Making Sense of Social Media Assignment 4
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Monthly Archives: May 2020
Making Sense of Social Media Assignment 4, Blog Post 2
This is my final piece of social media content for this studio, and semester, that tries to answer the question I posed at the start of assignment 2:
Can I make a ‘news’ show that is more inline with how we receive it whilst also being funny and entertaining?
This video ended up being the most different from the ones before it and what I initially envisioned. From the last post to this one there were two main things I wanted to change, the staging and the delivery of information.
Firstly the staging. All the other videos were me either sitting at a desk or standing in front of my wardrobe. I knew I definitely wanted to evolve from sitting behind a desk, standing in front of my wardrobe was an evolution of that, but not a very big one. A benefit of the standing was that it felt more natural than sitting behind a desk. The staging for this video was a mixture of the two, I was standing in some sections, sitting in others and even walking and crouching. Although the physical position I was in whilst addressing the camera may seem trivial, it added to the energy and made a positive contribution overall, making the video feel a lot shorter than what it is. Couple this with the different exterior locations used throughout the shoot which kept viewers engaged and entertained. This made the video feel less typical ‘satirical news show’ like and more of a satirical informational field video, those similar to Jonathan Pie’s videos that were recommended in the class presentation. I definitely think it was my most fun to make and best video of this series. Audience feedback definitely seems to support this with 1000 views on Facebook in only three hours! (my best performaning video to date). Although YouTube was my main social media network to focus on for this assignment, I also uploaded a photo to Instagram with a link to the full YouTube video, and uploaded the full video to Facebook and to multiple Facebook groups which all helped with distribution.
The second thing I wanted to change was the delivery of information. My previous videos were a lot of short headline one-liners with short sketches to break them up and add more context or in some cases even be a punchline. I wanted to experiment with delving deeper into a single topic rather than focusing on a lot of topics for a short amount of time. I decided for this video to focus on the topic of dogs and create a satirical guide into choosing, buying and raising a dog. I loosely mocked a Better Homes and Gardens segment even getting more in character (and had an excuse to showcase my dog Rocco). This video was also the quickest to write as most of it was reworked jokes I performed for stand up comedy. This reworking of stand up material felt quite natural and allowed for it to be less topical and of the time, meaning people viewing it in weeks, months or years from now will still enjoy it without needing to mentally time travel back to when it was filmed. Also this helps scratch my stand up comedy itch thats been getting worse since quarantine.
I feel as if this format of field pieces with reworked stand up material and focusing on a single topic could work as the next evolution of this satirical news show project with this video being it’s first example. This video definitely felt like something different to the last ones, not even featuring the very basic intro used for them (and slightly revamped intro for the previous video).
To answer the question posed way back at the beginning of assignment 2:
Can I make a ‘news’ show that is more inline with how we receive it whilst also being funny and entertaining?
I believe I can. Having proved it with the previous videos. They were funny, satirical takes on news and current events. However, I think moving forward the question needs to be updated to:
Can I make an informational show that sheds light on a topic in a funny and entertaining way?
And I think I can also do that having proved it with this one…
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrPQqOEiLqM&t=4s
Making Sense of Social Media Assignment 4, Blog Post 1
For Assignment 3, I decided to continue with my initial idea of creating a satirical news show that answers the question I posed at the beginning of Assignment 2;
Can I make a ‘news’ show that is more inline with how we receive it whilst also being funny and entertaining?
