fresh-fruit-ninja

[fresh-fruit-ninja]

THE NAME OF THIS BLOG WANTS TO BE UNKNOWN

            THE NAME OF THIS BLOG WANTS TO BE UKNOWN

Once, a while back, in reaction to a major campaign by mountain dew, that was asking kids to vote for one favourite new flavour of the caffeine spiked line of drinks. They called it the “Dewmocracy” I went on Twitter and explained to them that voting for one single drink is not a “Dewmocracy,” that it was a “Dewctatorship” because they would be forced to have only one drink forever, and that variety is the spice of life. Whether or not it was because of me, the ad campaign changed a bit later on into the top 3 or top 2 dew drinks, which would become permanent A.D.D givers. I don’t remember when, but still, it was done.

The blogs I look back to as per this reflective blog would be the parts one and two of CBC radio, basic features, big implications blogs and the conglomeration of media outlets into one of a few major owners or distributors of the media we are consuming,

A theme I missed and would like to touch upon is gazing beyond the materials we consume from arts and culture and towards big research, big databases of information and knowledge, which these large groups like Facebook collect on us, only to analyze and investigate form the bottom to the top, for internal reasons, but also for mass marketing and sales to companies and corporations who I assure, we will never even know existed until that great time of enlightenment or something.

Its simple, as a we are offered these free entertaining and resourceful services, it is in exchange for our human raw data and also the license to utilize and sell our “social profiles” to shady firms all over the world. Such firms who used such data to cause violence and social or political upheavals, these companies are secretive with the law to protect them and also sometimes deadly. As described in unit 8 Social media can act as sites of commodification and surveillance of users where people are increasingly monitored, tracked, and commodified. Honestly though. I don’t really care if big companies learn preferences or gather data from cookies on what I do on the internet, its not a big deal to me. But what is a big deal to me is selling that information and making me into a profile or commodity on to some aggressive firm like the chumps who Facebook sold millions of people’s data too illegally, for the Trump campaign I believe. This bothers me very much.

YouTube is a form social media owned by Google and looking to the Never Betters and Better Nevers concepts in chapter 7; this helped to expand my ideas of what the underlying or residual effects of a cultural or social distribution of media and news by the consumers can mean. Although we touched on consumer created media and a sort of independence from media, this discusses it more in the terms of increasing culture and revolutionizing human knowledge. It makes me look back to social revolts of the last decades, Wikipedia along with internet knowledge of articles, essays, opinions and ops eds etc. and it’s great assistance to, not just human knowledge, but to the spreading and availability for people rich and poor, young and old and of all nations to experience an abundance of knowledge, which is the greatest gift to human kind and a blessing many times over. But I also payed attention to the better never concept, which I want to say opened my eyes but, but when I look to all of the benefitsof the net ,that this quickly moving media consumption has benefited me in ways personally and... it just all so magical!! I love the internet media and think it’s the greatest gift that our world could give to the young generation. Of course, there are downfalls, but everything has pitfalls, nothing is perfection.  

Some more advanced or deeper thoughts (jack handy-deep thoughts 😊) about government policy’s connections with big media; for instance the Canadian Liberals want to take all of our banking information for stats Canada, or the  Trump campaign with the British firm Facebook sold millions of peoples info to. I Thought deeper about the government regulations acts, and the debate of government regulation or non govt regulation. The Republicans who massively want to deregulate the FCC and have done it, have rolled back some regulations in the name of progress and the uninhibited reign of advancement in the U.S tech industry, which they say FCC hinders. I did think deep about this, I thought firstly as a Canadian about the implications of this to Canada, but also to free speech in the USA. Firstly, many CEOs like Zuckerberg and Tim Cook of Apple want some forms of regulation, they believe its good for the world to keep the global tech industry in check. Secondly, the argument is that without regulations companies will be able to censor free speech by blocking access to websites or making you pay for services and content, hence, stopping complete access to the wonders of the internet.

