PPM paper ideas/thoughts
After doing some thinking about what I would find interesting to discuss and explore further for this paper, one topic that kept coming up in my mind was the relationship between participatory mass media and the production of more low-end grassroots media and the interactive components that may be relevant as opposed to obnoxious for each. We have already discussed extensively in class the relationship between podcasting and radio and video blogging and TV. I have already expressed my disatisfaction with this particular simularity but I find myself also questioning what kind of participatory media really matters, is effective in producing some kind of relevant response and will be used and found important by enough people to be a useful tool. In my own life I have found that I have little need or desire to particpate in any real way with mass produced media, beyond perhaps conversating in a chat room. If I am watching a movie or a television program or listening to a piece of music, chances are I am doing so because I want the media to effect me in a certain way. And while I may want to talk to others about its significance after the fact, the idea of interacting with it in any real way while being a passive viewer/listener is somewhat diffciult for me to imagine.
I suppose this is one major reason why people create their own media content. It is a way of contributing to the conversation while still allowing yourself to be a passive participant when necessary. The idea came up in class that as the public sharing of copyrighted content becomes twarted by the closing down of major content aggregating sites, people may be more likely to look for more obscure content in less traditional places. To a certain extent I think this is true, but I think that what the popularity of blogging and web sites like myspace prove is that people are itching to create their own online content for personal self expression and to comment on their own time with what goes on in the public media forum rather then particpate actively in mass produced content made by the major media. Not that some poeple do not do this. I'm not in any way saying that their doesn't exist major opportunities for interactive media online or successful ones occuring currentlly. I just feel that the future exists in everyone wanting to make their own content and find others content when its convenient for them. The problem with this is that there will eventually be so much media online that we will be drowned in it. More reason to have more intelligent aggregators, especially for video content.
perhaps this is the beginning of my paper or maybe I'm just rambling.......