Reflective Post On Digital Culture

I got into this class on the recommendation of Greg Bayles, himself a wizard of digital culture. And I have learned an awful lot about how the digital world works, where it is moving, and where it has been. I was intrigued with the way we connected the subject with Moby Dick, and this post by Melody Hiatt entitled "The Moby Dick Metaphor" is what initially got me excited about the connections that could be made between Moby Dick and Digital Culture. From there, I started to really read Moby Dick with a new perspective, and the result was this post entitled The (never ending) Moby Dick Metaphor. In fact this illustrates something else I have learned in this class about the nature of the digital world: there is a lot of building off of other things and remixing. And also, it can be confusing to get a grasp on new concepts, because there will always be new concepts that need grasping. There is always going to be the need to hunt for more knowledge and ability, we will never be resting or completely in control, but in a wild chase for The White Whale. The Holy Grail. The Thing We Desire. The Thing We Need.

I enjoyed being in Team Queequeg, where I was a first mate. I think being in a team was appropriate because a lot of things in the digital are moving to a more team work/collaborative model. Crowdsourcing is a good example of this, and is talked about in this class post entitled "Collaborative Creativity and Crowdsourcing."

I found it especially interesting when we talked about a musical site called "Kompoz" that Professor Burton had found that allowed for musical collaborating amongst many different people from anywhere in the world to collaborate on tracks. Each person contributing a specific part, and advertising for other specialists (a drummer or guitarist) to come in and help add stuff. This kid of collaborative environment is really neat. The possibilities it opens are fascinating. And it got me thinking about the power of collaboration in new ways (and appreciate the internets power for connecting people)

Another part I really enjoyed in this class was talking about the concept of the long tail, written about in this blog post.  It opened my eyes to the power the internet and recommendation platforms have had in allowing for revolutionary changes in the way main stream markets are no longer in complete control like they used to be. For example, now niche products (such as music, videos, video games) can really make an impact and be able to self-sustain without being a main stream product making millions upon millions of dollars.

Another point that got me excited in this class was when fellow Queequeg teammate Danielle Cronquist did an altruistic post for me giving me a jump start on my final project and a good base to work from. I also enjoyed doing an altruistic post of my own for a classmate on fandom and was surprised to see how I could at the same time link it to my own final project and Moby Dick at the same time.

That might just be my big take away from this class. That everything in digital culture is extremely connected. And that can be a powerful thing.

Digital Culture Reflections

Note the three folders at the bottom. Thinking academically about digital culture has helped me organize and think about my own digital life. In Consume, I keep apps like Music, Podcasts, and Hulu; in Connect, I have Mail and social media; in Create I have Calendar, Voice Record, Notes, and To Do lists.

A couple years ago I presented at a conference for podcasters in Utah called Pod Camp SLC 2011. Now, as I reflect on what I have learned this semester in digital humanities class, I find myself thinking back to that presentation. Maybe the main thing that the digital culture class has taught me, in my final semester of college, after years of podcasting, is that this stuff I have been up to has been more than merely a side project.

I’ll go ahead and share below my presentation that I gave back then. It was called “Being Professional With Your Passion.” I defined what that meant for me, and how I measured success with my podcasting. I explained how I sometimes felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in Catch Me If You Can, making people believe that I was anybody worth listening or talking to, and how I tried to hide the screaming Beatles fan inside me every time I got to interview one of my most respected artists about my favorite subject.

Back then, I felt like I was getting away with something. What my digital culture course has taught me is that I wasn’t: I was directly participating in something real. Digital tools gave me access to The Thing, not just a superficial rehashing of it.

Brittany Purcell, a classmate of mine, has written about how digital tools like Etsy can afford access to real business opportunities. She outlined the Maker movement in her article, “Etsy: The Vehicle to Professional Entrepreneurship,” and defined Makers as “the population of creators that use available resources to create and enhance given products.” 

Reading that, and talking in academic ways about consuming, creating, and connecting, has been for me like going to the doctor and finding out that this strange thing you have growing on you has a Latin name. Even if I don’t know exactly what to do about my passion for Do-It-Yourself digital and creative projects, knowing that it is a recognizable, diagnosable subject, worthy of academic attention, is paradigm-shifting. And confidence-inspiring.

