Convergence

So Far on Intro to New Media

1. What is “new” about new media

2. Online Communities

3. Communication4. Interactivity

1. Convergence2. Study Session3. User Navigation

Convergence occurs at many levels: possibly 9

• At the technological level

• Capacity of digital production to draw together previously discrete analogue forms

• Platform convergence– TV/PC– PC/TV– Video/audio/camera/m.phone– GPS/PDA– Social network/storybook– Banana/phone ;-)

Technological Convergence in the 1990s

Industrial Convergence

Industrial Level (added value)

• telecommunications• computer• broadcast • motion picture• print • publishing industries

• Realising the market value of digital innovation – the “new”

• Production and marketing of new technologies

• Consumption of interactive media

Convergence Policy

• The logic of convergence also guides current communication policy

• New Labour’s communication policies

• Technological determinism behind the ideology of cyberspace

– Sampson and Lugo (2003) on Labour communication policy

– James Murdoch Speech in 2009

Convergence Culture

Jenkins, Henry (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York UP.

Old Media TV Star Bert

Sesame Street - Bert and Ernie - Bananaphone

Dino Ignacio 1996 High School Kid from Manila

Uploaded images to the WWWon his website “Bert is Evil”

www.bertisevil.tv/

Unabomber manifesto

Bert on Mars

1998 winner of the Weird Website Award

A bit of fun

Breaking News on TV2001

Medium of Protest Posters, Banners

“The images apparently originate from a number of web sites called Bert is Evil, which argue that Bert is actually a dark genius who is connected to several high-profile personalities. Mostafa Kamal, the production manager at Azad Products, the Dhaka shop which made the posters, told AP news agency that he had got the pictures from the internet.” BBC News 12 October, 2001, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1594600.stm

Footage of protests captured by CNN

Owners of copyright of Bert’s image notice something

“Sesame Workshop, which produces the show, said it was considering all legal avenues to prevent the misappropriation of Bert in the future.”

"Sesame Street has always stood for mutual respect and understanding," the company said. "We're outraged that our characters would be used in this unfortunate and distasteful manner."

Burt and Bin Laden Scandal bla bla bla

Localized TV

Meanwhile on the WWW

Bert is Evil Goes “Viral”

A frequency of thousands of hits per minute in October 2001

(http://www.lindqvist.com/bert-bin-laden/)

Society of Imitation

Bert on CNN YouTube lampoon

Convergence Culture

• Jenkins (p. 1-4) uses this example to explain three components of convergence culture

1. Media Convergence

– Flow of content across multiple media platforms

– The media searches of migratory media audiences

Gary Hayes article

2. Media System = Participatory Culture

– Consumer active in media system – user-producer [see Axel Bruns’ produser]

– Consumers make content and connections

• Mix of work and play

– Not all participation equal• Corporation still exert

great power• Programmer/user

relation

http://techtv.mit.edu/videos/13905-participatory-culture

•"The public becomes the participant consumer-producer of 'hardware' products and 'software' information alike." McLuhan, M and Nevitt, B. (1972). Take Today: The Executive as Drop Out. New York: Harcourt, p. 4

Axel Bruns’ produser

Axel Bruns’ produser“…. within the communities which engage in the collaborative creation and extension of information and knowledge… the role of consumer and… end user have long disappeared, and the distinctions between producers and users of content have faded into comparative insignificance.”

“In many of the spaces we encounter here, users are always already necessarily also producers of the shared knowledge base, regardless of whether they are aware of this role - they have become a new, hybrid, produser.” (Bruns, (2007) from the http://produsage.org/ site.

http://www.briansolis.com/

3. Collective Intelligence

• Media convergence is all about collective social interaction

3. Collective Intelligence

• Collectives produce vast quantities of information – wikis

3. Collective Intelligence

• Tapped into by corporations, but not controlled by anyone person (or persons)

• No one person (or persons) can possibly know everything (on wikis e.g.)

Consumer is King?

Exploited by Corporations?

3. Collective Intelligence

3. Collective Intelligence

• Consumption becomes a collective process

• Control is dependent on collective processes

3. Collective Intelligence• The production of knowledge is a

collective process• Knowing everything is a collective

rather than an individual intelligence

Not self-contained

Further viewing

• LECTURES: USC Annenberg Center Speaker Series: Henry Jenkins

• Interview with Ingnacio

• http://www.bertisevil.tv/

• 1. IS THE NEW MEDIA REALLY ‘NEW’? • Things to consider in your answer… What does ‘new’ mean in this context? What are the arguments

put forward concerning a paradigm shift in media history? What examples help to either support or undermine these claims? Is new media over hyped or is there really something ‘revolutionary’ about it?

