Talk:Digital Media & Culture: Collaborative Essay Collection 2018/Always-on Culture/Research Question 3:/SNAC

Hi team SNAC!

This is the discussion page for collaborative essay. Use this pages to edit in discussions, decision making, project planning, and information sharing. Invite other groups to add to the discussion, and contribute to others. Ask for advice from others and share your knowledge. This builds contribs considerably. Start off your discussion by recording your decision-making process re: your research question, email the lecturer to get approval/suggested amendments.Once that's done, you're away.

Also,   could you please get Niamh to sort out her user pages and user discussion pages as per instructions? They are still showing up as red, which means that the page hasn't been created yet (and it really should have been by now!)

You can leave notifications for other users by using the reply to template (as I've used in this notice). You can also use your own and each other's discussion pages, as well as the main discussion page on the general theme page. All of this adds to contribs, which are essential to getting a pass mark for this assessment. Don't be tempted to use social media group chat or other platforms to do this. It won't be marked and really misses the entire point of the wiki.

Don't forget to use the four tildes (~) to sign and date your contribution. Every edit you make whilst signed in is still traceable, but a signature makes it much easier to track and respond, and much less likely that the edit will be mis-recognised as spam or vandalism. However: don't sign your edits on the essay page - it looks messy and is unnecessary.

Good Luck!
 * GregXenon01 (discuss • contribs) 09:54, 8 March 2018 (UTC)


 * my apologies usernames are cace-sensitive and I mis-typed.GregXenon01 (discuss • contribs) 15:06, 8 March 2018 (UTC)

,, , Just wanted to let you all know that I updated the bibliography, so it is easier to contribute to. Instead of putting numbers in manually, we now just need to type "#" followed by the reference and the system sorts the numbers out for us. Also, following from our last meeting, I just wanted to check in on how each of your sections are coming along. I have found some interesting articles and books that look at social forums and the way they are consumed and viewed by people. For example, Turkle talks about how we do not view people in digital spaces as individuals but rather as a collective group. This really got me thinking about how I, personally, use Facebook and how I consume the information I find on there. Even when it comes to posting I get anxious over how many people will "engage" with the content. I think I can use this idea of collective group in my discussion as popularity of a media star can be based off engagement. Their income and lifestyle rely on collective groups (fans) engaging with their content. Yet, they can also break this group idea by responding to fans directly on social sites, such as Twitter, giving the illusion of recognising the individual behind the profile. Tell me what you all think! NCowling (discuss • contribs) 20:16, 29 March 2018 (UTC)

=Research Question=

What is the connection between Youtube and Always On Culture? Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 17:03, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

NCowling (discuss • contribs) 17:08, 13 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 1) YouTube will be a great platform to study 'always-on' culture. I feel we should narrow this further down and maybe look at specific features of YouTube like advertisers.


 * I'm not sure how much research exists out there for advertising but that might be an interesting twist. I was thinking more of focusing on vlogging culture since that is such a big part of the Youtube community and is a very close connection to "always on". Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 17:54, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

"Always-Recording": A study of always-on culture within the vlogging community. NCowling (discuss • contribs) 22:53, 13 March 2018 (UTC)


 * This is a great start. Oh, and this is a really, really good essay question! Time to get to work on it.
 * Keep it going guys - we need to see lots of discussion recorded here for you to amass "contribs" which are used to evaluate engagement. GregXenon01 (discuss • contribs) 13:17, 16 March 2018 (UTC)

=Brainstorming=

I think we should focus at least part of the essay on vlogging culture as I think that's one of the biggest connections to "always on". We think we know these people because they post daily, but it's edited. They're always there, but it's filtered. Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 17:07, 13 March 2018 (UTC)