This is basically giving the private companies in America the ability to act as a China or some sort of third world dictator who gets salty when there is unrest and slams his iron fist. But these are corporations, not governments. But there is a structural and political alliance with corporations who act as proxies to government policy, so who knows where this can lead. 

Reflecting on this led me to think deeper about our own CRTC regulations like “can-con” regulations which helps to subvert the globalization of content which as the chapter indicates a total free market in which Canadian content would probably cease to exist. With everything on the internet and the big budgets which make Canada seem very small, looking at this in unit 4: Canadian communication regulations assign a social mandate to media organizations and, at the same time, strive to ensure that the industry is sufficiently stable, account- able, and responsibly managed to be capable of fulfilling those obligations. Which leads to my reflection and deeper appreciation of Canada’s role in cultural policy and placing a lot of value of my education, morals and values and worldly knowledge given to me by growing up in Canada, which I believe have blessed me into a rational, competent, caring, and respecting individual. A product of the worlds beacon- western civilization. But it’s a more closer pressing issue, we should understand that Canada has the world’s hyper power next door, and without regulation our media would be filled more than it is now with American media, similarly to Australia, Canada is highly integrated with USA media and  I am pretty sure than a very large chunk of Australian film and media is from the USA, correct me if I’m wrong but its something I heard a few years back something do to with world war 2.

Thanks.

[fresh-fruit-ninja]

I LOVE HER, BUT I DON’T LOVE HER

I LOVE HER, BUT I DON’T LOVE HER

I love the classics. I love for as long as I remember, checking the listings, going to the movies, watching all the previews, (with big expectations,) and now the fancy commercials, having popcorn, a huge limited-edition pop cup or a Decaf. And now especially, the additions of recliner seating throughout the whole theatre and the fact that I can choose my seat in advance. Nothing beats the movies for me, I love cinema and the art that it creates. My top 3 favourite movie is from 1975, Louis Malle called: Black Moon. I admit I can be a sucker for classics like watching a movie on the old CITY TV’S late great movies. (so many late-night experiences lol). But things have changed, and I have changed with the world. As is a theme in my blogs, where the centralized top down requirements of media consumption have made many abandon the ship of traditional media and made many of all ages embrace new media. My nostalgia is much more of a reason to go to the movies than anything else. The movie industry and theatres are intertwined fully completely, and I know that neither really wants to pull away but are kind of being forced to. In the past decade or so there have been less and less must-see movies for me to go to the theatre to see, but still though, the whole Marvel Comics movies are a big deal for me and I really have only missed one or two since the movement started. But I used to want to see anything in the theatres even if It wasn’t what I really liked. A good part of traditional cinema in my city is a theatre called Hyland Cinema. Hyland plays mostly Indie and more cultural and movies with a message or artistic theme. And I dig that I do, but I don’t go the movies as often as before.

But regarding new media, I am much more content with Bell on Demand and iTunes, even vs Netflix, as Bell on Demand is considered new media and gets all the movies quickly after they end in theatres. I can just click and purchase from my remote and I have the movie on a big screen tv. There is also a pretty big library as well. I will get into where Bell is lacking, and other new media is winning next. Bell has also adapted hugely from the traditional, “prime time TV spots,” with on demand TV shows and a television show version of Netflix called Crave TV, where you can literally watch thousands of shows/seasons for a few dollars a month. But the thing I don’t like about Netflix and Crave Tv is that it’s a subscription service and I would rather pay only for what I want at the time (on demand) and not for a whole range of products, which is why I like iTunes and Bell on Demand. So, my preference; I have no preference or loyalty for watching traditional media like television unless its on demand and less preference for the theatre. Back in the day I was always at the movies, just like you see in the movies 😊 where its mostly the nostalgia and overall experience that I go to the movies for. A factor of course is the lack of quality movies which I find it hard to be interested enough and rather just wait for it to get to Bell or iTunes. Boy do I remember watching Lost Souls with Wynona Ryder and Ben Chaplin back in 2000, that movie is another in my top 3 and is what I refer to when I talk about the cinematic experience! But those days are gone and now is my final point and preference of Bell new media like on demand and iTunes. See, as I was saying, I don’t watch tv shows unless they are recorded or on demand, but still there’s a catch with Bell and the big traditional media tv stations like ABC, Bravo NBC, Global etc. You can always or maybe never watch a full series or catch up on let’s say 8 shows in a row. They sometimes don’t have the first episode, or they will only have the first 3,4,5 etc. or only have the last 3 or so shows. So, its hard to feel the whole experience and get reeled into the show. They are pushing for you to watch each week for the sake of their precious commercials. With iTunes, when I like a show I will not hesitate to buy an episode each week as its available, or if possible buy the whole darn season for 30$ and watch it like a zombie in 2 days. Like my favourite show from Showcase Channel, The Magicians. I love that show 😊 So all in all the on-demand culture and instant gratification culture are the big winners these days. Traditional media has left people disengaged not only due to convenience but also due to centralized and dictatorial behaviour of the big media who, although they are adapting, it is because they have been forced to adapt and still look reluctant to. But their big budgets and resources will eventually take hold.  