• • 2. IS THE EXPERIENCE OF A VIRTUAL COMMUNITY ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF A

REAL COMMUNITY?• Things to consider in your answer… Ideas concerning what community means. How can we define

‘virtual’? What are the differences between belonging to a community based on physical proximity and those that are linked ‘virtually’ like Facebook? Use examples of both virtual and real and compare and contrast.

• • 3. HOW DOES INTERACTIVITY CHANGE THE WAY IN WHICH WE COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER?• Things to consider in your answer… models of communication, models of interactivity, examples of

interactive experiences in which individuals communicate with each other (peer-to-peer), for example, through social media, email and mobile. Does interactivity change these relations, and if so how are they transformed?

Overview of focus groups as a way of getting know users

What is a focus group?• Qualitative research based on

interaction between group members

• Focus on specific issues relating to usage

• Designed to learn about thoughts, attitudes, feelings and opinions of users

• Discover alternatives to existing user experiences

• A research tool used to answer questions

Three basic uses of focus groups

1. Primary source of data for research

2. A supplement to other data collection methods (used alongside questionnaires, pre-concept testing)

3. Combined with other means of collecting data (part of methodology)

• Provides information directly from users

• Interactions “trigger” the sharing of user experiences

• Can focus on details found in questionnaires

• Low cost and efficient way to generate a great deal of information

• Different from a questionnaire?– More flexibility – More variety in

activities – discussion, exercises, stimuli

Disadvantages of focus groups

• Not a natural social setting

• Self-report

• Limited to verbal interaction

• Less control

• Less time with each participant

• The moderator may lead answers

• Group think vs. individual

Organising a focus group

• Select Participants

– Have something in common (media usage)

– 8-12 people per group

• Approximately two hours

• Held in a closed and comfortable environment

• Conducted by a moderator

Participant Selection

• “Homogeneous strangers”

• Shared knowledge, insights

• Consider age, race, gender…

• Current users and/or potential users?

Participant Selection

• Try to make the group representative of your target

• The moderator should not know members

• Members should not know each other

• Choose people who can communicate effectively

• Beware of bias

Identify the Objective• What do you need to know

about?

• What are the users’ characteristics, wants or desires

• What are perceptions of user experience

Planning• Overall schedule

• Number of Participants• Budget

– Recruiting participants– Incentives– Venue

• Data capture– audio, video, etc

What makes a good discussion?

1. Make it clear and focus on research question

2. Act professionally

3. Use participant-friendly language, avoid jargon

4. Make it interesting/varied

5. Do not rush, a good pace

• Introductions

• Ease your way in…

• Direct conversations

• Sequence naturally, move from general to specific

• Use mostly open-ended questions (10-12)

• Sound conversational

• Use words the participants use

• Encourage description and depth

So how do you feel

about that?

Open Questions• How

– Is this different?– do you use this?– do you feel about this?

• Where– do you usually use, see,

find this?

• When– do you go?– can’t you?

• What– do you do when?– do you use instead?

• Why?

Closed questions– Have their place – For summary and

facts• Are… you happy with

this?• Did… you have any

problems?• Do… you think this is

a good idea• Is… this your first

time?

Probing for responses

• Acting naïve helps• First response rarely tells the entire

story • Paraphrasing is an effective way to

probe… In other words, would you…?

• “Say more about that” is an invitation to talk more

• Consider consistency in your probing• Prepare probes in advance

Before you begin

• Read the rest of this presentation…

Starting the discussionIntroducing the research• Introduce self and any colleagues• Thank people for coming• Introduce topic of discussion briefly – who it is for & why it is being doneTell them• You are impartial• They can say positive or negative things• No right or wrong answers, just their opinions that count• They don’t all have to agree• They don’t have to wait for you to ask them before speaking• Talk to each other, not just you• Only one person speaks at a time• The need to respect each others opinions• When it will finish (and stick to it!)

Starting the discussionIntroducing the dictaphone and purpose• You can’t write everything down• Want to be accurate• Emphasise confidentiality• Do they have any questionsStarting the Group• Get people to introduce themselves• Make yourself a table map of people’s names• Start simply and easy – general warm up questions• Get everyone to speak in the first 10 minutes

Ending the discussion• Reflects the entire discussion

– “Of all the things we’ve discussed today, what is the most important to you”

– “Of all the things we’ve discussed today, what is the one most important thing the council can do to….”