Blogs…p2p…3G mobile phones…web cams…wikis… are all in the realm of the unfamiliar to me. Emerging Media as part of the Masters of Media Production will introduce me to new technologies that I haven’t heard of, let alone used.
Growing up on the mountain overlooking Hobart I had an expanse of wilderness as my backyard. As a young person my reality and to a large extent my values were shaped by interaction with the bush. I didn’t watch television, engage with advertising, I didn’t even use a computer until well into my undergraduate studies and even then it was only for word processing. I have never played computer games and not only do I not have a mobile phone but I am averse to how invasive they have become. It’s not so much that I didn’t have the opportunity to engage with technology but more that I actively resisted it. I have been wary of technology and the rapid rate at which it evolves. One of my concerns is the way it is changing how we communicate and therefore how we relate to one another and the world around us.
The internet and web, e-mail, msn, mobile phones, MP3, podcasting, sms, reality television, have infiltrated mainstream consciousness and have impacted significantly on the way in which we communicate. Whether that impact has been positive or otherwise is open to debate. Digital media and technology is also redefining cultural understandings of what art and narrative is.
This subject will not only challenge me with new forms of media but I imagine I will also find myself trying to reconcile some of my existing values with certain media platforms. I am excited by this prospect. I’m interested in exploring innovative ways to utilise new and existing technologies to engage audiences in ways that I have not previously considered. I understand that as a creative professional I need to understand the possibilities of these forms of media in connecting with audiences. As an educator I am aware that young people can be a difficult demographic to connect with. To engage young people you have to adopt their language and the tools they use to communicate.
Our first collaborative task in Emerging Media is to design a convergent game to be delivered on multiple media platforms. The research and process will be logged on a collaborative wiki. This is bound to be an eye opener, given that I have have a very limited understanding of game culture, and that I have no experience of playing computer games.
