"The tale was quickly told, but it awakened various trains of reflection."

So the time has come. The semester has come to an end and we reach the point where we think back and evaluate everything we've learned and progressed in over the course of just a short four months or so. Below is my personal reflection on my involvement and experience in Digital Culture:

1. Self-directed Learning / Personal Blog Posts
   In the very beginning of the semester, my main focus in digital culture was on how it can be used to improve human relations. I read books such as The Death of Distance: How the Communications Revolution Will Change Our Lives (see my review on Goodreads) as well as some of Community Without Community in Digital Culture by Charlie Gere, and Bloggerati, Twitterati by Mary Cross. However, when we came to the point of deciding on a personal project that we'd like to pursue for the semester, I became interested in a website that I stumbled upon called http://www.informationdiet.com/ and the topic of moderation and balance in media consumption as well as the concept of "Create, Consume, and Connect" and actively giving meaningful contribution to digital culture, rather than just passively consuming. In conjunction with the website, there is also a book entitled The Information Diet: a Case for Conscious Consumption. (See also my blog posts on this subject: Digital Diet and Nothing New Under the Sun). Later on, however, I merged into the Monster Mashup (or remix/copyright) group, and began a new vein of self-directed learning there. I began to research on how remix can be used to further education, particularly in the field of classical literature. In the process I found some great sources such as this blog called "Literacy Journal"  about what makes good literary remix. I additionally sought out and discovered some "primary sources," I guess you could call them, of actual remixes that were used for productive artistic or educational purposes (see here and here.) I also viewed a film entitled The Five Obstructions which I feel represents one of the most interesting and sophisticated representations of remix that I have seen, and helped me realize even further how beneficial remix can be to see something in new light--both for the creator as well as the consumer. My independent research also extended further into a book entitled Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy by Lawrence Lessig (see the book's website/) which further expanded my view and knowledge of remix and how it relates to copyright. There are plenty of other things a researched and studied on my own, but to do a play by play of everything I've studied on my own throughout this semester would take another whole semester itself. But as some side notes, I did also do a little dipping into the topics of transmedia and also using digital media for missionary work, some of which I have displayed on Google+.
   
2. Collaboration
   I contributed to my group through much of the research mentioned above, but in addition to that, I complied some of our initial ideas in a Prezi to share to the class for social proof. One of my primary assignments was to take the time to read through Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to focus on the classic literature portion of our project and locate quotes that coordinated with the scenes that we were portraying in our project. I also contributed to a large portion of my group's research on Copyright and Fair Use, and wrote the portion on my group's blog relating to that topic for our Group Overview. I additionally wrote the  "Why Does Remix Matter?" tab on our blog. I furthermore arranged for an appointment with Sharon Swenson of the Theater and Media Arts department for us to come and present our project to her class on the History of the Moving Image, in order to receive some further social proof. Many of my own personal blog posts also served my group's blog as well, helping to add research there and also to show the progress of our project to some degree. I also participated in presenting our project to Carl Johnson in the Copyright office at BYU, with my portions focusing particularly on giving the general background of the project, why we selected Frankenstein for the project, and how it connects (especially metaphorically) to remix and copyright. I played a similar role in the final video clip we made as a group to summarize our project.
   As far as contributing to other groups goes, I was able to help out the Education Badges group with information about Copyright and Fair Use, something they had been seeking help and information on. I also tried to find wards where the Digital Sweet Home group could give their fireside (though unfortunately it didn't end up working out.) I gave social proof and feedback to the Little Big Planet group, and also attempted a shot at getting a badge myself for the Mormon Badges group.
   In contributing to the class in general, I attended class every day (except for once when I had a doctor's appointment) and really tried to be engaged and contribute to class discussion with personal insights and experiences, as well as to pose questions to hear the thoughts and ideas of others in the class. I tried to bring in points that I had discovered in my own self-directed learning as well.
    
3. Others’ assistance
   Please name others in the class who have provided you inspiration or motivation, or who have in any way contributed to your learning about digital culture. If relevant, provide links.
   
