Below is the link to my hubsite, which will lead you to all my other work. Thanks everyone!
www.jillianford.weebly.com

Hubsite: http://english363.kelsiesmith.net/blog/

Midterm Project: http://kelsiesmith.net/adderallalternatives/

Final Project: http://www.kelsiesmith.net/notfunny/

Final Coursework! - Emma Reigel

Hubsite Page: http://emmarei.weebly.com/ - 

     has all course work under course work for both projects and assignments outside of projects

Midterm Project Site: http://helpthearcticc.weebly.com/

Final Project Site: http://agricultureresearch.weebly.com/

Sites completed and in progress

Folks, here are the sites I have completed or in progress. The links are also available at the top of the course syllabus. 

Chloe Renee Lily Kronfeld Josh Bloom Hiro Kusumoto Jessica Andrews Malika Anderson Erin Penney Krysana Maragh Arome Obende Savannah Bacon Ocean Clarke Emma Reigel Jill Ford Caroline Adams Lena Sheorey

There is some really great work in there, and I'm proud of the effort you all put in. If you have an extension, please post your own hubsite with completed coursework page when ready before August 31. Have a great summer. 

Hub Page: http://oceanclarke.weebly.com

Midterm Project: http://journey2unknown.weebly.com

Final Project: http://savingthereservation.weebly.com

Final Coursework!

Midterm project: http://notjustanotherathlete.weebly.com/

Final Project: http://aclmental.weebly.com/

Hub site (all coursework available): http://savannahbacon.weebly.com/

Links to Finished Websites

Hubsite: http://jessicatandrews.weebly.com/ (all course work can be found here)

Midterm: http://effectofmusicstreaming.weebly.com/

Final: http://highereducationforthemiddleclass.weebly.com/

Completed Coursework

All of my completed work can be found on my hub site

Hub Site

Midterm Project

Final Project

Erin Penney Finished Coursework

Hubsite: erinpenney.weebly.com
Midterm: http://fandommentalhealth.weebly.com/
Final: http://classandcountrymusic.weebly.com/

All of my coursework can be found on the hubsite.

Krysana Maragh Final and Coursework

Kmaragh.weebly.com
Midterm: Dishonestacademics.weebly.com
Final:   distracteddriversedu.weebly.com

Above are links to my hubsite, wherein you can find all of my coursework and links to my revised midterm project as well as my final project.

Thank you!

Coursework

All my coursework can be found at

hirofumikusumoto.weebly.com/

I tried to remember everything that we did but if you see something that's missing please let me know so I can add it to my coursework page.

Thank you!

Lily Kronfeld's Final and completed coursework

lilykronfeld.weebly.com

Completed Coursework

Hi everyone!

Here is the link to my completed coursework page: http://chloe--renee.weebly.com/coursework.html
I've checked all of the links, but if you see one that doesn't work in passing, please let me know.

Thanks, and keep in touch!

Submitting coursework reminder

Folks, just a quick note to remind you to post a link to your completed coursework page here on the blog. There's a continuing issue with email containing a weebly subdomain link in emory.edu communications. Don't forget to test all the links on a library computer: I can't read privately published material. Have a great summer!

Kelley and Mickenberg Presentation

http://my.visme.co/projects/kelley-and-mickenberg-presentation-853c04

Link to everything

To see all coursework, go to http://joshuambloom.weebly.com/ and click on the coursework page.

PCH 12: Halavais

The mass-demass cycle is as follows: technology or media is created by a group of pioneers who collaborate in order to use and popularize the new technology or media, the technology or media is then taken over by a small number of powerful people (i.e. corporations), who in turn, present it to an audience, which then reclaims the media or technology as their own and begins to create with it. This is significant in terms of participatory culture because it explains the methods through which technologies and media are obtained. Blogging is different from this mass-demass cycle because it began in the hands of the people and continues to be an accessible technology for the people, as most blogging can be done for free (though there are corporations that are involved). Halavais describes blogging as a "free frame of reference" because it is a simple act that helps the user to reframe their way of thinking about the world. Blogging is an accessible format for discourse that almost anyone can use. When there is a free, accessible discourse format, the opportunity for radical sociopolitical change presents itself.

