DCD 231
New Media + Digital Culture
Module 1&2 - New Media
Module 6 - New Media + the transformation of higher education
Module 4 - Social Networking + Media
Module 3 - Approaches to new media
Module 5 - Games, Technology, Industry, Culture
5 major players of the traditional game industry
Game distributors
Game Publishers
Game Retailers
Game Developers
Game Consumers
47% of all players are women
Game Industry
Has exceeded movie and music industries in the USA
emplyoment is male dominated
Games + game platforms
handheld games
Mobile games
PC based games
Games within social media platforms
Console games
arcade games
6 features to a game
Player effect
negotiable consequences
Variable
Player attached outcome
Rules
Valorisation of outcomes
Gamification
Education
Corporate training
Escribano
World Wide Web
WEB 2.0
4 Principles of 'Wikinomics'
Peering
Sharing
Openness
Acting globally
3 C's of computing
Conent
Computing
Communication
Asia has the largest % of internet users
Inventor: Tim Berners-Lee
Convergence
Henry Jenkins
Lev Manovich
New Media represents a convergence of 2 separate histories.
Media Convergence is what makes humans depend in media
Culture Convergence
When cultures become more alike
Media and technology enhances this
Media Convergence
Meikle + Young 4 dimensions
Social
Industrial
Textual
Technological
Digital Divide
Differing amount of information between those who have access to internet and those who do not
Constituent elements
Artifacts
Practices
Social
20 key concepts
Cyberspace/Virtual Reality
Digital copyright/creative commons
Creative Industries
The digital divide
Convergence
Digital economy/digital capitalism
Collective Intelligence
Globalisation
Hacking
Interactivity
The knowledge economy
Mobile Media
Networks
Participation
Privacy + urveillance
Piracy
Remediation
Ubiquitous Computing
User created Content
Web 2.0
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
Changes in higher education
5 Ps approach
University's main competitor is industry
Personal issues
Practical Issues
Pedagogical issues
Policy issues
Philosophical issues
USA leading destination for international students
Low completion rates
Broadening access to quality learning
More flexible delivery
Free
Not for academic credit
Unlimited size courses
Elite -> Mass -> Universal
Network Externalities
Can be positive or negative
positive
Metcalfe's Law
[nx(n-1)=n2-n]
the value of a telecommunications network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system
ways networks feature in economic analysis
relationship between market + non-market production
networked form of organisation
Promote culture of sharing
Capacity for collective learning among agents across the network
Social Networking Sites (SNS)
more face-to-face interactions with close friends
users have more acquaintances offline than non-users
plays a strong role in developing, maintaining and bridging social capital
"Process whereby new technologies are accommodated by existing media and communication industries and culture" -flew
Marshal McLuhan
Medium is the message
extensions and amputations of technologies
The tetrad
What does it extend?
What does it make obsolete?
What is retrieved?
What does the technology reverse into if it is over-extended?
What is New Media?
newest form of technology that allow us to be more efficient
On-demand access
Interactive user feedback
Creative participation
Community formation
Kranzberg's first law
"technology is neither good, nor bad, nor is it neutral"
Ray Kurzweil
Law of accelerating return
the rate of technological change increases exponentially
Technological Singularity
Computers no longer need input from humans to function
Moore's Law
number of transistors in a circuit doubles every 2 years
Moore's 2nd law
Capital cost to produce semiconductors also increases exponentially over time
Different career paths
Those with access to internet develop technological interests
Those with no access to internet develop outdoorsy interests
The medium of the message trumps the message itself
No new media can be present without old media
Social Shaping of technology
Information society theories
Informational capitalism
Actor-network theory
information is a capital asset
society is moving from individual information
objects are all part of a social network
relationships are between things and between concepts
creation, distribution, use, integration, and manipulation of information is a significant economic political and cultural activity
technological advancements are socially driven
the want/need of technology drives the creation of it
Raymond Williams was a strong believer
by product of society factory
technology is shaped by social, institutional, economic, political and cultural factors
Determinism
technological development occurs independently from society
we can't stop progress
Soft (weak) view
Hard (strong view)
technology still guides evolution, but we have free will to adopt
technology is autonomous
hold extreme views of technological advancement
Marshall Mcluhan
Neil Psotman
Karl Max
Social Networking
a complex communication network in which we can participate as consumers, producers or both
Facebook's use of 'big date'
Network theory
small worlds
strength of weak ties
hubs and connectors
power laws of distribution
3 types of social capital
Bonding
Bridging
Linking
connection to those a differing levels of power
strong bonds between family and community members
weaker bonds, acquaintances
Does it enhance social capital or de-socialize people?
Habermans
the public sphere is constituted as a network for communicating information and points of view
Our chosen spherical may make us more narrow minded
Sherry Turkle
"Alone together"
We hide our emotions behind our phones
We isolate ourselves from what is happening around us
Grossed 99.6 billion in 2016
Makes up 1/3 of the gaming industry profits
Average are 30 years old
Relationship between violence and video games
Is there a correlation?
Games are 'situational variables,' that "change the perception of and reaction to aggressive behavior"
Flew believes violent games can activate violent behavior in some but even the research is weak to prove this
No specific research to prove the online explicit violence carries over to real world violence
Makes players act like psychopath
Someone who acts without a conscience
No consequences in an online environment
Playing online makes us realize the terrible things that we could do but then we choose to not do them in real life
Applying gaming principles to other contexts
Different than actual games
Augmented Reality
Blends the virtual and real worlds
Pokemon GO
Virtual Reality headset
Could kill off many inefficient universities
Derek Newton
Higher education is not a mixtape
Believes schools will not fall to online courses
Students choose University based on the University, not the courses or professors
Students are more likely to fail and drop out of online courses then they are in face-to-face courses
Streams videos, plays games, and has artistry, design and tourism options
$99-$799
Meron Gribetz
Neuroscience
Meta 2
The user is the operating system
"Zero learning curve computer"
Views holograms
Technological determinsm
we learn how to adapt to technological change, not on how to shape it
Intellectual maturity
as generations pass and the wealth of knowledge continues to grow, we begin to understand the World better.
Her
Loss of human interaction due to addiction to a mobile device
Sense of comfort and escape from real world problems
Has a device by his side 24/7 but still lives in isolation, yet unaware until the emotion of depression kicks in
Larry Rosen believes technology makes us less sociable