Musaab Mohamed Adam 30581155

Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

Introduction

Web 2.0 and the consumption of new media technologies are an integral part of our daily lives,

our human activities revolve around new media technologies. As part of the information society

new media technologies are shaping and transforming our social landscape by allowing new

means of technologically mediated interactions between. This paper will shed light on aspects

of new media technologies, their uses and the complex interplay between human social

activities and these technologies.

Social use of media is another key concept this paper will address which is connected to

changing media habits which is associated with the formation of social relations as we

transformed from one way mass communication towards interactive communication between

medium and user, and user and user. This shift enabled new capacity to collaboratively

develop, share and distribute information and knowledge around society a process better

known as collective inelegance, a term used by (levy,1997,p.14) ”refer to the capacity of

networked ICTs to exponentially enhance the collective pool of social knowledge by

simultaneously expanding the extent of human interaction enabled by communications

networks that can generate new knowledge, and the greatly enhanced capacity to codify, store,

and retrieve such knowledge through collective access to networked database”.

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Musaab Mohamed Adam 30581155
Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

Fan-programmer or ‘modders’ are an example of Levy`s knowledge communities which is

actively interacting. Blogging and citizen journalism as a form of democratic participation are

another interesting areas to research for a better understanding of the interactive relationship

between media and audience.

Technological advancements are the main drive of the radical shift towards interactive forms of

media and information services amplifying the notion of interactivity and participation as seen

by both the media and the audience. The term ‘Interactivity’ in relation to media and

audiences, on one hand refers to the communicator-audience relationship which is

characterized by media content and the specific channels that are used exclusively allowing

direct audience interaction. It is also identified by a certain level of user control over media

material. Finally I will explain how web 2.0 technologies have paved the way to the formation of

participatory media cultures, and new sociopolitical modes of audience interaction with the

media, transforming forever the way we participate and interact with the media.

Social use of media

According to Flew (2008, p, 36)”one of the features of new media is that it enables forms of

interaction through computer-mediated communication that are separated in both time and

space and have a potentially global reach through digital networks”. What is genuinely

phenomenal about modern or new media technologies is the extreme level of interaction

between the media and audience and the users tendency to construct content in the form of

information and media products for the media. As mentioned by Harrison & Barthel

(2009)”Web2.0 services and applications make possible more dynamic interaction between

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Musaab Mohamed Adam 30581155
Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

clients and servers, more engaging webpage displays and applications and ultimately more

direct, interactive and participative user-to-user interactions than heretofore experienced on

the web”

Web 2.0 applications are developed for maximum user interactivity due to the participatory

nature of the applications, playing a game of poker on Face Book is nothing less than

interactive, first users interact with the media by means of purchasing ‘chips’ or clicking on a

link to receive a daily bonus, the game server then proceeds to search for appropriate game to

link user with, the extent of user to user interactivity is astonishing, programmers developed

chat rooms for such games where users can engage in conversations while playing a game.

Simplicity in operating web 2.0 applications is a critical element that contributes to the rich

interactive nature of user, media experience, this relationship is supplement by modern

technological advancements in media technologies which to certain extend authorized users to

produce and distribute their own content, enabling them to create and maintain social

networks that combine the collaborative effort of millions of internet users, allowing them

active engagement with the text on a psychological level (Harrison & Barthel, 2009, P.164).

Furthermore the use of radical media and generally engagement with new media is used to

enhance the processes and practices of democracy, in a society.

In relation to this I would like to point out that audience participation and interaction is central

to the process of content construction on the web, for example the collaborative creativity in

the form of women’s participatory public art is an interesting angle to examine the construction

of content over the internet which allowed constant interactivity between media and audience.

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Musaab Mohamed Adam 30581155
Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

The phrase ‘participatory public art’ is often used to describe community members

collaborating in the design and production of creating or accomplishing a specific task.

(Harrison & Barthel, 2009, p.127)

Denis McQuail recognizes that media outlets seeks total control over the relationship with the

audience which leads to manipulation of the audience sense of participation by means of

leading them to experience personal engagement with media personalities.

(McQuail,1997,p.117) in other words developing a parasocial relationship between them and

media personalities, the extent of attachment and involvement experienced by users

characterize this relationship. The notion of parasocial interaction was introduced to describe

the phenomenon of displacement of human interlocutor by media character or personality.

(McQuail, 1997, p.119)

identifying audience as active is central to understating the nature of rising interactivity levels

introduced by modern technologies, audience are motivated to produce content for an array of

reasons for example an individual might post a video on You Tube in response to another

individual posting footage that offended them, applications like Amazon, offers user-generated

reviews to supplement their marketing efforts.

As mentioned by Harrison & Barthel (2009) “web 2.0 is founded on a radical reconstruction of

the user, from consumer of online products and information produced by companies to

producer of online products and information that they share with others, including companies”

however the introduction of these prospects allowed for the recognition of the audience as

active producers who are constantly interacting with other and the media.

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Musaab Mohamed Adam 30581155
Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

Social networking media such as My Space enables user’s textual and visual customization of

the users profile which produces rich interactive user experience. Furthermore new media

technologies enabled new means of interactive user collaboration for political, community or

entertainment purpose.