Focusing on vlogging culture seems a good idea! I think we'll able to get a lot of sources and research papers due to its popularity in today's culture. NCowling (discuss • contribs) 17:10, 13 March 2018 (UTC) We collectively decided that it would be interesting to try and approach YouTube as a platform where one can detect specific communicative practices, specifically in relation to a type of content which constitutes one of its main feature: vlogging. Drawing from a theoretical context that explores the notion of "Always-on", we think significant to analyze the modes in which vloggers make use of the platform and address their audience in a way that encourage a deep level of engagement. Absterloutely (discuss • contribs) 17:14, 13 March 2018 (UTC) Researching on the topic of communicative practices of YouTubers, I found an article that you would enjoy as it explores the power relationships between vloggers and their audience - and especially how this unbalanced positions are masked through a discourse the author refers to as IOMC (“Imagining Others More Complexly”. Sounds a bit like a Marxist approach and an argument for false consciousness I think you might find interesting. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19392397.2015.1132174?needAccess=true Absterloutely (discuss • contribs) 20:49, 15 March 2018 (UTC)

For my contribution to the idea of Always-On in relation to YouTube, it will still revolve around the concept of vlogging culture, but it will be from the idea of capitalism and how it contributes to the need to be 'always-on'. Disclaimer: This is potentially subject to change depending on the availability of sources. Smbromley (discuss • contribs) 18:31, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

For my contribution to the collaborative essay, I will be studying the way vloggers use other media platforms, such as, Twitter and Facebook, to promote their own content. This adds to the study of "always-on" culture as they are constantly engaged with other forms of media. This could potentially lead on to a further study of how their fans engage with these other platforms. NCowling (discuss • contribs) 16:02, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

For my contribution for the collaborative essay, I will be giving the general background on the topic of always on. This will allow for an in depth understanding of the topic when it is related to our specific focus of Youtube. Providing a solid background for the key concepts and words as part of an introductory section is important to building not only reader understanding but the credibility of the author or authors of a paper. I will also be tackling the conclusion as these sections often mirror each other in terms of content. Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 16:15, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

I just had a thought about something for your section that I'm not sure you had planned on addressing. Vlogging vs live streaming, because technically a vlogging camera is not connected to the web directly, the footage is saved on an SD card and then uploaded for editing or directly to Youtube. Livestreaming fits more with the typical conception of Always On in that it's happening in real time and is directly being broadcast to an audience or assumed audience. I don't know if you had plans to address livestreaming at all in your section as that is a newer capability of Youtube, but I thought it might relate well with your specific section. Let me know what you think Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 17:16, 2 April 2018 (UTC)

=Essay Outline=

Introduction

 * Brief overview of topic
 * Thesis statement

First Draft of Introductory paragraph: In modern culture, connection to others through technology has become the default state of being. As it stands, the majority of people in the western world at least have a computer if not a smart phone and other devices that can be used to access the internet. Each year, something new evolves that allows people to have a more constant connection to the online world, a culture that has been given the name by media researchers of “always on”. Just as the technology changes that connects people to the digital world, the academic research about the effects this cultural perspective has needs to keep pace. One aspect of “always on” culture that has not really been explored in present research is the community of Youtube, the content producers, consumers, and those who do both. As Youtube has become such a large and reaching platform within the internet landscape, understanding what it means for Youtubers who are seemingly always accessible through their videos and beyond on the various other social media accounts and for those who always have access is essential. Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 15:25, 27 March 2018 (UTC)

This is a great start! I feel we all just need to add what we are specifically doing in the essay as a final statement in the introduction, i.e, highlighting our personal aims. I will be sure to add mine later today, just thought I would leave this comment. Great work! NCowling (discuss • contribs) 12:49, 28 March 2018 (UTC)

I did a little extra reading and found some useful things we could add to our introduction. I drafted a couple sentences, tell me what you guys think.

Edit Draft (continuing from first draft): Burgess and Green (2009) reported that vlog style videos took up an astounding 40 percent of the videos coded Most Discussed. Their popularity has only increased over the recent years with media personalities now being recognised as celebrities. This collaborative essay will be looking at always-on culture and its impact within the YouTube community. It will look at the background of always-on and move on to studying how YouTubers address their audience, the changing nature of advertising, and finally, the way YouTubers stay connected to their audience through other media platforms.