After three years of podcasting, I am closing shop on The Pixar Podcast and starting a new show in January. I will continue to apply the principles of consuming, creating, and connecting that I had found on my own and then became cognizant of in this class, and I couldn’t be more excited to go forward, my vision now clear about what I am doing and why it is worthwhile.

Reflecting on a Semester of Digital Culture

Before this class, I thought that I already had a pretty good grasp on digital culture, but in reality, I had just barely been skimming the surface. I was already familiar with the basics like blogging from writing my own blog and managing one of BYUs blogs, and I thought that I was already pretty internet savvy, but there are so many resources, curation, and research methods that I had never even thought of Like using Twitter to research? That one kind of blew my mind a little big. I really just saw that as a place to say silly and witty things and hope for a few "favorites." But, then with the idea of using it as a tool of research and connecting with those outside of your circle I was able to contact the author of the book that I read for this class and get some information from him (I texted my mom right after he tweeted me cause I thought it was that cool...). 

I also found myself liking Google+ a lot more than I would. I had gotten a profile with them when it first came out really more out of curiosity than anything, and then got bored and deleted it, but now that I have been introduced to the communities on Google+ I think I may still hop on every once in a while after this class is over.

  

So I guess thinking about it, what amazes me most about digital culture is the way that people are connecting through it. I’m glad that I chose for my final topic to research something that is relevant to me (editing in the digital age), because it made me much more aware of what is going on in the editing world, what type of people are in this field, and how I can get more connected. In the beginning of the class, I was mostly feeling a little hopeless about what digital culture is doing to our society as I expressed in my blog post “Connecting or Disconnecting?” But, as I started to see the positives, the negatives seemed pretty outweighed. The opportunities for growth, creativity, and connection that the digital age has created are amazing. I especially started to feel more positive about the way things are headed with the class lecture/blog post "Collaborative Creative and Crowdsourcing."

I learned a lot from this class that is going to be very applicable to my future career, which is hopefully doing web based publishing and editing, but other than that I think I just have a better understanding of what is happening online and how I can be a part of it.

The Heart of the Provo Music Scene (and where is it going?)

The music world in Provo is centralized around one place. That place is Velour.

And the velour (and subsequently the Provo music scene) is centered around one guy. Corey Fox.

This article in the Deseret News says (in an interview with Provo mega-blogger C. Jane Kendrick) that “You can’t talk about the Provo music scene and not talk to Corey Fox, he is an amazing coach for a lot of these bands. He knows what he’s doing. He’s got magic.”

Indeed, Corey Fox seems to be the godfather of music in Provo. With his blessing a band can get a hold in the local scene, and without it ... things might be harder. 

As far as the nature of the music scene, Fox admits that “Provo is a transient town, so you only have these bands for a short amount of time.” Thus he sees himself (and the Velour) as more of a means of developing bands, helping them find direction rather than being the final destination. 

I think this is perhaps the main component that sets Provo apart from other music scenes around the country. Nowhere else do you have a scene that is small enough to have essentially one man control everything. And nowhere else do you have one guy capable of handling a scene this big. So it is an interesting balance. 

People in provo are starting to take notice, as well. Recently, a blog called "provobuzz" featured the top 10 bands in provo here. The post got some good attention and shares from various social networks (Facebook being the biggest). Another post on the same site claims that the local music scene is on the verge of exploding. 

But i'm a bit skeptical that things are headed that way. The blog was talking about mainstream success, and Provo houses mainly indi-bands. Bands that are aiming for niche markets in certain genres rather than mainstream success. 

I decided to interview Perry Burton, the drummer for the Provo band Eli Whitney, to try and understand the nature of the Provo Music scene in Provo and what sets it apart from the rest of the country.  What I knew going into the interview was that Provo was certainly no L.A. or New York in terms of having a ton of big bands. Provo was something different. Burton didn't think so either. In fact, his opinion was different than the blogger who thought Provo was on the verge of exploding. Perry's opinion on that subject was that "Provo is the way it is partially because of our demographic here and partially because of size. I don't think it would be (or will be) the same when it gets to be a million people bigger or what not." Everybody is aware that Provo is growing rapidly, and that certainly means 10 years from now things may be very different. And i'm not sure one can predict what things will look like. 

