Social Media and Web 2.0

1. I believe the new wave of "found footage" production styling are not going to negatively affect production value in the media.  Movies and TV shows which utilize this style are now becoming more story driven with CGI used to create an alternate reality.  The shaky cam, found footage and first person perspective is a new methodology to inserting the audience member into the action.  In my opinion, I believe this is a similar ploy to using 3D technology.  I think production value and graphics will be more seamlessly integrated, and amateur user generated content will have a more refined appearance.

2.  From a social media perspective, I use/check facebook probably 3 times a day, I also check twitter once a day, but rarely post anything on it.  Aside from those websites, I don't really use social media constantly.  I'll check youtube every once in a while and I visit several blogs like the huffington post, deadspin and slashfilm.com, at the same time I still visit ESPN.com and CNN.com.

I think Facebook has overtaken myspace as the dominant social media interface because facebook is constantly evolving.  The layout of the site is changing, new applications are being added, and different features and methods of connection are being implemented which keep people interested.  There are 500 million account holders on Facebook.  We have never seen such a concentration of humanity using one form of media constantly.  I cannot predict the future, but if I had to bet on it, I think facebook will dominate social media, eventually buying up some of the other social media platforms like twitter, flickr, digg, linkdin, ec. until it becomes too bloated or unsecured.  I also believe the impending IPO for facebook will cause changes in how the site is run, and may remove Zuckerburg from a position of total control.

3.  Transparency is an important aspect of social media.  Looking at videos, postings, comments and other content, it is important to know where this opinion/information is coming from.  Is it a customer? Is it a consumer interest watchdog? Is it the company trying to improve their image? In a world were face to face contact is becoming less and less constant, we have to rely on digital trust to continue thriving as a society.  In the offline world, transparency is critical, but is not as emphasized because the analogue world is becoming unfashionable to discuss.  The world is being viewed more and more constantly through a digital lens.

McLuhan Photoshop Final Post

My Photoshop project is a representation how media has evolved, especially in the blogoshpere.  I focused specifically on the Gawker Media Websites because they have an irreverent style on reporting stories the mainstream media does not have the courage to cover.  Athletes, celebrities and politicians are not safe from the storm brewing, and they must be aware that the new big brother is watching them.
The content of this image are images of the different website logos of the Gawker Media umbrella (which is made up of text, images and colors), along with several images of stories which were first reported by the various Gawker sites.  From the top left moving right there is an image of AJ, the editor of Deadspin, a photo from the Deadspin story on Mark Sanchez and his 17 year old girlfriend, a photo of 2010 AL MVP Josh Hamilton falling off the sobriety wagon photoshopped onto a camera, the Gawker reported story of former US congressman Chris Lee and his craigslist page overlayed onto a computer monitor, the Gawker story of a one night stand with US senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, and the infamous Brett Favre sexting scandal.  The background of the collage is a storm cloud.  The bottom image is a movie poster from the film based on the novel 1984.
The message of this image I was trying to convey was that celebrities are no longer safe from media scrutiny.  No matter what the content or context, public figures are now losing the private aspect of their personal lives.  Reporters are no longer the only people who will submit stories; users, subscribers, and people who happen to be at the right place at the right time are the main vehicle from which these stories are generated.
George Orwell's 1984 depicted big brother as a government entity which exerted its power by monitoring its citizens by using other citizens as a policing force.  Gawker Media, and dozens of other blogs like Perez Hilton, Sports by Brooks and many others, use its readers in a similar fashion.  The New Big Brother is Watching.

Progress

Current Media