http://u1vfukfo.blogspot.com/2015/09/theme-2-post-posting-critical-media.html?showComment=1443465333155#c5563214690070069116
http://tamfmtol.blogspot.com/2015/09/theme-2-post-critical-media-studies.html?showComment=1443465626072#c8452771185166141189
http://dm2572byen.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-2-critical-media-studies_20.html?showComment=1443466630950#c1726525736010051315
http://literaturestuffm.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-2-reflections-after-lecture-and.html?showComment=1443466796661#c2833837989549996062
http://mediatechmishmash.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-2-afterthoughts.html?showComment=1443467265571#c1579981416992601759
http://butlikewhyisit.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-2-reflection.html?showComment=1443467492542#c6352589864694804620
http://ixxzw.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-2-after-seminar.html?showComment=1443470471487#c4729110865335585222
http://cloudsong223.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-2after.html?showComment=1443470684199#c927681304802720564
http://vadfinnsegentligen.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-2-reflection.html?showComment=1443474294654#c3686690328982794402
http://securepathofscience.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-2-critical-media-studies.html?showComment=1443474443934#c4731335376668654168
Monday, 28 September 2015
Friday, 25 September 2015
Theme 3 in retrospect
Theme 3 was significantly harder to discuss at the seminar, seeing as all individual members had used different papers for their exercise and thus stumbled upon different sets of problems. Seeing as it was literally described in one of the articles we read, in general it seemed rather clear to most what a theory is not - i.e. data, references, hypotheses and so on. Still, making the step from a mere summary of these facts to an actual theory based on them was a bit more abstract, and thus the source of discussion.
Most confusing, to my mind, was the distinction between hypotheses and theory, seeing as they are most closely related. A hypothesis refers to an attempt to explain phenomena, which is mostly a guessed based on that which is observed or experienced. Someone who looked at the horizon, for example, might have deducted that the Earth is flat, merely because no rounding can be seen with the bare eye. A theory uses reasoning, scientific method and knowledge beyond the mere observation to prove or disprove a hypothesis. The hypothesis that the Earth is flat could thus be disproved by, for example, a theory based on astrological knowledge on the form of other planets; observations from space; or the mere fact that a ship which sails east comes back from the west, rather than falling off the edge of the Earth.
Most confusing, to my mind, was the distinction between hypotheses and theory, seeing as they are most closely related. A hypothesis refers to an attempt to explain phenomena, which is mostly a guessed based on that which is observed or experienced. Someone who looked at the horizon, for example, might have deducted that the Earth is flat, merely because no rounding can be seen with the bare eye. A theory uses reasoning, scientific method and knowledge beyond the mere observation to prove or disprove a hypothesis. The hypothesis that the Earth is flat could thus be disproved by, for example, a theory based on astrological knowledge on the form of other planets; observations from space; or the mere fact that a ship which sails east comes back from the west, rather than falling off the edge of the Earth.
Theme 4: quantative research
The article I have chosen for this week is Crowdsourcing: Global search and the twisted power of consumers and producers by Robert M. Bauer and Thomas Gegenhuber. It was published in the september 2015 issue of Organization (volume. 22-5; journal impact score 1.9).
The article uses the development of the first Linux operating system as an example of introducing the concept of crowdsourcing in a technological context, specifically how Linus Torvalds' initial source code eventually attracted tens of thousands of volunteered that contributed to develop it into the versatile OS that it is today.
As for the general concept of crowdsourcing and its success throughout the years, two major factors are being quantified: first, the amount of projects realized through crowdsourcing; and second, the amount of funds raised over a set period of time. As such projects are usually organized through a limited number of channels (most notably Kickstarter and Indiegogo), statistics are easily obtainable and comparable.
The quantative aspect, however, only forms the base on assessing the value and potential of crowdsourcing as a whole. To get to a useful conclusion in illustrating the power of consumers and producers in this process, the researchers combine it with qualitative information on alternative funding methods that might have otherwise funded the same projects, as well as the expendability of the role of individual contributors in the big picture of the projects.
This information is, however, almost by definition, the result of a manually decided-upon sample, seeing as obtaining such details from a large amount of projects is impossible in practice. Quantative methods, combined with these samples, help justify this limited scope, and put the qualitative results within a broader context that includes all other projects as well.
