Post the results of your group's work on MY blog as a response to this post. Your analysis should include concepts covered, special terms, arguments (Jenkins' and others'), evidence, external links to websites, blogs, wikis, lists, and other materials mentioned in the reading that are important to our "knowledge community."
Frame your analysis by identifying the concept, page numbers where it is discussed, etc., and which of you authored the entry on each concept. Put each concept in a separate post.
Group 1 (p. 59 to Zappers): Amanda Davis, Susannah Turner
Media industry, affective economics, corporate convergence, conversion strategy, marketing
Group 2 (Zappers to end): Shelley Napolitano, Sean Ottosen, Leah Cotten
Zappers/Casuals/Loyal, Brand communities, Gossip, Contesting the Vote
Group 3 (p. 93 to Art): Patrick McDade, Lacey Deshotel
Cult artifacts, synergistic story-telling; collaborative authorship (absentee)
Group 4 (Art to end): Mandy Belanger, Travis Lamprecht, Lexi Debrock
Art of world-making, transmedia storytelling, additive comprehension, encyclopedic capacity
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CH.2 ZAPPERS/CASUALS/LOYALS
Terms:
Zappers constantly change channels and watch pieces of shows instead of concentrating on one. (74)
Loyals pick their favorite shows and give themselves over fully to them. (74)
Casuals may have a favorite set of television programs but only watch when they have nothing better to do and actually remember. (74)
Concept:
The media industry must know its viewers in order to attract them.
Arguments:
• Interactive television should and will be designed for zappers. (75) –Phillip Swann
• On the contrary, loyals are more valuable than zappers. (76) –Jenkins
o Evidence: Initiative Media did a study that showed that loyals have a higher rate of brand recall, which means advertising is absorbed more by loyals. Because of this and other research, advertisers realize that they need to invest money during shows with high favorability and not during shows with high ratings. (76)
Therefore, new Concept:
The goal of the media industry is to attract loyals, slow down zappers, and turn casuals into fans. (76)
Example:
Concept: American Idol wants a large audience and must use knowledge of television viewers to appeal to their wants.
Arguments:
• Attract loyals to create a large audience.
o Evidence: Satisfactory entertainment experiences pull in long-time viewers. (77)
o Evidence: Serialization rewards those who keep coming back. (77)
o Evidence: Cliffhangers leave loyals hooked to tune in to the next episode. (77)
• Slow down zappers to expand large audience.
o Evidence: Short, highly emotionally charged units attract zappers’ attention. (77)
o Evidence: Sometimes an entire show is dedicated to recapping the season so that zappers can see what they have missed and get hooked on the remainder of the season. (77)
• Turn casuals into fans to expand audience viewing.
o Evidence: Short recaps and updates in every episode catch the casual viewer up and draw them into the rest of the season. (77)
o Evidence: Unresolved elements pull casuals to a more committed relationship with the show. (77)
Therefore, new Concept:
American Idol is designed to support and sustain multiple levels of engagement. (77)
Chapter 3-The Art of Worldmaking
main concept: additive comprehension...Additive comprehension is considering one piece of information and using that information to look at the work in a different way. The way in which you analyze the work differs from person to person, but additive comprehension is what the viewer takes away from the work and uses to form his/her own ideas or fantasies.
Neil Young argues that additive comprehension takes place in just about every film that we watch/ book we read. He feels that additive culture is obtained by transmedia storytelling (refer to travis' comment for this concept).Pages 123 and 124 elaborate on Young's argument, and further he gives proof that additive comprehension really occurs very frequently. He uses The Lord of the Rings as his main example. He talks about the additive comprehension that is gained by playing the games and reading the books versus just watching the movies. But, his main point is that we as a society do need to take additvie comprehension for what it is worth because without it, plots will be dull and boring with nothing left to the audiences' imaginations.
Ch. 3 What is the Matrix?
Concept: cult artifact
Umberto Eco argues that for a film to be considered a cult artifact, it must be a "completely furnished world so that its fans can quote characters and episodes as if they were aspects of the private sectarian world," and that it "must be encyclopedic, containing a rich array of information that can be drilled, practiced, and mastered by devoted consumers." (97) For a work to be a cult object, the viewer must be able to only remember parts of the film that they "unhinged" or broke apart themselves. The more differences in the film, "the more communities it can sustain." (98)-Jenkins
Jenkins argues that if Casablanca is the classical cult movie, then The Matrix is the convergence culture cult movie. Because The Matrix borrows concepts from so many elements, it has a wide audience response. Viewers notice the references to "through the looking glass" and mythological names. Religious references and oracular prophecy are also elements within the film. Viewers notice that Jean Baudrillard's works play what appears to be a major role in the film. Just with the elements within the first film, it has transformed into a cult object.
