panel = accepted

mary madden (pew internet & american life project), d. travers scott (communication, university of southern california), chuck tryon (film and media studies, fayetteville state university), and my panel proposal for MIT's media in transition conference got accepted.

sweet!

here's our proposal:

Digital technologies that engage media creators through social networks of distribution and collaboration suggest a state of cultural production often referred to as "2.0." The term implies improvement and progress, but also indicates a revision of the past; it simultaneously hints at a prior paradigm (1.0) and brings attention to a new one (2.0).

By examining three areas of contemporary cultural production - music 2.0, movies 2.0, and military culture 2.0 - we draw attention to the historical and technological precedents that were necessary for 2.0 applications to take hold in each of our spheres.

In music culture, patterns of socially-driven music sharing - pre-internet and post-internet - have incubated online communities of content creators and influenced a wide range of Web 2.0 activities. In movie culture, independent producers navigate new channels of distribution and promotion by adapting techniques that borrow from the DIY music community and earlier modes of cinematic production. In U.S. military culture, various agencies have begun experimenting with open access to games, video sharing, and wikis despite a legacy of strict institutional control. However, a loose network of technologists challenge the newness of the Web 2.0 phenomenon, and critique the concept as just another iteration of inflated techno-hype.

excellent news to bring an altogether excellent day to an end.


tomorrow morning, i leave washington dc and head back home. it's been a great trip but it will be nice to return. i miss sarah.