The article uses the development of the first Linux operating system as an example of introducing the concept of crowdsourcing in a technological context, specifically how Linus Torvalds' initial source code eventually attracted tens of thousands of volunteered that contributed to develop it into the versatile OS that it is today.
As for the general concept of crowdsourcing and its success throughout the years, two major factors are being quantified: first, the amount of projects realized through crowdsourcing; and second, the amount of funds raised over a set period of time. As such projects are usually organized through a limited number of channels (most notably Kickstarter and Indiegogo), statistics are easily obtainable and comparable.
The quantative aspect, however, only forms the base on assessing the value and potential of crowdsourcing as a whole. To get to a useful conclusion in illustrating the power of consumers and producers in this process, the researchers combine it with qualitative information on alternative funding methods that might have otherwise funded the same projects, as well as the expendability of the role of individual contributors in the big picture of the projects.
This information is, however, almost by definition, the result of a manually decided-upon sample, seeing as obtaining such details from a large amount of projects is impossible in practice. Quantative methods, combined with these samples, help justify this limited scope, and put the qualitative results within a broader context that includes all other projects as well.
Monday, 21 September 2015
Theme 2 in retrospect
I found the seminar following the second theme to be significantly more complicated than that of the first week, attributed mostly to the fact that the concept I found relatively easily understandable (Enlightenment, dialectic and myth) being glossed over, and most time being spent on the one I found rather hard - that of nominalism.
From what I now understand, the main difference between nominalism and its counterpart realism, are their attitude towards universals. If, say, a realist were to see a pen, he would not only see an object that can be used to write in a certain color using ink, but would also apply to it the universal concept of a 'pen' - thus placing it in the same category as other pens. This would, then, negate certain specific attributes of this specific instance of a pen; i.e. it would be considered the same as a pen that wrote in a red color; a pen that was made out of metal or a pen that - to bring up a very sensitive age-old rivalry - was a twisty-bottom model rather than a clicky-top.
In nominalism, then, one does away with such universals, merely seeing the individual pen by it's individual characteristics; i.e. being used to write, producing blue ink, being made out of plastic, and using a clicky-top to open it. It is then seperate from other instances of a pen, not by definition being more or less related to them as it would be to e.g. a marker or a pencil.
From what I now understand, the main difference between nominalism and its counterpart realism, are their attitude towards universals. If, say, a realist were to see a pen, he would not only see an object that can be used to write in a certain color using ink, but would also apply to it the universal concept of a 'pen' - thus placing it in the same category as other pens. This would, then, negate certain specific attributes of this specific instance of a pen; i.e. it would be considered the same as a pen that wrote in a red color; a pen that was made out of metal or a pen that - to bring up a very sensitive age-old rivalry - was a twisty-bottom model rather than a clicky-top.
In nominalism, then, one does away with such universals, merely seeing the individual pen by it's individual characteristics; i.e. being used to write, producing blue ink, being made out of plastic, and using a clicky-top to open it. It is then seperate from other instances of a pen, not by definition being more or less related to them as it would be to e.g. a marker or a pencil.
Sunday, 20 September 2015
Theme 1 comments
http://mashasthoughts123.blogspot.com/2015/09/seminar-1.html?showComment=1442774384600#c1652522336188422520
http://butlikewhyisit.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-reflection.html?showComment=1442774708435#c8412180117403211656
http://lard-have-mercy.blogspot.se/2015/09/pre-theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and.html?showComment=1442775013695#c3865340968445510428
http://platotheplatypus.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-post-reflection.html?showComment=1442775248153#c7784980689700237127
http://u1x5o721.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-reflection.html?showComment=1442775612121#c3498361525834434895
http://u1ifqcuc.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and-theory.html?showComment=1442775918591#c4538091067779983499
http://denise-theoryandmethod.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and-theory_12.html?showComment=1442776825463#c5249134217086454538
http://mediatechnologybycorinna.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and-theory_13.html?showComment=1442777140926#c2970082914523687854
http://dm2572fan.blogspot.se/2015/09/post-theme-1.html?showComment=1442777320045#c2374404313158039797
http://vadfinnsegentligen.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-reflection.html?showComment=1442777620885#c8525981591668791530
http://butlikewhyisit.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-reflection.html?showComment=1442774708435#c8412180117403211656
http://lard-have-mercy.blogspot.se/2015/09/pre-theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and.html?showComment=1442775013695#c3865340968445510428
http://platotheplatypus.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-post-reflection.html?showComment=1442775248153#c7784980689700237127
http://u1x5o721.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-reflection.html?showComment=1442775612121#c3498361525834434895
http://u1ifqcuc.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and-theory.html?showComment=1442775918591#c4538091067779983499
http://denise-theoryandmethod.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and-theory_12.html?showComment=1442776825463#c5249134217086454538
http://mediatechnologybycorinna.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-theory-of-knowledge-and-theory_13.html?showComment=1442777140926#c2970082914523687854
http://dm2572fan.blogspot.se/2015/09/post-theme-1.html?showComment=1442777320045#c2374404313158039797
http://vadfinnsegentligen.blogspot.se/2015/09/theme-1-reflection.html?showComment=1442777620885#c8525981591668791530
Friday, 18 September 2015
Theme 3: Research and Theory
The article More Than Stories With Buttons: Narrative, Mechanics, and Context as Determinants of Player Experience in Digital Games by Malte Elson et al. appeared in 64th edition of the Journal of Communication, published in 2014 by the International Communication Association.
The paper attempts to dissect the processes of meaning creation in video games, specifically (and, from the title, unsurprisingly) how player experience is determined by the tree factors narrative, mechanics and context.
Although, like many others in the field, it heavily relies on theories by previous academics, it always elaborately quotes and/or explains their claims within the text, thus doing away with the need to read third hand articles except for further research beyond the scope of their own. Elson et al. form a new theory around player experience as created in video games, by combining the theoretical foundations of the three separate factors and their respective academic traditions. The relationships between the at first seemingly unrelated fields of study are clearly explained, as are the conclusions that can be drawn in the process of applying them to one another.
A theory uses reasoning and scientific method to propose a set of rules with which something can be defined, which unlike a hypothesis does not rely on the observation of singular instances. The aforementioned article's narratological theory (as opposed to ludologist; an important debate within the field) states that while narrative is by far the most visible of the three factors, it is heavily informed by in-game mechanics and external context. According to Gregor's table, it would be categorized as an explanation.
The benefit to using narratology to analyse videogames is that it most accurrately represents the players' experience, seeing as the unfolding story is what they are presented with as they play a game. However, this also means that, due to the interactive nature of the medium, the object of research is always a single playthrough instance, thus making it significantly harder to generalize it to the videogame itself.
The paper attempts to dissect the processes of meaning creation in video games, specifically (and, from the title, unsurprisingly) how player experience is determined by the tree factors narrative, mechanics and context.
Although, like many others in the field, it heavily relies on theories by previous academics, it always elaborately quotes and/or explains their claims within the text, thus doing away with the need to read third hand articles except for further research beyond the scope of their own. Elson et al. form a new theory around player experience as created in video games, by combining the theoretical foundations of the three separate factors and their respective academic traditions. The relationships between the at first seemingly unrelated fields of study are clearly explained, as are the conclusions that can be drawn in the process of applying them to one another.
A theory uses reasoning and scientific method to propose a set of rules with which something can be defined, which unlike a hypothesis does not rely on the observation of singular instances. The aforementioned article's narratological theory (as opposed to ludologist; an important debate within the field) states that while narrative is by far the most visible of the three factors, it is heavily informed by in-game mechanics and external context. According to Gregor's table, it would be categorized as an explanation.
The benefit to using narratology to analyse videogames is that it most accurrately represents the players' experience, seeing as the unfolding story is what they are presented with as they play a game. However, this also means that, due to the interactive nature of the medium, the object of research is always a single playthrough instance, thus making it significantly harder to generalize it to the videogame itself.
Monday, 14 September 2015
Theme 1 in retrospect
The seminar following the first theme's lecture and articles - those of Kant and Plato - did not particularly improve my knowledge of said texts, but instead served to extend the questions raised by both theorists and form the base for new discussions.
One subject that resonated with me in particular, was that of the paradigm shift; the idea of the development of the playground in which a discussion is held, rather than a change in the object discussed. This was illustrated with the (admittedly somewhat odd) discussion about the color of a wall. Whereas one person could argue it is blue, another could argue it was white - but they would have to agree on many perimeters before they could have that quarrel in the first place. While evidence of the color of said wall could appear or be disproven, this would still be within the limits of the existing paradigm, which states that a wall is an object which can be of a color such as blue or white.
