Numerical Representation

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Numerical representation is one of Lev Manovich’s five features of New Media. The term refers to the fact that all new media objects are composed of digital code, like binary, which is the primary language that computers use. According to Lev Manovich, this numerical representation has two key consequences:

1) New media objects can be described formally, or mathematically.

2) New media objects can be manipulated using algorithms. In other words, they can be programmed.

Moreover, numerical representation is essentially a universal language that underlies all new media objects, whether they have been originally created on computers, or have been digitally converted from analog forms of media. As a “basic, ‘material’ principle of new media” (Manovich 63), numerical representation is the technological basis for other principles of new media: Modularity, Automation, and Variability. It is even relevant to the process of Cultural Transcoding, because of its role in the “computer layer” of new media, which interacts with the “cultural layer”.

Works Cited:

Manovich, Lev. “Principles of New Media.” The Language of New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2002. 63. Web.

Works Consulted:

Manovich, Lev. “Principles of New Media.” The Language of New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2002. Web.

Snowclone

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A snowclone is a recognizable and formulaic sentence frame that references a piece of popular and/or internet culture. The template is often used to comment upon any situation which expresses the sentiment of the original snowclone.  It is not to be confused with languages like LOLSpeak, which have certain grammatical and content rules; rather, it is a more “direct verbal template” (Rintel, Crisis Memes). Snowclones are most often attached to an image macro, but will still be recognizable by the sentence structure if represented on a different image or with no image at all.

An example of this is “one does not simply” meme.  The original is from the Lord of the Rings movie franchise (A), but the snowclone has been used for various other memes (B), recognizable from it’s “one does not simply {X}” structure. It still retains the sentiment of cynical expressions of impossibility, even when divorced from its iconic image macro (C).

(A)           (B)                               (C)

According to multiple reports, the term was first coined by Glen Whitman on the blog Agoraphilia in 2004. Since then, the term has grown within internet scholarship, spawning its own site (http://snowclones.org/) which collects snowclones from around the web.

Citations:

Rintel, Sean.  “Crisis Memes: The Importance of Templatability to Internet Culture and Freedom of Expression.” Australasian Journal of Popular Culture 2 (2). <http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Journal,id=202/>

Whitman, Glen. “Phrases for Lazy Writers in Kit Form Are the New Clichés.” Web log post.Agoraphilia. Blogspot, 14 Jan. 2004. Web. <http://agoraphilia.blogspot.com/2004_01_11_agoraphilia_archive.html#107412842921919301>.

YouTube: My Personal Time Capsule

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When given this assignment, I did not believe I used YouTube very often for things other than music. Usually, I have one or two tabs open for lyric videos. In fact, my main use for YouTube is just that. When I find music I like on the internet, I search for it on YouTube. More often than not, the music does not have an “official” music video but YouTube has it with one still-picture in the background or the lyrics to the video. For this purpose, YouTube allows me to share the music I find with my friends on other networks like Facebook.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/MXPJf7iZwVU[/youtube]

I do not usually watch official music videos unless they are music videos from my teenage years or childhood. For this purpose, YouTube serves as a sort of time capsule from my past. I enjoy watching music videos by The Killers, like Mr. Brightside, because it transports me back to the stressless and blissful world of my early teenage years.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/gGdGFtwCNBE[/youtube]

The nostalgia leads to watching even older movies from my childhood. The older the movie, the more likely one is to find it on YouTube. The only problem here is that I have to watch the movie in parts rather than the whole in one sitting. For example, Susie Q came out in 1996 when I was five years old.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/LT6zpWd5R_I[/youtube]

I get so wrapped up in my music use on YouTube that I do forget I use it for more practical reasons. From learning how to properly cook salmon to how to attempt a new hairstyle, YouTube becomes a virtual guide for many everyday life tips. When I first moved into an apartment two years ago, I forgot how to properly cook sunny side up eggs. I searched on YouTube how to properly cook this type of egg and (Boom!) the eggs were cooked to perfection. From that moment on, all of my cooking questions were searched on YouTube.

