Cinema, radio, television, magazines are a school of inattention: people look without seeing, listen in without hearing. -Robert Bresson.
After reading Jenkins article on 'The Eight traits of the New Media landscape', it was clear to me that each aspect he focused on were intertwined or relative to one another, working hand in hand to further explain Jenkins ideology. When I first began reading the article, it did not make the best sense to me however the penny dropped somewhere between the beginning and end of the article. (And after Mel had broken it down for me).
Prior to reading the article, I felt that new media was indeed the greatest thing which had ever been invented which benefited everyone in society. One of the traits which interested me deeply was the trait of 'Everyday' and the concept of the media being around us daily. Media has become a part of everyday life rather than just a technology. With an immense amount of media constantly around us it is becoming difficult for me to distinguish a distinct medium between when I am consuming or using new media and when I'm not. This led me to question whether we, as a society are becoming too familiar with new media.
Jenkins introduces the concept of 'technolisation of the home' to describe the way in which our very own homes are now bombarded with products of new media. In my living room alone I have a Sky+ HD box, a DVD player, a widescreen TV, a computer, a sound system and also a games console which my whole family uses (draws for breath). However this is only a sector of new media products consisted in my home, my bedroom also includes a tv, games console, laptop, and sound system not to mention my much-loved gadgets such as my iphone 4 and my PSP. Funny enough, in light of Jenkins ideas, my kitchen also contains a small tv which is constantly on throughout the day regardless of the fact that the living room and bedroom tv's are also on with nobody really watching them. Not only is this a waste of electricity (hangs head in shame) but it also suggests that the media has now become so so embedded in our current lifestyles that we are now dependent on it as a source of normality in our daily lives. (How many times have you had your tv on whilst on your laptop with regular texting intervals on your phone?)
I totally agree with Jenkins ideology in relation to the bombardment and our consumption and interaction with new media everyday. However, after reflecting on the article I found myself critising elemnts of the 'Everyday' trait. Jenkins claims that due to the technolisation of the home and the media's integration into our lives, it may bring about negative effects such as creaing a wedge between family members. Personally, I disagree and feel this is simply a generalisation which should not be applied to society. Last year, as a Christmas gift from my 'gadget-mad' brother, my little sister and I recieved a nintendo wii. Ironically, it is not just played with by meself and my sister, but my whole family! The console allows us to create a 'Mii character', an avatar which you can create and adapt to match your own appearance; and take part in individual or team games involving every 'Mii'. All 5 people in my family have a 'Mii' character and we usually enjoy Saturday evenings trying to beat our previous high scores as a family. This contradicts Jenkins argument as it is an example of new medias ability to bring together familys and friends rather than create a wedge between them. Another example of how new media may be beneficial in terms of bringing people together may be the fact that the same types of media being available on diferent platforms. I have Skype on my iphone and also on my laptop, allowing me to connect with family and friends abroad whether I am in my home or out and about, thus agreeing with Jenkins to a certain degree in terms of our ability to take the media with us wherever we go. Finally, I feel it is important to acknowledge the indivduals whom new media is not as avaialble to them as it is to myself. People living deprived countries for example may not be able to grasp the advantages of new media at all due to their position in society. If this approach is considered, then Jenkins ideology is fundementally flawed as it is a generalisation and does not consider all individuals.
References
Jenkins, H. (2006) Eight Traits of The New Media Landscape[WWW] Avaliable from: http://henryjenkins.org/2006/11/eight_traits_of_the_new_media.html
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