Numerous different knowledge communities work to discover the many secrets of the film. "The deeper you drill down, the more secrets emerge." (99) What is important for Jenkins is that regardless of the impossibility to ever fully understand or decode The Matrix, there are dedicated fans that still try to figure it out within their distinctive knowledge communities because of the film's transformation into a cult artifact.
Amanda Davis
Chapter 2 Buying Into American Idol (1st half)
Topics: Media Industry, Affective Economics
Terms: Commodification, media convergence, impression, lovemarkers
Concepts:
• The media industry seeks to understand its audience so that it can attract their business.
• Affective economics seeks to understand the emotional underpinnings of consumer decision-making as a driving force behind viewing &purchasing decisions-jenkins, 62.
Arguments:
• Affective economics has both positive and negative implications: allowing advertisers to tap the power of the collective intelligence and direct it toward their own ends, but at the same time allowing consumers to form their own kind of collective bargaining structure that they can use to challenge corporate decisions –Jenkins 63
• Media Industry in general the media industry seeks to understand the wants and desires of viewers, and through the culmination of multiple forms of media being Internet, television, radio and advertising in an effort to attract and sustain consumer loyalty.
Evidence:
• Apple Box productions put out an advertisement stating “You’ve got 3 seconds. Impress me”- 65. This plays on the idea that in a world where consumer power is ever growing, the production companies and product companies must now find a way to get the consumers attention almost immediately.
-From there we have the new concept that in order to build a fan base the producers must make the experience for the consumer more interactive.
Evidence:
• Coca-Cola Company and their interactive website connects consumers with their favorite music and popular artists. Consumers are able to go online and download directly from the Coke website. They can also make their own personal mixes that can be shared with others on the website, thereby ever personalizing there website. "[It] allows further customization and a deeper sense of belonging in the world of Coca-Cola" (72).
Quotes:
• “We will use diverse array of entertainment assets to break into people’s hearts and minds. In that order… We’re moving to ideas that elicit emotion and create connections –Steven J. Heyer
Arguments:
• This concept of customization contributes to the idea of affective economics that when a customer has a true loyalty to products they are more likely to continue to buy the product and even suggest it to others. In essence it builds the product fan base, which in turn builds exposure, and in the long run increases the producers’ returns. The concept of commodification also plays a part in the media industry.
• One of the main terms discussed in relation to the media industry is media convergence. According to Jenkins, it is essential to the to the media industry because in order for companies and producers to reach their audiences they must participate in all forms of media. This in turn brings more people together within the media system, which allows the ability for producers to reach more possible consumers.
Ch. 3 Searching for the Origami Unicorn
Concept: Encyclopedic Capacity
Janet Murray poses a very interesting point about "encyclopedic capacity." She claims that as audiences of movies, magazines, books, and television become more enraptured with their respective forms of entertainment they will move past those venues to digital media sources for more information. Digital media sources include, but are not limited to: the Internet, video games, cell phones, blogs, and chat rooms. These fresher media sources allow for the fan to make their entertainment fiction more of a reality, expand the means for storytelling, and be part of a knowledge community. Digital media sources enable audiences to connect the dots and answer questions that leave them puzzled before the real time interaction. Jenkins points out that many before The Matrix phenomenon used these tools to keep fans returning; Faulkner's compiled works complete a picture of what occurred in his fictional southern town. This notion is somewhat scary. Producers cannot merely create a show, they have to consider what they can do outside the show via the Internet to keep fans happy between sequels or seasons. I do not really understand this huge rush to online knowledge communities for entertainment purposes. It seems that some of these fans cannot just watch a series anymore, they need to feel like part of the show; thus they download floor plans of Hogwarts, stage reenactments of fight scenes, and chose the fate of their favorite singers so they can become part of the action that has nothing to do with them. I found some interesting sites that have a lot of online interaction: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/hannahmontana3d/ is a link to see the Hannah Montana concert, movie, and show; tarflies.com is a spoiler community for the TV show The Amazing Race; and theonering.net is everything one would need to know about The Lord of The Rings trilogy.
I found a great website that has a top 25 of the best website communities: www.ew.com then click on "best of the web"
Chapter 2: Contesting the Vote
Corporate sponsors, through product placements and online communities, want to duplicate the success of popular entertainment, making viewer loyalty synonymous with brand loyalty. Widely accepted by most audiences, product placement has become a standard for most reality programming. Unfortunately, Jenkins says, "product placements may be a double edge sword." Consumer grievances with a brand name tends to influence their opinion of the entire show (or vice-versa), along with its other corporate sponsors. Example: American Idol pushes viewers to use AT&T for their call-in voting system. The flaws of this system, and uncertainty over whether or not all votes were counted, have inspired distrust in AT&T (not to mention Coca-Cola and Ford) and put the impartiality of American Idol's producers and judges into question. At the same time online "consumption communities," created by sponsors, have given "inspirational consumers" a place to discuss their frustrations. "Sponsoring such a show ensures that companies will get talked about," says Jenkins, "but it doesn't guarantee what the audience is going to say about them." He argues that producers and sponsors need to use these "scandals" as opportunities to learn from consumers and better understand their "emotional investment" in entertainment property and product labels.