For this assignment, there were two main things I wanted to improve upon/change for assignment 3, staging and the delivery of information. Firstly, I wanted to change the staging. For both of the videos from assignment 2, I was sitting in front of my desk, which was something I didn’t want to do as an initial goal was to try and stand out from preexisting satirical news shows and create a unique style and energy. My feelings were echoed during the class presentation by the guest lecturers, with one suggesting I look at Jonathan Pie for inspiration, who is known for his satirical news videos shot out in public. I changed the staging for this video by standing in front of my wardrobe. Although not as visually stimulating as sitting in front of my desk, by standing up it allowed me to ‘perform’ more freely and be more expressive with my movements, which, according to audience feedback, made me more entertaining. This also felt more natural for me than sitting down as it was more akin to stand up comedy. Although I preferred the staging of this video more than the previous ones, I am also thinking of taking the staging in a completely different direction. During my initial ideation of this project at the start of assignment 2, I questioned the disparity between how the news is delivered to us considered to how we consume them, which briefly comes up in my main prompt. I was considering trying to stage a video where I am completely inline with how we receive the news. Most news shows are delivered by someone wearing formal clothing, speaking in a very formal manner and sitting behind a desk. Consider this when comparing to how we receive the news. Lying on the couch after a long day, reading it on Facebook whilst on the toilet or just being told the news by some guy down at the pub. My other idea for staging is to go ultra relaxed, ultra casual, ultra informal. Whether this means I’m on a bean bag, in my bed or on the toilet (well, maybe not the last one) I’m not sure yet, however I am going to explore this in my next video.
The second main change I wanted to make was the delivery of information. This video, likes the ones previous to it, consists of jokes about various topics with some small sketches to break up the jokes. I made a small adjustment in this video by including less one liners about headlines and trying to focus on a single topic for longer. Although less topics to make jokes about, I feel as if this format works a bit better as it allows the video to flow more freely and doesn’t feel as repetitive and stop-start, although the laughs-per-minute may be compromised. I also thought that this format would create a more efficient shorter video, however this video ended up being my longest so far, but I feel as if the time was utilised better. With that being said, for my next video I am going to try and deep dive into a single topic and try to focus on that singular topic for the entire video. I suspect it may not be as long but I am hoping it flows better and is more cohesive whilst also being just as funny.
LINK: https://youtu.be/OtcClLvgFvs
Networked Media Week 11 – Post 2
How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I decided to record a silly video of me in the pantry to compliment the photo of it. I took the video on the camera app of my Google Pixel 2 as the Instagram app requires you to hold down the shutter button to record. I got my mother to film and we had to do a couple of takes to get it right. The original video is 2:39 long, however I decided to trim it on my the Google Photos app with the basic inbuilt editing features. I did this as I thought it would be easier than trying to trim it down on the Instagram app as it is longer than the one minute limit for videos. I didn’t add any filters or effects as I felt it didn’t add any value to the video.
How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
Before uploading, I captioned the video “Personal helper in my pantry” along with a crazy face emoji and a woozy face emoji. I didn’t add any hashtags but included the location “My Pantry”. Although it is not an actual location tag, as when you try to press it nothing happens.
How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?
Like the previous post I didn’t add any hashtags and as the location tag doesn’t show the actual location, I expect distribution amongst other users on the network to be low. Also like the previous post I uploaded the images to Twitter and Facebook from the Instagram app by turning on the “Share to Twitter” and “Share to Facebook” options. This automatically uploads the video to Twitter and Facebook at the same time as Instagram. It doesn’t actually upload the image to Twitter but rather the caption with a link to the Instagram post. However, when you uploaded to Facebook from the Instagram app, it actually uploads the image and caption to your Facebook profile, as if it was uploaded from the Facebook app. The only way to tell it wasn’t uploaded from the Facebook app is that it says “uploaded to Instagram” underneath your name.
Networked Media Week 11 – Post 1
How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I chose to take a photo of my pantry as I feel it represents bad design. When Donald Norman says:
“Good design is actually a lot harder to notice than poor design, in part because good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible, serving us without drawing attention to itself. Bad design, on the other hand, screams out its inadequacies, making itself very noticeable.”
I found this to be true as when searching for good designed products around my house it was fairly difficult. However, when looking for an example of poor design around my house it was quite easy and I decided on my pantry within a couple of seconds. The pantry in my kitchen is a very awkward shape. As it is in a corner products on the sides are very accessible, however reaching for products in the centre is very hard as it very deep and things tend to get lost back there. Combine this with the pantry’s height, which means you have to get a chair or stool to reach anything on the top two shelves, makes it a poorly designed pantry and not a great use of space.