But, Perry continues, "right now it's just big enough to produce a populated scene with lots of players/groups/shows/etc. but small enough that one group can make waves and rise to local fame which in turn, provo is then big enough to raise their star players high enough that the big boys out in LA and NY notice. So it's a careful balance right now, as I see it."

 A good comparison is looking at the Boise State (college) football team. They make a big impact on the national scene, yet they are a small school with a small pool of resources to draw from. Talking with Perry confirmed this. And he also lauded the way "digital mediums allow for completely decentralized success of an otherwise totally centralized concept ("the scene")." All this goes into that careful balance of the Provo music scene.

Finally, when I asked Perry about Provo being a halfway point, or a stepping stone for bands rather than a final destination... well, he wasn't convinced that was a good idea. "The way I see it, why would I want to live somewhere with 1,000 other up-and-coming bands? When I can live here and be famous and make waves and get attention. Big fish in the small(er) pond, so to speak." I agree with Perry to a certain extent. I think a band would be wise to stay in Provo on the condition that they are also having lot's of success in the digital realms (as opposed to bringing lots of people to there live local shows but not getting much play in the digital). I just don't see Provo bands doing that at the moment.  

For example, look at the band Chvrches (from Scotland). In this article in The Guardian the band gets classified as "quintessential examples of that recent paradigm, mysterious-new-sensation-make-giant-splash-with-debut-track." Meaning, they were born on the internet, getting big thanks to blogs and re-posts. Indeed, the first time there music was ever heard by anybody (live shows included) was when they were featured on the blog Neon Gold. They got a ton of Plays off of that, and just like that they were a widely known band. And all this before even playing a show as a band. For me, this represents the truly digital bands, or at least bands that are using the full potential that the digital world has created. Of course, it takes a bit of luck and a certain kind of music to get big on the internet like that. 

Recently, I was able to talk to Derek Miller, the guitarist in the two-piece band Sleigh Bells. I asked him what it was, exactly, that got them huge, if he could pinpoint something. He told me it was when some of there demo tracks got featured on a blog that was being done for the movie Where The Wild Things Are. They got posted on that blog (somewhat coincidentally) and suddenly they were being passed around the internet. Here is an excerpt from the blogger who did the blogging: 

"In August 2009, I blogged about the duo for a website coordinated by Spike Jonze for his movie Where the Wild Things Are. Spike got excited about the music and played it for his friend M.I.A., who also got excited. Several other things happened after that, and now here they are at the low-ceilinged Studio, about to play for a packed audience that's already generating a smell typically associated with the end of a show: booze, sweat, booze sweat."

So here is another band that got big before they were really even a band with mixed and mastered tracks. 

It is this sort of thing that Provo is lacking. Imagine Dragons and Neon Trees got big primarily because they played very good live shows (Imagine Dragons) or because they were invited on tour with a big band (Neon Trees going with The Killers). Once they started to gain steam, it of course helped that they had some good movies put up by local outfit Occidental Saloon, but that was not what got the wheel moving initially.

The Provo music scene is most likely to continue in this precariously balanced state. A lot of small bands fighting to become the big fish in a small pond. And the occasional band that makes it. As far as an explosion? I think the scene is not set for one, nor does it need one. That isn't Provo's identity. Provo will be that cool niche that not many people know about but has a lot going for it. However, I definitely think the scene will continue to grow, as more people take notice, and more bands get success. More people will take it seriously. More bands will come here hoping to succeed in this small-pond dynamic. It is unique in the nation because of that. 

Provo Music Scene (Part 3)

These are the bands that have not yet made a splash but are capable of doing so in the Provo Scene.  This article from an informative blog about all things provo gives a list of the top 10 provo bands that could potentially reach outside the provo area.

