Did Bert leave Earnie for bin Laden?

Traversing the internet often results in "collisions [which] continually remind us that community, in addition to being the result of something we do, is also something that happens to us. Finding ourselves in-community with various others, we eventually separate off into communities that coalesce around common identities and interests." People are naturally drawn to ideas that affirm beliefs they already have, and reject those that disprove beliefs they have judged as true. This cognitive dissonance causes people to radically respond to both ends of the spectrum--they join communities to further their cause while attacking the competition. 

James J. Brown brings up a controversy involving a picture that depicts Bert, from Sesame Street, in cahoots with Osama bin Laden. In this example the photo's creator, Dino Ignacio, created the image as a joke to substantiate his long running bit that Bert is evil. This story parallels Frankenstein, where the creator feels shame for creating a monster that wreaks havoc on society. After the image had become popular, and upon shutting down the Bert is Evil website, Ignacio expressed concern that his parodies had “gotten too close to reality,” and by this he meant that his website had been taken up by mainstream media. The transmission of this image was so pervasive that it was found on protest posters in Afghanistan. The message had clearly been misconstrued.

One perspective is that "[w]eb technologies welcome “transcultural confusion” and that such technologies also “[create] the conditions of intercultural exchange that render politically noxious any culture which cannot decode the messages of others.”" This statement is a rather harsh criticism of people in the Middle East using and reproducing an image without consideration of its effect. Images are especially riddled with context that does not translate, and even savvy cultures get it wrong.
Equally unfounded is "condemning all American popular culture and blaming it for Islamic fundamentalism." The criticism of Western Culture in the Middle East did not begin with our media, and it has only become a component of the conflict recently. These two views represent the intolerance that complicates the cultural conflict.

In the end of his article Brown's tone turns positive toward online resources which "offe[r] a space where communities can gather toward particular goals (this, most definitely, is happening), the Web offers a place where community happens to us even without any sort of intentional gesture of “let’s get together.”" He idealizes the product of a community unified by common beliefs.

Summary response 1

 

     In Convergence Culture the author Henry Jenkins seeks to define and explain a growing phenomenon that spurs “the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behavior of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want” (2). Jenkins describes the polarizing issues that emerge as a result of booming technology, one of which is the need to control and mediate content that can get overwhelming or offensive. Jenkins begs the question of what makes a utopia: free content or a positive presentation of information. He emphasizes that consumers are flooded with media, and that increases the need for industries to reach their audience in creative and compelling ways. One technique corporations employ is “empowering readers not only to submit their own stories but to work collectively to determine the relative value of each submission” (240). Incorporating a rating system gives the people benefiting from the content a glimpse into the tastes and preferences of their audience. Working with peers facilitates collective learning which may, in turn, create a collective intelligence that surpasses the abilities of any contributor working independently. This pool of knowledge spans from the microcosm of television shows like Survivor to political campaigns and elections. Jenkins points out the evaluative component of collective learning that enables people to comment and criticize based on the credentials of the author and the information presented. Convergence culture has elements of economic, social, cultural and technological value which necessitates that individuals and corporations understand and harness new media.

      The argument Jenkins presents that I struggle most to choose a position on is that “the strength and weakness of a collective intelligence is that it is disorderly, undisciplined, and unruly" (Jenkins 53). Tension emerges because I believe in freedom of speech, but hesitate to defend that position to absurdity; at the same time I abide by the standard of presenting information in a civil way. What would make this issue easier is if people that use offensive language to convey their position understood that a delicate stance is more palatable and persuasive, and used that knowledge to their advantage. I am also disappointed in what many consumers find valuable, and wonder how mainstream (television, radio, CNN) content will be affected by the industry's awareness of the population's preferences and tastes. I believe that, to an extent, this information has already been applied to enhance and edit the content we receive. It would be idealistic to think that a wealth of websites could provide a clear image of what's happening, but I do sincerely believe in the benefit of high numbers. I am, therefore, highly skeptical of the evaluation of political candidates, because of the personal attachment many viewers feel to a party. Their affiliation skews their perspective and causes the facts to be diluted amongst opinion. An example Jenkins cites was Howard Dean's campaign, which I followed quite diligently. I felt rather disheartened to see his career ravaged by absurd commentary. Misinformation about Obama's religions and racial background became common, accepted 'knowledge.' Herein lies the problem with free content, people choose to follow poor examples of collective intelligence. An unselective or naive audience falls prey to manipulation, but becoming informed is more accessible than ever before. As a member of the generation aging alongside the boom of internet I feel grateful for the opportunity to enrich myself with beliefs and knowledge that would be limited without the assistance of free content, despite the consequences.

Freedom is internet access

Despite the availability of knowledge, unparalleled by any other point in human history, we still know so little about our candidate's political stance before they are elected. This point is well expressed with the fact that "popular culture matters politically-- because it doesn't seem to be about politics at all" (Jenkins 250). Young voters who are well educated choose to watch parody news and begin to believe that source is adequate and substantial. The reference to the Howard Dean campaign is utterly relevant, because his reputation was destroyed by an exaggerated and overplayed positive emotional reaction. I could have gotten behind this slander if he seemed enraged, but I am disgusted that his excitement was conveyed as anything other than reasonable and genuine.

I am, however, delighted that there is a media outside of television and radio. The internet makes information accessible and cheap, which in my opinion outweighs the disadvantage of corrupted news. Monopolistic news reporting just seems wrong, because "TV was a medium that rendered us dumb, disengaged, and disconnected, the Internet makes us smarter, more involved, and better informed" (Jenkins 221). As a rhetoric major I have been diligent in accessing the original source of my citations, and have had better luck finding it when using internet based media. Our television news and newspapers are primarily composed of prechewed and distorted Associated Press articles. No matter what your preference for news source, you are reading the same thing, only skewed to manipulate your opinion. I like the freedom of the internet, and the potential for a "knowledge culture" (Jenkins 249).