Participatory Cultures

Participatory culture is defined by Jenkins as being “a culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations, and some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices.” (2006) He goes on to explain that it is a part of someone’s daily life in which their involvement gives them satisfaction and meaning. According to Jenkins, participatory cultures involve some form of affiliation with an organization or group, expression, team, or circulation that involves creating and affecting an area of the media world. (2006)

 I have never really been a part of a participatory culture as Jenkins has defined it. I have been actively involved in what most people call life. Participatory culture begins on the playground at recess as a youngster, and evolves as we age and grow into the adults we will become. I asked one of my children what they believed was meant by Jenkins definition and what was being described, and they replied with childhood. Without the internet, participatory cultures would still be defined in the same way that life has always defined us.

Jenkins writes of the growing gap in participation as an issue that must be addressed and faced as our digitalized society evolves. One of my many, many flaws is my unwillingness to grow in the digitalized and participatory arena. I am part of the growing participation gap as I see everyone around me forge ahead through acceptance while I attempt to remain anonymous and secure in my privacy. I grew up as an extremely friendly and respectful person, however, I was not always the most sociable nor did it matter to me. Now I do not understand why my children want to create a webpage, and they do not understand why I want to protect them and their privacy from the internet and what I see as the world’s problems.

I was intrigued by the “transparency problem” Jenkins wrote about in how the youth of today are influenced by the multitude of media outlets. I encourage my friends with exceptionally strong beliefs in a particular news story or world opinion to watch several different channels that air the issue. Each station portrays their view as the truth, when in actuality; they are voicing the side of the issue that closely relates those that provide their financial support. While not wrong, it is not a complete truth. Someone inexperienced to the vast world of social networking and participatory cultures of today will easily be swayed by opinion.

In time, I will become more involved in the participatory culture of the world around me. Right now though, I am content with continuing to study it and its effects on current participants.

References

Jenkins, H.J. (2006)., Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF