Lesson 3 (week 42) (used completely)

Introduction to Media Change- Convergence, Mediamorphosis and Remediation
(Digital Cultures Explained)

 Lecture:

What is Digital Culture?

To introduce the lesson we discussed the background of digital culture and how it came about. Additionally we talked about why it would be good to study this subject.

We later came on to the background and history of the subject where we were introduced to a man who is very influential to the history of digtal cultures; Raymond Williams.

“the best that has been thought and written in the world”—is in danger, or is indeed already “lost,” because of widespread popular education, popular communications systems, and what is often called “mass society.”

(google search)

(below transfered)

Seminar: 

Mobile phone and video game obsession... addicted?!  

Not only is new technology expensive, it can also be addictive. Just like a person can become addicted to some type of food, cigarettes or drugs a person can be addicted to a game.

That’s almost the aim of the inventors and manufactures; they make a video game so    ‘more-ish’ that it becomes addictive. A person getting addicted to a game is more likely to happen to a younger person that is more easily influenced. However it can happen to anyone.

The same applies for a phone. Through word of mouth people have communicated and spread the news that the ‘Blackberry’ is the new in think, it has been said that in one college over 50% of the students owned or have owned a Blackberry phone.

As though the phone has attached itself to the teenage body it is rare that a teen would leave there phone at home or go for a day out without it. I have recently found myself surrounded by the sound of ‘pinging’ with groups of young people collectively looking at their phones, all wondering who it was that got the instant message.

What’s so good about it?

Young people feel connected. This consumer product seems to, alongside the iphone, taken over. The iphone in my opinion leans a little more towards the older generation. Video games on the other hand I would say are for all ages. As there is so much to choose from anyone can enjoy a video game, no matter their gaming skills.

Recently the video game ‘Call of Duty’ has taken over the minds of men particularly young boys. I was actually surprised to hear (on facebook) that a make aged 18 missed a date with his girlfriend as he forgot and spent the day playing ‘Call of Duty, what makes it worse is that she was left out so much as a phone call or a text. Brainwashed!

Lesson 2 (Week 41) (used completely)

Introduction to Blogging Workshop
(Blogging; A ctitical Introduction)

Week 2 lessons were a continuation of the previous lectures and seminars (the explanation of digital cultures and blogging), however going into more detail, starting from the basics and developing into useful information that will help us excel in our work over the year.

Lecture:

Blogging is the recording of a short and concise web entry, like a diary; however, the posts are saved in chronological order and so viewed backwards on the web service site 'Blogger'. 

"Blogger is a blog publishing service that allows private or multi-user blogs with time-stamped entries. It was created by Pyra Labs, which was bought by Google in 2003."

[ google search: Blogger (service). ]

Blogger Brainstorm (class task);

Blogging is seen to some, not just as a way of communicating, but also as personal entertainment. Since the development of blogger (in September 2009), blogger  has been known as a technological novelty, in which one person or a group of people collectively can express there thoughts and opinions on a subject of their choice. Its impact on politics and education has been massive.

The orgins of Blogger are an adaptation of another type of 
recording- ships logs. In Navy language, any sort of continous record is called a log. Offiical logs were kept on ships; this was originally navigational records, however extended to recordings of important ship dutties.
A Navy ship's deck log is a daily chronology of certain events for administrative and legal purposes, most of these logs are kept on board the Navy ships: although not permanently.

Origins of the term blog:    web+ log = blog

Web= the internet

Log= An account or recording like a ships log or diary entry

Blog= An account of information in chronological order, saved on the internet.

“a frequently updated Website consisting of dated entries arranged in reverse chronological order so the most recent post appears first”

                                Jill Walker Rettberg, 2005

Blogs are additonally said to be:

• An expression of personality
• Written in the 1^st person
• More than just a diary
• Made so that people can contribute in terms of comments
• Ways of socialising
• Political
• a way of advertising
• a way of being heard
• not just about 

 What Blogger has that other information sources do not:

•  Blog links
•  Blog roll
• advertising
• embbeded media (you-tube videos)

Examples that show media in a positive light are below as well as a percentage showing how useful it may or may not be. Ive included this table as it has been taken from an academic book, as well as this, it is the findings from a survey meaning it is factual data. Although taken form the years 2005-6 I believe it is still a valid souurce of information as it was less that a decade ago. 

Seminar: In the lesson, as well as introduction and the basics, we also covered how to use blogger and discussed whether or not blogger was nessessary. It was discovered that blogger is an easyily usable accessable site due to it being it's free and simple.

Additionally int eh seminar we went ove what type of meduim blogger is.

Mediums and what medium blogging is...

Above is an explanation of mediums, as a class we discussed this and came to the conclusion that a blog falls under the medium catergory 'one to many' if the blog has been made by one person and can be view by than one or 'many to many' as some blogs are made by a group of people collectivelly.

Lesson 1 (Week 40) (can't really use)

Introduction to Digital Culture


Lecture: General Introduction Information
Seminar: General Introduction Information


These lessons consisted of a basic introduction to the course and the material we will be using over the year as well as what we should aim to achieve over the duration of the year.




It was informative in a sense that we learnt every aspect of the course and what is expected of us after each semister in terms of evaluation.

General Information

Justine Wright: 1014522
Bedfordshire University: Luton Campus
Media Practices (Mass Communications)
Digital Culture (choice subject)

Blog created for subject 'Digital Culture' year 1:
Digital Cultures MED031-1 Alison Gazzard

Blog Enteries: Weekly entries based around lectures and seminar/workshops.