OSP: Clay Shirky - End of audience

Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:

1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?

Some positive changes have been amazing worldwide innovation sending data messages to millions around the world and creating Spotify, snapchat, email, www, etc.

2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?

A network doesn't distinguish between data sent and how its used making it incredibly hard to stop spam, abuse, csam, etc.

3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’?

Open technology is an undefined concept that could refer to free exchange of data or approval of data by gateway companies or free software that can be edited and redistributed without payment or permission and I agree with it as it encourages a diverse online culture with principles of social justice.

4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?

Questions and challenges for the future are the lack of regulation and consequences built around the concept of openness without broader implications that could easily changed but regulator lack the belief in the notion that it's simple to deploy globally, there will be conflict in the future when considering safety and privacy as well as right to free and livelihood.

5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?

I believe the use and regulation of internet should be regulated whilst majorly keeping its openness to allow for constitutional rights and liberties to be globally recognised and respected, to ensure this I believe regulation should increase but their should also be another party regulating the regulators use or power.

Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:

1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?

Shirky defines a profession as a job that exists to solve a hard problem, one that requires some sort of specialisation and in the traditional newspaper industry the act as gatekeepers, providing and controlling access to information, entertainment, communication and ephemeral goods.

2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?

The question facing the newspaper industry is how society will be informed of the news of the day.

3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?

His 2002 speech became news as he praised a Republican senator that had an overtly segregationist platform for 50 years and was rebuked by President Bush and politicians on the left and right for his comments.

4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

Mass amateurisation is a result of the radical spread of  expressive capabilities such as the printing press that precedented the change of the modern world.

5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?

This may be linked to the current media landscape as audiences have become producers through vast social media platforms and information is widely unregulated

6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?

Shirky argues that major technological changes create a long period of disruption before society adapts and new systems become stable. This suggests that the internet may still be creating social and cultural changes that have not fully settled yet. 

7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?

It means that digital technology has removed many of the barriers that once limited publishing to professional organisations. This is important because it challenges traditional definitions of journalism and gives ordinary people a greater role in producing news.

 
8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?Shirky suggests that the printing press caused a long period of intellectual and political instability before society adapted. Some may argue that issues such as misinformation, political polarisation and online extremism show similar disruption during the internet age, although this is an interpretation rather than a direct claim made by Shirky. 

9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?

Photography demonstrates mass amateurisation because digital cameras, smartphones and photo-sharing platforms allow ordinary people to create and distribute images without professional training or expensive equipment. This has reduced the distinction between amateur and professional photographers.

 
10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed?

I think it can be positive because it increases participation and diversity of voices, but it can also createa problems such as misinformation and make it harder to identify reliable information.