Reflecting on it, YouTube helps me with most of my “How To” questions and “Do It Yourself” projects. I really enjoy learning how to do different things with my hair and makeup but sometimes that does not work out well when I try to do these things myself unknowingly. Therefore, YouTube helps to educate me on how to properly try new techniques or styles. For example, the “sock bun” is a recent phenomenon for women’s hairstyles. A YouTube tutorial taught me how to properly weave the sock in my hair, creating a ballerina bun.

My most important use of YouTube is for research or motivational purposes. I am studying to be a middle school teacher and I am constantly doing research on education and teaching. YouTube is a useful tool to see theories I have read, executed in videos on YouTube. It is always helpful to see theories on paper carried out into practice. Motivational speeches, such as TED Talks, become a tangent of my educational research. YouTube has a TED Talks channel I have subscribed to and it has been a wonderful doorway to more educational research on a global scale.

I feel that YouTube appeals to any type of internet user. Naturally, we are all curious creatures who are inquisitive about the world. YouTube can help answer many questions we may have about anything.

Whether it be music or education, I am a daily visitor to YouTube. YouTube, on the surface, functions to satisfy my musical and nostalgic cravings. However, it helps to educate me on simple everyday tasks for beauty, health, and home. It serves to feed my passion for teaching and educational research, helping me gain knowledge for my ultimate dream of being an educator.

My Top 15

 

Re-appropriation definition

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Re-appropriation

Re-appropriation

Burns writes in From Memes to Mashups: Creating Content from Content that ‘music mashup artists re-appropriate music to resist the dominant music industry’(77).  This understanding of the mashup as an act of defiance presupposes a capitalistic understanding of culture against which re-appropriation takes place.  The word “re-appropriation” suggests that cultural capital, an example of which is the music “legitimately” produced by music corporations as in Burns’ example, is not truly controlled by its originator.

In all forms of artistic re-approriation,  pre-existing material can be used again for the appropriator’s own purposes to make new meaning, just as in Hebidge’s punk analogy safety pins are taken out of their intended use and re-appropriated for use as a counter-cultural statement (77).

Safety Pin Punk Hero

Re-appropriation as an act of democratization of culture is demonstrated in another of Burns’ examples, that of Trent Reznor of the band Nine Inch Nails who ‘broke from his label Universal Music Group to host his own site where fans could remix copywrighted material’ as a way of expanding the ‘artist fan-relationship’ (83).  As a consequence of this action, consumption of music and of the artists themselves was liberated from the corporate control of Universal Music Group which would previously have capitalized on its ownership of rights to the music in question.  Reznor’s site allowed for a model of consumption which was not really consuming at all, as rather than maintaining intellectual property as something which could only be used once it gave users the power to re-use existing material in order to create their own.

Burns, Kelli S. “From Memes to Mashups: Creating Content from Content,” Celeb 2.0: How Social Media Foster Our Fascination with Popular Culture, p. 75-87

Remix Definition

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We can identify a remix as something that is a combination of memes, or units of cultural information, which leads to the creation of an entirely new product. The most common remixes are music and video mashups, and in some cases people combine both audio and visual elements in their remix. Many artists have supported their fans in creating remixes of their songs, therefore not only encouraging their fans to use their creativity but are also supporting this subculture of entertainment. As Pete Rojas states, “Pop culture in general seems more and more remixed…we’re at a point where it almost seems unnatural not to quote, reference, and sample the world around us” (87). He suggests that the art of remixing has only just begun, and we will continue to fuse remixes into our cultural world.

 

Burns, Kelli S. “From Memes to Mashups: Creating Content from Content,” Celeb 2.0: How Social Media Foster Our Fascination with Popular Culture, p. 75-87.

