DIY Media

A few years ago I was researching for an assignment i decided to go onto Wikipedia for a standard defintition. When i handed the assignment in, my teacher politely explained that she did not like student using Wikipedia as it is not considered a reliable source. This was the moment that I realised the effect DIY media had on the world.

I was going through the lecture notes trying to find something to speak about when it comes to DIY media. The process of sharing and gathering knowledge is incredibly intruiging to me as until i started this subject i did not give a second thought to the forms of media that are actually developed, published and maintained by 'ordinary' people.

Although the "idea of DIY media making on an individual level...is no longer new" (Axel Bruns, Blackboard), it is still a very difficult concept to come to terms with. That the internet gives people such power to place what they believe to be true online is a very intimidating thought. This access to DIY media can be seen in both positive and negative lights.

"With participatory media, the boundaries between audiences and content creators become blurred and often invisible." (Asia Media, 2006) This kind of media enables the initial audience to become the creater of a new idea or the publisher of information.

I used to take everything I read on the internet as factual. Not because I thought that everyone that published information knew everything, but I never actually considered the fact that there was just another person who discovered something that they found to be useful and decided to publish it.

I had never given thought to the people who may just be publishing opinon or hearsay. This point made me realise that like me, i am sure that there are others out there still taking what they read to be factual.

The responsability of teaching and educating people on a subject should not be taken lightly. So if we give people the ability to publish what they believe to be true on the internet how do we know that we can take it as fact?

Although this is a burning question, the internet has been an incredible resource for the world to access. According to Asia Media "...access to and use of digital media technologies such as PCs, the Internet, computer games, mobile telephones, etc., have become a normal aspect of everyday life in the world community country."

The role of DIY media such as Wikipedia enables people to have a voice. It is not only a way in which people can document information, but also places the power to change opinions, values and morals. The power of this media is constantly taken for granted and should be harnessed, appreciated and used to its full capacity.

References

(2008). Impact of New Media Technology on Society. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=52164 (accessed 4, May 2008).