Post Class 3/23 Jenkins, meg143

I found our class discussion on Tuesday very interesting and I have enjoyed the readings by Jenkins, Marx and Althusser as well. The discussion about twitter was the first topic that I have a slightly different opinion on. I currently use twitter and have found it both entertaining and fascinating and I’ve also watched it work wonders in the marketing world. While I do understand there are a lot of skeptics against twitter, I have to say that I think it is a useful media tool that brings about an ambient awareness of your friends, celebrities, as well as companies/ designers that you like. I understand it may not be a necessary tool but I don’t believe it has created any negative implications either. “People who may not ever meet face to face and thus have real world connections with each other can tap into shared framework of popular culture to facilitate communication” (556). Jenkins explains in this quote how tools like twitter and facebook have created real connections with strangers who may not ever meet each other but it does not take away from the fact that they are communicating and making connections. We live in a very participatory culture that is now surrounded by the web and I think that instead of rejecting these tools we should embrace them and look for the positives in connecting with others around you. I am planning to go into marketing or public relations and I have already become very familiar with certain media tools from past internships and I know that I will continue using them and have to stay up to date with the newest technologies and ways to reach the general public. “We are witnessing the emergence of an elaborate feedback loop between the emerging DIY aesthetics of participatory culture and the mainstream industry.” (571). Different websites and technologies are taking off and becoming extremely popular and I am very interested to see what will be the next media tools that change our day to day lives as well as the marketing and public relations industry.