Emily, a commenter on my last post, brought up an interesting point: "the strong trend towards using material from a range of literary and non-literary sources is a product of our technological ability to surf, sample and mix" (Lankshear, Knobel 116)
So continuing with this week's topic of remix, I would like to determine some of the effects of remixing in American culture.
Surfing to find information and mixing it to be what you like is a new way to experience culture. Remixing provides many opportunities for people to choose what version of something they would like to have access to. It allows people to become very specialized into one topic. Something that is a television show might also be a website, a photoshopped image, an audioclip, a podcast, a youtube clip, and a catchy phrase (that's what she said). They can look at all of the versions of the same thing, or they can get more involved and create their own. This specialization is an increasing trend. People are able to isolate themselves in online communities where they can get all of the knowledge and participation that interests them without ever meeting someone. So viewing remixes and creating remixes can lead to uberparticipation in knowledge communities that isolate people physically and mentally from those less interested in their topic.
This specialization also leads to the loss of the mass. We no longer have the entire adult population watching the evening news. (I exaggerate, but you get the point.) Now, people are increasingly finding the remixes that suit their interests, like news blogs, editorials, and the likes that are horridly biased. People can find exactly what they want, and can do it faster on the internet then they can by watching the news. Even if they did watch the news on tv, we have 100 cable news channels. It is nearly impossible to have one source bring people together into the mass anymore.
This loss of the mass leads to a situation where it is hard to make money off of consumers. Advertising has to be more spread out, because a smaller percentage of the population will watch the evening news each night, and they will access many internet sites. So what are companies to do?
Remixing is not all bad though. Lankshear and Knobel note that remix allows people to actively participate in their interests. The fanfiction community, though somewhat underground, is alive and thriving. People love the opportunity to experience more individually the world and lives of their favorite characters. They develop a deeper understanding of the characters.
Just some thoughts. Respond if you disagree/think of more!
Megan
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Remix? Yes. Lankshear and Knobel's remix? Not quite.
So now that I have described why I chose a blog, its time to pick a new topic.
Week Two: Remixing Literacies
This week, the thing I just can't get over is the idea that all new media is "remix," as authors Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel put it in their book, New Literacies. They suggest that the new literacies consist of remixing words and content in the same way that DJs remix music. They are taking old things and putting them together to create something new. They even go so far as to say, "we remix language everytime we draw on it" (107). I would say that this definition is a bit too overreaching. If literally everything is remix, even this sentence, then the term has no meaning and no use. Isn't being able to create new sentences to convey different ideas the purpose of language?
I have chosen to redefine remix in a more useful light: Remix is the use of preexisting ideas, images, sounds, texts, and other media to create a new work. It combines old ideas to produce something unique. Rather than taking this down to the level of words, it must involve something digitally tangible (like an audio clip, a picture file, a video, etc) or a developed idea.
For this reason, Lankshear and Knobel seem to contradict themselves here. They assert that all writing is remix, but they took the time to write a book about how their ideas are different and useful in describing our literacy practices in education using examples that already existed. If they are going to stick with their concept of remix, they wouldn't have felt the need to write a book. They could have written a short article with a lot of links.
So a digital collage is a remix but my sentence is not. Now that I have a working definition of remix, I can move on to other subtleties.
With the technological advances such as the internet, more importantly web 2.0, it seems that literally everything has been said and posted online. It is almost impossible to come up with a truly unique idea, so people fall back on drawing from other ideas. I am the perfect example right now, as I sit here writing this blog. I am drawing from Jenkins, Lankshear and Knobel, and many of the other authors that discuss literacy. Perhaps my spin on remix is not new at all. My ideas and words are already old before I even begin.
I suppose that all new literacies are essentially remix, as they are a result of what Henry Jenkins calls convergence culture. With convergence, many forms of media come together so that one idea can span multiple media. Nothing new is happening except the bringing together of preexisting technologies to foster knowledge communities and collective knowledge.
What Lankshear and Knobel DO get right is that remix as a literacy practice is important to understand. It has a cultural impact. Their examples of anime, photoshop and fanfiction all affect the lives of those who are interested in them. The remixing of ideas, particularly in photoshop and fanfic allow anyone to get involved in the diegesis of their favorite movie, book, or game. It greatly enhances the fan experience by allowing them to participate by making the world their own. This type of remix would fall under my definition. The world is what is important to the fan, not the words used.
Just as an interesting sidenote: I found this video sort of introducing new literacies, and Jenkins is in it! They mention remix, which shows how important the idea itself is to the new literacies.
I feel that I have rambled adequately. Literacy is quite the enabler.
