Over the course of this semester I have developed a better sense of what constitutes new media and how it influences our culture. New media including parodies, and memes allow for easier and more personal interaction with our peers. Such interaction forms social networks where people collaborate, share, and analyze content that is deemed culturally significant. Often these communities are confined to their respective websites, in some cases however, viral content can converge over existing communities. Whether this content is either meme, or YouTube video, communities use such media in part because of its expressive nature.
The YouTube playlist assignment was an exciting project not only because I could write about my history with YouTube, but also because I could see how others used YouTube. I learned that many of my peers use YouTube to listen to music, some listened to country while some listened to live performances. Some used YouTube solely for the viral videos, and some used YouTube for its educational content. With scores of people cutting the cord, YouTube has become home to content creators who fill niches and provide frequent, quality updates. The final project had our group examining YouTube and its importance within new media. As a part of our project, we interviewed YouTube personalities including, The ArchFiend and NikkiPhillippi. We sought to find out if YouTube was a viable job, how they were introduced to YouTube, and whether they believe there exists any race or gender discrimination. YouTube is just one alternative; streaming sites like Netflix, and Hulu have granted unprecedented access to a catalogue of movies and TV shows. Netflix has even gone as far to produce its own show, House of Cards, to much acclaim. Amazon Prime meanwhile agreed to a deal with HBO. With online content providers offering so much, is it any mystery so many are making the switch?
We also talked in length about how race and gender influence New Media. The first day of class, a viral video entitled Princess Peach and Daisy Vs. Michael Jackson reinforced and froze several stereotypical traits attributed to women. After their children are stolen, Peach and Daisy take up arms and go after Michael Jackson. Mario however saves the children and a cheeky messages displays “Looks like Mario isn’t getting lucky tonight ;)” As a part of class we also watched web-series including Awkward Black Girl and The Couple. These web-series, which are part of the black ‘webtopia’ explore the ordinary black, often typified in television.
Whether discussing Google and their policies, or memes and their controversial meaning, this semester has taught me that this technology is still very much in its infancy. Smart phones, tablets, and streaming services did not exist ten years ago and it is anyone’s guess where we may be in another ten.