NCowling (discuss • contribs) 18:56, 28 March 2018 (UTC)

Thank you for this input! I will definitely be taking these point and weaving them into my introduction paragraph, I haven't written the full background paragraph yet. This might fit better into that paragraph. With the intro I wanted to do wider Always On Culture and then narrow it specifically to Youtube in the next paragraph after the introduction. Let me know what you think about that. Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 15:59, 30 March 2018 (UTC)

I feel this is a very strong start to the introduction, and I like the addition that made. I do agree with the reply you made to NCowling about the way you made the essay flow, but I believe that we could very much incorporate the addition NCowling made into the introduction and tweak it to fit the way you suggest the essay could flow Cls00085. Obviously, this can be changed at a later date, should the flow feel different when putting all the different aspects together, but hopefully this input helps some. I think it's great so far though! Go team! Smbromley (discuss • contribs) 18:13, 2 April 2018 (UTC)

Background of Always On

 * Defining Key terms and concepts-- The two main perspectives on Always On, positive and negative
 * Connection to our specific perspective/take of always on

Always On and Youtube
This research article by Ichikohji and Katsumata might be useful for you,

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.stir.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=d4ddab83-e94d-4874-a86d-bbee9c3a8c92%40sessionmgr103

(Hope that link works) NCowling (discuss • contribs) 16:56, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

Capitalism as a Drive to Be Always On?
Drat of Essay: This drive for more creative and more personal content has always led those that consume content to question whether it is created on platforms such as YouTube for communal purposes or for profit. Shirky (2010) maintains that in order to maintain content that is created with civic values, we as a society must contribute in a financial way in order for it to maintain its influence on society. whereas content created for communal purposes, like that of YouTube content, is produced free for the purpose of social entertainment. If this was the case, then it brings about the question as to why those on YouTube end up making a career out of the content they create. There is the creative aspect, in that those that produce art should be paid, as it is a difficult process to not only come up with original ideas, but to also produce, direct, edit, publish content without a team of people. This seems a considerable effort to create something without being in some way rewarded for it.

YouTube has had a system where it has advertisements as far back as 2005 when it was purchased by Google (Cunningham et al, 2016), and the way it has conducted how it advertises has changed. In one of his blog articles, YouTuber John Green (2014) broke down the ‘profit’ that those that post original content received based on the number of views a video gets. He explains that where once YouTubers received an acceptable amount from advertisements, enough for people to make a living, this stopped being the case roughly four years ago. The popularity of YouTube, and the idea of instant fame on a platform that was accessible to everyone drove an influx of ‘amateur’ vloggers and video makers. The content that was distributed changed from single person productions to professional television and movies with full production casts. This convergence of media use on the single platform of YouTube meant that advertisements were spread over more content, resulting on less revenue for those that accumulated revenue through advertisements and number of views.

Despite this, this has not stopped those on YouTube creating content. If anything, YouTube is producing more content in its history that it ever has before. Funding is now largely done through donations on sites such as Patreon.com, where viewers pay for the content they want, and 95% of the money goes directly to the creator. Green explains that now through sites like these, content creators are able to earn a living again. It is also ideal for up-and-coming companies to make a start. Regardless of how individuals on YouTube make their money, it is money still being made. Through data mining (Kennedy, 2016), Google and YouTube are able to see who makes the best profits and how; one of the key contributing factors as to why Google initially purchased YouTube was due to its rise in popularity, and this its ability to make money.

