1
What is an Online Community?
Kellner 1998 and Poster 1997 state that the idea of online groups as the heart of a new revived public sphere. It could also be said that online communities keep you attached to the rest of the world, as you can find out what is going on in different places 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Online communities allow all different types of people to talk to each other on different topics they have in common, they also bring together people who in a physical community may not speak to each other because of different reasons.
It has been asked if communities can be separate from a physical location? I think that online communities can be separate from one central physical location because there is always one central location for each online community which people come to, to socialise with others.
Lister states that online communities allow:
Kellner 1998 and Poster 1997 state that the idea of online groups as the heart of a new revived public sphere. It could also be said that online communities keep you attached to the rest of the world, as you can find out what is going on in different places 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Online communities allow all different types of people to talk to each other on different topics they have in common, they also bring together people who in a physical community may not speak to each other because of different reasons.
It has been asked if communities can be separate from a physical location? I think that online communities can be separate from one central physical location because there is always one central location for each online community which people come to, to socialise with others.
Lister states that online communities allow:
- Opportunities doe education and learning
- Create new opportunities for participatory democracy
- Establish countercultures on an unprecedented scale
- Ensnarl already difficult legal matters concerning privacy, copyright and ethics
- Restructure man/machine interaction
Online communities can be both empowering and disempowering, i think they can be empowering as they can bring people together for example "Jay Allison" telling his story, empowered readers/audience as they could relate to him, it allowed them to share their stories, give advice and reply to him so he knew he wasn't alone, however online communities can be disempowering as some people mat feel like they still don't fit in and online bullying may happen.
The net provides a public sphere, of newsgroups, bulletin boards, email groups etc which all enable users to communicate with the group. Many of the discussions about the affairs of the day and all different kinds of culture. However there are limitations to this.
Having freedom on the net, is a good thing and a bad thing, it is a good thing because it allows to to access all different kinds of material, as a student we need information on all different topic from all different points of view.
Freedom on the net is a bad thing because it enables people, to hack into computers, pornography is widely available, and the worst threat of all, paedophiles having access to children on the Internet. There are other problems as well such as flaming or obscene conversations in chat rooms which adds to the fear of contamination of files via file exchange and downloads. However these aspects of the Internet can be stopped in time, and i do think what with out freedom on the Internet we would think about things in a very different way.
Monday, 9 February 2009
Week 3- Topic 2
Withholding your identity online can be seen as right or wrong. I Personally think it is right to withhold your personal identity, because of cases of fraud etc. The only time I use my full name is when i am buying things over the Internet but then i am always careful, just in case it is a fake site. However on my facebook account i do have my full name this is because i only have the people i know on my friends list and my profile is also set to private so no one can view it unless they are already my friend on the site.
However some people feel more confident by using different ways of addressing people, for example i talk differently to my friends than i do my family, this is the same with false identities as some people may feel more confident by being hidden behind this fake person, this also allows you to fit into different groups of people that you would not usually fit into, this is the new way of social interaction some may say? By adopting this mask it allows you to take part in online relationships as well as online self expression.
However some people feel more confident by using different ways of addressing people, for example i talk differently to my friends than i do my family, this is the same with false identities as some people may feel more confident by being hidden behind this fake person, this also allows you to fit into different groups of people that you would not usually fit into, this is the new way of social interaction some may say? By adopting this mask it allows you to take part in online relationships as well as online self expression.
Week 3-Topic 1
I have found this week's blogs hard to write about and comment on, hope i am not the only one with this problem!!
A) Bell Canada, 1998 defines "Open Architecture" as "The manner in which the information highway is designed so that equipment of different manufacturers may be used, and content producers/providers are able to share information and any subsequent revenue opportunities." and also A network, consisting of many connected networks, which has the capacity to carry high-speed, broadband services, including interactive and voice, data, image and video communication. The network will allow customers to reach offices, homes, schools, hospitals and a variety of other institutions. The Net can be thought as open because you have access to all different types of information, and it seems to be an open space which is changing all the time, just like architecture does. http://www.hackcanada.com/canadian/phreaking/gtit1.html
B) Having a Online Persona allows people of all ages to pose as who they ultimately want to be, this is done by not only describing themselves differently but by also posting pictures of other people they wish to look like, this could boast the users confidence as they feel more attractive being seen as the person in the picture eve if it is not truly them.
Many people decide to experiment with their online persona in chat rooms etc but some people decide to be themselves for example most people who use facebook are themselves. however people do tend to play around with different online personas to see the reaction of others and just for entertainment. I think by having a false persona it allows people to get away from reality and themselves This is backed up by the idea of Bolter and Grusin: “We can experiment with other parts of ourselves, take risks or express aspects of self that we find impossible to live out in day-to-day ‘meatspace’” (Bolter and Grusin cited in Lister et al, 2003;167) however having online persona's is not always a good thing as you never know who you are talking to and if what they are saying is the truth. For example someone posing as a 17 year old boy could actually be a 55 year old man, who has criminal convictions, which could lead to all kinds of different events taking place like identity fraud.
C) People's online selves can be completely different to themselves, this means they can change their race, gender, class, relgion, culture etc this is backed up by "Identity is seen as anything but essential or fixed...identity is understood as a fluid process in which ‘self’ and environment are constantly interacting” (Lister et al 2003; 167) which again suggests that no identity is fixed when you are online and that it changes with your surroundings.
A) Bell Canada, 1998 defines "Open Architecture" as "The manner in which the information highway is designed so that equipment of different manufacturers may be used, and content producers/providers are able to share information and any subsequent revenue opportunities." and also A network, consisting of many connected networks, which has the capacity to carry high-speed, broadband services, including interactive and voice, data, image and video communication. The network will allow customers to reach offices, homes, schools, hospitals and a variety of other institutions. The Net can be thought as open because you have access to all different types of information, and it seems to be an open space which is changing all the time, just like architecture does. http://www.hackcanada.com/canadian/phreaking/gtit1.html
B) Having a Online Persona allows people of all ages to pose as who they ultimately want to be, this is done by not only describing themselves differently but by also posting pictures of other people they wish to look like, this could boast the users confidence as they feel more attractive being seen as the person in the picture eve if it is not truly them.
Many people decide to experiment with their online persona in chat rooms etc but some people decide to be themselves for example most people who use facebook are themselves. however people do tend to play around with different online personas to see the reaction of others and just for entertainment. I think by having a false persona it allows people to get away from reality and themselves This is backed up by the idea of Bolter and Grusin: “We can experiment with other parts of ourselves, take risks or express aspects of self that we find impossible to live out in day-to-day ‘meatspace’” (Bolter and Grusin cited in Lister et al, 2003;167) however having online persona's is not always a good thing as you never know who you are talking to and if what they are saying is the truth. For example someone posing as a 17 year old boy could actually be a 55 year old man, who has criminal convictions, which could lead to all kinds of different events taking place like identity fraud.
C) People's online selves can be completely different to themselves, this means they can change their race, gender, class, relgion, culture etc this is backed up by "Identity is seen as anything but essential or fixed...identity is understood as a fluid process in which ‘self’ and environment are constantly interacting” (Lister et al 2003; 167) which again suggests that no identity is fixed when you are online and that it changes with your surroundings.
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