   • Casey Deans (referred us to Sharon Swenson)
   • Tara Pina, for her excitement and interest in Digital Culture in general.
   • Curtis Jenkins for his knowledge in the areas of copyright and fair use and getting me interested in that. Also, for his ideas in the beginning regarding the Media Fast which sparked my research and interest in the "Information Diet." 
   • Gwendolyn Hammer and Mikhaela Tait for their motivation and encouraging the group and the project to go forward, even when we were struggling. 
   • Greg Williams inspired me with his interest in using digital media for productive uses such as education. 
   • I was also very inspired by a lot of the blog and Google+ posts from Audrey Blake, Allie Crafton, and Rebecca Graham, as well as the presentation by the Mormon Badges group in discussing how digital media can be used to benefit the family as well as the Church. I think the class lectures in we discussed such things, were also some of the most intriguing for me (among many others, but this, I feel, is especially relevant to my life.)
4. Digital Literacy Explain how you have developed your digital literacy during this semester. Use the categories of A) Consume; B) Create; and C) Connect. Please do more than list tools or services you’ve learned to use. Describe how your understanding of literacy has evolved or how you have become more conscious of and taken more control of your digital life.
   As a Consumer, I feel that I've learned a whole lot more about how to consume wisely and in a balanced manner (like I learned from "Information Diet") rather than just to consume aimlessly or only use my Internet time for browsing random YouTube Videos, or spending hours on Facebook. Interestingly enough, my time on Facebook has actually decreased significantly this past semester. Now I use Facebook with more specific purposes, such as asking questions for my friends to answer to get social proof on various things, or staying in touch with friends who live far away, rather than simply browsing my feed to see what random Memes people have posted or whatever else. My consumption has been based more off of Google+ and the more issue-related topics that come up there, which then further lead me to search a topics based off of the discussions there. Having a niche or focus of Digital Culture in my media consumption has made me more aware and conscious of items related to that topic. This has also helped me in being able to find more purpose and focus in my media consumption. Furthermore, rather than merely being a passive consumer, this Digital Culture class has given me a greater desire to be an active Creator and Contributor to the world of digital media, particularly in aspects relating to digital media and the Church. For example, I've been looking on the Vineyard for opportunities there of how to take part in their crowdsourcing and being an active contributor. Beyond crowdsourcing aspects, I have increased my use and knowledge of blogging this semester, something that I hadn't really participated in much before. I loved how this provided a way for me to become an active part of the digital community and share and publish my own personal ideas, not just reading other people's ideas. Doing this has also helped me Connect more with people, not just as people, but also their ideas. I've loved using Google+ for this purpose and being able to connect and discuss ideas with people. Even better, it's allowed for me to have more to talk about with them when I see them in person, because I know some of the interesting, more intellectual ideas they're interested in, rather than just the superficial social aspects.

Questions, questions, questions

Below is my list of individual questions for the final exam:

1) What 3 traits describe a good classical literature mash-up? (select all that apply):
a. It maintains the core integrity of the original in terms of plot, character, and narration.
b. It uses direct citations from the original.
c. It adds something new to the original.
d. It makes the original text more approachable.
(Find answer here: here.)

2) Audrey Blake reports that, in an interview with her fifteen-year-old brother, she learned that for some  teens the most effective forms of digital media that can bring families together are ________________ and ________________. (Answer)

3) What is one objective of remix, which was also one of the original objectives of the Monster Mashup group (based off of this: Prezi):
a. To apply the principles of Fair Use.
b. To get the present generation interested in classic literature by making it relevant to them.
c. To allow other people to contribute to the creative process.


Essay "questions":

1) Although some people think that remix is a negative thing because it often can infringe on copyright laws, remix can however prove beneficial to education and increased creativity, and can even be legal under Fair Use. (See my blog)

2) Despite Curtis Jenkins' argument that society today is much too reliant on technology and digital media, I argue that, it's not so much the quantity of our technology and media consumption that needs to be given attention, but rather the quality of it; that we need to put more focus on actively and productively contributing to positive aspects of the digital sphere, rather than just passively consuming. (See Curtis' blog).

So... what exactly are Copyright and Fair Use? Ever wonder?

