The world is full of technological devices that enable individuals to communicate to a mass anonymous audience. Although these devices are important, they do create drawbacks which are not visible until lectured about. Clay Shirky, one whom lectures about these technological drawbacks, presents the idea of professionalism becoming amateurish. “Driving a race car requires special training – race car drivers are professionals. Driving an ordinary car, though, doesn't require the driver to belong to a particular profession . . .” (57). He creates this great example where a car represents the internet and the race car driver is the professional media outlet, while regular drivers represent the amateurs of the internet. We do not need to be professional race car drivers to drive a regular vehicle because almost anyone can drive a regular vehicle. The internet is the same way. We do not need to be professionals in order to access and use the internet efficiently and to it's maximum potential.
With today's technology, sending/posting an idea/message is as easy as the click of a button. Unfortunately for the professional media outlets, they cannot control who and what is messaged across the web. The amount of amateurs posting or blogging trumps the amount of actual professionals. The advances with the internet/computer have slowly crumbled the wall between professionals and amateurs.
Amateurs of the web that post and blog have many more freedoms than the actual professionals can have. With just that fact, the amateurs are able to post their ideas and messages across the web without any cost, which exemplifies how much of an advantage the amateurs of the media world have against the actual media professionals. The wall that crumbled between amateurs and professionals only created stepping stones for the amateurs while the professionals could only watch in horror as their grasp of control over the media slowly began to slip away. These amateurs will only continue their ascension up the stepping stones.
As for an experience of Mass Amateurism that I have experienced, I have yet to experience anything very significant that I wish I could reflect and share. The most amateurization that I can discuss about are the times I've blogged or the incredible amount of time wasted on Facebook and YouTube. One time in high-school I did create a movie with fellow classmates that eventually made its fateful way to YouTube, which is probably my greatest experience. How easy and quick it was to be able to upload the video to YouTube was incredibly easy and almost anyone is capable of doing it.
As for the future for the media profession, I believe things will remain the same. When I say remain the same, I mean that tradition will triumph over change. We are used to our everyday paper when we go out or our television in the morning to give us a quick update of the day, when were driving to our jobs and need to listen to the radio for any news reports about traffic or weather. Of course when the invention of media chips that can be installed into our brains comes around, then I believe our traditional media sources will most likely cease to exist.
Reference
Shirky, Clay. "Everyone Is A Media Outlet." Here Comes Everybody. Penguin Press HC, 2008.
With today's technology, sending/posting an idea/message is as easy as the click of a button. Unfortunately for the professional media outlets, they cannot control who and what is messaged across the web. The amount of amateurs posting or blogging trumps the amount of actual professionals. The advances with the internet/computer have slowly crumbled the wall between professionals and amateurs.
Amateurs of the web that post and blog have many more freedoms than the actual professionals can have. With just that fact, the amateurs are able to post their ideas and messages across the web without any cost, which exemplifies how much of an advantage the amateurs of the media world have against the actual media professionals. The wall that crumbled between amateurs and professionals only created stepping stones for the amateurs while the professionals could only watch in horror as their grasp of control over the media slowly began to slip away. These amateurs will only continue their ascension up the stepping stones.
As for an experience of Mass Amateurism that I have experienced, I have yet to experience anything very significant that I wish I could reflect and share. The most amateurization that I can discuss about are the times I've blogged or the incredible amount of time wasted on Facebook and YouTube. One time in high-school I did create a movie with fellow classmates that eventually made its fateful way to YouTube, which is probably my greatest experience. How easy and quick it was to be able to upload the video to YouTube was incredibly easy and almost anyone is capable of doing it.
As for the future for the media profession, I believe things will remain the same. When I say remain the same, I mean that tradition will triumph over change. We are used to our everyday paper when we go out or our television in the morning to give us a quick update of the day, when were driving to our jobs and need to listen to the radio for any news reports about traffic or weather. Of course when the invention of media chips that can be installed into our brains comes around, then I believe our traditional media sources will most likely cease to exist.
Reference
Shirky, Clay. "Everyone Is A Media Outlet." Here Comes Everybody. Penguin Press HC, 2008.
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