Megan
Week Two: Remixing Literacies
This week, the thing I just can't get over is the idea that all new media is "remix," as authors Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel put it in their book, New Literacies. They suggest that the new literacies consist of remixing words and content in the same way that DJs remix music. They are taking old things and putting them together to create something new. They even go so far as to say, "we remix language everytime we draw on it" (107). I would say that this definition is a bit too overreaching. If literally everything is remix, even this sentence, then the term has no meaning and no use. Isn't being able to create new sentences to convey different ideas the purpose of language?
I have chosen to redefine remix in a more useful light: Remix is the use of preexisting ideas, images, sounds, texts, and other media to create a new work. It combines old ideas to produce something unique. Rather than taking this down to the level of words, it must involve something digitally tangible (like an audio clip, a picture file, a video, etc) or a developed idea.
For this reason, Lankshear and Knobel seem to contradict themselves here. They assert that all writing is remix, but they took the time to write a book about how their ideas are different and useful in describing our literacy practices in education using examples that already existed. If they are going to stick with their concept of remix, they wouldn't have felt the need to write a book. They could have written a short article with a lot of links.
So a digital collage is a remix but my sentence is not. Now that I have a working definition of remix, I can move on to other subtleties.
With the technological advances such as the internet, more importantly web 2.0, it seems that literally everything has been said and posted online. It is almost impossible to come up with a truly unique idea, so people fall back on drawing from other ideas. I am the perfect example right now, as I sit here writing this blog. I am drawing from Jenkins, Lankshear and Knobel, and many of the other authors that discuss literacy. Perhaps my spin on remix is not new at all. My ideas and words are already old before I even begin.
I suppose that all new literacies are essentially remix, as they are a result of what Henry Jenkins calls convergence culture. With convergence, many forms of media come together so that one idea can span multiple media. Nothing new is happening except the bringing together of preexisting technologies to foster knowledge communities and collective knowledge.
What Lankshear and Knobel DO get right is that remix as a literacy practice is important to understand. It has a cultural impact. Their examples of anime, photoshop and fanfiction all affect the lives of those who are interested in them. The remixing of ideas, particularly in photoshop and fanfic allow anyone to get involved in the diegesis of their favorite movie, book, or game. It greatly enhances the fan experience by allowing them to participate by making the world their own. This type of remix would fall under my definition. The world is what is important to the fan, not the words used.
Just as an interesting sidenote: I found this video sort of introducing new literacies, and Jenkins is in it! They mention remix, which shows how important the idea itself is to the new literacies.
I feel that I have rambled adequately. Literacy is quite the enabler.
Megan
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Blogging about blogs.
This blog is intended to describe my thoughts on various topics at various times. My interests are many, so my topics will be pretty eclectic. I will try to stick to one a week, and take different angles on them as the week progresses, but that might prove difficult for me. I apologize in advance.
Good first topic for a new blog? Why I like blogs.
Week One: Blogs
Blogs are a great way to document a point of view on a variety of topics or on a very specific topic. As the author, I like them because I can choose the topic and put forth my point of view for the taking. Since I intend to talk a bit about the new literacies, the blog is the perfect example and format. So welcome!
I always thought that the blogs with strict formatting that always use the same font and text size seemed more legitimate than the random and chaotic ones. Perhaps the adherence to a textual format mimics that of a book in it's uniformity. Much like a novel, most consist of a standard format of a column in the middle with the blog posts and a column with links and an index. The font used throughout is the same, giving a planned and coherent look to the website, much like a book uses. Blogs that do not seem legitimate sometimes have crazy fonts and strange punctuation and spellings. I, being the perfectionist that I am, will definitely stick to one overall format.
The other thing I like about blogs is that people can leave comments on blogs that they agree with or disagree with, providing some form of review or alternative point of view for the reader of the blog to consider. Although mine is the most important since I am the author of this blog, I like that others can call bullshit on me when needed. It keeps me in line.
Megan Marks
Good first topic for a new blog? Why I like blogs.
Week One: Blogs
Blogs are a great way to document a point of view on a variety of topics or on a very specific topic. As the author, I like them because I can choose the topic and put forth my point of view for the taking. Since I intend to talk a bit about the new literacies, the blog is the perfect example and format. So welcome!
I always thought that the blogs with strict formatting that always use the same font and text size seemed more legitimate than the random and chaotic ones. Perhaps the adherence to a textual format mimics that of a book in it's uniformity. Much like a novel, most consist of a standard format of a column in the middle with the blog posts and a column with links and an index. The font used throughout is the same, giving a planned and coherent look to the website, much like a book uses. Blogs that do not seem legitimate sometimes have crazy fonts and strange punctuation and spellings. I, being the perfectionist that I am, will definitely stick to one overall format.
The other thing I like about blogs is that people can leave comments on blogs that they agree with or disagree with, providing some form of review or alternative point of view for the reader of the blog to consider. Although mine is the most important since I am the author of this blog, I like that others can call bullshit on me when needed. It keeps me in line.
Megan Marks
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