Stanley's Blog Media 280

World Of Hackers

Hacking is a well known process in the world of technology we live in. Whether it is to gain restricted access or to cheat in a video game, hacking can be considered quite common. With the release of the apple iPhone, users all over the world were trying to find different ways to hack into the phone. Since apple had an exclusive deal with AT&T, the only possible way to use an iPhone with other non-AT&T carriers were to hack into it. I personally know a number of people who use iPhones with T-mobile service. They all told me hacking into the phone was a simple process. Everything in technology is being made more user-friendly. There was this program that you can download and with a few clicks, you have hacked into the iPhone.

The relationship between the user and technical functionality can be compared to the relationship between a jock and the sport he/she plays. If you enjoy doing something, you naturally want to be good at it. And if you’re good at it, you would want the recognition of others. For gamers, every gamer wants to be the top dog. For hackers, every hacker wants to show that they know more than the next person. All users strive to be the best. Using a system in which the user has no understanding of the technical functionality, can be an issue but still manageable. Since everything is prone to being made user-friendly it does not take a enormous amount of time to figure out the technical functionality of things.

However the advantage does go to the user that is more advance in the knowledge of the technical functionality. Whatever you can do, I can do better. The benefits of mastering the technical functionality is being more efficient and gaining access to things others can not. Our cultural connection with technology is inseparable. Technology is everywhere and being used twenty four hours a day. Technology is the social air that users need to breath and function. Our relationship with gaming and hacking proves that users will continue to use technology to excel in what they enjoy doing. In the gaming and hacking world, cheating is only an issue if you get caught.

Society of Digital Media

Within the realm of digital media, the development process takes a big influence from the society inside of it. It brings back the high school memories where everything is a popularity contest. Whichever website or service provider gets the most buzz receives the most attention and consideration. This is the politics of the internet. In Langdon Winner’s “Do Artifacts Have Politics?”, he establishes a clear relationship between society and technology. The example of the construction of Long Island highway roads was brilliant. He pointed out that they were developed so only people who could afford their own cars were able to access those roads. This separated the rich from the poor, since the poor usually had to take buses as a means of transportation. It was clear that the development of the roads were well thought out before construction occurred and who ever had the money had a voice that was heard. Even before the age of the internet, there already existed politics within the development of technology.

Referring back to the popularity contest on the internet, google seems to be the clear winner when it comes to search engines. Many internet browsers come with a google search bar already embedded next to the address tab. This is also common among cell phones and other pda devices. I personally have a blackberry storm and on my blackberry browser there is a google search bar right next to my address tab. Even if you didn’t like using google, the user-friendly accessibility just makes you want to use it. It is clear that google is the heavy favorite when it comes to search engines. Tim Wu’s Net Neutrality, points out the network discrimination that can occur in the digital media. Internet service providers can make deals with certain popular/favored digital companies where they would be prioritized against their competition. This can essentially limit users to choose to use certain services over others, especially if the internet speed is clearly different from one another. Why use a website that takes twice as long to load up when you can use their competitors’ site in half the time? As internet policy is getting developed, network neutrality should be taken into deep consideration. I agree that the internet should be open, accessible, and neutral to all users and providers. Otherwise the internet will become a capitalist world. In some ways, it already is.

Narrative VS Database

When comparing the narrative structure traditional media with the relatively new medium of the database, their only similarities are their functional purposes. They both store and relay information through a form of medium. In “The Database” by Lev Manovich, he states that the narrative and the database are natural enemies. Although they share the same purpose, their methods are completely different. The narrative structure is linear and logical. Manovich compares the narrative structure to a game where the user performs the task logically while going through the algorithms. The new medium of the database is much more scrambled and somewhat all over the place.

Personally, I love databases. It makes life easier while doing your research. The amount of storage a database can provide is amazing. Many can argue that it gets very cluttered but the search function makes things fairly accessible. The biggest difference I would point out between narrative and database structure is speed. In the traditional narrative media, you would have to go through a certain amount of content before actually locating what you are looking for. With the database structure, the search function delivers what you want and fast. However yielding great results do depend on what you are searching for.

