YouTube or TheirTube?

Before I start on the response to the YouTube article I would just like to point out that Trolls have replaced the term Haters. I realize that this article was written 4 years ago and that the author isn’t at fault, but I couldn’t help but cringe when I read Haters. To me it is a term that my mother would use when talking about YouTube or the Internet. On that note let me dive into this article and share my opinion with the Internet community. When I started to read this article and learned about all the restrictions that YouTube has I thought a more appropriate term for the site would be TheirTube. Now I am not sure if this an original term coined by me but for the sake of this response I will assume that it is. With all the restrictions that YouTube puts on its videos it’s hard to imagine how people even put up with it. I used to post my own videos up until they were taken off for copyright infringements. My account was never shutdown, which is a good thing because I would have lost other information I had posted. This issue is also discussed in the article and shows how YouTube controls everything you put up, even original works. The other major topic is that of the Haters or Trolls, these people make it their mission to discourage people from posting on YouTube. They do this by postings comments such as “you’re a faggot” or “get some exercise you fat fuck.” Both of these comments I have personally seen on various videos in the response section. The Haters of YouTube go on to reinforce the term TheirTube because these anonymous posters are making it about them not you. Lucky there are ways to fight this group and as said in the article just ignore them or dislike their posts. Eventually they will stop because Haters thrive on reactions, so if you don’t react they move on.

iJournalism

I found the iJournalism article to be interesting but felt as though I was being spoon-feed information. The article breaks down journalism into several different categories, the most interesting being Citizen Journalism. The first is Traditional Journalism think Walter Cronkite the face of American news during the 1960’s. Here we have a news anchor or a gatekeeper that keeps the public on a need to know basis. Public Journalism is a hybrid between traditional and citizen journalism. This would be a reporter engaging the public on certain events. For example there is a town hall meeting and it is documented by a visiting reporter then relayed back to the public. While it can be more informative then Traditional Journalism it still uses the idea of the gatekeepers to control information. Finally there is Citizen Journalism for me this is the most interesting. This is people taking it upon themselves to report on the happenings of news. One of the best examples is the current situation is Egypt, where Citizen Journalism has given the people a voice against the government. Another example would be the video shot by protesters during the G20, which has lead to charges against the police. However like most forms of media you must account for bias and the twisting of facts. With Traditional Journalism there is still accountability on the part of the reporter. Think back to the President Bush Air Force scandal that was reported by Dan Rather. Rather ended up having to give an apology to the U.S. people for misreporting on the topic. Citizen Journalism is not held in the same fashion but how can it be? It would be impossible to hold any Citizen Journalist to set standards because there is no governing body. Citizen Journalism can be an amazing tool for challenging traditional media outlets, but remember to question everything you are told.

The Peep Diaries

The Peep Diaries

Oh peep culture what will we do with you? This article really spoke to me because I find myself to be completely torn on this subject. On one hand I hate how our culture has become so obsessed with reality television and social networking. I have argued to people that M.T.V. is destroying the fabric of society with shows such as date my mom or the real world. However I can’t help be seduced by peep culture! I would love to disagree with this article but I feel its impossible too many times I have found myself lurking the internet “getting lost” in all of this information. I may spend an unhealthy amount of time on the net lurking around, but I have never felt comfortable putting all of myself online. In the article Niedzviecki talks about people overexposing themselves and this I never understood. How can someone on Facebook can call in sick to work then update their status, saying, “called in sick time to party.” Then be surprised when their boss finds out because they have them on Facebook. Or how a man on YouTube can post a video celebrating the birthday of a Japanese pop star in a very disturbing way and not expect people to criticize him for it? (I would have posted the link but its has since been taken down) I find it interesting I am only 21 and yet I rant as if I was 50. In conclusion I think that Peep culture is now part of our culture it’s embedded and will always be there. Is it a bad thing? It can be but if you are responsible with your information you won’t be the one getting peeped on. You’ll just be the one that is doing all the peeping.

Week 1 readings

Beasts of Culture

In the article beast of culture there are three worlds that we live in. The first is the physical environment, which are the basics that we need to survive. The second is the social world this is us interacting with other animals. The final world is culture and this is something only humans engage in. For me this is the most important factor in the article because the author is outlining what makes us unique. For example the Jessi Slaughter videos would never exist if it were not for our culture being obsessed with the Internet. It is our culture that defines us and allows us to deal with the other two worlds. The article even covers this idea later suggesting that these are the building blocks of people. I tend to agree with what the author was saying but I found that the article was long and drawn out.

The Theatrical Self

The second article talks about the advancement of technology and how it is affecting people. In the 21st century we are all up on the stage for everyone to see compared to the 20th century where we were in the audience. Personally I completely agree with this statement having experienced the move from viewer to performer. Although I am only 21 I can remember a world with out YouTube or Facebook. A world where people couldn’t check status updates while on the bus to school listening to their iPods. Now when I compare this to my brother who is only 6 years younger then I his experience is completely different. He has grown up in this world of putting yourself online and in fact he as a twitter and a form spring. He also takes on roles my brother on Xbox live is completely different then him on Facebook, which is even more different then when he interacts with my mom. I find it interesting that people are assuming these new roles but it isn’t shocking to me. Since the beginning of time people have assumed roles within their environments it is how humans adapt. However I do find that the overexposure to be slightly disturbing, with the introductions of these mediums the world is a small place. What I mean is that I can get online and find out what someone in Japan thinks about the newest Tom Cruise movie. I can msn my cousin in Australia while talking to my other cousin in Germany. At any point these people can find out what I am doing based on my Facebook updates. I do believe that we are all on the stage for everyone to see but sometimes we forget to let the curtain fall.