One of these bands, Parlor Hawk, has been participating in some newer aspects of the online music world. They recently did a kickstarter campaign. Kickstarter is a site that allows bands (and really anybody that wants to raise money) to ask fans to donate some money so that they can record an album. The premise is that the fans get to help a band they like make there album while at the same time getting shirts and other prizes for donating their money to the kickstarter campaign. Parlor Hawk was able to raise $15,265 via 337 backers (people who donated). Very impressive for a local band. This shows the power of online marketing, as a quick look at their kickstarter page will no doubt impress visually and sonically. Needless to say, the album was produced and released. To generate hype, they made and posted to Youtube a live recording of one of the new tracks a few weeks before release, which acted as a powerful visual reminder/notice to fans and others that the new album was about to come out.

You can watch that here

Parlor Hawk has recently had a couple songs featured on the hit television series "The Sons of Anarchy."

Another band that has been making some impact in the local scene is Polytype.

They recently released a concept video.  Highlighting once again the strategy (perhaps considered traditional at this point) to couple music with a visual, online experience.

Another good band is Eli Whitney. They have taken a different approach than the previously mentioned bands in soliciting their music. They have in on their website. You can listen to all the songs, and if you like them and want to download them you can pay. I like this idea because the money goes to the musicians and not some third party. The drawbacks to this of course are that not as many people are going to stumble across the music when it isn't in a "share" environment like Soundcloud or Pandora. They do however compensate for that by releasing videos onto youtube.

And finally, a band that has done an interesting thing with Video is Red Yeti. They have made a "micro-trilogy". This concept is interesting and allows for the viewer to watch more than just one thing on the band (and short enough to keep your attention), thereby getting a deeper perspective on who the band really is. I see this concept really helping out bands that are harder to figure out on first sight. Just like some people's personalities are harder to place than others on a first meeting. This represents some of the innovation going on in the digital realm.

Reflective Post

As I have been thinking about my experiences in this Digital Culture class and in my experiments in blogging, etc. I have realized how often I am lost. There are different kinds of lost that I'm talking about. One is similar to this blog post, where I get lost in my thoughts, and I forget what I am supposed to be focusing on. When I am lost in this way, I stumble on things that aren't necessarily what I was looking for, but they sometimes help me in creating new ideas, or tying together others.

On the other hand, I realized that I really do legitimately get lost in the digital world. I have no idea what I am doing, where I'm going, what I'm trying to accomplish. It is a vast sea of information that always changes, just like how Sam talks about in this blog post. This class introduced to me entirely new ways of learning, researching, connecting, and I had to start from scratch in learning to use them. I have never been so out of my element in a class in my student career here at BYU. Usually, my classes are like Dr. Burton's Spiral, (I feel like I mention this in every post!) and I can draw upon knowledge that I already had as a foundation for the new information that I am receiving.

I had to start from nothing in this class.

So, as I tried to learn the concepts for this class, I had to learn the basics of the digital world. To learn the correct way to do something, start at the basics, and then you will be able to find meaning in what you are learning. But I still felt like I couldn't ever grasp the concepts in ways that were expected or described in class. So I started avoiding it. I became an Edupunk in this class (a concept introduced to me by Derrick). But as Derrick talks about in his Edupunk success story and project, he gained his education while avoiding the things he was "supposed" to do.

My Edupunk/Digitical Culture success:

I am definitely not the greatest blogger to ever life, and I am still struggling to really understand why and how to use all of the different tools that are available for curating, connecting, researching, etc. but my success came because I now have the foundation to build on. I had to learn new way to think in order to complete this class, and now I have that skill to enhance the other skills that I already have. I have already started to incorporate this new type of thinking into other aspects of learning.

Now I just have to remember to not get used to it! As Sam mentions in his post mentioned above, the digital world is ever-changing. I have to get used to being shaken up. I have to get used to things changing. That is part of using the digital world. It is a new facet of humanity that I have learned about and become part of.

I have been remixed.

Staying Afloat in the Digital Sea

Here is the link for my final paper. I kept bouncing back and forth between ideas that I have been having throughout the semester, but I actually decided to just retool my first paper. So this is still pretty heavily influenced by Moby Dick, but I added new facets and new ideas to the first paper. Like Dr. Burton's spiral (again)!