This constant interaction according to Harrison & Barthel (2009)” the very nature of

independent expression shifts again, from the static form of physical creations through the

virtual spaces of social networking profiles with fluid, individually controlled changes in content

and linkages, to individually produced artwork that leaves the individual`s control to be

manipulated and reimaged in the process of its distribution”

All these modes of participation and interactivity transformed audience of media to what is

better known as ‘Produsage’ the term coined as mentioned by (Harrison & Barthel,2009,p.162)

”to describe the new form of production arising in the transition of media users from audience

and consumers , under the regime of traditional media industry models, to producers enabled

by new media technologies” this concept amplifies the fact that modern media technologies

provided the audience with the tools to collaborate, produce and share content created by

others.

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Musaab Mohamed Adam 30581155
Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

User-generated content

It is evident that at one level, all internet content is user-generated, the nature of the medium

promotes interactive nonlinear modes of communication (Flew, 2008, p.35) at this point newly

formed ‘Produsages’ of the media were sufficiently equipped to fully interact by new means

brought to them by modern media technologies. Thus ‘blogs’ or personal diaries became the

next ‘big thing’, users started visually customizing their blogs in ways that complemented their

life styles, journalists and citizens alike recognized opportunities offered by this new media

channel, and the mere act of being able to freely express their ideas was rewarding.

The act of blogging constitutes a good analogy to explain expectancy-value theory which places

the notion of reward at a central position in relation to media use and personal motivations

associated with it. According to McQuail (1997, p.74) essential is the idea that the media offers

its users rewards which can be thought of as pleasant psychological effect that are valued by

individuals.

The rise of a new form of community activism in the form of citizen journalism is to be

attributed to the emergence of modern media technologies. Citizen journalism magnifies the

notion of interactivity of nonlinear communication between media and the audience, this

alternative form of journalism is a counter measure for the high level of state control and

censorship within print and broadcast media. “The malaysiakini.com

site(www.malaysiakini.com) was established in 1999 by two young journalists, Steven Gan and

Premesh Chandran , who had become disaffected with the degree of state control and self-

censorship within Malaysia’s print and broadcast media” (Flew, 2008, p.143) citizen journalism

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Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

is interactive participatory media with all its glory, ordinary citizens seized the opportunity

provided by this new medium and perceived it as an opportunity to provide the Malaysian

public with ‘fair’ and objective news.

Flew recognizes three critical elements associated with the promotion of citizen journalism in

Australia. Firstly the development of an open publishing architecture by Mathew Arnison from

the ‘Active Sydney’ group in 1999 second is the use of collaborative editing which allowed the

audience to participation in the form of contributing stories even editing and shaping the final

content. The last factor contributing to the rise of citizen journalism is the steady level of

content distribution through RSS (Rich Site Summery or Really Simple Syndication) which

assisted by reducing the costs associated with accessing valuable trustworthy information by

establishing an ongoing link with the site that generates content that is of interest to them, and

link it on their own site as they see fit (Flew, 2008, p.146).

Digital game modifications

Interactive online games have attracted a large number of audience inhabiting digital world’s

leading their epical game characters through it, three elements are attributed the rise of

computer online gaming (Postigo,2007,p.300) the rise of the personal computer as a

commonplace technology which serves both as work tool and an entertainment and

communication device, second is the emergence of the internet and the world wide web, and

finally the rise of programmers, software and hardware engineers, and system designers as a

professional class producing even more complex programs to run on smaller and faster digital

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Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

technologies that we as audience participate in the consumption and manipulation of the final

product.

Modders is a term that is used to describe fan-programmers who design add-on components

that modify a specific element of the game, Mappers, on the other hand specialize in designing

new levels, or maps for a game. (Postigo,2007,p.301) Modders participate and directly interact

with media by modifying various elements that can range from changing the physics of the

virtual world to total conversions in game play that can lead to changes in story line and game

type. Add-ons, refer to software packages created by fan-programmers for games

(Postigo, 2007, p.300)

Regardless of the level of technical complexity and financial value of the add-on, a significant

level of interaction is required to take place between audience and the media to accomplish the

task. The work of these fan programmers is considered to be a part of the broader content pool

described by Livingstone earlier. Harnessing the collective intelligence of these programmers

would not have been possible without new technologies that facilitated direct interaction

between the public and media. And perhaps this is why consumers where collectively named

person of the year by times magazine because of our participation in blogs, You Tube, My Space

and other social networking and production venues (Postigo,2007,p.301).

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Ms Yvone Shila Media Audience and the public

Conclusion

New media technologies plays a fundamental role in maintaining the interactive relationship

between audiences and various media outlets different features characterizes and rules the

nature of this interaction. The public chose to participate in producing material in the internet

for a number of reasons some are politically motivated and some are just sheer dedication

towards the advocacy of a cause. The base of this sever level of media audience interaction can

be attributed to a number of reasons the emergence of web 2.0 applications, the explosion of

personal computer devices, or even strict governmental media policies can lead journalists and

citizens towards the adoption of alternative means of journalism, by blogging for example.

In short modern public life as we know it today will not be as interactive if not for the various

technologies that enable us to create share and distribute content over the internet allowing

many-to-many communication thus increasing the level of interactivity.

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Reference list

Harrison, T.M. & Barthel, B.(2009). Wielding new media in Web 2.0; exploring the history of
engagement with the collaborative construction of media products. New media & society, 11
(1-2), 155-178.

Flew, Terry. (2008). new media: an introduction. New York: Oxford university press.

McQuail, Denis.(1997). Audience Analysis. London: Sage.

Postigo, Hector. (2007).Of Mods and Modders: chasing down the value of fan-based digital
game modifications. Game and Culture, 2 (4), 300-313.

Levy, Pierre. (1997). Collective Intelligence: Mankind’s Emerging World In Cyberspace.

Cambridge: Perseus Books.

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