There are so many things that I learned during this semester while taking English 302. I learned the things that define new media, how various forms of new media mix with race and gender, marketing tactics, and so much more. Though looking back at my reflections, a good portion of them reflect one idea that I believe is integral to the evolution of new media and the diversification of this media. That idea is that independent content creators, as a group, are one of the biggest influences in the evolution and diversification of new media.

In my reflection on the internet and platforms I discussed the monopolization of those platforms and why it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A big part is that the monopolies go in waves, each iteration improving upon the functions of the previous one. One of the ways that the next big site can identify functionality that is wanted or needs improvement is through smaller platforms made by small or single person teams. Now these smaller sites may not be the ones that become so popular, but if enough small sites start appearing with similar functionality that hasn’t been used in mainstream platforms yet, then it’s clear that this a desired function and the next mainstream platform will be more inclined to add it due to popularity. In that sense, these small sites and teams are responsible for the evolution of that platform.

On top of that, small sites and teams are important because they give people other options of platforms to use, as I note in another of my reflections. If someone is discontent with some of the big names (Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) then they have a myriad of other options available to them. Not only do independent content creators fuel the evolution of the internet, they give people something to fall back on when they aren’t happy with the status quo.

This idea of indie creators pushing new media forward is furthered by web series and independent gaming. I include these two so closely because indie creators have a similar influence in each form of media, and that’s diversification. As I touch on in both reflections and very heavily in my team’s group presentation (specifically with games), indie developers in games and web series developers play a huge role in bringing diversity to both mediums.

In both situations, developers and show creators aren’t bogged down by the demands of mainstream standards. Indie devs don’t feel the pressure to conform from big publishers and web series writers aren’t pushed into a corner by network requirements and standards.

Because of that, they’re free to write and develop the story they feel is best. This in turn leads to an increase in diversity in the casts and plots of both video games and web series. I would say that all of this leads to my biggest takeaway of the year: Small name content creators can create the most waves in the world of new media. Because of the nature of new media, we are the content creators now. The power to incite change is in our hands and we can do so much with that. We shape the future of new media, be it bright or dark.

Towards the end of the semester, we started discussing web series, and just how they fit into our topics on new media. Web series are episodic content that is produced and then released on the web. That doesn’t necessarily mean any show that only sees its release on the web is considered one. Many Netflix original series may not be considered web series, as they follow a more typical television production standard. A good example of a web series is The Guild, a series about a group of gamers who only knew each other through a game, but takes a look at who they are as people and how they interact in the real world. The series is comprised of 8 to 10 minute episodes, as opposed to the typical television format of 30 minute to an hour long episodes.

One of the great benefits of web series is how they allow anyone to have a voice. Anyone with aspirations of making content has the means to. In this sense it’s much like the independent developer scene in gaming. But that’s not the only similarity. I feel like web series and indie development have a lot in common. For starters, the type of content it allows for and has helped get the ball rolling on is similar. With indie gaming, games that focus on content that touches on non mainstream topics, like gender, sexuality, and race representation are becoming more and more common. For example, Never Alone (pictured below) is all about the stories and traditions of the Alaskan people. Because there’s no need to appease big name publishers who only are interested in mainstream topics, indie developers are free to work on what they want. Indie developers are a big part of the diversification of games.

The same holds for web series. Web series aren’t bogged down by the requirement of television networks, much like indie games aren’t bogged down by big name publishers. Because of this we see a large increase in web series that focus on stories and topics that aren’t typically seen on television. A good example is Awkward Black Girl or The Couple, two web series that cover facets of black life, which is a topic often not center in the story of a television series.

Voices and stories that never have a chance on television now have that chance on the web. Now like indie games, some of these series may not see much popularity and dwindle, but it’s the fact that they are being made that counts. When it was just television, you may never have seen content like that but now it’s there, it can be found. Others, like Awkward Black Girl, will go viral and gain huge popularity, which is great because it gets the content out there even more.

No matter what level of success a series sees, the diverse content that comes out of web series will be seen and can become an influence to create more diverse content. This is the power of independent content creators. This is what we can achieve when not bogged down by mainstream media.

One of the biggest things that struck me during our discussions about Google this week was the controversies over Google’s policies in regards to privacy and how people seemed annoyed they had to use Google given those policies. According to our reading “Google Controversies”, its been one of the biggest grievances people have with Google. For instance, with GMail, Google has the policy of taking keywords from their emails and using it to better help target advertisements. Google also tracks what you’ve searched for a similar effect and they track the sites and items you’ve viewed to also help target ads even more.

Now, understandably, people are going to be put off by this idea that their habits and words are being watched. But I find a number of things rather silly about all the rage being thrown Google’s way for a couple of reasons.

First of all, the most pertinent reason in my opinion, Google is its own company with its own guidelines. It provides the service to  store and send messages back and forth through GMail, so it has a right to use create the guidelines for that service, in whichever way they see fit so long as they adhere to those guidelines. To my knowledge, Google hasn’t ever deviated from its guidelines, which are all very public. It’s a company and GMail is its service and property. And it’s not like they are breaking the law either. They adhere to federal standards of storing information, and won’t release information to the government without proper procedures (warrants, etc.).

The second reason I find this rather silly is a notion I’ve always been a supporter of. “If you don’t like it, don’t use it.” I feel this is very true, especially in this instance. Using Google isn’t a requirement for using the internet. There are numerous other options:

• Yahoo
• Bing
• Hotmail
• Firefox
• Internet Explorer (IE 9 and up is actually useable again)
• and many others!

Many people may respond with “Oh but everyone else uses Google and it’s so integrated that it’d be dumb not to use it.” Then use it, it’s up to you. Google is a company and has a right to what it does with its services.

A lot of people feel like Google is becoming too big and powerful, and that it will monopolize the internet.

The only circumstance in which this could happen is if net neutrality goes down the drain and Google cashes in on that, paying for their services to run the fastest (which wouldn’t happen anyway if Google has any moral compass). Aside from that circumstance, the internet will always have options. It’s in its nature. There will always be sub services to use if you aren’t a fan of the major one. Yes, maybe Google will be the biggest in major services one day, but it will never be the singular one. It won’t become an evil empire.