Its How We Receive It

Clay Shirky's "Here Comes Everybody" dives deep into the realm of social interaction and stands as an eye-opening piece of gold for our current generation. He breaks the system down,turns it around, then leaves us with a paradox of whether or not this 24/7 social networking is a good or bad thing? This need to communicate is primal however the level of how much of it is what needs to be re-evaluated. Being connected at any second of the day can be a very useful tool times and makes some tasks seem a lot easier.

The ability to reach the masses is displayed though various mediums of social network, however its interesting to see where else these systems have changed. Shirky explains "We can see signs of this in many places: the music industry, for one, is still reeling from the discovery that the reproduction and distribution of music, previously a valuable service, is now something their customers can do for themselves", an amazing connection between the way in which we communicate and how one can have a say for themselves. Its almost as if the curtain was revealed. Only technology and the internet made it. What is the saying for, just about everything? If we are able to cut the middle man out and heighten success, why not?

One thing that comes to mind when his book is the recent evaporation of movie theaters and movie rental places. Once a popular commodity, now meaningless due to the avialiblilty of either downloading the movie from the internet, or watching it on an iPad or Smart TV. They way in which we receive information is changing at a rapid pace. Our ability to communicate has been heightened to extreme levels. Clay Shirkys work has been not only a look into the future, but allows us to think about our selves and whether or not this social network as we know it is good or bad thing. It is up to us to make those decisions and provide the future with some form of balance.

Left Field

Music is regional and depending on where it comes from will sometimes influence its sound. Looking at music in comparison to where it is being made allows us to make connections to other artists in that particular area. LA's music scene is unlike others such as NYC or even Atlanta. However as popular as all these cities are, only some hold the spotlight for a small amount of time before quickly changing again. As of right now in the "electronic music world", Australia's music scene is heightened its impact to new levels.

Here we see an interview with Australia's current most popular artist Flume. This footage gives reasoning as to why he thinks his music is gaining popularity and how Australia is playing a part in it. Flume describes his sound and  explains his story as to how he came into success. This  "new sound"  as Flumes record label Future Classic's puts it is whats shining the light down on the newly popular cities of Sydney, as well as Melbourne.


 

Heres another clip showcasing Wave Racer, another example of Australia's "new sound". Wave Racer is one of the many new artists gaining popularity in electronic music culture and is easy to understand how he got signed to Future Classic record company. His sound is similar to Flume and you can easily make out just what all the hype is about. Nothing crazy, just pop music with a new flare!

Some Cool Music

Dillion Francis	Masta Blasta, Bootleg Fireworks (Rebirth)
Hucci	House Party, Vanish
Loudpvck	Mystica, Shakedown
Disclosure	F For You, When A Fire Starts To Burn
Flume	Holdin On, Slasher

Some electronic music that I enjoy. Check em out and let me know what you think! If you know who these people are we should be best friends like, now.

Reflection of Selfe

Cynthia L. Selfe's Technology and Literacy in the Twenty-First Century examines the importance technology has in our society and why it is up to us to use it properly. Technology is at its highest peak right now and has a hold on the way in which we interact with one another. Studying this aspect of literacy is important and will only better the way we communicate in the long run. Selfe states "By paying critical attention to lessons about technology, we can re-learn important lessons about literacy". This notion of "re-learning" is in my opinion most important for our generation to take notice of and apply it to the future.

It makes sense that something so powerful such as the internet is going to have its downfalls. However, its up to us to make sure we take the necessary steps in using it effectively. Like every new development it takes some time to become fully integrated within the "everyday" swing of things. 

Everything that is now old was once new. This process of development has always been a factor within our society that has continually shaped the way in which society works. Things need to be updated. New functions are created to fill voids where "old ideas" just don't cut it anymore and need to become a "new idea". Selfe poses great examples as to why it is important to literacy that technology must be examined. Even in 1999 were these aspects of technology were questioned. There needs to be an updated version of the way we look at things.

Twitter Backlash

The interview between Piers Morgan and Janet Mock titled "From Boy To A Girl" was completely blown out of proportion. Piers Morgan is a victim of social network. What enrages me the most was the fact that Mock posted a picture of them at the interview as a means of advertising. Following her post was a series of hate mail aimed at Piers. In my opinion I feel as though Mock knew what she was up to.  After learning of the attention she could grab with Piers non-malicios comment, she quickly exploited Piers bringing her new book to the forefront.

Twitter is becoming a great way to promote business and Janet Mock is using it to her advantage. As for Piers Morgan, his reputation was significantly damaged by this act of hate mail over social network. The many followers that both Janet and Piers have now been forced to read of this "mistake" and whether or not they know who these people are, their reputation has been hurt.

We must learn to use twitter in more productive ways and observe that these "tweets" have more impact then you think. A misunderstanding of words has led threatening and negative posts towards Piers Morgan. Its unnecessary and could have been easily avoided.

Making Connections

Brummett and Emig state valid theoretical standpoints that don't necessarily aim their targets at technology. Taking what we have learned and applying it to modern aspects can be tricky, but has obvious relevancy in a course about writing in a digital age. Brummets take on truth and how it can be discovered is being changed through digital media. Over time they way in which we communicate and determine what is actual truth is almost always being redefined. Technology features a new way to communicate that we may or may not realize at first.

Words as we know them can have different meaning as time goes on. Tons of new words are always being implemented and from technology we are being bombarded with the most updated version of them. Acronyms as well as slang words are seen within our age of technology and have created a bigger impact then you may have thought.

As for discovering the truth, how we come to understand these new developments is where our society must take responsibility and guide media towards new aged reality. All works of media have changed the way we think about the world whether we like it or not. Truth is in existence, and through rhetoric its image becomes distorted. This image is what is exactly what Brummet and Emig seek to define. However, with the implementation of modern technology, rhetoric is seen throughout its many forms of social media. Its impact is huge, and is important to a writing in a digital age class to fill in the gaps between the "old" and the new".

Technology and Music

Technology has played an enormous role in the lives of musicians since Mozart centered his success around the newly invented piano. When new technology surfaces, aspects of the music industry change and develop along side of it. Throughout history we see how this affects the music industry as we observe the fads that come and go with it. However, in this day in age, music has become available for almost anyone who can work a phone or get on the internet.

My entire reasoning behind getting a Twitter stems from music and the accessibility it gives me. Twitter has allowed me to know exactly what is on the cutting edge, as soon as it is delivered. Every artist has a twitter and is constantly posting updates with new songs or current tour dates. Being able to hash tag and post links to other sites has made the "twitter game" a necessity for every up and coming artist.

Not only does Twitter allow us to be connected with their music, we are connected with them as people. Being able to send a 140 character text with the band or singer you newly found, is brand new and is innovative. The connection we make with the artist is the inspiration we need to go the extra mile, and click the link to listen to the cutting edge.

As we see in the diagram above people who are using Twitter as a means of staying connected, have all gone out of their way to actually buy their music rather then non-tweeters. Twitter is helping the music industry while also bringing it new ideas for marketing. Twitter is essential to the music industry and it leads way to new aspects of technology where music can develop.