Comments(1) The development of new/digital media means that the audience is more powerful in terms of consumption and production. Discuss arguments for and against this view.
Over the past 10 years the internet has escalated explosively. Audiences now have dominant roles; they are able to broadcast information which they have produced by uploading it onto the internet i.e. YouTube. The theory which I feel supports this declaration is Raymond’s theory “Cathedral vs. Bazaar.” Raymond believes that old media followed the values of religion; people were told what to do. He believes that old media resembled a cathedral where Christians are told what is classed as acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Hence the priest would have been classed as the elite because he had power over the public. Raymond refers to new/digital media as Bazaar. He believes that the audiences are now free to do what they want in terms of production and consumption. He argues that the Bazaar model gives the audience power unlike the cathedral model. He sees the cathedral model as being more structured which leads to people being told what to do. Raymond is a programmer who works for Linux. Linux is an operating system like Microsoft. Linux doesn’t make any money, it was created by hackers. Linux is a great example of wisdom being in crowds; it can therefore be related to the Bazaar model. I agree with Raymond’s theory as I feel that audiences are more powerful in terms of new media. We are now able to upload images and videos onto the internet, and publish various information onto blog pages and fan sites.
Jenkins is another theorist who believes that the audience has more power due to developed new media. He acknowledges that audiences are producers, and that new/old media mix. Jenkins is particularly writing about ‘convergence culture’, we can converge media in order to produce something new. We are “prosumers”, we produce and consume. Jenkins believes audiences are consumers as well as producers as they can upload and download music/images etc, as well as posting their own information onto blogs and websites such as Wikipedia.
Lessig is the author of ‘Free culture’ he is a theorist who believes there should be audience creativity. He argues that audiences are more powerful due to new technology ‘web 2.0’. However he believes that big businesses are using the law to control. He feels that the elite are panicking because the audiences are active; therefore the elite are not making money. As they are panicking they are using the copy right law to stop people downloading music free of charge etc because most people are no longer buying CD’s from record shops such as HMV. Hence this limits what people can do on the internet. Although it is illegal to download free music, people still do it; they don’t follow the copyright law. Big companies are using law to control the audience; Lessig doesn’t think that culture should be dictated to us, he believes we should create it. He feels that culture is how we express out existence in the world. If technology serves audience and not the elite, the elite will use the law to control it. Lessig believes there are many different types of culture i.e. education culture, music culture, high culture etc. However he is particularly writing about free culture i.e. your mother telling you a storey, and commercial culture i.e. buying a CD from HMV. In comparison to Raymond and Jenkins, Lessig also believes the audiences are more powerful due to new technology; however he believes big businesses are using the law to control. I feel he has a valid point here because although we can use the internet freely, we are limited due to the copy right law making it illegal to download and upload free music etc.
Blais and Ippolito are against the idea that audiences are more powerful in terms of consumption and production. Unlike Raymond and Jenkins they believe that technology is out to control us. They believe that technology is the tail that is wagging us. They feel technology moves too fast, and it will eventually become the new way of consuming ‘must have’ e.g. the i phone. They are particularly talking about new technology; they are referring to it as a virus. They believe that new technology saturates the market place, eventually it takes over or either dies. It then finds a new host and mutates because a new product comes out. Blais and Ippolito are concerned that new technology is using us for it, instead of us running it. However they are not completely against the idea of new media making audiences more powerful because they think that if technology was giving us art instead of business it will make us powered. This is because we can think and reflect with art.
Gauntlett is concerned with moving towards “making and sharing”. He argues that traditional media turns us into a sit back and be told culture, it makes us passive. However he believes that audiences should be more creative in terms of making and sharing i.e. posting a video on YouTube. He feels this allows audiences to be more active and share their own ideas. On the other hand Blackman is against the idea that new media makes audiences more powerful. She is particularly talking about virtual reality. She is saying that just because the internet is new, it doesn’t mean its going to change things (social constructionist). It doesn’t change the nature of interacting with people.
As a consumer I am now able to produce my own media and broadcast it on websites such as YouTube, Wikipedia and fan pages. Audiences have a lot more power as they are able to publish almost anything onto the internet.
