Participatory Culture is Wonderful?
Blog Post 1 (by Choy Ka Wai 10615548)
The development of new media is always challenging
the so-called old media which is those passive form media. The growth of the
Internet and Web 2.0 made a big change of human's culture. According to Mark
Andrejevic's article "Watching Television Without Pity: The Productivity
of Online Fans"(2008), he mentioned that the development of television(TV
programs) had been stronger than the past because of the Internet. There are
more and more television shows have created official web sites to build up a discussion
area for audience. Sometimes, audience's feedback may affect the production of
the TV programs. This type of interactivity would be the key component of
participatory culture. Here are going to discuss more about the participatory
culture base on Andrejevic's (2008) article.
Andrejevic explained that TV programs just
like a play because the producer can know the audience's reaction about the
programs through online platform as fast as the play. The article used
TelevisionWithoutPity.com (TWoP) as the main example to explain the value of
audience participation of television. In the audience angle, the discussion on
the online platform can give them the sense of loyalty when others also share
the same point of views. When the producers adopted the viewpoint of audience
from some web sites, audience will feel happy and successful because they may
think that they have the power to affect the production of TV programs and help
the programs become better.
Of course there are many advantages of
participatory culture. Therefore, we have many fan sites of TV programs
especially reality show and TV drama. However, public should pay more attention
on the lack side of participatory culture. Audience's feedback become increasingly
integrated into the production process in a cybernetic cycle that offers to
help the producers to catch the public interest. The viewer feedbacks are
valuable but the format of online platform discussion make the audience become free
labor on the Net. The idea of participatory culture make viewer become the
labor as something which is voluntarily given and exploited. When the producer
get the ideas from the web sites for free, audience is being exploited.
All in all, participatory culture is not
really that perfect. Audience will feel successful when their comments have
been chosen to apply in the TV programs. But at the same time, they are being
exploited. Do you think audience should feel happy or sad about that? (397 words)
To know more
- What is Participatory Culture?
http://video.mit.edu/watch/what-is-participatory-culture-3027/
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