One of the greatest achievements of the internet is that it promotes a culture of participation among anyone who uses it. The internet allows for its users to have a voice that is free to feel important and needs to be heard, but are these voices really heard? Are the voices of countless people who publicly state their opinions online important enough to matter in the grand scope of the internet?
Opinions are meant to be shared and I believe that the biggest advantage of the internet is that it leads me to believe that I am important. This little black girl from Atlanta, Georgia has a voice that someone out in the world needs to hear. This ideal is what drives the participatory culture of the internet. Someone online must be able to relate to what I am going through. Someone online can be helped by just reading what I have to say.
Media makers are integral to the success of the internet because they make participating with others online so much easier. Like highlighted by Henry Jenkins in his article entitled "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century," not everyone has to contribute to what is going on but they must feel that they are free to contribute when they are ready. When you feel that you are free to state your opinion it makes the internet feel safe for everyone that uses it.
This might explain why I feel so safe to express my love for Beyoncé where ever I find myself on the internet. Social media tools are a great way to say what you want to say in a non-threatening atmosphere online. I know when I get on Twitter, I probably express my love for Beyoncé on a daily basis. I've even stirred up some debate online when I said that I thought she was this generation's Michael Jackson. She has done things for music and the black community that can only rival the late musician's success in his lifetime. I feel very strongly about that topic and I have my own personal reasons to back up my statements.
Jenkins argues that because of the success of the participatory culture online which has "created a community that provides strong incentives for creative expression and active participation," we should incorporate this world into education. I actually think that the English class I am in currently is a great representation of what Henry Jenkins possibly wants education to achieve. While learning about new topics, the students in my class are free to be creative in their thought processes by using the internet to help guide their opinions on topics. How else could I be able to write this blogpost about Beyoncé? Thanks to this class, I feel comfortable enough to give my opinion on a topic and try to relate my opinion to anything that was read in class.
How do I make Beyoncé a topic that makes sense in the realm of education? Well Beyoncé is more than just a person, she symbolizes strength, empowerment, some feminist ideals, and growth. She has made strides in the entertainment industry that most people could only dream of and she's pretty much a walking legend. So why should anyone care about her besides me? She's my connection to how I make sense of the world. I form opinions about topics because of how she fearlessly represents her self in the public eye. She is an example of what it means to be confident in what you're doing, what you say, and how you get your message across. I believe that in a way, the participatory culture of the internet has helped to increase the success of her career because it gives participants a chance to creatively think of new ways to make her presence seem more and more important to each future generation.
What's lacking in education is the ease of participatory culture in a sense that creativity doesn't have to be structured in a formulaic essay. Opinions can be stated online freely and they promote the thinkers of the next generation. School lays the building blocks and it seems as thought the internet is just helping people learn how to put it all together. Media making is an integral experience to students and should be integrated in the classroom to force students to have an opinion about something. Having strong opinions pushes students to be more informed citizens in the future and will make them want to learn and be more involved in the classroom.
Opinions are meant to be shared and I believe that the biggest advantage of the internet is that it leads me to believe that I am important. This little black girl from Atlanta, Georgia has a voice that someone out in the world needs to hear. This ideal is what drives the participatory culture of the internet. Someone online must be able to relate to what I am going through. Someone online can be helped by just reading what I have to say.
Media makers are integral to the success of the internet because they make participating with others online so much easier. Like highlighted by Henry Jenkins in his article entitled "Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century," not everyone has to contribute to what is going on but they must feel that they are free to contribute when they are ready. When you feel that you are free to state your opinion it makes the internet feel safe for everyone that uses it.
This might explain why I feel so safe to express my love for Beyoncé where ever I find myself on the internet. Social media tools are a great way to say what you want to say in a non-threatening atmosphere online. I know when I get on Twitter, I probably express my love for Beyoncé on a daily basis. I've even stirred up some debate online when I said that I thought she was this generation's Michael Jackson. She has done things for music and the black community that can only rival the late musician's success in his lifetime. I feel very strongly about that topic and I have my own personal reasons to back up my statements.
Jenkins argues that because of the success of the participatory culture online which has "created a community that provides strong incentives for creative expression and active participation," we should incorporate this world into education. I actually think that the English class I am in currently is a great representation of what Henry Jenkins possibly wants education to achieve. While learning about new topics, the students in my class are free to be creative in their thought processes by using the internet to help guide their opinions on topics. How else could I be able to write this blogpost about Beyoncé? Thanks to this class, I feel comfortable enough to give my opinion on a topic and try to relate my opinion to anything that was read in class.
How do I make Beyoncé a topic that makes sense in the realm of education? Well Beyoncé is more than just a person, she symbolizes strength, empowerment, some feminist ideals, and growth. She has made strides in the entertainment industry that most people could only dream of and she's pretty much a walking legend. So why should anyone care about her besides me? She's my connection to how I make sense of the world. I form opinions about topics because of how she fearlessly represents her self in the public eye. She is an example of what it means to be confident in what you're doing, what you say, and how you get your message across. I believe that in a way, the participatory culture of the internet has helped to increase the success of her career because it gives participants a chance to creatively think of new ways to make her presence seem more and more important to each future generation.
What's lacking in education is the ease of participatory culture in a sense that creativity doesn't have to be structured in a formulaic essay. Opinions can be stated online freely and they promote the thinkers of the next generation. School lays the building blocks and it seems as thought the internet is just helping people learn how to put it all together. Media making is an integral experience to students and should be integrated in the classroom to force students to have an opinion about something. Having strong opinions pushes students to be more informed citizens in the future and will make them want to learn and be more involved in the classroom.