Teach Me How Networking Works ASAP

Networked Media 2019 Week 1

Oh hey

Long time no see

I have just made it out alive from my first week back at uni. And despite the typical moaning and groaning of how exhausted I already am, I am genuinely excited and revved up for my classes, especially for my elective ‘Networked Media’. The tutors for this course are incredibly engaging (hey there Nash, sorry for posting this late) and the content is so intriguing, but also challenging… and I have quickly realized how little I know and understand about this age of digital media we live in.

The ideas of collaboration and networking on a global scale kind of seemed obvious, however for me, an ignorant young adult, it felt unattainable. I remember back in first year, my friend and I would daydream about opening up our own art studios around the world. She loves travelling to South Korea so she’ll start her main office there, I’ll begin my business in Japan and every year or so, we can visit each other anywhere around the world where we can bring our skills together and create whatever art we want.

We would usually laugh about it and then sigh as we sit back in our seats to slave away at our assignments, of course still daydreaming about this future we didn’t know how to achieve.

Fast forward a couple years later, I stumbled upon this lovely restaurant establishment in Fitzroy known as CIBI. I was absolutely blown away by this place, because not only was it a delicious cafe restaurant, it had an extended shop selling all sorts of Japanese food and snacks, CIBI merchandise, prints, and also shared the warehouse space with a plant store.

CIBI Cook Book Launch Video from James Cameron on Vimeo.

I thought this business was so innovative and I was immediately inspired to strive to create something with its similar essence of collaboration and integration. Now, that little daydream of networking studios around the world didn’t seem so out of reach… Though I do not doubt I still have so much to learn.

Collaboration is the key to success…

Nash, 2019

Even just from this week’s reading, “Networked Images: Visual methodologies for the digital age” by Dr. Sabine Niederer, I have learned that I have so much to learn if I even want to attempt at creating a business like CIBI. However, what I found very encouraging was the discussion on ‘pictorial turn’, which Dr. Niederer describes as not a “theoretical shift from text to image, but rather a practice driven by users and faciliated by platforms, in which more and more users increasingly share visual content and engage with it.” What I take away from this is that the evolution of media is naturally moving towards sharing and collaborating. Long ago were the days when a company would publish the news and the mass audience have to take its word for it. It’s exciting to realize that I’m living in the digital age where discussions matter and the sharing of opinions is encouraged, thus allowing this ebb and flow of information, criticisms, and feedback between creators to forever grow and evolve our art. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty neat environment to create and share art in.

via GIPHY

The reading mainly focused on the networked content of images online, but I believe the discussion is applicable to the wider scope of media networking itself. I particularly love how Dr. Nieberer describes that “for image research, a focus on the digital means considering images as networked content, thereby treating the image not as a solitary object, but as part of a network of other images, users and platforms.” Is it not fascinating that a single image in this day and age already has so many connections? Whether it be with other images, forms of media and even with individuals and their interpretations, this is how I believe the world is ought to function; collaborating and connecting with others.

So, if I manage to really tap into the understanding of media networking, perhaps my mid-assignment daydreams may actually become a reality. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

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