Quanesha Burr

Chapters six and seven in Participatory Culture in a Networked Era by Henry Jenkins, Mizuko Ito, and danah boyd, start off serious right from the beginning. In many ways, these chapters outline the real importance of “participatory culture.” Henry Jenkins states in the Introduction Participatory “communities encourage conversations about social and political change” (152). Invoking these conversations will probably be exciting to some but frightening to others. And Jenkins continues to say,

Before we can change the world, we need to be able to imagine what another, better world might look like. We need to understand ourselves as political and civic agents and as members of particular communities, we need to be able to see making change as possible, and, in many cases, we need to be able to feel empathy for the experience of others. (152-153)

We essentially need to model people in the past like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  In my opinion, the problem is not “imagining what another, better world might look like” the problem is getting enough people to care about an improved world (Jenkins 152). If they do not care, the rest will not matter.

             Chapter six gives us examples of “participatory politics,” and key words are sharing, participating, making, gathering, and constructing (Jenkins 155-156). We are also provided with a definition of “participatory politics” and it “refers to the ways that the mechanisms of cultural participation get harnessed for political purposes” (Jenkins 156). I can actually recall a time when one of my teachers got some of my classmates involved in a pro-life march. With that memory, I agree with the research which

                                                                                              

suggests young people become invested in politics as a consequence of the role models provided by their parents . . ., their teachers . . ., and their school communities. (Jenkins 156)

I actually think parents and maybe even teachers shape a lot of young people’s opinions about political issues.

            And when chapter six starts discussing “the DREAM Act,” readers get to see youth’s power (Jenkins 160). The discussion proves a point mentioned earlier that we just need more people wanting and trying to improve society, but young people need three things opportunity, talent, and security (boyd 168). Continuing, the chapter makes the distinction between “being a part of a participatory culture movement” vs. “a participatory culture community” and ultimately one should contemplate whether a community is involved before making a decision to be a part of something (boyd 175). In conclusion, when I think of participatory culture I think of group work because “participatory culture requires us to move beyond a focus on individualized personal expression; it is about an ethos of ‘doing it together’ in addition to ‘doing it yourself’ (Jenkins, Ito, and boyd 181). Ultimately I think these chapters show us it is more challenging sometimes to be a part of a participatory culture than outside, but would you sacrifice learning and growth because of the challenges?

Questions

1.      What was the most important thing you learned within these two chapters?

2.      Will your actions change after reading chapters six and seven?

As I was reading chapter four Learning and Literacy in Participatory Culture in a Networked Era by Henry Jenkins, Mizuko Ito, and Danah Boyd nothing was really standing out to me that I really wanted to discuss or mention. Then, I got to the statement “I don’t think that inoculation or abstinence helps people cope with the contemporary media ecosystem,” and I really focused on “I don’t think that . . . abstinence helps people cope” (Boyd 109). That statement made me think about how I feel at times. Sometimes, I feel like not being on “social media” would make my life less stressful, and I contemplate removing myself from Facebook. Then, I think about its capabilities, the remarks I hear people make, and my personality. They all give me a reason not to leave.

As I continued to read, I was also interested in the discussion about the student who was interested in Batman. I believe at one point or another we all probably had experiences similar to that student. There are just classes that talk about subjects out of our interest or classes like we mentioned in a classroom discussion that we do not care to contribute to for several reasons. But like the chapter mentioned, it takes discussing an unexpected topic or a topic of interest to turn all that around.

And as I continued to read chapter five Commercial Culture, a particular line caught my attention. Danah says, “In this same vein, there was a lot of creative output that wasn’t even seen as labor at all” (137). This line shocked me especially because of how we value creativity today. Danah’s statement made me reflect on a comment I made earlier. As I write more and more of these blogs, I feel as though thinking of a reaction is hard. At times, I find myself not knowing what to say and that makes completing the assignment difficult. Although I think a summary is hard as well, I know for some people they consider that to be their strength and creativity is where they need help. I really just think it depends on the person, but I consider myself to be creative and at times I still struggle.

While reading Chapter Two in Participatory Culture in a Networked Era, the only thing I could really think about is how my parents were and what they did. Like I mentioned to some classmates before, my parents were not strict when it came to monitoring my internet use. I think it had a lot to do with trust. I do not think their lack of monitoring me showed a lack of “ ‘good parenting’ ” (Jenkins, Ito, and Boyd 41). I actually appreciated it.

After reading this chapter, I know I am different. I willingly showed and still do show my parents pictures or comments I post. I have a habit of seeking an opinion about remarks I make, poems I write, or even photos. Usually it is when I like something, but I am not sure how others will feel or when I want to make sure what I am saying is clear enough for people to understand but vague enough to be interpreted different ways.

The only thing my dad really showed concern about was the photos I posted online. He was and still is concerned about strangers being able to figure out where I live. But, to say I post statuses on Facebook that are personal he has never had a problem with what I shared. He is one of those people who just disappears and then randomly pops up one day, reads your stuff, and comments.

In regards to sharing personal information though, deeper within chapter two I really liked the fact the authors chose to discuss the positive side of sharing, and chapter three to me was directly tied to our classroom conversations about having a range of people in your network.  I like all of the questions raised in chapter three, and it also made me think about my own actions. I get a little nervous knowing I do not have the best connections, but I believe intelligence can get you far.