[fresh-fruit-ninja]

I.AM.DIGITAL

I.AM.DIGITAL.

I have been around from the times of regular traditional media and through into new media, like yahoo, IM VU, blogging, social media, YouTube etc. As a teen and adult audience member of traditional media, well… I feel that I never really fit in, I wasn’t an avid watcher of any tv shows, though I watched tv, I never cared for the news, (and still don’t.) I loved sports but wasn’t glued to the couch for a half season or anything. Since the rise of new new media and being online, (and I mean really being online, not like back then,) like social media and the engagement utilized by big media, there wasn’t much of a change in my behaviour, until I became more passionate about some things which brought me deeper into the online world. I was a late adapter to social media. I used Twitter first, after some years. I used Twitter to engage with people on topics of spirituality and “truther” media, like the new Ancient Aliens show which blew my mind back then. I have been studying spiritual thingy’s since like 2010 and found a great vehicle for it in social media. I have been interested in this type of thing since I was very young. Ancient Aliens was truly the first show I really cared about.Though I don’t agree and my beliefs sometimes differ from what they say. That is where I truly embraced the role of a digital audience as indicated in my communications study course readings as an, “increased interactivity and decentralized control;” which has changed the role of audience members from, as I just described; mere consumers of media, to engaging participants, who take in and also produce and disseminate media themselves.

Through ancient Aliens I was able to meet various people, not only online like Facebook groups,but also in person, thanks to meetup.com;but I was also introduced to people (on the show) with amazing information, like books and documentaries. Since I was a child I had an old book on ancient Egypt and a great book by Robert Temple called The Sirius Mystery. But not only did Ancient Aliens allow me to nurture my interest and grow my knowledge of the topic by getting the books mentioned in the show, the mighty and great YouTube allowed me to choose in more detail the subject matter I wanted to focus on and see more from the speakers from the show that I wanted to engage with. For instance, David Wilcock who regularly speaks on the show. He has grown into a bigtime YouTube celebrity with all his public speaking and videos/docs and thanks to YouTube, I have learned Wilcock is a valuable resource to a wide range of topics, not just Ancient Alien theory. He speaks on natural health and spirituality among other things. I.e. his book, The Synchronicity Key. But not only do I engage as a digital audience member by choosing what media on this topic I consume and engaging with the other audience constructively and engaging with media personalities involved; I also had been able create my own ancient theories media!!

My strong conviction and empowerment to push the ancient alien cause is coming to fruition, as I have long been preparing to purchase a software which allows me to publish (E)Books or (e)magazines or design flyers etc. At first, I wanted to create either a political newspaper or an ancient theories flyer magazine. I am focusing on the latter. The software needs licensing, updating and maintenance, at a cost, so I have yet to purchase it until I am organized enough to get a year or so of info out. Maybe flyer style or magazines I haven’t figured out my goals, endgame yet. But still, this is the huge effect that one day in Cornwall has had on me, and thanks to new media, as a digital audience member, I can express it. It was when the show was new, and my family was staying with some family and there was a marathon and we were up all night watching it. The Ancient Aliens show was a culmination of my fantastical imagination, my perceptions of reality and my hunger for some sort of satisfaction of this type of knowledge, which was much harder for me to come by for me as a kid. So yes, I am now a digital audience member who is growing as personally and professionally because of the current state of media dissemination we have today online.

