Comfort Zone Begone

~New Age Media~

In this day and age digitalisation has broken the barrier between production and consumption. No longer is the consumer a passive member of media, having instead embraced the emergence of digital technologies, they are taking an active role in the production and distribution of content across the web.

In terms of economy, legacy media content is expensive to produce and allows a higher risk of failure compared to emergent media which has low cost of production, virtually free and a low risk of failure.

One such example is the rise of Vaporwave and the new a e s t h e t i c, subcultures that run hand in hand. Vaporwave is a genre of music identifiable by its remediation of 80s-90s mood music vibes whilst the a e s t h e t i c is an art form often exhibiting low quality visuals of retro electronics, Japanese lettering and classic statues all tied together in vibrant colours or clean pastels.

Kevinwong in his web post believes that Vaporwave is a product of “exponential technologies” and that its popularity is due to its lack of cost to create and the abundant range of free programs to do. Thus, making it one of the many forms of media to arise within digital production.

Think back to McLuhan’s ‘the medium is the message”. Would Vaporwave and the a e s t h e t i c art form be just as popular and have such a wide audience if it wasn’t free to create and view? More than likely not.

~Until next time~

~Digital Artefact Pitch~

Alright then, let’s get down to business. Here is my Digital Artefact Pitch.

It’s simple. I want to supply information about cosplay and make something helpful to the cosplay community surrounding topics on tutorials, conventions and experiences of those involved. I want to do this with a master link blog of costume & prop tutorials categorised under the specific thing of what they’re from and I want to create videos where I tell of my own experiences and ideally that of others in the cosplay community.

I plan to do this on WordPress/Tumblr and YouTube and collect the data of the views, comments and converse with my audience to gather feedback on what they liked, what they didn’t etc.

I’m doing this because I love it and I want to help those in the community and hopefully one day build a career within the cosplay scene. Thanks!

~Until next time~

~Convergence~

The internet is something that is a part of our daily lives so much so that we don’t even realise just how extraordinary it is and how much it has developed over the last 30 or so years, how media has developed in general. A move from analog to digital media has revolutionised the way in which media is produced, distributed and consumed.

Take a look at the timeline above. How many of these devices do you know? Better yet, which ones have you used? It would appear that many of these technologies have become obsolete as what happens. Technology improves, new devices are created and the old is shoved in a box for the day it can be sold on Ebay for a pretty buck. But have old media types truly been forgotten?

Jenkins considered that “Old media are not being displaced. Rather, their functions and status are shifted by the introduction of new technologies,”. It’s interesting, in a way the internet and other modern media technologies are a reflection and combination of their predecessors. A convergence. Email was once post. We’ve seen (some of us) the rise and fall of record, cassette and disc music, now in which is dominantly streamed or downloaded online. Television has ascended to various online streaming services and so on.

Yes, many of these devices still exist and are still in use today. But looking deeper. Can any of these devices do the job of another? Can any single one of them do as much as the internet can?

~Until next time~

~Audiences In Media~

Media audiences have changed over the years and makes me question how I used to interact with other audience members. In previous years my level of interaction was limited. I was isolated in terms of the shows and movies I liked, enjoying things such as anime and shows considered as “kids cartoons” whilst others around me began watching drama’s etc. It wasn’t until I was exposed to the internet and social media that I really began communicating and sharing with others that were viewing the same things as me. It was pockets of groups where you had the freedom to explore with one another. Six plus years of exposure to online communities changed the way I interacted with others online and I can truly say that I never had any problems.

Fandom culture at the time of my introduction has since drastically changed bringing forth an era of ‘Anti’s’, Groups of fans who are aggressively against happenings that don’t fit their personal interests, more so in regards to ‘shippings’. A weblog post by Sean Z (2018) brought forth the notion that, “Antis appear to be a response to, among other factors, changes in how fans interact online” and because of this the once ‘fandom code’ myself and other has shifted from “don’t like, don’t read”, has been replaced with “discourse,” death threats, and violence.”