"Free frame of reference" originated in the late 1960s as a store where all of the items were free. The store had essentials such as food and clothing, and the "frame" was in reference to "a large yellow picture frame" by the entrance (Halavais, 114). The store revolutionized the way that its "customers" thought about consumption and the value of items in our society.

I can not say that I agree entirely with Halavais in terms of the perspective demanded by blogging. Self-expression has always been accessible in one public format or another, blogging just magnified the scale and audience. I believe that, with the diversification of blogging, it has still maintained its spirit as a free frame of reference. Very few people are willing to pay actual money to blog, whereas as few years ago, people would pay quite a bit of money in order to keep and maintain a professional blog. Now, there are more ways than ever to express oneself freely through the Internet.

The ideal is tarnished, though, through the commodification of blogging. In order to be a true "free frame of reference" profit would not be an issue. Now blogging sites are able to make money off of their users through the use of advertising. Yes, the users may not have to pay directly, but they are still being used for monetary gain.

Equality within the attention economy is a difficult idea to navigate. Perhaps equality within the attention economy would be an egalitarian format in which each person gets their say for the same amount of time among the same number of people.

Social media as gemeinschaft would be the use of free blogging among a group of people to organize a social protest. Social media as gesellschaft would be the requirement of monthly subscription fees for a website in order for the few people in charge to make a profit off of it.

Kelley and Mickenberg Presentation uploaded

Kelley and Mickenberg Presentation here

Hub site

Here's my hub site

Fuchs Ch 8

In Chapter 4 of Social Media: A Critical Introduction, Christian Fuchs explores the connections between Twitter and political participation. While reading, I started to think about the potential of repurposing aspects of Twitter to be geared more toward political activism and change. Fuchs states that, on Twitter, the topics that attain the highest visibility (as demonstrated by the Trending Box on the left-hand side of Twitter) are those that pertain to entertainment-related topics. However, I started to explore the idea of tailoring Twitter to be used as a political tool. For example, the Trending Box could be separated into subcategories, including Entertainment and Politics. This would allow for higher visibility within each category, therefore preventing the domination of visibility of one category over another, therefore facilitating political visibility within the interface of Twitter itself.  

Later, Shirky states that “with the arrival of globally accessible publishing, freedom of speech is now freedom of the press, and freedom of the press is freedom of assembly (Shirky 2008, 172). This statement resonated with me because I began to think about both the benefits and downsides of online political culture. I see the value of social media in politics the same way as Papacharissi interprets it - the idea that social media eradicates the line between the political and public spheres. I think that a greater visibility from a grassroots level is key to political change. I also think that, at times, the anonymity offered by the internet is beneficial in terms of political participation. It allows one’s voice to be heard, without suffering social repercussions from their peers or even an oppressive government. However, one downside to online political participation is that in person, physical spaces allow for an agglomeration of individuals that “provide opportunities for building and maintaining interpersonal relations that involve eye contact, communication of an emotional aura, and bonding activities that are important for the cohesion of a political movement and can hardly be connunicated over the internet” (186). So, at the end of the day, there are certain shortcomings of online participation that simply cannot be overcome or overshadowed by in-person, face-to-face, political movements.

PCH Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of The Participatory Cultures Handbook, edited by Aaron Delwiche and Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, explores the ethics of participatory culture. In her essay entitled “Toward an Ethical Framework for Online Participatory Cultures,” Jennifer Jacobs Henderson first defines participatory cultures as “spaces where thoughtful, engaged world citizens tackle complex problems, build creative networks, and contribute to political decision making” (272). Henderson then goes on to describe the potential that these spaces can achieve, such as advancing scientific discovery, empowering those who have little voice, and the elimination of geopolitical boundaries (272). However, in order for those potentialities to occur, ethical structure must first be assigned to participatory culture. To do so, Henderson establishes five fundamental aspects that must be assigned - access, rule making, connectedness, contribution, and freedom.

