Blog Wrap Up: Technological Ambivalence
Posted in The Gnovis Blog
gnovis is typically the face of new media at CCT, but this week our bloggers express ambivalence regarding trends in new media. Margarita, Jason, Gregg and Lauren all discuss various negative consequences that have come with media trends.
Margarita explored the blurry line in between false advertisements and images of fantasy.
“After all, there is no way to open an advertisement to see what’s really inside.”
This suggestion generated an active conversation over the significance/viability of distinguishing between ‘real’ and fantasy. One commenter states:
Any laws that have been established for truth in advertising in this case have not led to less fantastic advertisements of ‘fantasies’ being presented“
Jason investigates the act of dying as the final frontier of reality TV and questions how low we can go from here..
Could this desensitize us to disease and death the way some theorists claim violence in the media has? Is that bad? Good?
For Gregg’s second post on gnovis, he discusses his experience as a reporter to offer us a very heartfelt reflection on the struggling role newspapers and reporters play in the age of new media.
I don’t think news is dying, I think the news industry is changing. But it feels wrong to not mourn for what was lost.
His post also generated some interesting discussion of the economic future of newspapers that is definitely worth checking out.
Lauren questions the role of virtual spaces like facebook in a society where we see dying importance of third places, social spheres outside of home and work.
Can Twitter feeds and Facebook notes serve as new tools for civic engagement and thus extend the breadth and reach of our social interactions?
Around CCT
Ashley Bowen got crafty with gnovis promotion last week here.
On the Daily Monthy, C. Puls advocates for one of my favorite neologisms: verbing.
“Linguistic economy and accuracy of reference make it desirable to use these brand-name-based verbs rather than lengthy circumlocutions. Moreover, using a verb such as “tweet” will communicate something about your habits, values, and social sphere to the speaker.”