Chapter One: First Half
Concept/Idea: Marketing
Terms:
Corporate Convergence, Convergence Strategy, Transmedia, Networks, Marketing Strategies, Media Consumpstion, Reality Television, Programming, Affective Economics, Purchasing Decisions, Quantify, Measure, Commodify, Return on Investment(ROI), Exploitation, Aggressive Targeting, Brand Reputation, Media Touch Points, Consumption Patterns, Loyals/Fans, Impression, Expression, Next Generation Audience, Investment, Exposure, Emotion, Brand Extension, Lovemarks, Brand Loyalty, Active Consumers, Inspirational Customers, Brand Advocates
Arguments:
"New models of marketing seek to expand consumer's emotional, social, and intellectual investments with the goal of shaping consumption patters."
"Affective Economics...a new configuration of marketing theory...which seeks to understand the emotional underpinnings of consumer decision-making as a driving force behind viewing and purchasing decisions."
"New marketing discourse seeks to mold those consumer desires to shape purchasing decisions."
"This emerging discourse of affective economics...[allows] advertisers to tap the power of collective intelligence and direct it toward their own ends, but at the same time allowing consumers to form their own kind of collective bargaining structure that they can use to challenge corporate decisions."
"Affective economics sees active audiences as potentially valuable if they can be courted and won over by advertisers."
"Marketers seek to shape brand reputations across media touch points...[in order to] build a long-term relationship with a brand."
"The strength of a connection [with a brand] is measured in terms of its emotional impact. The experience should not be contained within a single media platform, but should extend across as many media as possible."
(evidence and external links to follow)
Chapter 2: Talk among Yourselves!
Concept: brand communities
Brand communities are made up of those groups of consumers who “form intense bonds with the product and, through the product, with fellow consumers” (79). Companies have only recently begun focusing on these groups, rather than on individuals and “undifferentiated audiences.” Brand communities are powerful because they are loyal and promote the brand. They share information about the brand with others within the brand community, as well as with outsiders. The internet makes this communication easier and allows more people to participate. Sometimes these communities exist beyond the digital world, too, in "brandfests" - promotional social events organized by either the consumers or the companies. Having a place where they can discuss their opinions and feelings about the products allows the brand communities to make group decisions and influence the brands themselves. Robert Kozinets sums it up pretty well, stating, "Loyal consumers are creating their tastes together as a community...consumers evaluate quality togther. they negotiate consumption standards" (80).
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_community
Coca Cola Community: http://community.livejournal.com/cokefan/
Jeep Community: http://jeeplover.gather.com/
Topic : Conversion Strategy.
Concept : Conversion strategy embodies when a company attracts consumers through an alternative medium. The strategy is organized to redirect viewers from one use, function, or purpose to another.
Evidence:
• “This made the phone companies happy because they have been trying to find a way to get Americans more excited about text messaging” ( 59)
• “We know when people are watching a show they care about, they tend to watch commercials more.” (60)
• “So the broadcast network are countering by offering more original programming in the summer, with the less- expensive reality programs becoming their best weapon. “ ( 60)
• “This next generation audience research focuses attention on what consumers do with media content once it has pass across their eyeballs.” (67)
• “Brand extension builds on audience inertest in particular content to bring them into contact again and again with an associated knowledge” (69)
• “We will use a diverse array of entertainment assets to break into people’s hearts and mind.” (69)
• “Cokemusic.com further aligns the soft drink company with people’s enjoyment of popular music, allowing for a range of different participatory and interactive options”. (72)
Chapter 3 Transmedia Storytelling
Concept: "World-making follows its own market logic, at a time when filmmakers are as much in the business of creating licensed goods as they are telling stories" (115) Jenkins. Transmedia storytelling is unlike any other form of storytelling. It strays away from your typical linear story that has a beginning, middle and an end. With transmedia storytelling, the story is chopped into sections that are out of order. This leads the audience to put the pieces of the puzzle of the story together themselves. "Entertainment weekly proclaimed 1999, the year that The Matrix, Fight Club, The Blair Witch Project, Being John Malkovich, Run Lola Run, Go, American Beauty and The Sixth Sense hit the market, as "the year that changed movies." If you look at such works by old criteria, these movies may seem more fragmented, but the fragments exist so that consumers can make connections on their own time and in their own ways" (119) Jenkins. Transmedia storytelling can be told through video games, films, television and literature. It is molded by the audience however they want to make their own inferences and connections of the story at hand. "I want to understand the kinds of story comprehension which are unique to transmedia storytelling. I've got my world, I've got my arcs, some of those arcs can be expressed in the video game space, some of them can be expressed in the film space, the television space, the literary space, and you are getting to the true transmedia storytelling" (124) Young. This reminds of an internet community called Second Life. It is an actual computerized community where anyone can join and create a computerized version of themselves over the internet. A world is built for them but now they must live their "second life". Objects such as a guitar are built and sold for actual money. People can purchase and sell real estate. Real companies such as Ebay advertise in the computerized world. It is transmedia storytelling at its best with the individual controlling how their second life is carried out. Here is the link. Definitely worth investigating. http://secondlife.com/
Ch. 2: Corporate Convergence
Concept: Corporate convergence is the commercially directed flow of media content.
