http://sendables.jibjab.com/originals/hes_barack_obama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9dQ1kKyLnw
The first link above is a video about Super Obama, a perfect example of media convergence in politics. As Henry Jenkins might say, this video is “serious fun.” (Jenkins, 218) In the video above, the creators make President Obama into a super hero showcasing all his wonderful abilities that only he has. They also demonstrate the pros and cons of Barack Obama being the President of the United States in this video. As it is clear to see, this video applies to ethos, logos, and pathos. Who wouldn’t want a President that could save the world as Obama is portrayed in this video? It is only logical to have such a human being be your President when they are capable of conquering such obstacles as the ones that our country faces. Oh, not to mention that he is the President so you can’t get much more authority than that. As you can see, “we are already living in a convergence culture.” (Jenkins 223) Also, this type of media gives us good information about our President; however it shows us how “the political role of the internet is expanding without diminishing the power of broadcast media.” (Jenkins, 225) Twelve years ago, you may have never seen such a video about any politician just because the ‘consumers’, us, were not bold enough to become part of the “participatory culture.” Hopefully after viewing the video, you can see that this is the way of media convergence for politics, but there is still more to come.
The second link I am using is from a high school near the local area where I live. The clip is about two anchors that don’t want to lose their job on their daily broadcasting show. So they decide to make their own Star Wars movie to incorporate a rebellion against the tyranny of the media instructor. In this “reimaging” of Star Wars, I believe the fan is trying to demonstrate to the school how they are willing to fight to until death for their jobs. Though these guys may be amateurs, “they are duplicating special effects that had cost a small fortune to generate only a decade earlier.” (Jenkins, 147) This type of film reveals another type of Media Convergence, Cinema Fandom. “The Web represents a site of experimentation and innovation, where amateurs test the waters”, like the ones above. (Jenkins, 152) However, if it wasn’t for their open mindedness to participate in the ‘participatory culture’ they may not have ever become part of the Cinema Fandom. Henry Jenkins said, “fans and other subcultural groups are not going to return to docility and invisibility.” This is entirely true and the kids above are a great example. Once you become part of the Cinema Fandom there is no turning back. Once you are able to use your favorite movies into a medium of expressing an idea, there is no reason for you to go back to your old ways in explain how you believe things should work with just basic words.
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Convergence Culture has been more and more common in society. One place or event that it is seen the most is presidential elections. To me it seems as if critical attacks from both sides are being used more and more. Therefore, the critical posters and video clips using derogatory terms or images to create a point is becoming more common. These are great examples of convergence culture. The video clip you chose, the participants were able to combine the common superhero, Superman and the new president of the united states, President Obama. The sencond example you chose is a great example of cinema fandom. The fans of this movie decided to make a movie clip using the movie Star Wars. They combined today's real world with the fantasy world of Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteThese are both beautiful examples of convergence Culture today. I really liked how you used a video for the "Photoshop for democracy" chapter because the chapter wasn't only referring to still images; and this is the way I believe most people took it. For the quotes from Jenkins I would suggest adding tag phrases as opposed to making them sentence "add-ons" every time. (As Jenkins believes, "The web represents..." Overall I loved it. Great job, Ben.
ReplyDeleteI thought that you did extremely well with this blog. The combination of the video that encompassed the photoshop for democracy was very clever. Plus, I found the video quite humorous to say the least. I also agree with your analysis of the converging culture. My favorite part was when you state "Once you become part of the Cinema Fandom there is no turning back". It really shows how grassroots affects our culture. I think this was an exeptionally well written blog.
ReplyDeleteJust like what Ashley said, “Convergence Culture has been more and more common in society.” Today, there are many people participate in politic. There are also supporters and opponent in the society. The video clip that you chose is a good example. It shows what are advantages and disadvantages that Obama has. I like the quote that you used, “we are living in a convergence culture.” Because as the media developed, we are paying more attention. The second video clip that you chose, it is a good example of cinema fandom. The fans decided to make his/her own movie clip of the movie Star Wars. They did a good job on showing the real world that we live in with the fantasy world of Star Wars.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that the video is a perfect example of media convergence. Even though that you say that the video is "serious fun," I think that it is an accurate representation of how some people felt in the election. I also liked the second video, which I thought was entertaining. their use of the reverse editing was good as well as the editing. I agree with what you said, good post.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you presented the Photoshop for Democracy concept in the form of a video. It really is a very strong example of covergence culture. You have used very effective quotes throughout and cleverly presented the importance of grassroots in today's world. Great job!
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