Despite knowing that YouTubers make money from their videos, and that YouTubers discuss the amount of money being earned through original content, what individual YouTubers earn is a subject that they don’t discuss. With creators such as PewDiePie, the most subscribed YouTuber, who went from being a college dropout working in at a hotdog stand, to being abundantly financially stable; to Mystic7, a creator known for sitting on his mobile phone making Clash of Clan videos strategy tutorials, to exclusively making content related to Pokémon Go. Despite being just as popular before switching content, Mystic7 now gets exclusive access and invitations to Pokémon Go events around the world, a bonus for posting exclusively for a major corporation. Regardless of why or how YouTubers make money, the fact that there are those that seek out the platform in order to make a regular income from the knowledge that others can and have previously is the driving force behind beginning to explain how YouTube, through capitalism, contributes to the need for individuals to be always-on.

There is no better platform with which to sell yourself than through social media, which is all connected and owned by the same company, if you take the time to climb the corporate connections (Zuboff, 2015). Providing a constant online presence correlates with reminding viewers that creators exist, and they exist for you to watch them, for you to provide their earnings. Therefore, the best way to do this is to remain always on is either in the form or posting videos every other day to satiate fan’s needs or making sure you remain active through other social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and perhaps more frequently through Twitter.

References
 * 1) Cunningham, S., Craig, D., & Silver, J. (2016) YouTube, multichannel networks and the accelerated evolution of the new screen ecology. Convergence-the International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 22(4), 376-391
 * 2) Green H (2014) The $1,000 CPM: advertising is a kinda shitty model. It’s very exciting that we’re moving beyond it. Medium.com, 15 April. Available at: https://medium.com/@hankgreen/the-1-000-cpmf92717506a4b (accessed 4 August 2015).
 * 3) Kennedy, H. (2016). ‘Chapter 1: Social Media Data Mining Becomes Ordinary, in Post, Mine, Repeat Social Media Data Mining Becomes Ordinary. London: Palgrave Macmillan. pp 17-33
 * 4) Zuboff, S. (2015). Big other: Surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilisation. Journal of Information Technology (30), 75-89.
 * 5) Shirky, C. (2010) Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. London: Penguin Press.

Smbromley (discuss • contribs) 23:40, 4 April 2018 (UTC)

I was doing some research and found quotes and work that are more relevant to your subject area than mine,.

"What is so disconcerting is that, to the uncritical eye, all these commercials appear to be entertainment. YouTube is a long commercial break dressed up as democratized media." - Keen (2008)

Keen then further goes on to explain advertising space on YouTube and how it is blurred in to creative content. I feel this will be useful to your contribution as it is exploring the different ways YouTube can be used for capital gain and the misinformation that can be spread to consumers risk free. He also does a section on false advertising - amateurs mocking brands.

Hope you find this useful!

NCowling (discuss • contribs) 15:52, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

Found another really good source you could use in your discussion! YouTube: Digital Media and Society Series (Burgess and Green, 2009) looks into money making on the platform and the different ways YouTube channels went through this. I want to highlight in particular pages 55 to 57, here the authors look into the thin divide between amateurs and professionals on the platform. They then take a central focus on vlogging channels and the way they either use YouTube as a business venture or use it for its basic features - sharing homemade content. Burgess and Green then discuss how it does not matter who produces the content but rather, what the content is about. The main limitation of this book is the year it was made - 2009. Obviously, YouTube has changed dramatically since then, they produce a table showing smosh as being the most subscribed channel, this of course is no longer the case with pewdiepie| taking top spot at 60.4 million (as of 2nd February 2018). However, its discussion over capitalism will be useful for your contribution as you could discuss the evolution of YouTube's policies.

Let me know your thoughts!

