Reflection – Mashing it up!…Relation to the Module

The internet is one complete “Mashup”, the use of APIs (Application Programming Interface) is triggering the change of direction online material and content is taking. The Hybrid forms of applications that are being created are a representation of audience participation; to continuously provide content to the developing ‘semantic web’  is the key towards understanding how it has changed over time to transform into this new, refined product we are regularly using. The relationship Mashups have to the module as whole are through the way in which our tasks of Data visualisation, Flickr slide shows and Google Maps all use innovative software to provide a new hybrid medium which can be accessed and used by the public.

The idea of feeds and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a technology that allows information to be shared directly via a subscription; these connections to our favourite websites provide users of the web to receive the content they want, instead of searching for material it is the information that streams to the user. My usage of feeds has been helpful with the work and projects I have been conducting. Linking websites to my blog and pieces of content have made visualise my work more interesting and simpler. I have been able to recognise how the tasks I carry out relate to the internet and the media completely. I have become an active member of the web using community and will continue to participate as progressions and development in technology continue to appear.

The world of Mashups seems to be the direction that the web will have a basis upon. APIs are pioneering the future formats of technology that will be present in “the web of tomorrow”. By looking at the upcoming mashups it is evident to see that there will be less of a need for people to look to company developers to have access to new and exclusive software. The ability to produce our own user-generated content has enabled the masses to begin adding their newly created mashups to the internet and see how much public appeal they can get. I have an interest in the activity of producing a Mashup and will take time to see which APIs are available in my creation of an innovative piece of media.

Reflection – Connecting to the cloud

“The web that we have is less than 5000 days old”, a statement that has initiated my reflection and response for comment. Within a decade we have been able to digitize the way in which we live and run our lives, through operating systems. The proposal of theorists to have predicted the state of society and economy to be run through this machine would have been judged ludicrous and incomprehensible. Although sceptics refused to accept that progressions in technology would revolutionize the world, by transforming it into an information highway controlled by the workings of the internet, uploads, sharing thus creating the priceless artefact we call ‘the web’.

Reality within the web is a concept that has triggered the discussion and thought of human life being consumed and controlled by the web. The idea that every aspect of life is accessible through the internet is an idea that continually seems more achievable as time goes on. From its humble beginnings in the Web1.o format of linking computers, to the more advanced version of  Web2.o we live in. Progressions have continued towards the formulation of the ‘Semantic Web3.0′ where all data will be linked and transferred across the globe. The way in which technological pioneers have provided us with advances at a pace more rapid than anything ever conceivable. As we move towards the inevitable Web4.0 of linking every aspect of the world, consideration must be put towards how we will react and engage with changes in society.

Co-dependency is a theory that has enabled viewers of the  Web to see its progression and realise how much we as a people rely upon its usage. Being ”always online” has led on to discussion regarding whether or not there is an evident attachment to the web and all of its content. To allow total transparency considering the depth in which we access the Web and input data would be dangerous; this is because of the personal surveillance mechanism the web is becoming. People within society will be able to access important information, knowledge of regulation and control of distribution will be the determining factors of ”our future in the web”. The relationship between our reliance on the web is similar to that between our reading and writing, the web has become part of our habitual practices. The artificial intelligence that is being created out of the web is phenomenal; it is through our contributions that it continues to grow and evolve. The dependency upon the web has also brought about discussion of whether we can escape from it and “Unplug” ourselves from its grasp.

The sharing of opinion will bring about the resolution to such restriction. Over time the web will change into a system that facilitates all our requests and needs, in becoming an inevitable development  that controls all types of data including intellectual property. The acceptance of new technologies will be the deciding factors in knowing which new practices we adopt into our living schedules, as “the web is a reflection of us”. Something that provokes my thought is the issue of power and control. Authentication of media content and ownership will be major issues in the future as more content becomes accessible.

Reflection – Convergence=Ubiquity

The evolution of the internet has been astoundingly rapid, from earlier uses of delivering information via the web 1.0 interface to the highly convergent internet highway that is web 2.0; we are now seeing a shift towards progression and more innovative uses of the web with the introduction of a more intelligent web 3.0. The transition has always been anticipated by theorists, the materialization of the predicted future in regards to technology is happening in front our eyes. To understand how we enable computers to ‘learn’ from us will revolutionise the way we use such technology. The argument that arises from all the speculation about technology and uses of the web is whether we are enabling the computer to inevitably control our thinking.

