Constantly Connected

Most of the world’s population is constantly connected to the internet in one way or another. Through phones, laptops, computers, televisions and even watches, we always have this access at our fingertips. Many people have their phone on them 24/7, meaning that their phone has essentially become a part of them. This has made life much easier for people, students are able to watch lectures on their laptops and phones, workers can access emails outside the office, people can stream television shows from overseas and get breaking news the instant it happens. Even something as simple as an argument at the pub over trivia can be answered in mere seconds.

But while there are many positive aspects of this culture of always being connected, what are the negatives? There have been suggestions that social media is replacing real world social interactions and that we spend too much time on our gadgets. I personally disagree as I think social media and phones have made social interaction easier as you have access to everyone instantly which makes organising times to meet up in person much easier.

While there are many positives to being constantly connected, there are periods sometimes where we do just need to switch off.

Happy Birthday?

One thing that really stood out to me this week was the fact that someone can claim ownership of the song Happy Birthday. Could it be true? Do we really have to pay royalties for singing Happy Birthday? As it turned out, Warner Music had indeed acquired the rights to the song and were charging royalties for its use. They have since released it to the public domain but one must wonder how much they made with it since they purchased it in 1988.

This caused me to think about the issues of ownership and copyright. I believe that these concept definitely have their place. If a person creates something they should have the right to ownership. However I believe the restrictions on this should be loosened. Creative Commons is a good start as it allows things such as remixes and redistribution for non-commercial purposes but owners still have to choose to do this. Once we begin to move towards this across the board, I believe that we will all be better off for it.

The Medium is the Message

Throughout the week I have spent plenty of time, like I am sure plenty of others in the course have, trying to interpret what Marshall McLuhan meant when he phrased the term ‘the medium is the message.’ After reading countless theories and interpretations, I think I have formed my own opinion on what McLuhan meant.

Prior to this week’s lecture my understanding was, like the meme shows, that the medium was a tool to portray the message and nothing more. However mediums are so much more than that. They directly impact the way we live our lives. Moving from written mail to email is an example of this, adapting the way we complete this task to keep up with technology. While content is still important, as without it the medium doesn’t have a use, it is the medium that directly effects our lives, and society as a whole.

Until next time!

About Me

Hi, my name is Hayden and I am studying a Bachelor of Communication & Media Studies at the University of Wollongong.

Why am I here? For the last five years I have worked in an accounting firm in my hometown of Goulburn. I studied while working and got my Bachelor of Commerce from ANU. However one day last year while sitting at my desk at work it dawned on me, I couldn’t do this for the rest of my life. Accounting wasn’t for me. After thinking long and hard about where I wanted to be I decided to follow my biggest passion in life, sport. Knowing that my sporting abilities will not allow me to progress beyond the local leagues, looking for something in sports media seemed like the next best thing. So I packed up and left little old Goulburn, prepared to take a chance on my dream.

My first week at Uni has been an interesting experience. Moving to Wollongong having lived in a small rural town my whole life has taken a bit of getting used to. But the transition has been reasonably smooth as Wollongong is such a lovely area.

Having worked in an Accounting firm for the last five years, these concepts of blogging and digital artifacts are very foreign to me and while I’m nervous about moving into a completely new field, I’m excited to learn and to challenge myself to keep progressing!