I took this photo on my Google Pixel 2 on the camera app. Compared to most of my other pictures taken for this assignment, this one was probably the quickest and easiest one. I took the photo by standing against the kitchen bench opposite to the pantry to keep steady and to use as a reference point. I then opened the pantry door and got back against the bench and felt around for the right position as before. I then uploaded both to Instagram without any modifications or editing as I felt the photos didn’t need them.
How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I took two photos of the pantry. I didn’t take anymore than the two uploaded as they matched fairly well in terms of staging, meaning that the most noticeable difference is the open door. I added the caption “Bad design screams out its inadequacies, making itself very noticeable”. I then realised later that I forgot to cite Donald Norman for the quote so I went back later and did that. I decided not to tag anybody and didn’t include any hashtags. I included the location as “My kitchen”, although not an actual location as tag as when you try to press it nothing happens.
How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?
Hashtags and location tags help with distribution, however as this post has no hashtags and the location tag doesn’t show the actual location, I expect distribution amongst other users on the network to be low. I also uploaded the images to Twitter and Facebook from the Instagram app by turning on the “Share to Twitter” and “Share to Facebook” options. This automatically uploads the video to Twitter and Facebook at the same time as Instagram. It doesn’t actually upload the image to Twitter but rather the caption with a link to the Instagram post. However, when you uploaded to Facebook from the Instagram app, it actually uploads the image and caption to your Facebook profile, as if it was uploaded from the Facebook app. The only way to tell it wasn’t uploaded from the Facebook app is that it says “uploaded to Instagram” underneath your name. As Facebook owns Instagram, the integration between the Instagram app and Facebook is better than the integration between the Twitter app and Instagram.
Networked Media Week 10 – Post 2
How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I decided to record a video of me using the Buzz Lightyear Star Command pinball machine to compliment the photo of it. I took the video on the camera app of my Google Pixel 2 as the Instagram app requires you to hold down the shutter button to record meaning that I would be able to use the pinball machine with both hands. My phone was attached to a tripod which allowed me to record myself playing with the pinball machine. I left the audio on so you can hear the theme music and sound effects and didn’t include any filters as I thought they were unnecessary for it and didn’t add any value.
How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
Before uploading, I captioned the video “I’m bouncing off the walls in my quarantine arcade!” along with a crazy face emoji and a arcade joystick emoji. I also added the hashtags #arcade and #pinball. I also added the location “Home Sweet Home”. Although not the actual location, the phrase “home sweet home” conjures up nostalgic and happy feelings which I am wanting the audience to feel when they see the image and video.
I then uploaded the video, however I didn’t realise that it took a couple of minutes to finish uploading so I kept refreshing my page trying to see the new video. I couldn’t see it so I went through the entire process again. I selected the same video, added the same caption, added the same emojis, tried to add the same hashtags and location tag however the dropdown menu for the hashtags and location weren’t loading so I skipped adding them. Then when I pressed upload on my second attempt I saw the first post being uploaded with a progress bar that was slowly getting closer to completion so once they were both uploaded I just deleted the second one.
How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?
The hashtags #arcade and #pinball help with distribution as when people are to search for those hashtags they would find my video as well as the location tag. I also uploaded the video to Twitter like the last photo. However, this time I did it from the Twitter app rather than from the Instagram app which meant it uploaded the video along with the caption instead of just a caption and a link the the Instagram post. I also uploaded the video to Tik Tok which is known for its short form video content. Although not recorded using the Tik Tok app, I was still able to upload the video however I couldn’t add any clips to it or add a filter which the Tik Tok app affords for videos that recorded from the app.
Networked Media 10 – Post 1
How did you author (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I chose to take a photo of my Buzz Lightyear Star Command pinball machine that I got when I was a kid because I felt it represented good design. Children toys often break and are made cheaply going for a more quantity over quality approach, knowing the usage habits of their intended demographic. However, this machine, even though still made of fairly cheap plastic, has lasted for many years and is still in very good condition (plus I have kept it in it’s box for a couple of years). It also fills quite a unique hole in the pinball market. It’s desk appropriate size situates between ultra cheap handheld pinball machines like these and expensive full size pinball machines like this. Although a desktop pinball machine toy, it still has useful features. On the backboard it has lights, a speaker that plays it’s theme music and sound effects whenever you hit one of the five bumpers and the whole machine is covered in Buzz Lightyear decals which all affords an immersive experience. It also has two-stories for the pinball to travel in and three paddles on each side that are controlled with one button per side. It also has a score reset button and a screen similar to an alarm clock from the 80’s that affords score keeping.
