Why participate??

As Axel Bruns pointed out in his podcast on networked societies, we are constantly making decisions about how we interact with technology. We choose whether to be passive audiences or participating users. We decide whether we are satisfied with mass media or whether to go hunting for niche interests. We choose how we use media technology and the purposes we give them in our everyday lives and culture.

In the new media age we are witnessing, it is argued that people no longer passively “consume” media (and thus advertising, its main revenue source) but actively participate in them. I agree that we are more engaged and involved with our media consumption but I question the level of participation that is suggested audiences have. I think that over time as new media has developed we have become less trusting of media and more skeptical of what is placed in front of us, leading towards more media and newer forms being introduced. I think a lot of our participation on the internet comes from entertainment or functional aspects and not because we are retaliating against the power of large corporations. We actively participate with the functions and applications that are made available to us, so isn’t that passive consumption??

The passive audience has negative connotations. It implies they can be easily manipulated, vulnerable, placing their wellbeing in the hands of large media corporations. It also implies that they are homogeneous and their likes and dislikes all fall into the category of mainstream media.

Despite the negative connotations, I consider myself to be more of a passive audience then a participatory user. My participation in media goes to the extent of a facebook page and these blogs which I am doing for an assignment. I am quite content in my consumption of media. I would rather come home and turn on the TV or go to the movies rather then create my own or participate in the creation or interpretation of media. Half of the media and technologies appeal is that it is done for me. Now this can be seen as lazy and it probably is, but i don't consider myself vulnerable. I know what i like and what i dislike and feel free to make those decisions whether they are mainstream or niche.

Sure there are people who take their dissatisfaction with media and decide to create their own, but who are these enthusiasts? And how many of them are there? Why spend a lot of time creating additions for computer games or creating videos if you don't receive anything in return? Maybe this is just a pessimistic view, but until there appears to be actual worth in participating to that extent, I doubt many of us actually would.