According to Henderson, two barriers to active participation have existed for many years - income, and geography. However, the recent development of new technology hasn’t remedied these two barriers. It has simply perpetuated their existences, but in a new way. For example, wealthier countries have more widespread internet access compared to less wealthy countries, which does nothing but perpetuate the “digital divide” (273).  In my opinion, however, barriers extend beyond income and geography. Another barrier that exists is technological literacy, or the lack thereof. Technological illiteracy prevents members from taking advantage of the participatory technology, so that even if they have the physical access to it, they are unable to use it in a meaningful way.

Henderson then asserts that another structure that must be enacted is rule making. She acknowledges that these rules may differ based on the medium at stake - the rules governing original uploads may differ from the rules governing comments. However, regardless of the specific rules being applied, she argues that these rules must be enforced if participatory culture has any chance to thrive.  

Henderson continues with her structural establishment, emphasizing the importance of both connectedness and contribution. In my opinion, participatory culture inherently involves a sense of commonality and connectedness. Henderson advocates for these aspects of participatory culture to be even more developed and encouraged within the community in order to facilitate the survival of the culture. She also values the aspect of contribution, stating that “respect must be at the core of valued participation” and that this respect is “often attained through recognition by others” (277).

Finally, Henderson develops the idea of freedom in participatory cultures, and asserts that a wide range of voices and opinions must exist in order for the full potential of participatory culture to be reached.

Wark Review

In his newest book, The Spectacle of Disintegration, McKenzie Wark continues the situationist-centered dialogue he established in his preceding book, The Beach Beneath the Street. Both books serve as analyses of the Situationist International, delving into their history, beliefs, and practices. Founded in 1957, the Situationist International (SI) was an international organization composed of social revolutionaries. Membership was extremely exclusive. The demographics of the members themselves varied - the organization was composed of artists, political theorists, intellectuals, and more. However, the one thing that united the members of the Situationist International was their shared social ideology.

In The Beach Beneath the Street, Wark recounts the first two aspects or phases of the Situationist International - the artistic phase during the 1950s, and the political action phase in the 1960s. He also elaborated on the first two facets of the spectacle. The first facet was concentrated spectacle. This was the period when society, and power by extension, was organized around a central personality. Later, the diffuse spectacle emerged. This type of spectacle influenced society by the use of icons and advertising in order to sell commodity. Additionally, the idea that the meaning of life could be achieved via consumption was emphasized and built upon.

In The Spectacle of Disintegration, he goes on to elaborate on the third and most current phase of the organization - the phase of the spectacle known as the integrated spectacle. Although misconceived as the end of the SI movement, Wark argues that it is simply a re-manifestation of the core ideals, adapted to today’s society.  In other words, Wark connects the past decades’ situationist theory and practice to today’s ideals. To do so, he focuses on situationists and their work. For instance, he analyzes the painter T.J. Clark, commending him for “restoring to view the life of the image and an anarchist vision” (48). Wark then goes on to the figure of Raoul Vaneigem, a Belgian member of the Situationist International from 1961 to 1970 whose main concern was the concept of utopia as well as dystopia.

Wark continues in chapter 9, exploring the society of the spectacle in the context of artistic pieces, namely the obscure Viénet film, Can Dialectics Break Bricks. It is here that Wark makes an argument that films such as these are simply remixes of films that had already existed. From this, Wark goes on to refer the audience to other Situationist pieces that stemmed from other existing artistic forms, thereby undermining their originality. He emphasizes the re-working and remanifestation of artistic elements into new constructions, yet simultaneously and confusingly asserts that nothing is innovative.

Finally, Wark explores Guy Debord, who was a French Marxist theorist and a founding member of the Situationist International. For some reason, the aspect of Debord’s life that Wark chooses to expand on is the development of the board game, Game of War, developed by Debord and his wife, Alice Becker-Ho. The connection between Wark’s extensive development of the board game and the Situationist International is unclear and extremely vague, making it difficult to understand.

