Media=Community?

Both Beach and White support the explicit incorporation of media literacies and media studies in the classroom. Personally, I feel the "transparency problem" is their strongest defense. White defines the transparency problem as "the challenges young people face in learning to see clearly the ways that media shape perceptions of the world" (3). Certainly, I see the value in analyzing the relationship between media, consumerism, and self-esteem/desire/identity. However, I am having trouble rationalizing how teens are "actively involved in what we are calling a participatory culture" when participating in this culture is far from active!

All right, one could argue that the authors intend "active" to refer to the ability to interactively respond to media via media, but I am worried that the emphasis on media literacies will distract students from creative play- the kind of play that results in grass stains, dirty fingernails...oh heck, even a black eye or two (okay, maybe I would think differently about that assertion if it was my kid, ha). The play that you can actually participate in.

Let's talk about communities for a sec. I've been fortunate enough to participate in a number of unique and satisfying communities in my short life: First Stage Theater Company in Milwaukee, a residential veggie co-op, the Macalester women's cross-country team, and Slide Ranch...to name a few. To date, I have yet to participate in a fulfilling online participatory culture.

Okay. Facebook. Talk about performance. White writes, "Role play is very popular with contemporary youth...such play has long been understood as testing identities, trying on possible selves, and exploring social spaces" (29). Some consider Facebook to be an online community. However, how fulfilling is facebook? Be honest. Something's lacking, right? Analyzing facebook through the context of (social) performance is complex. Although facebook is a space to test our identities (since surely, facebook identities are restricted projections of our selves) and stay in touch (sort of) with members of our networks, what do we actually do on facebook? I think for a community to be fulfilling, it needs to stand for something beyond social networking or role-play.

Whereas my thoughts on performance/community/media literacies are rather, well, long-winded, I can get on board with the appropriation train. Creating something is wholly satisfying. In fact, I can almost swear that White quoted me when he wrote, "Art does not emerge whole cloth from individual imaginations. Rather it emerges through the artist's engagement with previous cultural materials" (32). And how. Exploring with remixing is a natural part of creating something fresh. However, like White, I believe that analysis and commentary must be paired with creation (33). Otherwise, we may end up with a room full of students appropriating popular u-tube videos, adding slo-mo, and calling it "art." Oh dear...

My personal philosophy in regards to play and the media grows out of the following sources (none of which I originally found via the internets):

Last Child in the Woods

Taking Play Seriously

Slide Ranch

Camp Killooleet