A paradigm shift, then, would take place if - to name a very hypothetical example - science would discover that walls could also be invisible, thus having no color. This possibility would not yet have been taken into account in the original discussion, and thus integrally change the discussion at its core. This is especially interesting seeing as paradigms aren't necessarily the result of a development - that is, multiple conflicting paradigms can exist simultaneously.
Friday, 11 September 2015
Theme 2: critical media studies
Enlightenment, in it's most basic sense, marks a paradigm shift that stresses the importance of rational thinking over a fear of the unknown. It prefers objectivity over subjectivity, and explicitly rejects the role of religion, emotion and myths in the process of acquiring knowledge.
Dialectic is a way - or at least an attempt at a way - of unifying different opinions by way of reasoning in order to find the truth. Rather than trying to win an argument, as would be the case in a debate, the ultimate goal of a dialectic is to find the truth of the matter in question.
Myth, from Horkheimer and Adorno's perspective, is the antithesis of the ideals of Enlightment, being knowledge based on subjective personal experience rather than objective reasoning. Religion and superstition are central sources of knowledge, as opposed to scientific experiments and verifiable knowledge.
In the classical divide famously attributed to Karl Marx, the superstructure refers to the values, norms and institutions both ideological and political, which are determined by the substructure and serve the interests of the ruling class. The substructure, which Benjamin describes as transforming significantly faster than the superstructure, is made up of the relation between the owners of productions means and the workers that operate them.
Cultural production, then, can be seen as being a result of the substructure, but part of the superstructure. Understanding their underlying processes is therefore essential in order to be able to grasp the complicated correlation between both.
Dialectic is a way - or at least an attempt at a way - of unifying different opinions by way of reasoning in order to find the truth. Rather than trying to win an argument, as would be the case in a debate, the ultimate goal of a dialectic is to find the truth of the matter in question.
Myth, from Horkheimer and Adorno's perspective, is the antithesis of the ideals of Enlightment, being knowledge based on subjective personal experience rather than objective reasoning. Religion and superstition are central sources of knowledge, as opposed to scientific experiments and verifiable knowledge.
In the classical divide famously attributed to Karl Marx, the superstructure refers to the values, norms and institutions both ideological and political, which are determined by the substructure and serve the interests of the ruling class. The substructure, which Benjamin describes as transforming significantly faster than the superstructure, is made up of the relation between the owners of productions means and the workers that operate them.
Cultural production, then, can be seen as being a result of the substructure, but part of the superstructure. Understanding their underlying processes is therefore essential in order to be able to grasp the complicated correlation between both.
Not only does Benjamin speak of culture having revolutionary potential; he considers the existence of revolutionary demands in politics of art. Benjamin mentions the ascent of the field of lithography and later photography as notable examples, allowing for the illustration of everyday life and accelerating the pictorial reproduction of reality to surpass the speed of speech, respectively.
Benjamin differentiates between perception in it's natural, purely biological form - that is, the process of conveying visual and auditive cues into knowledge - and the historically determined perception, which relates to the process of adding value and meaning to that which is perceived. Historically determined perception, for example, can be influenced by social norms stemming from notions of acceptance or controversy in a certain age, geographical region or religious tradition. As these norms change, as they have in the Netherlands during the process of dechristianization, growing multiculturalism and the resulting increase of secular politics, so does the perception of culture and art - either through growing acceptance or controversy.
What does Benjamin mean by the term "aura"? Are there different kinds of aura in natural objects compared to art objects?
Within the context of the discussion surrounding the cultural value of technologically reproduced art, one could argue that the aura of an art object is found within the authenticity which is lost in the process of reproduction. The mere plurality of the original one hand detaches it from the previously discussed historicality, but on the other hand allows it to be placed within a completely different context than that in which it was created, thus 'reactivating' or renewing the original object in a contemporary historicity.
Within the context of the discussion surrounding the cultural value of technologically reproduced art, one could argue that the aura of an art object is found within the authenticity which is lost in the process of reproduction. The mere plurality of the original one hand detaches it from the previously discussed historicality, but on the other hand allows it to be placed within a completely different context than that in which it was created, thus 'reactivating' or renewing the original object in a contemporary historicity.