JOH Jenkins

Participatory media~

I just got an invitation to my 10 yr class reunion in the mail. The invite came in the form of a blue flyer, photo copied several times over - BUT, paper no less. The message on the flyer is brief, but the bottom offered an additional websites regarding the reunion. Then another regarding the reunion, on myspace. And finally another website, myspace, regarding an informal party, not connected to but identifying itself with the reunion.

With media on my mind, I took the opportunity to explore the given sites to see how the creators were producing their content. I have yet to venture into the land of myspace, though I have had to run many of my students off of the site, due to new school policies. The fact that our school has rules in place regarding this hub of consumer interaction says much about the spread of this participatory culture. Anyways, I took the leap and found out that, from a single, consumer produced site, I could've journeyed for a day through digital reality - ALL of which is consumer produced.

The initial site was very basic, clearly no one had taken much care to cultivate the spot. It seemed to be a launching pad of sorts. The myspace sites I visited were much more dynamic.

Jenkins refers to two types of participant's - grassroots and pleasure seekers. Though this is not an empty signifier, it is not trying to alter or bring down any larger group or conglomerate. As Jenkins states, "Such groups seek ... to build on their (consumer producers) enjoyment of particular media products ..." (556). Upon further exploration, the myspace sites are packed with texts, each, if clicked, taking you to another universe of texts, and so on. I found myself checking out the "friends" section, clicking on people's pictures as they jarred my curiosity. Each text drew different levels of interest from me, and I found that the more confusing or provocative, the greater click probability.

I'm not sure when people are producing so much content. Or checking it. Or maintaining it. But it sure was a handful - too much for me. Moving from the photocopy to myspace is an interesting leap. It's hard to imagine where the next leap will take the consumer - it is sure to take the game even farther.