[fresh-fruit-ninja]

CANADIAN-ISM

CANADIAN-ISM

I would say there could be two sides to a feeling of Canadian-ness in my experience as a consumer of products and media by our favourite, well actually, probably the only big book store in Canada, Indigo-Chapters, or as I nostalgically like to call it, Chapters. The first side, in which relates to my notions of traditional Canadian identity or values and traits I feel I am a part of, and second, that uninhibited, emotional side I have to my identity as a Canadian.  The thing with big cities in my experience is that relaxed feeling is harder to come buy and even in the busiest of cities I find the environment, or the vibes at chapters more relaxing, like in Toronto, which I have been to on some occasions. But more so in my smaller city of London. Since I was young, I get a warm feeling from going to Chapters. Originally with my mother, as a youth we would spend time there. Back then there were couches, bean bag chairs and chairs, as they promoted and wanted people to spend a lot of time sitting and reading and of course, purchasing. Then, with the Starbucks that are inside it became busier and more of a hangout. As I got older and the city grew, with the rampage of students, popularity of Starbucks and purchase by Indigo, I noticed the private spaces, couchies and beanies had mostly disappeared. Now, there is a large shared table with plugs and a few chairs scattered throughout the store. The Starbucks everyday is full and mostly with students, so is the table in the store. But there are still people who relax with a book and a coffee or tea, reading groups and so on. As mentioned above, part of the Canadian-ness I guess I feel is do to the community and people friendly experience that is very much a representation of Canada, who in my view are a friendly people. In my experience, in other countries like USA and Europe people keep more to themselves and are less excited about a random chat with someone.

 I love reading and am a writer and Chapters is a place for me to go when I am feeling “artsy” I will wear my big heavy wool cardigan (hand made in Ireland) 😊and my wool flat cap (from the UK,) have a decaf or tea and read or write. I guess the sense of being a cultural hub for my city is how I feel about Chapters. With the hand-picked books, book clubs and so on, it’s kind of like a library to me, except its more up to date. But as I got older and peered deeper into Chapters, and in this current social climate, I feel more comfortable with it. Now back to the two sides. The Canadian identity part, from my own cultural standpoint, Chapters and Indigo are Canadian made. You knew I was going to say that… The Canadian CEO hand picks many books and showcases us things from a more Canadian spotlight or outlook if you should say. Indigo has stood up for the values of democracy and peace by taking stances on some political issues like women’s rights, public safety and so on. The music they play, as I now know, (because I asked,) is from a purely Canadian company and plays international and Canadian music, which I will discuss later. 

A point made from a Canadian communications research approach takes the position that; “The central unit of knowledge is society rather than the individual.”  Now, if I could push for this point with Chapters and how its programs and media outreach indicate a Chapters communications system which is being representative, or trying to be representative of its key asset, the Canadian consumer, or the collective of Canadian society. Of course, not all Canadians think the same, but culturally there is a suggestion of core Canadian values along within some of its programs; although public libraries are larger, more dispersed…. but they are government entities and… well there is a sense of community…lots of social activities… but in my experience the library doesn’t have the most recent books. 😊 I also like the idea of meeting authors at book signings, and events reading clubs, like the upcoming Canada Day event. Some other events are “Open Panels” with authors in many fields and, yes!! Literary agents!! Others are labeled “In Conversation” where you can chat with a ride range of authors from a world of topics, from fiction to political or social causes. Libraries don’t usually take on socially responsible causes, which is a point I am trying to make here. There is an Ontario and possibly Canadian problem with under funding of social institutions like libraries and as we see on the indigo website with public schools and is another cause Chapters has taken up. (The love of Reading Foundation and Adopt a School) https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/lorfaq/ Some other causes which are important to me as a Canadian, which allow me to support Chapters are; Chapters not selling books by that evil German leader, also the CEO has represented Canadian values in her stance of oppression of women in the middle east, and gun safety among others things.

