The reasoning behind how we have designed our media object, and in essence what the media object is is rather vast. There is no one reason, rather a multitude of differing reasons which all complement the platform and form that we intend our object to take.
The main reason behind making a website/blog/content hosting site for slow media is simple; there isn’t anything out there yet. Currently when trying to search for and partake in the niche that is slow media consumption, you have to search through pages of random articles and irrelevant content until you find something you would like to consume.
A platform such as this takes the guess work out of this, giving somewhere for everyone to go to, and also allowing for a community to build around the form that is slow media.
The form that this object is intended to take; in that of a website makes it accessible to literally anyone who has access to the internet – which currently sits at around 50% of the worlds population. By using this form which is so widely used by fast paced media, it bridges the gap between slow and fast media, and allows for slow media consumption at a rate that suits whatever person is consuming the content.
The main explanation behind our platform being a website/blog/user driven contributions site is simple; it gives the medium of slow media which is sometimes seen as archaic, a place to be present in the 21st century. In addition to this reasoning, there also isn’t really one place that users can go to currently to engage in purely slow media. A platform of this kind not only allows for a place where slow media can be collated and sorted, it also allows for more slow media content to be created and disseminated to the public through personal users.
Apart from the collaborative nature that this platform offers, it is a contemporary, recognisable platform for almost anyone using the internet. This familiarity makes it easier to reach the audiences who use the platform of the internet for things that aren’t consuming slow media. By creating this platform so accessible and user friendly, it gives it the best chance possible for success in a fast paced media environment.
The main idea behind the way the site is navigated is primarily about ease of use and familiarity. The way it functions is similar to almost any blog/forum/content management platform, and as stated previously, allows for familiarity and ease of use for the user.
In terms of the actual physical layout, i.e. the menu options themselves; ‘medium’, ‘topic’ and ‘about’ it is primarily to do with simplicity, but also to do with variety. Having the menu structured in this way allows the user to define what they want much more specifically. The end user may want to engage in a certain medium, such as long form journalism or slow television, but not in other mediums that may come up such as podcasts or virtual reality. This menu system allows for specific choice by the user.
In addition to this the choice of topic through topic menu allows further refinement in terms of the content that the user would like to consume.
This is all brought together with the simple yet powerful idea of a search bar. This allows users complete control over the content they search for and end up consuming. By having all of these options combined into the one site it gives almost limitless options.
