Lets Talk!

Fuchs: What are your thoughts on the social media as a spreadable media?
Jenkins: Consumers are play a very active role in spreading social media. Every time someone likes, shares, subscribes, favorite or comment they are actively spreading a social media platform. If it doesn’t spread, it is dead.

 Fuchs: How then would you explain Google plus? This is a social media platform that has not spread like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram but it still exists today because of the machine of Google behind it.

Jenkins: I can defiantly accept the concepts of capitalism on this notion of Google plus but I think Google plus is a great example of my principles. The idea is that Google plus despite its strong financial backing did not excel in the way that it was anticipated because of its lack of spreading. It did not spread like other medias and therefore it is not as strong of a platform today.

Fuchs: How would you use your principles to explain the demise of Myspace. This was a site that allowed users the ability to customize almost everything. They could do so much on the bases of designing their own pages. Each user could choose pictures, background, choose music, choose applications and essentially design their entire page. On the other hand Facebook cut down on most of these customization options leaving users with just the ability to choose a picture representation of themselves.

Jenkins: Facebook presented the market with a different type of customization. Each person’s Facebook feed is unique to them. Also Facebook successfully honed down on the concept of spreading. Facebook thrives on creating connections and spreading the word.

Fuchs: Do you think this leads to exploitation of the users?

Jenkins: Definitely! The users are all being exploited! Facebook is free labor that individuals produce for the capitalist. This is exploitation to the highest degree. Not only are the capitalist not paying for the free labor of the users of these social media sites but they are benefiting in high quantities. 

Fuchs: Is it really exploitation if the people want do it? They are freely participating in these medias. 

Jenkins: Is it really voluntary? Is there really an option to have a Facebook in this day and age? No not really. Except if you want to be alienated by a whole wealth of social existence right now. The question is not if I get a Facebook, the question is only when.

 Fuchs: Social media is commodification of social interactions. I would argue that social media are stratified. The concept of social media participation is an ideology. Jenkins: I would not say that there is real participation in social media

Fuchs: Participation becomes an ideology when you consider capital accumulation. Marx distinguished two spheres of capital accumulation, which are circulation and production. Social media allows the work of circulation and production to be made by the users but the capital generated to be collected by the capitalist.