I took this photo on my Google Pixel 2 attached to a tripod so I could have my hands in the photo. I took the photo in the camera app so I could put on a timer. Once I pressed the shutter button I had three seconds to shoot the pinball out and get my hands in position. Setting up the shot on a tripod and staging it correctly was similar to other photography I have done, however I was able to do the editing in the Instagram app and on the same device that I took the photo on, which isn’t usually the case with photography. On the Instagram app I changed the structure to 53, which seemed to make the image a little bit grainy which made the photo look as if it was taken on an older camera. I also upped the warmth to 52, saturation to 47 and added a linear tilt shift parallel to the pinball machine. I did these corrections to make the photo seem as if it was actually taken when I was a child and to add a sense of nostalgia, especially with the warmth and saturation corrections.
How did you publish (the photo or video) you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I took three photos of the pinball machine but spent a bit of time lining up each shot on the tripod before starting the timer. Out of the three photos I chose this one as I liked the position where my hands were and the motion of the pinball, which you can see towards the top of the machine. I added the caption “High score!” along with the hashtags #pinball and #buzzlightyear as well as an arcade joystick emoji. I decided not to tag anybody and didn’t include a location.
How did you distribute (the photo or video) you published on Instagram to other social media services?
The hashtags #pinball and #buzzlightyear help with distribution as when people are to search for those hashtags they would find my image. If I did include a location tag this would also help with distribution. I also uplaoded the image to Reddit and Twitter. On Reddit I uploaded the image to the r/oldschoolcool subreddit with the caption “High score!” along with the arcade joystick emoji. I decided to upload the image to Twitter from the Instagram app by turning on the “Share to Twitter” option. This automatically uploads the video to Twitter at the same time as Instagram. It doesn’t actually upload the image but rather the caption with a link to the Instagram post. I believe that this is more of a Twitter issue rather than an Instagram issue and could potentially be done on purpose by Twitter as a way to force users into uploading directly to Twitter rather than using Instagram. Although on Twitter the image is displayed as a link, there are chrome extensions and third party Twitter apps available that allow the image from Instagram to be displayed rather than a link, affording a more streamlined user experience.
Networked Media Week 9 – Post 2
How did you author video you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I decided to record a video of me using the Sansui AU-2900 amplifier with the BIC America speakers to compliment the photo of the amplifier. I did a little montage, filmed on my Google Pixel 2, of me pluging the aux cord into my laptop, turning the amplifier on, turning up the volume, then pressing play on a song in Spotify. I broke the video into different shots by using the ‘start-stop touch’ feature built into the Instagram app. I did think about filming the video on my camera app but decided against it as the ‘start-stop touch’ feature affords filming and stitching together videos. If I shot it on the camera app I would then have to use a software to try and edit all the clips together, however the ‘start-stop touch’ feature allows for the recording and editing to be done almost seamlessly. It does this by recording when you hold down the shutter, then stops recording when you release it before recording the next shot when you hold the shutter again. I left the audio on and didn’t include any filters as I thought they were unnecessary for it and didn’t add any value.
How did you publish video you recorded for upload to Instagram?
Although the ‘start-stop touch’ feature was fairly easy to use, I did have to retake a couple of shots and start the entire process again as I made a few mistakes whilst still getting the familiar with it. I recorded a shot, but didn’t like it so I deleted it, before recording the next shot. However I didn’t realise you had to press the delete button twice for it to delete a shot so upon review before posting, I rewatched the completed sequence and realised my mistake. I then had to restart the entire video as once completed you can’t choose which shots you want to keep or delete, it has to be shot in sequence. This made the ‘start-stop touch’ feature unfavourably noticeable.
