This blog post features our collaborative note-taking in class on Monday, 11/7, regarding the Arab Spring. Thank you to Mary for facilitating the discussion. Below are the main ideas from our class. The raw note taking can be viewed here: http://brownbag.me:9001/p/introcivic-arabspring

Summaries and discussions from the core readings:

If I could describe civic media in two words, it would be: citizen media.
Civic Media as I described it in September still stands, "Civic Media facilitates the practice of democracy through the provision of information that inspires civic engagement with other citizens and the government." When one person learns of a tragedy or a community issue that is very concerning, civic media allows you to mobilize to connect with others with similar concerns. Although you are powerless as one, various forms of civic media unifies you into a larger picture. One such form of civic media is participatory media (e.g. Facebook, youtube) through which you can not only learn and discuss about issues, but you can also post your own information and share it with the community at large. I never imagined this form of communal awareness to be a form of civic media. Back in September, I only considered citizen journalism to be the main form of civic media--made by everyday citizens for everyday citizens. Now I realize civic media encompasses all forms of media that mobilizes civic engagement. A large definition indeed.

The November 16th class readings focused on the history and expansion of 'Anonymous,' originating with their traditional form of lighthearted dissent and satire for the sake of 'lulz' to becoming a passionate political movement. Personally, I find that Anonymous cannot be both types at the same time--it not only detracts from the groups identity, it also obscures its purpose of existence and stretches its influence far too wide. The two forms of Anonymous are polar opposites of each other! One is supposed to be lighthearted and the core purpose is to poke fun at people who do take things too seriously in life. The other side, people have taken politics--one of the most serious topics ever--and have become active under the pseudonym, 'Anonymous.'

This is far from appropriate. Let the original Anonymous stand! Indeed the use of anonymity is powerful and use in political activism but it is wholly inappropriate to remain under the original lulz-based Anonymous group. Arguably, the only commonality is that they both use satire and both are hacking anonymously. The politicization of Anonymous has shifted its focus into serious real-world issues.

This is a collaborative blog post with Mary Kenefake.

Interview Questions:

-Minorities participating in Boston TV:
Based on personal experience working in the Boston TV industry how have the demographics change in the past ten years?
(minority participation then and now)
As a minority working in the television news industry, do you feel there is a disparity in the types of stories that you are interested in covering compared to other reporters?
What is your opinion in the diversity of stories that get covered in the television news industry?
-If not enough, what do you suggest to change the coverage?
Do you think the news industry workers and the stories that they cover are reflective of the populations they serve?

Blog title: Final Project Proposal

This is a collaborative blog post with Mary Kenefake. We will be working together on our final civic media project. Our final project will be a 15-25 page paper accompanied by a 5-7 minute long video that reflects our paper’s arguments. In this sense, we are producing civic media that provides awareness of minority trends in Boston TV news industry.

Our Working Title: Minority Representation in the Boston Television News Industry

Critical political economy is a tool with which we can critically examine the media. It takes a distinctly Marxist approach to the study of communications. Focuses include analyzing how various economic classes are affected, how people have different levels of access to communications technologies, how capitalism affects the media and cultural industries, and how corporate ownership affects what the media produces. Key question for critical political economy approach is whether the economics of production shape public discourse (i.e. the range of debates available) and change the meaning within a text.

Analysis of media and communications through the critical political economy lens reveals various critiques, such as:

Major corporations and competition can be questioned in context of monopolies and oligopolies (Examples: Warner Brothers, AOL , McClatchy Company, Bertelsman, 20th Century Fox)
[This reveals unequal power relations and a lack of freedom and consumer choice.]

The report on Latino Congreso 2011 reveals how a group of Latino community scholars are forging conversations regarding media justice (internet freedom) to address larger societal problems. These conversations have empowered and inspired Latinos to strategize on how to solve these inequalities.

The report is here: http://centerformediajustice.org/2011/03/27/and-life-and-the-people-neve...

The author observes a unique phenomenon in this group's mobilization process:

What might this mean, why might it be (or not be) a useful concept? Provide 3-5 linked examples to illustrate your argument.

The term 'networked counterpublics' can be most accurately defined by focusing on the individual terminology of 'networked' and 'counter publics.' Counterpublics represent minority groups that are excluded from the mainstream public sphere. Their insular status and under-proliferation of their interests and stances are the reasons for the term 'counter-publics.' These groups may form around shared marginalized opinions, interests, and issues. It has often been argued that counter publics are dissents that challenge the state and societal norms of the public sphere. I personally disagree with this idea that counter publics must be discordant with governments--the public sphere does not necessarily equate with government.

Hello, the name's Hyunji Lee. But since few can pronounce that, I am known as Hailey. When I ran across the description of this course online, I was ecstatic to have found a class that directly deals with the transformation of the journalism industry. As an aspiring journalist, I was aware that one of the key skills to be competitive was to have digital know-how and to be innovative in one's storytelling through multi-platform applications. This class seemed to explore all of these--and where is a better place to study technology innovations than MIT?