Retail seems to be the main threshold for companies to utilise advances in web technology. Extending the compatibility of web-based advertising is a step that major retail outlets have taken to engage their consumers and target audiences. Making the shopping experience a more interactive one will enable people to feel that they are at ease with themselves as the clever interfaces used in the supermarkets they visit already know what they need to buy via ‘reward cards’ and can tell them if they forget. It is the seemless nature of such technology that shows the real direction we are heading towards; ‘ubiquitous computing’ is becoming a reality as we will be completed consumed and surrounded by technology, it will become normal and part of our habitual practices as we shift towards our utmost digital era.

Ideas of the ‘Semantic web’ are helpful in defining web 3.0, the progression of computers initially understanding syntax to being able to now understand meaning has triggered the innovation of the web. Computing is continually becoming more and more intelligent, the way in which computers have now got the software to build character profiles on people to understand their desires and ‘needs’ is a powerful use of technology. Human life and the use of technology is a relationship that will be the pioneer in shaping the future we live in. Referring back to the issue of privacy, if computers can link to each other thus sharing information companies may be able to access things about our personal lives that they may have struggled to view before. To develop the web with a considered control and conscious decision towards the production of robotic technology and new software will be crucial in making a future that brings peace and sustainability in our web usage.

Reflection – User-Generated Content, We live in Public

In the past lecture we have been looking at videos that are created by the audience. To understand the significance of user-generated content is a theory and concept that the likes of Marshall McLuhan have been in knowledge of years ago. ‘The audience need something to do’, by having the ability to become engaged with the media they are consuming, a somewhat interactive spectrum of information has been created; this phenomenon has allowed the ‘gatekeepers’ of media content to make profit and utilise their audiences free of charge. There is less of a need of for businesses to spend money on content, as the user will produce it for them.

Although user-generated content is very valuable to media corporations, it can also be a threat and detrimental to the main aim of profit that they pursue. Copyright  infringement is a term that has caused controversy around the ownership and distribution of content that is viewed by the public. The conflict arose from the ‘passion’ of the audience, there is an unspoken right shared amongst consumers of the media that they can take from it whatever they want in a creative manner; this right has been the cause of tons of: forums, fan sites and blogs. The lack of ‘control’ corporations have over their users has led on to arguments of copyright and how information will be obtain and delivered.

As we as a consumer continue to produce user-generated content and upload them on to the major corporation web sites, the idea of privacy becomes less of a concern within our communities. The convergence that is social networks has allowed people of the world to access each other’s information threw the simple click of a button. The concept of one’s ‘private life’ is a disintegrated memory in today’s digital world. As technology evolves and moves towards its most advanced stages, the life we live will be for the public to see; knowing who regulates our information will be the next instalment of expanding our knowledge.

Reflection – The Web of Tomorrow, a World in Data

Interactive innovation seems to be the theme that is leading in the world into a digital collective of data. All aspects of the world now have a link to a web feed; the outlook on the web is that it ‘will be accessible anywhere’. Leading innovators in today’s world of web 2.0 are trying their hardest to reproduce new technology by the day, thus prompting we as a nation and consumer of the media to have knowledge and understanding of the major changes that are happening around us.

The revolution of technology is rapidly sweeping nation after nation, access to advanced gadgets are becoming more accessible to poorer areas of the world; the ‘state of the art’ technology of yesterday which was not affordable to the middle classes of today is now outdated for usage in most places of the world. The way in which portable devices are continually adding software and merging with other devices to make a more hybrid one is a trend that has led us towards having hand-held gadgets that cater to all of our thinkable needs. Questions that have been aroused from this topic are that we are shifting into a social networking society that will have our heads constantly placed looking at a screen, typing away; this may not necessarily be the best use for our use of such intricate technology.

The idea that the web will be ‘Media-centric’ is a very realistic vision as producers of web-enabled technology have always focused their goals around the service to the consumer; a consumer who generally seeks to find entertainment in aspects of the media they engage in. The technology that has been pitched for the future is also representative of the direction we are moving towards. There are already versions of voice-controlled technology in mobile phones, as prototypes for various gadgets improve and become ready for mass distribution, so will the public engage with it and transform into a web-based society in their own ‘immersive experience’.