What YouTube Means to Me

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YouTube, for me, is a place where I can indulge all of my needs as a fan, a critic and a victim of the post-modern attention deficit that drives us all to expect instant gratification at the click of a button.  Its accessibility and endless supply of content demands that it be visited several times a day, and often I find myself abandoning the paper that’s due tomorrow mid-sentence just to get my fix of mash-ups, music videos and reviews.

My interaction with YouTube is mostly as a fandom member.  I feel a connection to other fans when I watch a fan-made mash-up of clips from a movie or a television show which is only humorous to the cognoscenti of that particular fandom.  It is even better when these fandoms intersect, as in the video below.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pxfo24D1bpA[/youtube]

The use of an audio rip of the iconic Mean Girls trailer set to clips from another pop culture franchise is a popular meme on YouTube, but this example is particularly thrilling because of the possibility that the tropes and arcs in a show like Game of Thrones – in which medieval warfare, political turmoil and the gruesome deaths of beloved characters are standard fare – could be mapped onto comparatively mundane affair of high school drama.

Then there are fan creations which are so irreverent of the source material (and of societal mores in general) that they border on (and likely are) offensive.  I included Todrick Hall’s Mean Girls parody, which places the story of the movie in a stereotypically “black” school setting, in my playlist because it raises a lot of questions.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCMmt3pm-bk[/youtube]

Is it acceptable to laugh at this video which features offensive and historically pernicious ideas about race?  Is it so outrageous and self-aware that it can be read as a critique of the exploitation of such stereotypes?  Does it matter?

Additionally, there are videos which are created for entertainment but have a more obvious didactic intention.  These often fall under the category of YouTube celebrities, people who find a level of fame by marketing their personalities online.  An example of such a celebrity in my playlist is Tyler Oakley.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6K26g6FTUM[/youtube]

Such figures often walk a fine line between self-expression and vanity, but such is the nature of a platform whose very purpose is to democratize the exchange of ideas and give voice to the otherwise average citizen.  This democratization is, however, a double-edged sword.  In the past I have enjoyed having my own channel for the purpose of saving my favourite videos for further viewing and discussion.  I have found that the YouTube community is rife with keyboard warriors; individuals who their online voices to verbally attack others or otherwise abuse the comments section to create a negative experience for those who intend to use it for harmless discussion.  Overall I believe that YouTube has an important role in society in that it in some measure gives users the freedom to engage in discourse about that which is important to us as individuals.

My YouTube Playlist

MyTube: A Reflection

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YouTube for Christina Kent means endless Beyonce videos, countless hours watching goats jump around, and watching trailers for upcoming films. It is a place where I laugh and sometimes cry from laughing, and I have always enjoyed stumbling across new videos. I don’t have an account or post videos, and I would say that I mainly go on YouTube to feed my procrastination, which is often. All in all, YouTube is a place where I go to appreciate and get excited about the things I love.

I have an undying love for Beyonce, so naturally before her concert this summer I spent a lot of time watching her live performances and music videos. I love when artists cover songs, and when I found a video of her singing “Sex on Fire” I was praying that she would sing it in August. She didn’t, but she was still perfect. I also enjoy watching videos of a cappella groups perform mashups and covers of songs. For instance, the group Pentatonix posted a video titled “Evolution of Beyonce” and I would say that it is six minutes of pure bliss. In the spirit of the Olympic games, Beyonce can even make figure skating look even cooler than it does in the video “Ice Dance Figuring Skating to Drunk in Love”.

I could speak about Beyonce for hours on end, but I will move on to discuss my obsession with goats and videos of them jumping around. I am quite convinced that I will own two pygmy goats at some point in my life, and I attempt to get other people on board with this plan by showing them videos of goats. My personal favorites are titled “Pygmy Goats Charlie and Lily” and “Kid pygmy goat going nuts”. While I love goat videos, I also enjoy watching videos of lions hug people because that is another one of my dreams. I reassure myself that if there are people out in the world who can get hugged by lions, I can also cuddle up with lions.