NCowling (discuss • contribs) 16:55, 31 March 2018 (UTC)

I know I post in your section a lot, but every time I am researching for my own part I find something that fits so well into your topic that I cannot not share with you! This time it is a book by Stephanie Fred called Examining Endorsement and Viewership Effects on the Source Credibility of YouTubers (2015). Here, Fred examines the growth of YouTube and its transformation into a lifestyle. Unlike previous researchers, Fred focuses on the impact the brand has on the YouTuber. Some celebrities lend their names to brands they may not be familiar with, as celebrity endorsement has proven to be a popular marketing method and can quickly build a brand's image. This same marketing tactic can be applied to YouTubers who reach more U.S adults from ages 18-34 than any cable network (Neilson, as cited in Fred, 2015). I feel this will be useful in your section as it offers an insightful discussion into branding on YouTube and your section is about how capitalism contributes to always-on culture within the YouTube community. The other great thing about Fred's work is that it is only three years old, other articles and books I have posted have been considerably older which is very annoying. Hope this helps with your section! I look forward to reading your work.

NCowling (discuss • contribs) 16:30, 3 April 2018 (UTC)

It would help if I actually linked you to the piece I was referring to above. Here it is:

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1716373933/previewPDF/D3056C1791614B21PQ/1?accountid=14755

Sorry about that!

NCowling (discuss • contribs) 16:32, 3 April 2018 (UTC)

Youtube and Beyond
NCowling (discuss • contribs) 21:38, 20 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Viewing engagement with other media platforms
 * Notifications/competitions add to "always-on"
 * Fan participation? Fanart etc.

NCowling (discuss • contribs) 17:47, 28 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Focus on their online presence (if they cannot vlog it, they can blog it).
 * Twitter allows for a more personal relation with fans.

Useful Quotes
(full references in bibliography)

Turkle (2011):
 * "Today, our machine dream is to be never alone but always in control. This can't happen when one is face-to-face with a person. But it can be accomplished with a robot or, as we shall see, by slipping through the portals of digital life" (pg 157)


 * "... when we Tweet or write to hundreds or thousands of Facebook friends as a group, we treat individuals as a unit. Friends become fans." (pg 168)


 * "These days always-on connection leads us to reconsider the virtues of a more collaborative self. All questions about autonomy look different if, on a daily basis, we are together even when we are alone." (pg 169)

NCowling (discuss • contribs) 18:18, 28 March 2018 (UTC)

Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 16:07, 20 March 2018 (UTC)

