As stated in Art and Electronic Media, "artist Peter D'Agostino has noted, Brecht sought to change radio "from its sole function as a distribution medium to a vehicle of communication [with] two-way send/receive capability..." (Shanken 32). In reading this section, I continually thought about how advances technologies have or have not changed the predominant one-way communication mediums of radio and television. Podcasts, for instance, are a newer form of radio broadcasting, sometimes allowing listener feedback. The podcast itself, however, is still a prefabricated form of entertainment where the user has no impact on that particular broadcast itself. Because people are acclimating to a culture based highly on communicating through technology, people are also becoming more apt to share information. Seemingly silly information, like a "dream wedding" Pinterest, can be linked to a person's Facebook profile or blog, allowing other users to access more personal information than many think.
When considering the use of Facebook and privacy issues, I keep thinking of the various surveillance methods associated with social media and modern technologies. In addition, which types information people choose to keep private, and which they do not. Photo mapping, for instance, can allow internet users to access not only images, but locations of another person's whereabouts. In addition, people can "check in" through various social media networks, many of which can be linked together. Users may not think of this as a form of surveillance, but more as a bragging outlet or way to inform their friends. However, it is possible for other users to view who has been to a specific location using sites/apps such as Yelp and Foursquare. This fact made me recall a piece I saw in which the artist hacked in to a parking garage security camera and projected the video feed on the side of a wall in a city center. This idea of using seemingly secure information and using it for a different, very public purpose can make a person feel uneasy and reconsider the control of various monitoring systems. This illustrates the power of art through the use of networks, surveillance, and culture jamming.
...Thoughts on the topic?
No comments:
Post a Comment