In addition to my love of animal videos, watching movie trailers has always been a fun time for me and I like how easy that is to do on YouTube. If you watch one movie trailer, there will be a list of recommendations on the side that will lead to even more trailers and soon I find myself getting very excited about upcoming films. Before the series ended, I was always waiting anxiously for the next “Harry Potter” trailer that would bring my favorite books to life. Going along with this love for alternate worlds, I also love watching clips of upcoming “Game of Thrones” seasons. I like that YouTube helps me geek out from time to time, other than just watching videos of Beyonce shake her hips and goats jumping around the room.

I feel as though for me and many other YouTube users, we use the site to watch things that we enjoy and will put a smile on our faces. While surfing the site can lead to new discoveries and interests, I mainly use it to watch what I already love. Therefore, I consider YouTube to be a place where my need for Beyonce, animals, and movie trailers will always be fulfilled.

Beyonce- Sex on Fire

Beyonce- Single Ladies Video

Pentatonix- Evolution of Beyonce

John Williams A Cappella

Ice Dance Figure Skating to “Drunk in Love”

Pygmy Goats Charlie and Lily

Kid pygmy goat going nuts!!

Pygmy Goat Happy Dance

Getting morning love from the lions

Hugs with Lions

Lion cubs hugging worker

The Lion King Trailer

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Trailer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer

Game of Thrones Season 4 Trailer

 

My Youtube Playlist

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Playlist Link

My Youtube playlist is just like the rest of my life; full of music.  I’ve never really been into web series, and aside from the occasional funny clip I see linked on Facebook or Twitter, the extent of my Youtube use is music.  I use Youtube to preview any song I might be thinking of buying, to discover new music and artists and different versions of songs I already love.  On my playlist I included some of my new favorites as well as some of my long time favorites, ranging from live performances to music videos to mashups.  I use Youtube probably about three or four times a week to listen to music.  When a new album comes out by an artist I like, I’ll go to Youtube and listen to the full versions of all the songs.  When I have friends over, we’ll search our favorite songs on Youtube as an easy way to give everyone a chance to pick songs from their favorite genre or artist.  I know that there is a lot more to discover on Youtube, but other than music, I’ve never been very interested in searching further.

Personally, I love Youtube.  You always hear those success stories about people who were “discovered” on Youtube.  Ellen Degeneres is known for finding cute kids with talent all over Youtube and bringing them onto her show, and I think that’s awesome.  Although I know there are many dangers with Youtube, such as children uploading videos without their parents permission, I think when it is used correctly it is a great site for everyone.  My younger cousins use Youtube to find help on video game levels that they’re struggling with.  I remember when I was younger we would have to go buy the game guide at the store if we couldn’t figure out a level.

I’m not entirely sure the definition of a Youtube channel, but I have an account through my g-mail and I enjoy having it.  It recommends things I may like, which is incredibly helpful when I’m trying to find new music or artists to listen to.  I can understand that some people might not want to be tracked in this way, but personally, I see it as a benefit.  Youtube finds songs or artists that are similar to the ones I already listen to and recommends new ones so I’m never at a loss for new music.

I don’t know much about the culture of Youtube.  I make it a point not to read comments on Youtube videos because I know the majority of them are trolling.  Other than that, I only vaguely know of some Youtube users that make money by creating celebrity gossip videos or make up tutorials, but other than that, I don’t really know the Youtube culture.  Overall, I think Youtube offers a lot of value to everyone, whether they be someone like me who just casually goes on to listen, someone like my cousins who use it for assistance, or a Youtube entrepreneur who uses it to become famous or make money, I think it’s overall more good than bad.

 

YouTube is a Special Place

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What can I say about YouTube that hasn’t already been said by another, slightly more original cynic? It’s a fun place for people to share videos that make you laugh, make you cry, make you vomit, and make you record a reaction video of you vomiting so that you can post it on YouTube.