"As advertisers lose the ability to invade the hoe, and consumer's minds, they will be forced to wait for an invitation. This means they have to learn what kinds of advertising content customers will actually be willing to seek out and receive" (67).
"Expression charts attentiveness to programming and advertising, time spent with the program and its sponsors" (67-68).
"Confronting profound shifts in consumer behavior, Heyer then outlined what he saw as his "convergence" strategy - the greater collaboration between content providers and sponsors to shape the total entertainment package" (68).
"Heyer's speech evokes the logic of brand extension, the idea that successful brands are built by exploiting multiple contacts between the brand and consumer. The strength of a connection is measured in terms of its emotional impact" (69).
"The emotions are a serious opportunity to get in touch with consumers. And best of all, emotion is an unlimited resource" (70).
"Audience participation is a way of getting American Idol viewers more deeply invested, shoring up their loyalty to the franchise and its sponsors" (70).
"Coca-Cola, in turn, brands key series elements: contestants wait in the "red room" before going on stage; judges sip from Coca-Cola cups; highlights get featured on the official program Web site surrounded by a Coca-Cola logo..." (71).
"Corporations are turning toward active consumers because they must do so if they are going to survive" (72).
"Roberts argues that companies need to listen closely when these inspirational consumers speak - especially when they criticize a company decision" (73).
“How Gossip Fuels Convergence”
1) Gossip as a social function p.84
-Deborah Jones 1980, feminist writer who claims that gossip is an intimate process that allows women to share common experience and learn from one another.
-Gossip builds or accentuates common ground between its participants
2) Cyberspace broadens the sphere of gossip p. 84
-Continuing this feminist line of thought, Jenkins says that cyberspace users can benefit in this same way.
-On the internet things we talk about are more universal, yet conversations can still be intimate
-Gossip is fueled by topics that are personal to you….
-focus group says 60.9% say the ethical conduct of American Idol contestants was a central topic of their gossip p.84
3) Value in gossip
-different ethnic groups talk virtually about ethics and learn more about how they each see the world. Gossip is valuable in this way!
-ethically dubious on-air conduct frequently encourages a public discussion of ethics and morality that reaffirms much more conservative values and assumptions
-Gossip may be what Jenkins calls a “Consensus forming process.” It is a process through which collective intelligence generates shared knowledge.
-Jenkins calls reality television viewers a “Consumption community.”
4) Synergies
-The consumption community’s consensus forming process is 2 part: First, they discuss the performance. Second, they discuss the outcomes
-Both of these can motivate viewers to leave their t.v. sets and look for additional information and further discussions on the internet.
-Gossip about these issues can form consensus and predict a “common sense outcome” p 86
-As television viewers place their votes (text messaging), phone friends to gossip, and browse the internet looking for more info, they are participating in convergence culture.
Group 3: Concept: Synergistic Storytelling
Jenkins uses the terms synergistic storytelling and transmedia storytelling synonymously to mean the relaying of a specific story's narration over a wide array of venues - including film, text, video games, comics, and more.
He uses the term "Co-creation" to mean the cooperative creation of a story line from each media venue instead of traditional licensing agreements which allows for only one creator and has dominance over the entire story line in every venue.
He argues that the Matrix is a true example of synergistic storytelling. He looks to plot lines such as a letter containing vital information that must pass through two movies and a video game to get to its intended recipient, "The Kids Story" which is pivotal in multiple Matrix venues, and the unexplained appearance of a character in one of the movies which is actually explained elsewhere.
He also looks at critics such as Fiona Morrow who complains that the story should be contained in one movie. Also Mike Antonucci who claims that this synergistic storytelling has less to do with a revolutionary expanse of storytelling and more to do with a marketing scheme.
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