The user plays a big role in the organization of data. In terms of metadata, some mention that there is a lot of data that can be irrelevant to what the user is searching for. A relatively new proposal for search cluttering is www.bing.com, which claims to be able to find your search without unnecessary content and confusion. I personally don’t believe searching is overly cluttered. I must admit there are times where unrelated content may appear from your search but that might not be a bad thing. It might be something else that can grab your interest. In the end obtaining data is still easily accessible.

Today’s Media Consumers and The Culture Industry

With the popularity of user response - blogs, forums and other forms of online dialogue, our status as media consumers has definitely changed dramatically. The voice of the media consumer can finally be heard and easily reach a mass audience. The restriction to just reading what experts have to say on specific topics are eliminated. There are many websites that contain reviews strictly written from registered members as oppose to journalist or critics. One well known website is www.yelp.com. Being a big food enthusiast, I find myself on this website reading different reviews about restaurants all over New York. When reading reviews written from online users, there appears to be more of a social connection as oppose to reading reviews written by food critics. I consider these 2-way forms of communication to be elements of diversification. With so many different users entering their opinions and thoughts, you can receive such a diverse perception about a topic.

According to Horkheimer and Adorno’s Essay, “The whole world is made to pass through the filter of the culture industry.” I feel that with the additions of these 2-way forms of communication, the world now has another filter to go through. As a media consumer you receive numerous different perspectives from various kinds of people. Horkheimer and Adorno also mentions that the culture industry strive for liberalism. Blogs and forums enable such a mass quantity of people to voice their opinions over the internet. On many forums, users share information that can be very valuable and rare to find elsewhere. For example, there are many automobile forums created for car enthusiasts. They share pictures, experiences, and information about the cars they love. Sure you can read about your favorite car in the latest motor trend magazine but there is a special social connection you received when sharing opinions with fellow forum members. Forums also enable social networking. I personally met my auto technician through a car forum over the internet. Forums can be very beneficial to the interactive users.

These different forms of online communication are not only informative but they can be highly entertaining as well. In Horkheimer and Adorno’s essay they state, “Nevertheless the culture industry remains the entertainment business.” Many online users post videos for the public’s viewing pleasure. With reality television being extremely popular, it is not a surprise that these home-made videos receive a lot of viewers. For some users, these websites eventually made them famous due to their popularity. So many talented people post up videos just to provide the exposure they need.

Today’s Pop Culture and The Work Of Art

In Benjamin Walter’s essay, “The Work of Art…” he emphasizes how many works of art lack the aura that only true original pieces of art possess. He mentions how all works of art have always been able to reproduced, whether by hand or mechanically. Ultimately if the piece of art is not the true original, then it is simply an imitation. Walter stresses that even the most perfect replica will always have a missing element from the original. The missing element would be the existence in the time only the original would have, making it truly authentic. Without this element of time, a reproduced work of art will never carry the aura of the original.

With the introduction of film, photography, and the computer the meaning of the image has changed dramatically. Among these three mediums that can display works of art, they are all guilty of performing alterations. The meanings behind the art work in today’s pop culture are being force fed to the viewers. After editing, the original aura is already gone before the work of art is even released. Walter discusses how the editor of a film controls everything the viewer will see through a series of different shots. This limits the viewer to truly admire the performance of the actor. Since the audience was not present during the performance of the actor, the aura can’t be captured by the viewer. Walter gives another example when mentions photographer, Eugene Atget and the inclusion of captions to his photographs becoming mandatory. With computers being as advanced as they are today, there are numerous ways images can be altered and manipulated. With various types of image editing software available, the meaning of an image can easily be misinterpreted or even lost.

Machinima reminds me of the concept of the reader becoming the writer when the daily press began publishing letters written to the editor. In this case, the gamer becomes the artist behind the game. By creating a motion picture, I believe Machinima carries a different and unique aura of its own. In a culture of mass production, Machinima is an extension of interest the gamers have for the game they love. I am sure there are many gamers who beat their favorite game but wish there was more offered. For those who are unsatisfied with the ending after finishing a game, Machinima can be that extra feature there are yearning for.