For us to consume and enjoy different types of media, somebody have to produce it. When we go to the cinema, we can choose what type of genre we want to watch, but is our choices as wide as we might think? The answer is no. Our movie experience, regardless of genre, is in a way controlled by the dominant Hollywood Studio System. When you think about it, every aspect of our media consumption is controlled in some way; the news we read in papers or watch on TV is not all the news that is out there, but it is what the different media outlets choose to show us in the manner they prefer. The new communication technology is now changing this paradigm, and we are moving from being strictly consumers, to consumers and producers.
The Big Screens In Life, such as the cinema, TV and computers (Internet) are all outlets that lets us take in media in different ways. The Cinema and television makes us passive consumers because we’re being fed our entertainment through these channels. Computers, on the other hand, are slightly different in the way that we can seek out information (such as news) and therefore have a broader saying in what we watch. In addition, the computer is the gateway from consumer to producer, because people can produce media and use the Internet and the World Wide Web to distribute these products to other consumers.
Because of the growing convergence, the “small screens” such as Smart Phones and personal media players (e.g. Ipod) is giving this development a large boost. In approximately 4 years time, we have moved from just a few people having Internet access on their phones, to almost everybody. We are turning into active consumers by personalising our phones, pods & pads and this way it is solely up to us what we put on our devices. However, this can make us ignorant when it comes to new things so we just have to be careful not to get too personal. This improvement is important to be aware of, because it is a part of our future.
One example of people having an impact on the media is cell phone videos that are sent straight from phones and to different websites, news agencies and so on. This can occur when something dramatic happens, such as the tragedy of the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004. The news stations and journalists naturally did not have access to the trauma when it was happening, but people who were experiencing this dramatic event used their phones to document the severe damages made on both people and large amounts of land as the waves were crushing in, destroying everything in their way. This is an example sent to a French news channel:
This takes us to the next area of this lecture, Citizen Journalism. While professional journalists are bound by rules that decides what they can and cannot do, Citizen Journalists does not have those boundaries. In that way, it is a powerful concept and it can also be quite scary since people can post whatever crazy stories they want, and there will always be someone out there who will believe it.
CNN News even have their own "IReport", where Mo-Jo's (Mobile Journalists) or other citizens can publish stories and then CNN verifies them, or not. Blogs and online magasines are other examples of media outlets which is used.
Below I have posted a few videos that we watched towards the end of this weeks lecture. This is in context to Mash-Ups/Re-Cuts/Re-Genres, which basically means taking for instance a horror-trailer and making it into something else, and the Internet Short Films which is a growing consept. One portal for these types of films is - here you can find heaps of movies in all genres made for online distribution only.
This is an example of a well made cell-phone video:
Here is an example of a trailer that has been recut from horror to a family movie:
Regarding week fives TuteSpark, we were asked to play around with the term "Culture Jamming" and find the first, the most influential and the most damaging Jam. First of all, what is it? According to Wikipedia and The Center of Communication and Civic Engagement , it is a way of disrupting the branded environment which we live in by re-forming logos, fashion statements and product images made by different cooperations for advertising purposes. The jammers goal is to create political action and behavioural change in the general public.
In search for the first culture jam, I found that this is a concept tracing back all the way to the 1950s. The term was converted from its origin, radio jamming, and into culture jamming by the band Negativeland in the mid 80s, but the first jammers is a group called the Situationists.
I think the most damaging culture jams are those who have to do with war and destruction. They put our materialised world and mindset in perspective by altering ads such as the famous Ipod/IRAQ jam from Los Angeles, posted below. This definitely raises some issues that people need to consider. 
It's a lot of influential culture jams out there, and I found it tough to find the one with most impact on society. What I did find, was a jammer named Jonah Peretti that made quite a fuss when he wanted customised Nike shoes with the word "Sweatshop" on them. He created an email exchange with the Nike web site, which had refused his request, and this email was then spread world wide to a huge population. Other influential jams could be the ones with fast food / disease alteration. More and more people are becoming ill or dies because of our fast-food society.
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