Which brings me to the second part, my favourite part, my passion! Its fun and easy (dumb) just to be proud of anything that says “Canada.” Canadian nationalism has become a tool as well for big interests like commercial and institutional. But a big part of being Canadian is that we are not just a line up of things that say Canada, we are a crochet of values that come together in our acceptance of growth and new experience, and not just a closed ancient tradition which the government is spending millions on to preserve because they fear the new world. Canadian identity, (as much as people try for it to be,) is not a nationalistic propaganda tool, it’s a feature and pinnacle of ours and of world civilization. The commies used to say nationalism is the enemy of the  nation, as they propagated nationalism.

Canadianness is also about one world love and multiculturalism, embracing the experiences and the wealth of knowledge, culture and traditions that we have around the world, which are represented by millions of Canadians.  The Chapters’ customer experience and curated Stingray music does well to my Canadian-ness by not* nationalizing my identity or conforming me to a portrayal of who I am, but rather lets me express myself in all ways human… That being music and arts and media from around the world, and from our diverse Canadian social landscape. That’s why I love Canada! Because being yourself is not being a codified Canadian, or person with only a specific set of so called cultural traits, but rather being a person whose cultural persona is always growing and developing and taking in life and turning it into something that is very much ideally, exemplary and proudly Canadian. For example, a person who likes hockey and hockey only maybe the stereotypical Canadian, but a person who enjoys competitive sports, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, and shares his Canadian-ness and cultural identity to other smaller parts of Canadian sport, like soccer or basketball, (in the bigger picture, smaller parts of our national identity) that is what being Canadian is about, bringing the love of the world!!

I really love the Stingray app because its Canadian like Indigo is Canadian, and our values are represented in the media and books to a certain extent, but more subtly, or not over done; but also, we are not closed like other cultures who are so fixated on their ways, whether in defense of any sort of change, or sticking to their so called tried and true traditions. World cultures took centuries to develop, and are closely related to many other cultures, why should they stop growing now? Because of a few stubborn ideals? I think not! Canadians are growing, (maybe because we are a young country) and making a culture which is like no other. People adapt to take on Canadian traits and as Canadians, we can collect and grow our flowers of youthful bountifulness of positivity and optimism, becoming a nation of healthy and happy people who want to flourish as a growing world culture and role-model.

[fresh-fruit-ninja]

Part 2 Basic features, Big implications. Free choice and less interest(s).