=Academic Sources=

=Non-Academic Sources=

=Bibliography=


 * 1) Baek,Y. M., Bae, Y., Jang, H. (2013). Social and Parasocial Relationships on Social Network Sites and Their Differential Relationships with Users’ Psychological Well-Being, in CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 16 (7), pp. 512-517 DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2012.0510 Absterloutely (discuss • contribs) 12:14, 16 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) Ballantine, P. W., Martin, B. (2005). Forming Parasocial Relationships in Online Communities, in Advances in Consumer Research, 32 (1), pp. 197-201. ISSN: 00989258 Absterloutely (discuss • contribs) 13:15, 16 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 3) Boyd, Danah (2008). “Digital Handshakes in Networked Publics: Why Politicians Must Interact, Not Broadcast.” In Ben Rigby (ed.), Mobilizing Generation 2.0. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. http://www.danah.org/papers/essays/DigitalHandshakes.pdf Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 15:35, 3 April 2018 (UTC)
 * 4) Burgess, J., Green, J. (2009) YouTube: Digital Media and Society Series UK: Polity Press NCowling (discuss • contribs) 19:50, 29 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 5) Cunningham, S., Craig, D., & Silver, J. (2016) YouTube, multichannel networks and the accelerated evolution of the new screen ecology. Convergence-the International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 22(4), 376-391 Smbromley (discuss • contribs) 17:14, 4 April 2018 (UTC)
 * 6) Green H (2014) The $1,000 CPM: advertising is a kinda shitty model. It’s very exciting that we’re moving beyond it. Medium.com, 15 April. Available at: https://medium.com/@hankgreen/the-1-000-cpmf92717506a4b (accessed 4 August 2015). Smbromley (discuss • contribs) 16:30, 3 April 2018 (UTC)
 * 7) Greenwood, D., Long, C. R., (2011) Attachment, Belongingness Needs, and Relationship Status Predict Imagined Intimacy With Media Figures., in Communication Research, 38 (2), pp. 278-297 https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650210362687 Absterloutely (discuss • contribs) 13:15, 16 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 8) Keen, A., 2008: The Cult of the Amateur: How blogs, MySpace, YouTube and the rest of today’s user-generated media are killing our culture and economy. New York: Doubleday. NCowling (discuss • contribs) 17:11, 13 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 9) Kennedy, H. (2016). ‘Chapter 1: Social Media Data Mining Becomes Ordinary, in Post, Mine, Repeat Social Media Data Mining Becomes Ordinary. London: Palgrave Macmillan. pp 17-33 Smbromley (discuss • contribs) 17:13, 13 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Men, L. R., Tsai,Wan-Hsiu S., (2015) Infusing social media with humanity: Corporate character, public engagement, and relational outcomes, in Public Relations Review, 41 (3), pp. 395-403 DOI: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.02.005 Absterloutely (discuss • contribs) 13:15, 16 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 1) Tolson, A. (2010). A new authenticity? Communicative practices on YouTube. Critical Discourse Studies, 7 (4), pp. 277-289 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17405904.2010.511834 Absterloutely (discuss • contribs) 17:17, 13 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 2) Turkle, S. (2011). Always-on in Alone Together : Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books NCowling (discuss • contribs) 18:24, 28 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 3) Smith, D. R. (2016) ‘Imagining others more complexly’: celebrity and the ideology of fame among YouTube’s ‘Nerdfighteria’, Celebrity Studies, 7:3, 339-353, DOI: 10.1080/19392397.2015.1132174 Absterloutely (discuss • contribs) 16:24, 15 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 4) Suler, J. 2005. “Contemporary media forum: The online disinhibition effect”, International Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies, 2: 184-188. Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 17:33, 13 March 2018 (UTC)
 * 5) Zuboff, S. (2015). Big other: Surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilisation. Journal of Information Technology (30), 75-89. Smbromley (discuss • contribs) 18:36, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

=Visitor Comments=

Hello group SNAC

I just came across your discussions and I am excited to read what you guys come up with relating the always-on culture and YouTube/vlogging. I personally am not very familiar with the Youtube and vlogging culture as many of my friends and peers are. I hope to learn something from your group's research. I think there could be an interesting connection between always-on culture and your area of interest, as it does not only refer to social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. My group, (VCSI) is covering always-on culture as well, feel free to visit our page https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Talk:Digital_Media_%26_Culture:_Collaborative_Essay_Collection_2018/Always-on_Culture/Research_Question_1:/To_what_extent_do_we_agree_with_Sherry_Turkle%27s_argument_that_digital_connections_offer_only_an_illusion_of_companionship%3F
 * Summer.schnellbach (discuss • contribs) 14:33, 22 March 2018 (UTC)

Hey Your take on always on culture is very interesting. When it comes to fan culture there are many aspects on this that relate to fan culture. Youtube is a very common place for fandoms to get their ideas, comments, collaboration and re-edits out there. Youtube has also created a lot of problems for fan culture, so I think that would been an interesting area to explore. There are quite a few readings that I feel would be helpful for you if you are talking about fandoms and always on culture; I have expanded on this in my discussion page on https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Talk:Digital_Media_%26_Culture:_Collaborative_Essay_Collection_2018/Transmediality/Research_Question_1:Taran-trio#Team  if you are interested, go take a look and I hope it helps. Many thanks, hope its all going well. KaYuI (discuss • contribs) 16:57, 28 March 2018 (UTC)
 * Genre, Reception, and Adaptation in the 'Twilight' Series.
 * Fandoms, Trending Topics and Social Capital in Twitter
 * "INTERACTIVE AUDIENCES? THE 'COLLECTIVE INTELLIGENCE' OF MEDIA FANS"

Hello Your research question sounds really interesting! I've never considered YouTube in relation to always-on culture - I've always considered it as a platform similar to television - but now in retrospect, it does feel very relevant. Unlike television, you are usually not aware of when a content creator uploads their videos, so I often check the YouTube app throughout the day to see what content is on my subscription feed. It is similar to the way I interact with other social media platforms like Twitter or Instagram. I think the notion of YouTube as one continuous advertisement is very interesting. You not only get advertisements before a YouTube video but they are also often incorporated to the creator's content as a direct sponsor or some kind of product placement. I am subscribed to a few filmmakers who make sponsored videos from time to time in the form of comedy sketches where the product is part of the story. Jack and Dean is an example that comes to mind in relation to this idea. I'm interested to know how you will discuss the idea of Capitalism as a drive to be always on. I know advertising is a natural part of the Internet nowadays, but I wonder if that makes me want to stay connected. If anything, advertising can be a deterrent for some people; people can use ad-block or other programs to remove ads altogether. Nevertheless, I am very excited to read your essay. My group is also looking at always-on culture so it would be great if you could leave a comment on our discussion page!

Ilmurray (discuss • contribs) 22:20, 28 March 2018 (UTC)

Hi. I hadn't really thought about Youtube in the context of Always On either until we started discussing different directions we could go with this project at our group meetings. It took us awhile to settle on it as a topic but once we did it really made sense. is tackling the captialism section as it relates to Youtube and Always On Culture and the information she has been able to find has been fascinating especially comparing Youtube as a platform to more traditional "entertainment" platforms such as television or even film. I think your point about your use of Youtube more reflecting your use of social media rather than traditional entertainment platforms is very interesting and I hadn't really considered that in such an explicit way. Thank you for your insight and I would love to see what your group is doing, which Always On group are you a part of? Cls00085 (discuss • contribs) 16:33, 2 April 2018 (UTC)

Hey team just wanted to say a big well done, I think we've all done massively well. Good luck to you all!MTxPrincipessa18 (discuss • contribs) 10:58, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

INSTRUCTOR FEEDBACK
General Feedback
 * Essays of this standard attain the following grade descriptor for the collaborative essay. Whereas not all of the elements here will be directly relevant to your particular response to the brief, this will give you a clearer idea of how the grade you have been given relates to the standards and quality expected of work at this level:
 * Excellent. Among other things, this work will probably demonstrate a complex, critical understanding of the themes of the module. It will communicate very effectively, making excellent and creative use of the possibilities of the form (including links, as well as perhaps copyright-free videos and images, linked to from Wiki Commons), and may be written with some skill and flair. It will make insightful connections between original examples and relevant concepts. It will be informed by serious reading and reflection, is likely to demonstrate originality of thought, and will probably be rewarding and informative for the reader. The wiki markup formatting will be impeccable.

Specific Feedback:


 * You have submitted a very well written response to the brief. Here you outline a number of arguments that specifically address the theme of always-on culture, with particular emphasis on vlogging culture. Your discussion of the research evidences a fairly thorough working knowledge of a range of scholarship on your chosen topic, applied in quite novel ways. The examples that you have chosen to discuss your theme are particularly well judged – I really loved the subject matter, which I found to be a highly original application of ideas, and real evidence of engagement beyond immediate set reading and subject matter on the module.


 * Generally-speaking, the essay is written in a fluid, mature style, which is also accessible and easy to get into. Your argument is very well structured, has sustained critical engagement, and draws upon a wealth of relevant materials, (mostly) cited clearly. You demonstrate awareness of the contradictions inherent in the theme itself. This is excellent work. If there’s a quibble, it would be that you do not make the most of the platform’s affordances. Embedded links, images (from wiki commons etc.) and interwiki links to other pages in the book, would all have explored these potential uses.


 * N.B.:Feedback for your Discussion, engagement and contribs elements for the assessment will be given on your individual User Discussion Pages. Grades for all work will communicated confidentially via Canvas.’’’

GregXenon01 (discuss • contribs) 11:51, 23 April 2018 (UTC)