mdst_110 / 2007_fall / week_8


stumble upon this jambo:
i'll blish your fireant if you gumshoo my oddpost



agenda

keywords

bert is evil; collective intelligence; convergence; copyright term extension act; crowdsourcing; graffiti; survivorsucks; user-generated content; web 2.0; yellowarrow.net


questions from lecture

1. why is the medium of the city as depicted in style wars (1983) an example of convergence? is urban cultural convergenece comparable to digital cultural convergence, or are there important distinctions to be made?
2. do you agree with lessig's argument in freedom of expression (2007) that re-use in documentary film should be "presumptively valid" for clearnace above and beyond current copyright restrictions?
3. why did the media expression foundation choose to limit the full release of freedom of expression to an on-site streaming video and a DVD which is currently on back order, rather than distributing it more widely on the internet?
4. how is copyright law affected by the movement towards convergence? do you agree or disagree that copyright now makes people afraid to make or do things?

questions from readings

tim o'reilly, "what is web 2.0: design patterns and business models for the next generation of software"

1. does o'reilly's distinction between web 1.0 and web 2.0 make sesnse to you, or does it seem more like a marketing tool than a legitimate distinction?
2. john searle argued against the metaphor of a computer as a brain, because it isn’t defined by intentionality and consciousness (lecture 9/10/07). meanwhile o’reilly’s article asserts that web 2.0 is "turning the web into a kind of global brain" through features like hyperlinks, tagging, and the blogosphere. can we understand web 2.0, but not the computer itself, as analogous to a brain? why or why not, and what are the implications of this view?
3. user-generated content, such as reviews, are a large part of sites like amazon.com. how should copyright operate in this context? who should have ownership of such content?
4. to what extent is web 2.0 responsible for ideas like creative commons? is creative commons an effective way to cope with the facility and volume of user-generated content (for example, on a website like youtube)?

henry jenkins, convergence culture: where old and new media collide [introduction, chapters 1,2,3]

1. what does jenkins mean by "convergence" and what are some examples of convergence? how is convergence impacting the relationship between media audiences, producers and content?
2. jenkins calls convergence a “top down corporate-drive process and a bottom-up consumer-driven process.” corporate convergence and grassroots convergence coexist, but is one more powerful than the other? is one more accessible? can we think of examples where they reinforce each other, and examples where they are at war?
3. how would you explain the protocols of social networking to a n00b?
4. would you rather have a single all-in-one device or multiple specialized devices?
5. which branding tie-in approach (of the many jenkins lists on pp. 69-72) seems most effective? brand as: protagonist; taskmaster; entertainment; helper; prize; tie-in; community; event; contestants; judges...
6. when it comes to television, are you a zapper, a loyal, or a casual? how might convergence impact your viewing habits?
7. what do you think of the synergistic cross-platform storytelling employed by the matrix franchise?