With part one of my blog in the back of my head, Yes, I lean towards new media, which ultimately comes down to more choices, convenience and freedom from industry big wigs. CBC for instance, is considered a "Centralized institution where there is a central point of cultural output to many points of cultural reception." CBC has a broad collection of music and a modern and eclectic mix of radio programs, which stay in tuned with our nation’s cultural policy goals. From classical to singer/songwriters, jazz and so on; with an emphasis, (a quota) of Canadian sponsored, subsidized and grassroots media to boot. Big media like CBC, Rogers, Bell and Shaw offer 24/7 music channels by genre and a handy app that lets you see what you are listening to, what’s up next and what was played as well… but still you can’t choose what you want. We are in a time of instant gratification and more choice than ever. With YouTube last night, I spent time opening tab upon tab of songs I was interested in, with filters like short songs or 2-hour songs. With recommendations as a great assistant, I got an abundance of what I wanted (more than I could or would even look at,) as well as the branch off from the recommended into other looser recommendations. Which definitely tickled my fancy. An example of my preference for YouTube would be a half an hour or so creating a pure custom playlist, song by song and amazing recommendations, compared to traditional music stations where there is no personalized engagement and I am not consuming media promoted to me by corporate interests who pay for their music to be played, sometimes at specific times (down to the minute) or after/before another song, or sponsored publicity, or are chosen by sketchy DJ’s who are connected to who knows what. It’s also important to note that there has been a battle with exclusiveness in the music industry, i.e. media and radio having access to media (music) before they are released on new media. On the other hand, this tactic in my view is diminishing, as its much more advantageous and relatable to release it everywhere at once. But still, big industry is receiving help from many countries who, while evolving into the future of media are holding on with an anchor’s strength to big media which is in their interests, because it is a part of their interests. Laws are being lobbied for and against and much investment is being put into the preservation of traditional media. Now don’t get me wrong. I love cultural institutions for all they do, grow and excite our societies. But companies like Bell and Rogers have become gougers and wicked actors who benefiting at our expense by costing us more than the maximum of what we can afford for old style media. They use exclusive content, like international channels, news and prime time which they acquire and also a pay after system to stay competitive and keep customers, especially those who are of older generations. Canada has some of the highest prices for mobile, TV, internet in the entire world. In fact, internet is a basic human right in Scandinavia and some of Europe, where people even in remote areas are getting a better deal than we get. The government needs to step in and create a triple balance between keeping consumer costs low and investing in new media, whilst giving reasonable support to traditional media institutions which are big elements in our society and economy.

[fresh-fruit-ninja]

Part 1-Basic features, Big implications: My ongoing dependency on YouTube for media vs my infatuation of traditional CBC radio—CBC is losing

Of course, it doesn’t come as a surprise that YouTube is probably the world’s largest player in media streaming, namely music. Its old, but good, still full of excitement, well for me anyway, considering I used to record tapes from the radio to get collections music, or from the VCR. Even more recently with all the changes that radio and traditional media have made to stay afloat, nothing beats YouTube. Let’s compare. Traditional media like radio and television stations have upgraded and utilized what we call “media convergence.” Some radio stations began posting playlists online like CBC Radio, followed by streaming from “any device” (man that sounds old.) But there’s a catch. Unless you have unlimited data that doesn’t slow down after a few GB like we have in Canada; it’s a tough call. Many radio stations are streaming and posting playlists. Bell Media, who owns major media like CTV news and TSN, originally expanded by allowing for 24/7 themed music channels on their paid television services. This has recently turned into an app on the TV or on channels (for those less tech savvy,) where you can now see what songs are coming up or have passed. Bell’s Stingray app is also available for your smart phone if you prove that you are subscribed to Bell. CBC, who are subsidized by the government have less chance of failing and have the deep pockets to adapt and have adapted with on demand themed music channels as well as great engagement for those music aficionados and also the casual passerby’s. CBC tends to be competitive in relevant search results from google etc. and engaging with a website dedicated to radio, with tons of articles, news, promos and so on. I really dig the site. CBC radio is very modern and appealing to a diverse group of Canadians, from old and new, after all, that’s the key to success. With 38 radio shows which can be all accessed and listened to with a click, (not a remote,) as well as the staple of new media- podcasts,and segments and clips from the shows all available and totally on demand. But still for this high attention, on demand generation, CBC and traditional media is lacking. With YouTube, you can relax on the PC, Mac or laptop listening to thousands upon thousands of songs that you choose! You don’t have to sit and wait for a song you don’t like to pass or wait for a good song to come on. You don’t have to wait for the DJ to stop talking (and promoting) and ads are not a nuisance and or big deal on YouTube. Typically, on YouTube you can skip ads after a few seconds I learned recently that YouTube has become one of the top search engines for web searches. YouTube is not just music, there are thousands of videos and shows you can watch, as YouTube have paid services and live TV streaming as well. In fact, the NBA (basketball) finals were, “brought to you” by YouTube Live TV. The fact that NBA who has millions of $$ in contracts with traditional TV stations have been sponsored by a streaming service goes to show where we are headed… But it’s not just streaming, it’s the instant gratification and on demand culture, individual video and songs. Watching a full season in two days, or just one episode for a few bucks… to be continued….