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A review by anarglitch
Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide by Henry Jenkins
5.0
Everything I want from a media theory book, well structured, illustrative (each chapter comes with a story or two exemplifying what it's talking about, and it takes you on a little journey as you see media convergence in action), eerily predictive (on many things, from our current political climate to netflix, there's even an anecdote about a viral 2004 video wherein trump fires bush that just feels surreal to read now), and it succeeds in both diagnosing the president and pitching a vision for the future. I want an adhocracy so bad.
In hindsight, Jenkins nailed the power of online knowledge communities / affinity spaces, but probably overestimated its tendency to self-correct against misinformation and work together with people sharing opposing viewpoints. Then again, he was extrapolating from an online setting of blogs and message boards, not twitter, not the influencer business model. Things are bad right now, but this book reminded me that the sheer power of online decentralized organization can transform things for the better. The same cyber-dynamics that radicalize alt-right terrorists can be used to coordinate positive - local and global - activism, with just a little bit more education on how to navigate online spaces.
I'm gonna actively seek more material like what he calls "critical utopianism" now. Books that inspire and show what we can do instead of only what's being done to us. I needed that.
In hindsight, Jenkins nailed the power of online knowledge communities / affinity spaces, but probably overestimated its tendency to self-correct against misinformation and work together with people sharing opposing viewpoints. Then again, he was extrapolating from an online setting of blogs and message boards, not twitter, not the influencer business model. Things are bad right now, but this book reminded me that the sheer power of online decentralized organization can transform things for the better. The same cyber-dynamics that radicalize alt-right terrorists can be used to coordinate positive - local and global - activism, with just a little bit more education on how to navigate online spaces.
I'm gonna actively seek more material like what he calls "critical utopianism" now. Books that inspire and show what we can do instead of only what's being done to us. I needed that.