Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks

 Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:

1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?

increased connectivity, new jobs, advances in technology/knowledge

2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?

cyber security, cyber bullying, illegal trafficking of illegal objects

3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’?

I don't agree. Regulation across many platforms where users interact is still needed. Open technology is also a political challenge as many people will be divided on the pros and cons so it won't really catch on unless the whole world/general public changes their opinion to the same.

4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?

the issue with mass regulation on the internet, conglomerate dominance, rules and order of the internet and the main one being privacy online

5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?

I think there should be more regulation when it comes to frowned upon or illegal practices taking place on social media right now. Regulation on YouTube should only apply to those who pose a threat or danger to the consumer, not screwing over the creators.

Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:

1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?

People who work in the media industry are no longer employees or professionals as the lines have become blurred as to who is a professional who actually uses media as a profession. People who have written articles online face more professionalism as they are seen as more 'up to date' but they often lack the qualifications and knowledge that go with it.

2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?

The newspaper industry is in danger as the online news outlets are gaining more and more traction every day. The coherency of the newspaper industry is being dismantled online as it's just lines of code to look like words and pictures. It's an industry that's unfortunately dying and struggling to keep their head above the water with this 'new ecosystem'

3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?

He ran as senator for Missisippi and retold a story about the time he saw the level of unprofessionalism in the press at the time he was around (mid-20th century) and the press didn't cover this as they might have 'ignored' it.

4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

When people believe that they can create as good content than the people who provide quality content. People follow in their footsteps, suddenly you have tons of amateur content creators.

5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?

Fake news, if believed, can spread really quickly. It's a matter of making sure the source you get the information from is credible. The mass amateurisation of the internet makes this news much more likely to get spread as we see how one person believes one thing just because 'everyone is reporting the same thing'. This is that quote in essence. We always try to look for credible sources though, active consumer do at least.

6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?

Because the consumers are becoming the producers, it's created a habit of publish then edit. This shift in balance creates censorship issues and problems for the professionals to stay afloat. There is six times more fake news than real. That shows you how the consumers have the power, not the producer.

7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?

Anyone can now wrote online. Almost like I do... Anyway, the point Shirky is trying to ,make is that the mass amutuerisation has become to saturated that people are making careers out of it, much like myself.

8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?

The printing press meant that books became mainstream and that that more people could buy them. This then increased exponentially. The same with the internet. Now that we can create our own content, we have power to change the face of  the media or indeed the global internet landscape.

9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?

If everyone has a camera, they think that they can do the same thing as professionals, with  years of experience and knowledge.

10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed? 

I think it's a good thing because we see so much positive change from it. Whether it's posting articles about F1 or even using your platform to highlight BLM, it's very good that we can create our own content - for others to consume. Although, political issues can be made worse by social media and the internet due t the global nature of it. The internet is a useful tool to those who are sensible, however in the wrong hands, it's a manipulative weapon, impacting the lives of millions.