Source: DreamWorks/Netflix-Voltron Legendary Defender

Z refers to in his post to the fandom discourse for the Netflix’s original remake, DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender. Voltron hit Netflix in 2016 and naturally myself, a being a bit of a nerd, was immediately drawn to it. The show embodied themes that at the time and to this day I enjoy yet my love for the show that built over its first few seasons was bitterly destroyed due to the amount of hate myself and many others encountered almost daily.

By it’s third to forth season the show had picked up popularity and naturally its audience changed. Once a place of pleasant conversations with fellow watchers became a nightmarish war zone. Strangers fighting each other, deaths threats to anyone with opposing opinions, to voice actors! I went from hosting streams of the newest seasons to no longer having the patience to do so as each season the audience seemed to grow harsher, crueller to point of having to outline strict rules for the live chats. I gave up and retreated back into my bubble of isolation, no longer feeling the energy and excitement for a show I had once held dear, the very thought of having to deal with other fans was simply exhausting.

I’ve learnt two very important factors from my experience within this fandom. First, being a part of an online community is enriching but also dangerous. Conflict is unavoidable. And secondly. The change in how media audiences interact with content and others can alter your own experiences with the content you consume.

Referencing

Sean, Z 2018 Toxic Fandom: When Critism and Entilement Go Too Far, geekdad; weblog post, 3 October, viewed 19 March 2019, <https://geekdad.com/2018/10/toxic-fandom-when-criticism-and-entitlement-go-too-far/>

~DA? What to do? What to do indeed~

For many sharing ideas across the internet is daunting. I am both fearful and excited as this is something I have wanted to do and have finally been given the push to go ahead and do it with creating a Digital Artefact.

My likes and interest span across a wide variety of things from cooking to gardening, music and movies but the one thing I have always wanted to share is my love for creating costumes and props for cosplay, whether for myself or others. I’ve been in the cosplay community since I was young, ten maybe eleven years old, thanks to my nerdy family who’ve loved all things pop-culture and it’s something I can see myself still involved in later in life. So it’d be great to build my digital artefact around it.

Cosplay for those who don’t know is costume creation of characters from pretty much anything and is generally the area I want to focus my DA around. Whether it’s tutorial based videos, commission based projects or CMV’s (cosplay music videos. Don’t judge me, people love them), it’s pretty much an idea I can throw anything into and defiantly focus on it being more than just an assignment. Still working out the tweaks. The few drawbacks that I can see from this idea is that any content I create will more than likely depend on what’s popular in the community at the time but I won’t until I jump on in.

-Until next time-

~A Step Forward~

Welcome!

Well hello there I see you’ve found yourself in my little corner of the web. This is meant to be an introduction to my blog and I tend to ramble a bit so I’m gonna go with it and see where it takes me. This is pretty much trial and error and as of today this is my first ever blog post and I am both nervous and excited for what is to follow.

I am Madi, from South-Western Sydney and I am studying a Bachelor of Communication and Media at the University of Wollongong. This blog will be contributing towards pretty much all my media subjects as well as many of my interests and I really want to highlight the journey and experiences that I, an introvert, have when facing something that is completely out of my comfort zone in the hopes that it will help others who share they same feelings of doubt and insecurity when being thrown in the deep end. I’ve never made YouTube videos, podcasts or even really ran a social media page regularly but I’m enthusiastic to learn and do so.

I won’t lie, when I started my first day at Uni I was absolutely terrified and honestly, I still am. But I came to the realisation that I’m not the only one feeling this and that I’m not expected to know it all straight away. Why else would I be taking the course. Many others that I have spoken have felt the same and that alone brings me comfort. I’m excited to get to know as many as I can in my subjects and see the awesome content that I’m sure they’re going to create. I wish them and you all the best of luck.

-Until next time-