           Overall, I would not recommend this text as a source for teaching participatory culture. The writing itself is very cryptic and dense, making it fairly inaccessible to a general audience, even more so to those who are not well-versed in the realm of situationist theory. In addition to the difficulty of reading the text, Wark’s main tool in his writing is the use of endless quotes. While reading, it felt like I was simply reading the work of the people Wark described in his book, simply stitched together. By doing so, Wark failed to contribute any original information or insight into the Situationist theory community, and merely summarized and repeated the thoughts of situationists who had already expressed their views. Even if Wark did contribute original insight, it would have been lost in the sea of quotes by other figures who actually did, thereby undermining Wark’s nonexistent arguments. Thus, although Wark is skilled in synthesizing information about the SI, I would not recommend this text if you are looking for new, original, and revolutionary information and insight into the Situationist International.

Updated Hub and Project Sites and Project Presentation

Hub Site
Midterm Project Site
Presentation

Kelley and Mickenberg presentation

Wark Review

                The Spectacle of Disintegration by McKenzie Wark is based on the premise that the Situationist Movement did not end when the Situationist International disbanded in 1972 and that it is still alive and well in the modern world. To do this, Wark chronicles the history of Situationism from 1968 on. Wark had already written The Beach Beneath the Street, which discussed Situationism up to this point, which raises one of the main problems with the book. Wark immediately dives into Situationism, assuming that either we have read The Beach Beneath the Street or have extensive knowledge of the Situationist Movement before reading this book. This is not a stand-alone book by any means, but does not advertise that a reader will have difficulty if they have no background on the subject. In order to get the most out of this book, the reader needs to have a background in Situationism and 19^th Century French Are, both of which are specific and not particularly overlapping areas.

            The structure of the book added to its inaccessibility. Each chapter was a separate anecdote, and while some of these were quite entertaining, they did not clearly connect into an overarching narrative. I understand that Wark purposefully removed these anecdotes in order to make a theoretical agenda for Situationism in everyday modern life in order to prove that it still is applicable today, but this has the consequence of forcing the reader to pick up context along the way. The anecdotes are so short that you can read a majority of one before you know what is going on, then you have to reread it now that you have context to fully understand what is being said.

All of these anecdotes acted as metaphors for what Wark was attempting to explain, but again, they required expert knowledge to comprehend. I had none of this knowledge so I read and knew the meanings of the majority of the words I was reading, but never understood what was going on. This was not for lack of trying on my part, I did research on the Situationist International, but was still rather mystified by what the spectacle, the central idea of the entire book, truly was. Wark would have been well served by including an introductory chapter that clearly elucidated the central tenets of Situationism at the very least.

            Eventually, I began to understand the spectacle, the society that surrounds it, and what it has become a little more. Initially, the concept of the spectacle was centralized. Governments used media and images to control their population. These governments more or less had a monopoly on the spectacle, but the rise of Mass Media has decentralized the spectacle. Now, we are bombarded by images from governments and corporations through a variety of media. The rise of the Internet also gave more of a voice to individuals as well. All of this combines to shape and control what we see as the norm. Even if we are not aware of it, the spectacle shapes us and our perception of the world we live in. To exemplify that the spectacle exists, Wark discussed two revolutions, one in France in 1848 and the other in Thailand in 2010. The latter provides an example of the spectacle in modern times. Radio broadcasts were used to incite the revolution and bring about a change in the power structure.

            While I did struggle with this reading, I can see how it applies to the class. Wark provides examples of people who are aware of the spectacle and use this awareness to bring about change. These individuals participate in enacting real change not only by calling for change, but also by changing how they live their lives once they realize the spectacle and what those creating it want us to think and believe. While it is one thing to be aware of the spectacle, it is another to be able to break free from its control. I wonder if anyone truly can be free of the spectacle. We are indoctrinated at such a young age and it is so pervasive in our lives that I doubt that anyone can truly break completely free from the control of the spectacle.