Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Keen Questions
1. How does Keen define Democratized media, and what are his main issues with this trend? use examples from the web in the form of links.
In his book Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen defines democratized media as a trend in which the audience is the main author of sources of media and information. For example, instead of a world in which professional journalists, musicians, actors, reporters, etc. are the main producers of content, virtually anyone can produce content and post it on the web for the world to see. Keen's main issues with this trend is that professionals are being replaced by amateurs, which he sees to be a decimation of culture.
Keen also feels as though the democratization of media encourages plagiarism and intellectual property theft. He states, "Copyright and authorship begin to lose all meaning to those posting their mash-ups and remixing on the Web" (24). Many people, or "amateurs," post remixes of songs and other media content done by professional musicians on YouTube, and as a result gain fame and popularity For example, I found this video on YouTube created by YouTube sensation "Pogo," who creates remixes of songs and sounds from movies. Keen has a problem with the fact that nowadays anyone can start a successful career on the Internet, without any professional or formal training. Pogo was subsequently hired by Walt Disney Studios after attracting millions of hits to his remix videos.
Andrew Keen also has a problem with the fact that it is hard to distinguish fact from fiction on the Internet. Sites such as Wikipedia, which allow any Internet user to edit its information are devaluing true culture and content, believes Keen. Andrew Keen would much rather live in a world that still relies on print Encyclopedias and newspapers for obtaining information.
2. Compare and Contrast Keens take on Social Media with Douglas Rushkoff's. Which one speaks to you and your own experiences and why?
Douglas Rushkoff believes that Social Media can be very beneficial to society, by keeping us informed on a multitude of topics, allowing us to congregate a large amount of people for a particular cause, and to just stay connected. Basically, Rushkoff views Social Media as a positive phenomenon which gives society a power it never had before.
Andrew Keen holds an opposing viewpoint; he believes that Social Media is ruining our culture and is harmful to society's intellect. Keen thinks that if Social Media becomes (or maybe it already is) our primary form of communication and exchange of information, that we are going to be left with fictional data created by amateurs rather than professionals.
Douglas Rushkoff's view of Social Media speaks to me more because I feel as though my generation has grown up in a time where Social Media is almost the only thing we know. We cannot imagine life without Facebook or Twitter-how would we communicate with our friends? Aside from that aspect, I feel that Social Media is beneficial because it allows people that are miles apart to exchange ideas and viewpoints, and even start political revolutions, which we have seen in the current events in Egypt. Social Media has also greatly affected the ways companies market their products. Thousands of new jobs are being created because companies and organizations are realizing they need someone to run their Social Media profiles in order to remain a competitor in the market. Social Media is revolutionizing the way the world works essentially, and is here to stay. Sorry, Keen.
In his book Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen defines democratized media as a trend in which the audience is the main author of sources of media and information. For example, instead of a world in which professional journalists, musicians, actors, reporters, etc. are the main producers of content, virtually anyone can produce content and post it on the web for the world to see. Keen's main issues with this trend is that professionals are being replaced by amateurs, which he sees to be a decimation of culture.
Keen also feels as though the democratization of media encourages plagiarism and intellectual property theft. He states, "Copyright and authorship begin to lose all meaning to those posting their mash-ups and remixing on the Web" (24). Many people, or "amateurs," post remixes of songs and other media content done by professional musicians on YouTube, and as a result gain fame and popularity For example, I found this video on YouTube created by YouTube sensation "Pogo," who creates remixes of songs and sounds from movies. Keen has a problem with the fact that nowadays anyone can start a successful career on the Internet, without any professional or formal training. Pogo was subsequently hired by Walt Disney Studios after attracting millions of hits to his remix videos.
Andrew Keen also has a problem with the fact that it is hard to distinguish fact from fiction on the Internet. Sites such as Wikipedia, which allow any Internet user to edit its information are devaluing true culture and content, believes Keen. Andrew Keen would much rather live in a world that still relies on print Encyclopedias and newspapers for obtaining information.
2. Compare and Contrast Keens take on Social Media with Douglas Rushkoff's. Which one speaks to you and your own experiences and why?
Douglas Rushkoff believes that Social Media can be very beneficial to society, by keeping us informed on a multitude of topics, allowing us to congregate a large amount of people for a particular cause, and to just stay connected. Basically, Rushkoff views Social Media as a positive phenomenon which gives society a power it never had before.
Andrew Keen holds an opposing viewpoint; he believes that Social Media is ruining our culture and is harmful to society's intellect. Keen thinks that if Social Media becomes (or maybe it already is) our primary form of communication and exchange of information, that we are going to be left with fictional data created by amateurs rather than professionals.
Douglas Rushkoff's view of Social Media speaks to me more because I feel as though my generation has grown up in a time where Social Media is almost the only thing we know. We cannot imagine life without Facebook or Twitter-how would we communicate with our friends? Aside from that aspect, I feel that Social Media is beneficial because it allows people that are miles apart to exchange ideas and viewpoints, and even start political revolutions, which we have seen in the current events in Egypt. Social Media has also greatly affected the ways companies market their products. Thousands of new jobs are being created because companies and organizations are realizing they need someone to run their Social Media profiles in order to remain a competitor in the market. Social Media is revolutionizing the way the world works essentially, and is here to stay. Sorry, Keen.
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