Media Exposure and the Importance of The People!

                                   Media Exposure and the Importance of The People!

In the following blog, I will be focusing on how media relies so heavily upon its fans, also known as us, the consumers of the media in our world today!
Why? Well because I think it’s important for people to be aware of how significant their media interaction is and also the consequences which are associated with it!

                                                                       Prime Example!

Remember the joker from Batman? He was a psychotic, homicidal clown who lacked any sympathy or empathy for his victims. He featured in the Batman movie, the Dark Knight, and held one of the most profound roles. Unfortunately the Joker didn’t feature in the third film, The Dark Knight Rises, due to unforeseen circumstances. The actor, who played the Joker, Heath Ledger, had sadly passed away.
Anyways, back to the point, for anyone who wasn’t aware of the joker, or Batman for that matter, most definitely had to have become aware as of July 2012.
The newest Batman Film, The Dark Knight Rises, had just been released in cinemas worldwide.
And in Colorado, USA, a 24 year old estranged medical school drop-out, James Eagan Holmes, was about to take his obsession with the Joker to the ultimate level and bring a whole new meaning to the word action packed movie.
He decided to dress up just like the frightening clown, and carry out shootings within a cinema, resulting in the death of twelve people, and injuring over fifty more.
He was fully convinced he was the Joker, and was simply just doing what the Joker in Batman would do. Go crazy.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/19/us/colorado-theater-shooting-fast-facts/

                                                            The Result…

 

Due to what had happened, the amount of people who were now aware of the Batman Franchise had just sky rocketed due to what had happened in the USA.

The media exposure regarding Batman had just grown significantly, even though they weren’t for the reasons that the producers of Batman would have hoped for.

This event was at the forefront of most News Broadcasts world-wide for quite some time after it had happened, it was talked about on every Radio Station, the front page of the majority of Commercial Newspapers and Magazines, and it even appeared as a topic of discussion in a National State Exam in my home country, Ireland.

As you can see, media has the ability to flow across so many different media pathways; it is actually incredible if you think about it!

This highlights the idea of convergence culture, where old and new media collide, or as one might say where the creator and the receiver of media collide in positive or negative ways!

So the media and consumer popularity surrounding Batman, the Joker, and the shooting in Colorado, indicates that without consumers and their active participation, media would not reach the same level of fame or acknowledgment, or maybe even not get any exposure at all!

So next time you think to yourself that you’re not important, well here is one little piece of information to remind you that yes you are. In the world of media, every single participant is essential.  Every single person contributes to the level of exposure media receives.

                                

                                           Who is the Minion? Us or the Media?

  Well, who do you think controls who? For me, I think that we, the people are the dominators for now, and the media is what we dominate. The consumers have been growing in strength for quite some time now.

Our knowledge is forever increasing and I think there is an ever present battle between the ability of the Human Mind and Technology. And in my view, even if technology did surpass the human brain regarding the depth of knowledge it possesses, the media regardless will always rely on us to give it power. 

Essentially, media participants are given power once they begin to engage with a certain sector of the media.

As Seth Godin says in his most recent Domino Book, ‘We Are All Weird’, “As soon as consumers enter the marketplace, they gain power, because power comes from choice. Consumer power is a brand new force, and it’s growing exponentially as a result of more affluence running in parallel with more choice.” http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-case-studies/the-power-of-consumer-choice-drives-social-media-importance/

Consumer participation within the media is important, and it is essential that we, the consumers continue to engage with the media, otherwise our relationship with the media could deteriorate and go backwards instead of progressing which is significant if Technology in general wants to advance.

                                                          Related Class Topic…

  

In class we talked about Henry Jenkins, his idea of Convergence Culture, and his mentioning of Sesame Street’s Bert, and the terrorist Bin Laden.

Well I believe these examples are both similar and express the same ideas. How? Well they’re both cases of convergence culture, where old meanings gather new concepts basically. And the creator and the receiver of the media clash, even if it is in a negative manner it still counts!It also shows the idea that media flows through several different media levels, as the photo shopped image of Bert and Bin Laden went from being on Anti-American protestors flags to CNN news in a short period of time.

                                                       
                                                                   Finally.

I hope this short blog has enlightened all of you regarding the idea of convergence culture, and the how significant people are in relation to media exposure.

Convergence culture is an ever growing concept in our society today, and can be seen on a daily basis. Do any examples of media exposure and its reliance on consumers come to mind after reading this blog? I hope so!