M5.2

http://getglue.com/andrewpause

I was able to check in on GetGlue 6 times during this assignment. This under-represents my media consumption as I enjoy a lot of media via YouTube and Twitch.tv (which are not represented on GetGlue), much more in fact when compared to my consumption of traditional media such as television.

My overall impression of GetGlue was strange. It seems to me that GetGlue isn't really providing any service or real value at all, rather trying to create from kind of cultural capital in television, sports and film interactions between consumers. I didn't get much out of using GetGlue besides knowing that dividing my attention between media and the second screen of GetGlue takes away from my experience with the media I'm consuming in the first place.

It probably has some value to advertisers and producers for promotions. Besides this, all GetGlue seems to do is allow you to connect with other viewers online around the context of something like a fan club. Now, if you're asking me how I feel that might be valuable I'd say it does have some. Connecting people is always worth something. Besides that social value there is of course value to advertisers.

As users join they are encouraged to connect with others they may already know via Facebook, Twitter, etc. to build an immediate network. Then users are asked to select an amount of television programs, sports and movies to build an interest base, which then GetGlue uses to funnel more similar media to the user. From this point, the user is free to engage in interactions with other GetGlue users who share similar tastes in media. Many of these steps and other interactions are also fueled by a rewards system, stickers displayed on your account of your task of clicking on ten television shows you like, for example.

Personally, no, I didn't feel anymore engaged during my experience using GetGlue along side my television viewing. bit.ly/1mXYxWw  This link was also posted to my COMM 2P00 Twitter as part of discussion this module and I think it rings true, especially for myself. It is clear the vast majority does not care to engage in their consumption of media that GetGlue caters to. I believe this is largely do to the passive nature of consuming television, sports and movies.

The usual passive audience is definitely re-framed as more active and encouraged to engage through GetGlue. This is largely based on checking in to whatever media one may be consuming at that particular point in time. Part of what drives this motivation are the stickers offered  to GetGlue users for participation and interaction with other users. As far as I can't see this operates like a standard merit system. You get a few of the easy stickers, the low hanging fruit and as to you progress with more check ins and other interactions more prestigious stickers are awarded. I view this as a treadmill model that seems to be more and more consistent in participatory media. The treadmill model in action almost always goes like this; User A see's locked sticker "Super Awesome Sticker #1" either on another users account or elsewhere and proceed to unlock it, which will be relatively easy at first, then of course they spot "Super Awesome Sticker #2" which is a little bit harder of course but nothing they can't handle. Depending on the quality of the treadmill design this can go on for quite sometime, if not indefinitely, before one realized they've spent hours upon hours of their time hunting down virtual stickers.

http://mashable.com/2012/10/01/once-upon-a-time-getglue-record/

Here is a clear example of the increasing success of GetGlue's business model. Regardless of the fact that some will choose to no engage in their media consumption but rather just consume and leave it at that. Others are either seeking or engaging for the sake of engaging over their favorite media. I suspect GetGlue will continue to grow and more records for interaction within the company will be set. I'm curious though, if say one could access Twitters analytics, what would be the difference in interaction between a more popular and established social media platform such as Twitter when compared with a more focused one like GetGlue.

http://mashable.com/2013/11/06/i-tv-acquires-getglue/

For even more proof of success here is GetGlue moving up to the big leagues. Someone must either believe this is the future of television, sports and movies or (and what I really think) someone needs this to be the future of television, sports and movies. In order to extract more ad time and therefore cents per viewer, social media platforms centered around popular media are being acquired by the industry.

M5.1

In the past year I've consumed and engaged with a myriad of media and in a range between (seemingly) original content all the way to complete mash-ups of music and different types of film. I'd have to say the most would be YouTube and Twitch TV, I even run a separate weekly blog of my YouTube finds which I guess is a mash-up in itself (http://pause-youtubular.blogspot.ca/) which would count towards my online production. It would also be in addition to activity on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube itself. Most contribution to these latter three is in the form of comments/posts, likes and retweets, always some form of commentary on whatever the subject matter happens to be. The kind of ground level interaction that these new types of media so easily allows is something that attracts me to participate. Before any internet like technologies I can imagine it being fairly daunting and it being much more of a take to write into a newspaper or magazine. Even then your contributions are easily ignored. While with digital media, whether intentional or not, somebody will read your opinion if it is online. My only inhibitions are towards being more of a voice that a critic online. Such as a focused contribution like a blog, YouTube channel, Twitter account, etc, dedicated to a specific area of interest.

In my opinion many of them are already doing it. Considering Twitter, it is kind of an open platform if you think about it. Anyone can make an account and choose to use this platform in a number of ways. Some ways may be more successful than others but even those conditions for success are socially constructed, lending Twitter to be very socially fluid, perhaps more so than some could be in a real world situation. Everyone can have a soapbox to stand on.

Social platforms such as Twitter are approaching a point that we cannot see beyond when it comes to copyright. Many laws crafted to impose more enforced laws into the realm of the internet are being struck down and remade often. I believe it is only a matter of time before enforced copyright makes its way into the internet. It is very hard to say what could happen beyond this point. One way I like to picture it going is similarly to the plot of the film The Matrix. Once copyright (The Matrix) infiltrates the internet (Zion) Neo is given a choice, reset The Matrix or stand and fight. In this instance I think (like in the movie) The Matrix will have to reset a few times until the right Neo comes along. That reset being the abandonment of the internet we know today and the birth of a new, probably encrypted, internet. Can you tell I enjoy sci-fi? :)