The social networking websites that have emerged in the past half decade have revolutionised the way in which people communicate with each other. By taking these websites from the stationery desktop pc to the mobile phone has been an innovation that seems to be shaping the future of human interactions. The compatibility of these web-based devices is very convenient for users as they have the web ‘on-the-go’ and can access it wherever and whenever they like.

By expanding the internet and exploring its technical capabilities, data is becoming more accessible and useful for people. As global epidemics arise the need for solution and help is required across the world. Data that was not allowed or able to find is now being used to improve situations at local and national levels. Hopefully, as we move from web 2.0 to web 3.0 we become more practical and efficient with our usage of available data.

Reflection – Convergent Media

Key theorists have been engaging with convergent media for decades, conventional forms of media that are present today have progressively developed from previous methods of delivering content. ‘the medium is the message’ is a term that describes the transition from earlier forms of technology such as radio and its crossover to television; the changes in society also show how the internet has played its role. As we moved from the Web 1.0 world of pages and information to the now more interactive Web 2.0 internet of audience immersion, faster, smaller more intelligent software. The constant recurrence has always been the way in which media provides interactivity and entertainment for an audience, thus reinforcing their message that ‘content is king’.

The internet is the most innovative piece of technology that has been released up to date, the databases and software that create the ‘World Wide Web’  have allowed its users to access information at rapid rates upon their uploading to the ever so growing stream of content. Enhancements to the Web 2.0 interface and the creation of new software and gadgets has made the audience experience more personal and custom to the specific needs of the person accessing it. Interactivity has always been the demand set by audiences in their pursuit of feeling more involved with the content they are consuming; technology such as social networking and the use of motifs such as ‘the red button’ have made the relationship between broadcaster and audience progress into a link that is allowing feedback to improve the content which is already being provided.

The passive audience is a phrase that once spoke of a nation of people who were fed information completely in control of those distributing it to them; there was no means of challenging this due to the accessibility of available content for users. These times could be seen as the darkness of knowledge as the audience were becoming drones to the footage they viewed. The leap towards convergent forms of media has allowed the audience to become fully engaged with the content they receive and thus enabling their enlightment of the message being portrayed.

Reflection – Hybrid Forms

The article by Lev Manovich provided me with an insight towards understanding the depth and attention paid towards the production of a convergent piece of Media. By reading the article i have also seen how Manovich explains the progression of Media formats and technology to show how they have evolved to give us new uses for the market we now work in.

The Proposed ‘Invisible Revolution’ helped me understand how various media techniques are used to produce effects in moving image.  Due to the concentration Manovich takes towards explaining the depth of the transformation from the somewhat basic forms of projection to the now more advanced changes we can now access, the article becomes arduous reading as there is extensive detail; because of the detail in the article i feel more confident with my understanding how moving image technology has progressed over the years.
Media Hybridity is a term I found relatively easy to ‘come to grips with’. The new hybrid visual language and aesthetics that is now present in media texts has helped media producers in the creating of texts that would have never come into existence if the tools present today were not around. The idea that pieces produced for the media are random is a thought quickly dismissed in this article, as it goes into explanation behind why various tools needed to be produced so that creators could emerge the ideas they had kept, thus ensuring they had the technical capabilities to produce the ‘innovative pieces of media’ we now see daily.
Deep Remixability was a concept that re-affirmed the place Manovich had established upon his own understanding of how media had continued to shape itself upon the work of what had previously been seen. The ideology behind this was shown through how Manovich had taken his research into detail to describe the continuous trend of the media, taking ‘bits’ or ideas from successful and popular texts from before to offer a ‘remix’ and standardized improvement.

Reading about the hybrid revolution and algorithms was helpful in allowing me to engage more fluently with the workings behind media texts, but it also began to seem repetitive in the content i was digesting. The repetitive nature i began to see from Manovich’s article may have come from a mis-interpretation in understanding his intended meaning, although i felt i understood it comfortably. The article continued to speak of progression in Variable forms and in The Aesthetics of Continuity where i now felt as if i had taken as much understanding from what Manovich was depicting in his description of the ever so evolving world we are situated in. Reading Hybrid forms allowed me to engage with the convergent media around me and also understand it more clearly.