Spreadable Media Chapter 4

Participating in a Digital World of Collaborative Publics and Audiences

Chapter 4 of Henry Jenkins book, "Spreadable Media", jumps into a 360 look at what part we play as a vast array of collaborative communities.  The internet and social media platforms have opened doors to a whole new interactive business model.  Social platforms like Myspace, Facebook, Linked In and YouTube have become far more collaborative than the founders expected.  Advertising agencies put up footage about their products letting the public chat, like, forward, share and reproduce the original footage.  This collaborative aspect lets audience members become 'producers'.  As producers we have the responsibility to inform others about products that we like whether it be music, groceries, fashion or a type of automobile.  By sharing and tweeting song lyrics, photos, memes and parodies of what we like, a chain reaction occurs among the public.  The more views, likes and comments an original or reproduced media has, the more interactive the company should be with their audiences.  Companies are not always listeners, but they do hear and see what we have to say.

As collaborators and producers we are involved in a three-way communication system.  Being a member of this system, we give advice and opinions, create new story-lines, alter media, and impact the outcome of products.

The Crank Dat Fandom

 

  

Soulja Boy created his own dance routine that sparked a crazed of online videos.  These videos of people showing that they have dance skills circulated the choreography to surplus audiences.  People who didn't really like his music, but wanted to try the dance became his fans after uploading their footage or remix of the song.  This started dance battles between friends and record sales and downloads skyrocketed. Soulja Boy is not the only hip-hop artist who has had a dance trend following.  Artists like Lil Jon, Outkast, Chris Brown and many others have also had popular dance numbers that went to social media by the collection of circulated 'look at me dancing' videos.  YouTube has become the main social media platform for this type of collaborative fandom.  Song mash-ups,  DJ and fan remixes, and music parody are popular trends there. This trendy use of social media has now expanded over all genres of music.

A group of folks trying to dance to Soulja Boy - see the video below:

Another new trend on YouTube - Collaborative Beat-Boxing Quintet (*N SYNC Medley):

Adobe, a software company, has made it easy to edit, reproduce, and alter photos, videos and sound clips.  Adobe's Photoshop, FinalCut Pro and Dreamweaver have made it possible for fans to have fun with the free interactive properties of social media tools.  Sharing their creations on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram has become the leading entertainment for today's youth.  Not only do fans of a product use social media tools like these, but business have become investors as well   Companies pay for digital billboards that catch the eye of the public.  Gas stations have also jumped on board creating digital signage and touchscreen gas pumps.  In Asia, vending machines have become more interactive by using Twitter as the main platform for item access.  A person in need of a snack must tweet the machine for what they want.

Companies Who Listen

A new campaign by Lays Potato Chips has excited their public consumers by handing them the choice of future products.  A commercial explaining the rules and advertising three products for choice shows that Lays is listening.  Their fans had the choice between three flavors and their Facebook page is buzzing with discussion.  

Hidden Valley Ranch's Facebook page also creates an interactive fanbase by asking for insight concerning the pros and cons of their products.  Fans on this page can talk about the ingredients, texture and usage of Hidden Valley Dressings.  This collaborative process also involves asking about what the next flavor of Ranch should be.

In my opinion, this collaborative effort between fan-bases and publics is helpful for creating stickiness and popularity of products and services.  Ever since the late 90s, cyberspace was to be used as an interactive medium between family, friends and businesses.   Today the idea of connectivity is a far overachieved concept that has been enhanced through the use of Smartphones and Tablets.  People are using Web 2.0 to engage, entertain and do work.  I see social media tools making a huge impact in the ease of connecting, trading and entertaining in the near future.  The phenomenon of cyberspace sociability and interactivity has already come so far, I can't wait to see what's next!