Often working against the idea of remix is copyright. Copyright is a law that gives the original creator of a work the exclusive rights to reproduce that work, and determine who else may use and reproduce that work. Imagine that you work for hours on a paper for school and post it on Digital Dialogue. When you gather together as a class to critique each others' work, you find that other students in the class have taken parts of your paper and put them into their own paper, some changing it slightly, some using it word for word, but not citing your paper in any way. How would you feel? Most of us seem to agree situations such as this or plagiarism are wrong, so why do we often forget copyright?  Though these two things aren't exactly the same, they do both involve the same principles: using someone else's work--and legally protected work, in the case of copyright--without permission. So to hardcore copyright believers, remix is often an abomination.

The mediator between these two worlds is fair use. Fair use puts some restriction and limitation on the exclusivity of copyright, allowing for people to have a limited use on things that are copyrighted. This includes uses such as for news reporting, education, research, criticism, and other things. However, just because your use falls into one of these categories doesn't mean you're automatically given free-reigns to pull the fair use card. To fall under fair use, your purpose of using the content must match four categories: 1) Is it being used to make money or any other forms of business or not? 2) It sometimes depends on the kind of copyrighted material actually is. 3) How much/what portion of the work you're actually using. 4) How/how much your use of the copyrighted material will affect its value or how much the owner could potentially make on it.If your purpose checks out okay with all of these points, then you're most likely good to go. And as we discuss here and portray in our interactive remix of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, you can potentially use or remix certain materials for good, even educational purposes--even to educate about copyright.

Remixing theater: Skype theater

Part of what my initial focus was on this blog was showing the benefits of Skype, then later on my focus has become remix and copyright. Tying these two together, I have come to think of how remix can pertain not only to re-using or re-making content, but also remixing the media themselves. For example the media of  books is being remixed into e-books. In conjunction with this, I recently encountered another remixed media: Skype theater: http://www.tv2fyn.dk/article/383045?autoplay=1&video_id=57079
I know it's in Danish so there's probably not too many of you who can understand it, so I'll give the brief of it. So basically, there is a theater group in Denmark that is going to start showing their productions via Skype, allowing people to view and participate in the production from all over. The director even wants to include a webcam onstage showing the actor's perspective, as well as another camera backstage to help give the public a feel of what it's like to be a part of the production, not only a viewer. They're even reaching into the world of crowd sourcing, with discussion of including the public in the writing of the script. Like other forms of remix, this takes something old and traditional and applies modern digital culture to give it new life and make it more accessible to today's digital audience.

Why Does Remix Even Matter?

Remix is a way of giving new life to something old, just like Dr. Frankenstein gave new life to an old body. Beyond mere parody and entertainment, remix can be used to help give younger generations a greater appreciation for old classics, by presenting them in a way they can better relate to.

Another important issue surrounding remix is that of copyright. Originally copyright law was mainly exercised on large corporations, and its purpose was to protect creativity, not impede it. But today, copyright targets amateur artists as well, and could potentially hinder the world of remix. There are two ways this could go. The first one we refer to as "Read Only" in which a few elite are the creators and everyone else simply views it, as if in a museum. The second we refer to as "Read/Write," where people in general are actually encouraged to contribute to the creating process and add on to and develop off of other people's ideas.

This becomes a question important to our future generations as well, as to whether common everyday behavior (such as downloading music or attaching pictures from Google to a personal blog) will be considered "legal" or "criminal" behavior. In his book Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy, asks, "How is it changing how [our kids] think about normal, right-thinking behavior? What does it mean to a society when a whole generation is raised as criminals?" 
 
Here we seek to find the balance between a democracy of creativity and participation while protecting the creative rights of others and preventing a generation of criminals. This is the topic of Fair Use. (more to come.)

Quotes for Final Scene

"I stepped fearfully in: the apartment was empty, and my bedroom was also freed from its hideous guest. . . . I became assured that my enemy had indeed fled."

"How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?"

"Alas! I had turned loose into the world a depraved wretch, whose delight was in carnage and misery."

One of these quotes, or a combination of them could be used to describe the final scene in which the monster escapes.

Quote for Scene 4

"It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet."