Practices of Media

The article “The Practice of Everyday (Media) Life: From Mass Consumption to Mass Cultural Production?” by Lev Manovich explores the “user-created media”(319) of the digital world. This type of media began to appear in the 1980s and exploded in the twenty first century. The explosion is due to a user friendly platforms and applications available on the web and the affordibility of devices, such as web cams, to be used by the general masses.
“[W]e have moved from media to social media.”(319) When discussing social media, you have to look at web 2.0. According to Manovich, there are two concepts web 2.0 is based on: (1) web content produced and published by nonprofessional users and (2) the web becoming “a communication medium.”(320) Even though many people have become producers, most people still remain consumers. The “long-tail phenomenon”(320) is an outlet, however minute, can find an audience. If we look at internet sensations, an unknown can become a celebrity because of a following. Rebecca Black's music video “Friday” is an example of social media. It follows the outline for long-tail phenomenon where a badly written song and music video has gained a following, even if it was a negative following and became a breeding ground for comments and discussions.
Tactics, according to Manovich, are “the ways in which individuals negotiate strategies that were set for them.”(322) It is a form of adaptations in which the user draws upon what they know and is available to make things their own. Remix is a form of tactics in which the producer uses ready materials to generate material in their own thoughts. Manovich states that many aspects of our culture is remixed: from anime fan videos to fashion choices we make. “Strategies and tactics are now often closely linked in an interactive relationship,”(323) Strategies are used by “institutions and power structures”(322), the producers, while tactics are reserved for the consumers. This combination allows for the customization of our web experience. The consumer is able to pick and choose what they want available, and in the process becomes a producer. The difference between strategies and tactics are that tactics “lacks the centralized structure and permanence that would enable it to set itself up as a competitor...”(324) Tactics is based on the personal choices the consumer makes and the choices they have made may not be suitable for others. Some tactics become beneficial to a certain group and they can be adapted to become strategies by industries. Companies, such as Facebook and Yahoo, benefit from us contributing or using tactics because they sell information about us or by advertising.
Social media has altered the way we function in the world and how we perceive it. The culture of social media allows users to instantly get feedback and reach audiences beyond borders. People in different countries are able to share in each others moments and events, which can result in the spread of ideas. If we look at the recent events in the Middle East, social media has played a big part. It has shown people in that part of the world that they don't have to agree with everything their government has imposed on them. On a smaller scale, tv industries look to fan interests on line to generate new ideas for shows.