Before uploading, I captioned the video “The Sansui AU-2900 with the BIC America speakers in action!” along with a speaker emoji and a milk bottle emoji. I also added the hashtags #speakers #music #pourthemilk, which is the name of the song playing (hence the milk bottle emoji). I also added the location “Deep-House-Lovers”. Although not the actual location, it compliments the video as “deep house” is the genre of the music playing.
How did you distribute video you published on Instagram to other social media services?
The hashtags #speakers #music and #pourthemilk, help with distribution as when people are to search for those hashtags they would find my video as well as the location tag. I also uploaded the video to Twitter like the last photo. However, this time I did it from the Instagram app by turning on the “Share to Twitter” option. This automatically uploads the video to Twitter at the same time as Instagram. Although this can be useful, it doesn’t actually upload the video to Twitter, rather it just uploads the caption with a link to the Instagram video. This more-or-less renders the feature useless as users on Twitter are more likely to scroll past the post instead of clicking on the link as it means they have to leave Twitter. I know this is my logic when I see posts like these so I assume others do the same. I also uploaded the video to Tik Tok as short form video content is what Tik Tok is known for so the nature of the video really fits that network.
Networked Media Week 9 – Post 1
How did you author the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I took this photo on my Google Pixel 2 of my Sansui AU-2900 amplifier. I took the photo of my amplifier as for me it represents good design as it seamlessly compliments my room, in visual aesthetic, function and audio terms. It doesn’t look out of place on my desk and has amazing BIC America speakers connected to it that have great soundscape qualities, making you feel as if the musician is actually in the room with you. Its function is extremely simple yet has quite a few useful features. Although an analogue amplifier from 1976, I have an aux cord connected to it which affords connection to modern devices like my phone or laptop. It also has dials that allow for finer bass, treble and balance adjustment that many modern bluetooth speakers don’t afford.
I took the photo in the camera app on my phone as for some reason when I took the photo on the Instagram app it cropped out half of my amplifier even thought in the viewfinder it was aligned correctly. This may be an android bug as most apps tend to develop for iPhone first. I took the photo in landscape orientation whilst sitting on my desk chair with my elbow propped up by my knee meaning I could get the photo straight. I didn’t use flash however once uploaded to Instagram I moved the contrast up to 52 and the brightness up to 19. I did this to make the photo a overall brighter without losing the darker qualities.
How did you publish the photo you recorded for upload to Instagram?
I took three photos of the amplifier but spent a bit of time lining up each shot similarly to how Henri Cartier-Bresson spend a lot of time lining up his shots. Out of the three photos I chose this one as it was most inline with the desk. I added the caption “Sansui AU-2900 amplifier” along with the hashtags #amplifier and #audiophile. I decided not to tag anybody and didn’t include a location.
How did you distribute the photo you published on Instagram to other social media services?
The hashtags #amplifier and #audiophile help with distribution as when people are to search for those hashtags they would find my image. If I did include a location tag this would also help with distribution. After the photo was edited I did decide to go back and tag @sansuiworld in the hopes that they would see the image then reupload, spreading my image to other users who follow @sansuiworld. This would help get recognition as the users who follow @sansuiworld would likely also be interested in their products giving them an incentive like the photo and potentially follow my page. I also uplaoded the image to Reddit and Twitter. On Reddit I uploaded the image to the r/audiophile subreddit with the caption “Sansui AU-2900 connected to BIC America speakers”. However the post was hidden from other redditors as I violated rule 4 of the subreddit which is “image posts must show functioning/connected gear, and be accompanied by impressions or a review that adds value to the post. The impressions or review do not need to be exhaustive, but they should strive to explain how you feel about the product(s) and why”. I don’t really use Reddit, so this extra level of code of conduct beyond the usual “no violence or nudity” that is expected with most other social media sites was quite different to what I was used to. I believe this makes reddit the least accessible social media network to be apart of. Compare this experience to Twitter, where I encountered no hurdles to jump over before posting which made uploading there very easy.