CCT300


 * Lab 1**

In reading Aarseth’s article " Computer Game Studies" he talks about how the video gaming has become a "cultural phenomena" of our lifetime it has the ability to engage players through an interactive community of being able to create your own "world" Growing up in the past two decades I have come to understand the influential impact of video games as having both negative and positive sides. In this article I find it fascinating how this industry is constantly developing itself and becoming more advanced with each year on the market. It never seems as though the course of video games will die out and be replaced. One of the major challenges with video games is that video games are imposing a negative affect on users as it can sometimes result in a situation where it is difficult for an individual to extract them self from the virtual world into the real world. Although, it may seem that it is difficult to connect with individuals on this level it is seen as a new media of social interaction. This type of new media does not seem to be accepted of older generations, even though the technology behind the video game as mentioned in the article is derived from many disciplines and fields such as film, television & culture.Video games are creating a world outside of the one we are use to in web and real time by meshing together both storytelling and simulation within a game, this I believe is what is going to create even more of an attraction to video gaming for all different markets within society and engage individuals who are communicating using new media tactics.


 * Lab 2**

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Genres are a way of categorizing how we group similarities of a particular type of medium. Genres are based on groups with specific characteristics and purposes that allow society to define where exactly it belongs. The definition of genre in the present day can be seen as controversial because in understanding the constant changes of our world daily genre in digital formats has created many challenges in how to categorize things. The reason for this is because society is constantly changing and the convergence of digital media is progressively becoming more advance and hard to pin point what is what. =====

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An important medium to consider is the Internet as technology has evolved it has become a prime medium of communication. Special consideration to the Internet as an important player in digital convergence as over the years is what has blended the borders of digital genres. Just like the example of an iPhone has endless possibilities as it has become a new category on its own merging multiple applications into one another as an all-in-one product including web browsing, mp3 player, computer, etc. To even argue the idea of what genre is considered within present day society is difficult to discuss because of the convergence in technology. =====


 * Lab 3**

I agree with McLuhan as he defines comics as an extension of photographic media. Comics and photography mediate the way in which we receive messages as they are very similar in how they are presented to the viewer. Through photographs we see a single image presented in front of us which may not seem anywhere close to that of a form where there is multiple juxtaposed images placed into an intentional arrangement. McLuhan, however, stated that the history of comics predates even before that of actual photography as it is seen in the beginnings of hieroglyphics and cave art. McLuhan’s idea of comics being an extension he discusses the idea of “hot” and “cool” media. “Hot” media refers to the forms of media that emphasize a single sense to capture the attention of the user such as film and photography. Comics, however, McLuhan contrasted this as "cool" media, which requires that the individual apply additional effort into determining the meaning of a mediums message. According to McLuhan, comics have minimal visual detail and require a high degree of effort by the individual to fill in the details that the artist may have intended. In comics, the reader is required to actively participate in observing the abstract shapes and interpreting into their own meaning from previous experiences. In considering both comics and photography it seems that both these mediums require an interactive audience. Each medium desires the viewer to participate in different ways to create meaning. But in all fairness, I believe that this distinction further reinforces the idea that photography and comics are similar mediums and that comics are an extension of photography. It is through the interpretation of the viewer or reader to read between the lines and identify the message through his or her own experiences.

