Module 1.1 Reading:

Reading 1.1 Critical Information Studies For a Participatory Culture (Part Two), Henry Jenkins

To start with I just like to get a couple of other definitions, it just makes it all much more clearer to me!!
A simpler definition of:
“Participatory Culture” Through software and advocacy, Participatory Culture Foundation works to build a fairer, more open, and more democratic media space”. (http://www.participatoryculture.org/
From Wikipedia “Participatory culture is a neologism in reference of, but opposite to a Consumer culture — in other words a culture in which private persons (the public) do not act as consumers only, but also as contributors or producers (prosumers). The term is most often applied to the production or creation of some type of published media. Recent advances in technologies (mostly personal computers and the Internet) have enabled private persons to create and publish such media, usually through the Internet. This new culture as it relates to the internet has been described as Web 2.0.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_culture)

1."The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself":
Without the proper education, certain groups will still unable to be a successful part of online communities. This is needed if online communities are going to be able to run smoothly and effectively with various groups within society.

2. From Digital Divide to Participation Gap:
I believe it is the lower income areas that are suffering from access to networked computers. Speaking from current experience, in the area we live in – which would be classed as just normal middle class suburbia, there is a huge effort for all of the kids in the community to have access to wired computers. Within the school district there are computer labs in the schools with computer studies in the curriculum starting in Kindergarten classes. The local libraries also have internet cafe style rooms – fully open to the public.

3. Remaking Schools:
Although schools and libraries are the main places that offer a chance for young people to get online, there are restrictions put in place to stop them connecting to online social networking groups. It is suggested that preparing the kids for the real world and putting limitations on their access is putting restrictions on just how much kids can learn and experience online.
In my opinion, I can understand the benefits of allowing kids to access different social networking sites, but I don’t think it is mandatory at a young age that kids need to learn about faceboook etc. I mean most companies have policies in place about their employees and their use of social networking in the workplace. I think if this appears to be a beneficial requirement for children to learn, then maybe the individual schools can setup an internal social networking site where kids can communicate with their friends in a safe environment, but still get an understanding of social networking via the internet.

4. Rethinking Collective Intelligence:
To me, he is basically outlining the different models of how communities are formed and work together – either using Pierre Levy’s notion of “collective intelligence” and James Surowiecki’s “Wisdom of Crowds”.

5. Promoting Diversity:
As in real life, it is suggested that the minority groups are basically being undermined by more dominant groups. In real life, people can pick and choose who they wish to befriend, and this can happen in the virtual world as people with same interests will start congregating together. In my opinion and unfortunately for many, this will be an ongoing thing. Diversity will always exist and no amount of education will change that. This is not a new thing just because it is being highlighted within online communities.

6. Reasserting Fair Use:
The use of copyright material is getting hard to keep track off throughout the internet. With different parties involved such as a company displaying the material and the company that owns the material, there can be many issues for the contributors. With corporations putting increasing pressure on sites to send out “take down” notices to their contributors, in turn the contributors are finding it increasingly difficult to argue their rights.

7. Critiquing Free Labor:
“Free labor” model – “we produce all the content, they make all the money.” Basically it is the work of others who produce all content/information etc and the Commercial platforms are the ones who are making all of the money without having to do much work.

8. Designing Civic Media:
There is the concern that professional journalists are basically being faded out and being replaced with the emergence of volunteer citizen journalists. But the concern lies with how accurate can these volunteers portray their society. There is still the need for professional news coverage to give a foundation for citizen journalists to build upon.

9. Thinking Globally:
Because the internet can reach much further than other media coverage, people can be exposed to more than one point of view that is being presented to them from local media outlets – giving them a new outlook on current or past events.

10. Restructuring Activism:
I think he is basically trying to say that with new organisations emerging, there will be different types of activist groups coming forth and trying to make a stance.