My YouTube playlist can be broadly classified as things that are funny or interesting or both. In the funny corner are videos from Roosterteeth, Zero Punctuation, Tomska, and Five Second Films. In the interesting corner are music videos and etc. by DJ Earworm, OK GO, and Pigpen Theatre Company. Everything else is… everything else.

 

Why I Chose These:

 

Roosterteeth

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BAM9fgV-ts&index=4&list=PLuzwfXa0FpV22NCzpyRLsRYPKDr3jiF-P[/youtube]

 

I’ve been following rooster teeth almost since the beginning. I remember back in elementary school (I went to a K-8 school so maybe I mean to say middle school) my friends and I would watch Red Vs. Blue. Once it migrated over to YouTube, we began watching it there and the rest is history. Now, since I’ve found less interest in Red Vs. Blue, I’ve been watching a lot of the Achievement Hunter Let’s Plays, one of which is on the playlist. I don’t usually watch Let’s Plays, but I’ve always enjoyed theirs. They were the reason I found YouTube and I suppose I’m kind of grateful for that.

 

Five Second Films

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpHlKLMgNYA&index=5&list=PLuzwfXa0FpV22NCzpyRLsRYPKDr3jiF-P[/youtube]

 

Five Second Films has been one of the most strangely consistent (in my opinion) comedy websites I’ve ever seen. They have always stuck to their formula. Even when, as in this instance, they want to do some more jokes on a similar theme, they still structure each joke as a five second film. They have been doing this for years now and they don’t really show signs of stopping.

 

OK GO

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w&list=PLuzwfXa0FpV22NCzpyRLsRYPKDr3jiF-P&index=8[/youtube]

 

I love OK GO as a band, and it makes sense that I would love their videos. Interestingly, for a long time they had more views of their music video for “This Too Shall Pass” than they did actual listens of the song on iTunes and Spotify. This is one of two versions of the music video done. I also adore the marching band video because… well… trombonists in ghillie suits.

 

Egoraptor

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FpigqfcvlM&list=PLuzwfXa0FpV22NCzpyRLsRYPKDr3jiF-P&index=10[/youtube]

 

Egoraptor is usually a surrealistic or shock humor comedian, but his Sequelitis series (three video is a series? I’d like to believe he’s making more) is a sometimes comedic, mostly educational series on game design. It’s about the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a true close reading of a video game. He goes very deep into aspects of the game design, from color palettes to the use of non-tutorial teaching mechanics. It’s a really neat video that looks past the usual descriptions of a video game and shows a true love of the art form.

SNL Wes Anderson Parody

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSEzGDzZ1dY&index=11&list=PLuzwfXa0FpV22NCzpyRLsRYPKDr3jiF-P[/youtube]

 

I like Wes Anderson movies and this makes fun of them in a loving way. I would also gladly pay to see The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders.

 

Thoughts on YouTube as a Whole:

 

I’ve always avoided the comments section of YouTube for a few reasons, as detailed here:

  1. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
  2. I feel myself getting stupider the farther down I go.
  3. One time somebody called me a bad name and I got scared.

I don’t know what it is about YouTube that creates such a terrible environment for discussion but it usually boils down to the following comments:

There is a 1% margin of error

I’m fairly sure that I only frequent areas with these kinds of people, though. The best I can say is that YouTube is a special place, for better or for worse.

Anyway, here’s a bunch of videos.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuzwfXa0FpV22NCzpyRLsRYPKDr3jiF-P[/youtube]

 

Consumer and Producer

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According to the ever popular Dictionary.com a consumer is defined as:

con·sum·er

noun

1. a person or thing that consumes.
2. Economics . a person or organization that uses a commodity or service.
3. Ecology . an organism, usually an animal, that feeds on plants or other animals.

And a producer as:

 

pro·duc·er

noun

1. a person who produces.

