MEDIA 6 // Week One // Klaus Schwag

Year 3, semester 2, week 1, media 6, reading 1…rolling… ACTION!

Upon initial reaction to this semester’s first reading, I immediately felt a bit of a throwback to studying ‘Brave New World’ in Year 11. I guess Aldous Huxley wasn’t so far off all those years ago! The quicker technology develops, the faster we continue to evolve in conjunction with it, and the more we are forced to adapt to the ever-changing conditions of the industry we are in the process of entering.

I felt this particular reading was a bit of information overload, but here is what really stuck out to me and what I see in my future;

  1. The notion of an ‘on-demand economy’. By coincidence, I have previously read the Tech Crunch article mentioned in Schwag’s book, and find that it rings so true to the state of the digital economy we live in. The way in which modern digital platforms and companies operate truly do “…lower barriers for business and individuals to create wealth, altering personal and professional environments”. Users are not only ‘produsers’, but are able to monetise themselves as suppliers of tangible and intangible products such as (but not limited to) knowledge, a spare bedroom or a passenger seat.
  2. What is worth owning? With so many blurred lines drawn across ownership online, is it even worth claiming ownership over assets? With increasing focus on the growth and popularity on platforms and applications, it’s not the content that is bankable as much as it is the platform on which said content exists. This opens an explosive can of worms which will hopefully be discussed in future blog posts!
  3. The “human cloud”. Working in an agency, I see the pros and cons of agency life versus freelancing in my daily routine. As outsourcing and ‘cloud’-based roles become more and more common, eliminating additional employer fees, costs and variables seems like a no-brainer. Sure, I’d be better off in the bank if I were funded directly without the intervention of an agency, but on the other hand I would be nowhere without the connections and community provided in a pre-existing, traditional-type company. Anyone (especially media practitioners) are no longer bound by formal employees and are validated by their own decisions in the work they choose to undertake.
  4. Intelligence of Algorithms. We are told what to watch, what to eat, who to message, and what to like, and are fed content based on our previous behaviour, or, what has been targeted directly at us. Are we limiting ourselves by operating as part of an algorithm online? Chronology is no longer valued as a means of content delivery, but rather we’re organised by niche and personalised targeting across almost all platforms.
  5. Additional food for thought: Nurturing and maintaining aspects of belonging and community amidst 2016’s narcissistic self-centred selfie culture – this is briefly touched on in the reading, but very much a topic of discourse that interests me.

As you can probably tell, the biological stuff flew right over my head.

More next week!

 

 

Kerri Gordon

I dig music, social media, celebs and sweet potato fries.

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