I am blogging about chapter 4 in the book Spreadable Media by Henry Jenkins. How do most people view media landscape? I believe that most people who tap into this landscape have the intention of stepping into the producer role.  Anyone who is involved in such wants to make sure they are acknowledged. “The audiences wish to inform media people of our existence.” Jose Van Dikk and David Nieborg disagree by saying that, “52 percent of people online were “inactives” and only 13 percent were “actual creators of so called user-generated content.” This does make sense because the book then goes on to say that the “majority of users are in fact those who watch and download content contributed by others.”  

         Chapter 3, on the other hand, points out that the audiences do important work beyond what the term “production” is being defined as. Some processes that are marked as “inactive” involve a great deal of labor and actually provide value. The book says, to keep in mind that even though audiences are allowed to tap into this medium and contribute that we still ought to keep in mind that their content may not be as valuable or meaningful to other audience members. I think by having a participatory culture that it allows for “evaluation, appraisal, critique, and recirculation of material.”  From your neighbor to a classmate to the person sitting next to you on the pew at church, all of them contain a different opinion and aspect of knowledge.

    Not only should a select few have reign on any particular topic but an open policy. The more culture is allowed to contribute, the more knowledge of this world will expand. “64 percent of U.S teens online have produced media. 39 percent of those teens are circulating that media to their family and friends.” The youth is the new generation of media landscape. They are the sources that teach the older generation and understand what is in demand.

    I found a website of teen girls who are pressing for more media activism.

It is called Reel Grrls  this is an organization that teaches digital media production skills and media justice and empowerment to teenage girls. The girls are involved in attending workshops that teach them how to produce short videos and to become equipped with the vocabulary and technical skills needed to speak about gender, race, and sexuality in the media. They are given the tools to distribute and to reach audiences. This organization provides a space for girls to learn about digital technology that will better them in the future to make a difference. I feel this is a positive, beneficial contribution that allows these girls to become producers in the digital era. 

     Switching to audiences and how they are many times unaware of how they can be calibrated by media industries.  The book brings up the soap opera, As the World Turns. Many fans take shows as this one and go from watching it religiously on their couch every Monday night alone, to using technologies to expand personal conversations into letter-writing campaigns, organization of fan clubs, online discussion boards and the use of blogs and podcasts. These digital productions have only widened the opportunities for this participatory audience. 

         One example of how these audiences participate in this media landscape is by one person discussing the soap opera story online in a forum about the show but later the

conversation progressed into perspectives and questions about homosexuality. This then lead to families posting their own personal stories of being abused and choosing homosexuality. Having these intimate conversations lead to online communities.  People can take on several key aspects and help it become material that drives community activism and social change.