2. Economics . a person who creates economic value, or produces goods and services.
3. a person responsible for the financial and administrative aspects of a stage, film, television, or radio production; the person who exercises general supervision of a production and is responsible chiefly for raising money, hiring technicians and artists, etc., required to stage a play, make a motion picture, or the like. Compare director (  def 3 ) .
4. British Theater . (formerly) a director of theatrical productions; stage director.
5. an apparatus for making producer gas.

Now what is so interesting about the internet is that a consumer can also be a producer and vice versa. In fact, it would seem that many producers play the role of consumer for inspiration, entertainment and information. The consumer, inspired by a produced work, can easily decide to be a producer themselves. In this way a producer in regards to the internet shouldn’t be concerns with economic value, but with creating. It can be that simple. Producers create. Consumers of the internet can choose the economic route with things such as online shopping and buying music, yet they can be free from those restraints as well. A consumer is like an attendee in an art gallery. They choose to browse, comment, view, listen, interpret, understand, hate and even destroy in some cases. The distinction between consumer and producer is less defined contrary to what Dictionary.com will tell you.

 

 

 

 

 

What YouTube Means To Me

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwkCXoboqGc&list=PLIbjEaW1XjkxAOcz75XtQk7HGRDdwwoIY[/youtube]

YouTube means more to me than the majority of websites on the internet. For starters its reach is wide as it connects you to videos you would normally never come across. Videos are not just moving pictures, but expressions of the soul and the collective human consciousness. Or Scarlet taking a tumble. I use YouTube almost everyday, but always for different reasons which I think draws attention to how special it is. It helps me hack boredom to pieces as I can find entertaining comedic videos. First and foremost I use YouTube to discover new music and keep my friends dancing late into the night.

The site is easily accessible and simple to use, which allows a broad range of people to use it. My mother who cannot send a text message understands how to send me a video of a bobcat using a toilet. Finding new music is simple when the site caters to my likes and interests. The majority of time spent using YouTube is actually not for the visual aspects. I usually put on a full album and push the top of the computer as low as I can get it without it falling asleep. Either that or I turn the screen brightness off. This is for a few reasons as I normally don’t like to see the music video because it defines how you initially feel about the song. I try to imagine a visual narrative in my head.
I also use YouTube to be inspired by some of my favorite thinkers and non conforming crazy individuals such as Joe Rogan, Alan Watts and Tyler the Creator. I enjoy a wide range of people because no one picks just one thing from a free all you can eat buffet. Satirical videos involving someone making fun of Bill O’ Reilly get me every time. I enjoy even more when he is being shamed at the hands (or mouth) of a genius like Stephen Colbert. YouTube reminds me what I like about the world, and also what I hate.
I have been angry with the images I see and words I hear, but just as the screen tells me tales of evil I have access to beauty. Videos of people saving lives and helping one another. There is magic in the tool that is a free video streaming collection such as YouTube. However, like every tool it can be used to help or destroy. I do not watch videos that I know will increase the number of hits, making a horrible video more popular. This goes from street fighting to Katy Perry attempting to call herself an artist.

With YouTube I can do research and engage with people. I can watch Pink Floyd serenade the souls of the dead at Pompeii and immediately after catch Miley Cyrus embarrassing herself for whoever holds her contract. There is this exploitation of counterculture. A hijacking of sorts that breeds a bandwagon of technology haters. I think sometimes they don’t realize they’re holding the axe at the wrong end.

Automation

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Automation is the usage of computer programs or machinery with the intended purpose of removing the human element from the process of achieving a goal. In its most basic form, machines in factories are an example of automation. Vending machines are automation. Automation can be used in industrial to creative pursuits. The video below details a computer program that slowly learns how to play Mario and multiple other games.

Lev Manovich, “What Is New Media?” from The Language of New Media, p. 53.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOCurBYI_gY[/youtube]