**Lab 4** Since the Internet has become a big part of how information flows throughout the world, we have always had a difficult time in mediating what is put out there. The reason for this is because there are loopholes within loopholes of how to get around these gateways. The lack in mediation is where it becomes a problem with information being posted that is not valid or truthful. The Truthy website project by Menczer identifies that there were websites out there creating false accusation on political encounters. This type of site is about identifying the trend in memes about politics and traces their origins to discover how they became popular. This meme-campaign is highly relying on the technique of “crowd-surfing”, which is used to create a tally of results based on the viewers themselves pushing a “truthy” button when they think a meme is invalid. No doubt does this seem like a step in the right direction in separating the untrue from the true, but it can cause the opposition parties of each group to call each other out on information that might be true. The overall impact of this website might work, but it is up to the Internet surfer to separate the truth from all the information posted on the Internet. ** Lab 5 ** There has been rise through Western culture of the amount of advertizing that individuals come across. The methods used in virtual and real world advertizing are significant in their impact as they both send the message straight to the viewer in a powerful way. Advertizing methods being done through old media has been significant in getting the message across to the masses. In the course of advertizing in the real world, advertizing is lacking in its ability to act efficiently and effectively to get across to audiences. The concept of mass marketing has been pushed to its limits making consumers aware of the impersonal experience they have with the marketing/advertizing campaigns that are going on throughout the world. The method of old media does not seem to be meshing well with individuals lives as they are becoming more on-the-go and fast pace. People aren’t stopped to grab a newspaper or watch television when they want to know information. People are looking for more efficient ways to multitask and make use of their time more appropriately so they can do more in little time. In other cases, the Internet overtime has become an important part of everyday life in communicating ideas, thoughts and messages from one individual to another. It has become a more efficient and effective way for marketers to reach out to their audiences by personalizing advertisements that will fit the individual’s preferences, making it an easier sell for a company. The virtual world of advertizing is creating that ability for marketers to still reach other to their audiences without losing their ad space. As well virtual methods of advertizing have become more cost efficient for companies who are looking to reach out to audiences in such a short time period as it takes minutes to send out a viral ad. Both methods are still used as they are both still reaching audiences in an effective way as they are still both focusing on what attracts the masses to each style of medium the message is sent through. **Lab 7 ** The success of social media over time has significantly impacted in how individuals communicate to one another and engage in topics of discussion. In this article it does show a great example of how influential the //work of social media is.// Nenshi’s campaign was well managed and executed through social media at an alarming rate his followers and voters started to jump on the bandwagon through his ability to self promote on the social web. Since the Barrack Obama campaigns came out the work of social media for politicians has become an influential way for politicians to reach out their voters. This is a result from the digital demographic increasing over the past decade and becoming more and more integrated into our lives as a daily ritual. This result overall all as a success does give hope to the underdog with the ability to reach to top as said in the National Post Article, “Calgary's voter turnout this year was 53%, up from 33% in 2007.” (Spence, p.11)That statement alone shows how dominant the digital culture is to individuals lives as it has created more engaged individuals. The dynamics of social media are giving individuals the ability to give instant feedback to others instantaneously. The only issue now is going to be the politicians’ ability to listen to the feedback and respond promptly. Social media is giving politicians the “it” factor in differentiating who they are to the masses. By using the resources they have as a powerful tool in communicating to voters by being a part of the Digital Age as it is the future in communication.

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**Lab 8**

Cultural jamming is a strategic way of converging and disrupting mainstream ideas from culture into exposing issues that the audience will see through any mediums. The Simpsons is a great example of how cultural jamming is used in a tactical way that presents current issues as a parody to the masses. In understanding that the article //Simpsons’ opening a suddenly dark turn,// author Kim thinks this type of move in cultural jamming is creating a negative impact towards what The Simpsons are known for. In the October 10th episode we as an audience was exposed to a dramatic opening that has become controversial. Although, there can be many negative connotations towards this episode and how it has portrayed the show. The use of culture jamming is a “technique [that] preys on the potentially ignorant, the naïve, those who “just don’t get it.” Using the element of the unexpected is what gets audiences thinking about the images presented to them. Although, the show pokes fun at Fox Network it is more so prominent that the graphic content of what is presented is what makes this controversial to audiences. It is not necessarily meant to generate a laugh from the audience, but to create a lasting impact on what the audience has just viewed. In the end I believe Bansky’s ability to have the show and network work adjacent to one another is unbelievable and is the perfect example of how to bring forth cultural issues into a well-known show that people view.

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 * Lab 9 **

Zimmer's article is based on the origin of the word "truthiness" which sparks from television Host Stephen Colbert's show. Before introducing the word into the mainstream media Colbert has realized it was not a recognized word to many. Until 2005 when Colbert decided to on the //Colbert Report.// This article focuses on the growth of this word and how it a created a world of its own in becoming a trending word ending for many mediums.

Colbert's ability to take an existing word that was never really thought of as a //word// and have it take on the digital world of media so rapidly through both negative and positive responses has been remarkable. The idea of something so simple as a word, has had been a huge influence on the media we consume today such as Twitter, Facebook... This as a result shows that change is consistently happening even within the English language.

As Colbert points out,that the constant change in language and media is happening so why do individuals feel that is needs to be restored to its natural state? As Colbert states, "it continues to define those who appeal to raw feelings at the expense of facts. I doubt that many people in American politics are acting on the facts." The world is in a constant change and the ability to change ideas or create new ones is constant and open minded as individuals in today's world should be.

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 * Lab 10**

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Two major online information sources that I often use are Google News and MSN News. These two are used as research tools for many people to search top news to outdated articles. The interface and user friendly pages are both informative in what they provide as well as challenging in certain areas. =====

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Functionality of a media based website is regards to how well it provides the user with information pertaining to what they are looking for. Google News is a website search engine for world news. It provides users with the ability to search ranked news items as well as the most recent items. This goes for the same with MSN News where users are able to search and derive articles of what they find useful to their search. The only downfall to these type of searches is that users sometimes will not get the information they are looking for based on the //key phrases/words// they use. =====

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This leads into the idea of transparency is regarding the ability for users to find information effectively and efficiently. With Google and MSN News we can see the information presented in front of us on the main page. The layout is effective in the space it has to work with and allows users the ability to search effortlessly. =====

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Both online information sources are used for similar reasons to create a user-friendly search. One may seem more reliable then the other in terms of how far into the web information will be searched, but both are credible in their sources when search //properly.// =====