Thursday, October 15, 2009
Cult of Amateur 2
By 4 p.m. Wed, Oct. 21, each group should post a link that illustrates their assigned position -- that the Web is a bane to culture or that it is a benefit. The group should also explain how the link illustrates their position. Lastly, each group should be prepared to briefly present their case to the class on Thursday, Oct. 22.
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http://www.deviantart.com/
Deviant Art is a subculture which is widely recognized by young adults as a way for them to exhibit their artwork. This is a great way for kids young and old to expand their creativity. It gives those who would shove their art into a closet a chance to show it to the world. It also provides a critical environment for people's art. Art is a cultural item that should not be judged based on the training of the creator, and it is something that should be shared freely and easily. It even allows for people to post drafts of their work, so that the process can be exhibited.
http://www.martinlutherking.org/
This website, run by the white supremest group stormfront.org, is currently the fifth most popular link on Google when you search "Martin Luther king Jr" and is advertising false information to the innocent and naive. This website is a perfect example of what Keen refers to as "The Noble Amateur". The site has several seemingly educational links that prompt the viewer to King bashing information. There is even a banner at the bottom of the screen that reads "create a Martin Luther King educational video and win $1000.00" and a link for flyers to pass out at school.
For those of us who don't spend every moment on Twitter or gossip sites, the internet can be a useful tool for gathering information. It's great to be able to type anything into a search engine and come up with information about anything you want--the trick is, you just have to have a discerning eye; you need to be able to separate the garbage from the reputable. The internet should be used as a supplement, a back-up to the things we learn in school or on the job, read in journals, books and newspapers or hear on radio stations such as NPR. Sites such as www.npr.org provide thoughtful, relevant information in a snap-one can listen to whatever they wish by simply searching a topic on the site's searchbar. Thanks to the internet, so many pieces are available at once-without the internet, you wouldn't be able to choose what you'd like to listen to or learn about. While much of the internet is self-indulgedent, there is still some real information out there. Keen suggests that all of the amateur bloggers, videographers and writers are doing the trained professionals and audience a disservice: "So while the professionals-the editors, the scholars, the publishers-are certainly the victims of an Internet that diminishes their value and takes away their jobs, the greater victims of all this are us, the readers..." (p. 45). In contrast, the internet actually adds to the value of true professionals. To be able to find reliable information from a source such as NPR on the internet, when plenty of amateurs can use bells and whistles to make their work sound fantastic without having any factual information, is vital to those seeking education on a topic. In a way, having factless crap out there, mingled with the reliable stuff, gives those who care enough the skill to be able to dig through the junk to get to the real stuff. For those who do spend all of their time tweeting--their online addiction could be used for good as well, if only they were steered in the right direction, such as in this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jSBW0BOPqM
http://www.intangiblecollective.com
This group is run by a multicultural group of artistic people. They utilize their creativity through music, spoken word and poetry as a means to empower as well as enlighten each other and those that listen around them. For anyone who is lyrically inclined can definitely benefit from such a website, as individuals in the group hold workshops and educational programs catered to middle school, high school, and college range. The site is fairly new but there are pictures of some of the shows and slam poetry events that have occurred, there is a "Video of the Week" in the Media section of the category so the person visiting the website can listen and watch the poet in action. Each member on the website shares their background, their various projects currently underway and remind people of every race, gender, class and family background the power of wordplay.
http://www.collegehumor.com/
CollegeHumor is a great example of how the internet allows an undermining of truth and a belittling of expertise, experience and talent (15). The name for what is supposed to be institution of learning and culture is demeaned to a place where idiocracy and moronic entertainment run rampant.
OR www.theonion.com is a good example. It's a fake news site that tries to look real so when someone starts reading an article they might not automatically know that it's not a credible news source and believe what they're reading.
http://pressinamerica.blogspot.com/
I wanted to make this point in class but because I was sick I wasn't there to do so, but isn't the best way to go about showing that Keen is wrong, to prove that technology and computer's in particular can be key aspects of learning be to simply look at what we do in class on a daily basis? This is one of the most technology based classes I've ever been a part of, from the wiki, to the blog, and the daily use of clips and videos as well as articles that are online.
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