A Digital Media

1. A Digital Media Manifesto Michael Moshell UCF Digital Media 2 October 2005

2. A Manifesto: What’s That? • A statement of position and intentions • A moral posture: “here’s how things should be” • In my case: A plan of work for the rest of my career.

3. A Manifesto: What’s That? • A statement of position and intentions • A moral posture: “here’s how things should be” • In my case: A plan of work for the rest of my career. • To wit: • How shall we make good things happen for humankind through media?

4. Moshell’s Media Meta - Principles • Principals and Meta - Principles: • Can we develop a set of key ideas that • GENERATE the operational principles of our discipline? • Operational Principles, e. g. • “Design before you build” • “Always consider the user’s needs: • Why did she come to this website?”

5. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • To understand our experience • We ‘frame’ what we see … put it into mental ‘boxes’ • Culture provides many categories:

6. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • To understand our experience • We ‘frame’ what we see … put it into mental ‘boxes’ • Culture provides many categories:

7. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • To understand our experience • We ‘frame’ what we see … put it into mental ‘boxes’ • Culture provides many categories: Brazil: get the spider off the boy!

8. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • To understand our experience • We ‘frame’ what we see … put it into mental ‘boxes’ • Culture provides many categories: Brazil: get the spider off the boy! China: Red ->Celebrate->What festival is this?

9. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • To understand our experience • We ‘frame’ what we see … put it into mental ‘boxes’ • Culture provides many categories: Brazil: get the spider off the boy! China: Red ->Celebrate->What festival is this? USA: Has he just seen the Spiderman movie?

10. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • As a ‘check-list’ when analyzing or planning

11. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • As a ‘check-list’ when analyzing or planning • Did we account for the Main Things? • Did we allow one idea to blind us to other ideas?

12. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • As a ‘check-list’ when analyzing or planning • Did we account for the Main Things? • Did we allow one idea to blind us to other ideas? • As a moral framework • Your work WILL make a difference

13. Moshell’s Media Principles: How To Use Them • As a ‘check-list’ when analyzing or planning • Did we account for the Main Things? • Did we allow one idea to blind us to other ideas? • As a moral framework • Your work WILL make a difference • Will it make a POSITIVE difference? • We strive to make a better culture • – it’s an American thing to do

14. Moshell’s Media Principles • 3 Principles about Individuals Using Media • User is always learning. qwerty12

15. Moshell’s Media Principles • 3 Principles about Individuals Using Media • User is always learning. • User must UNDERSTAND • & CONTROL the learning. qwerty12

16. Moshell’s Media Principles • 3 Principles about Individuals Using Media • User is always learning. • User must UNDERSTAND • & CONTROL the learning. • 3. User is always teaching. qwerty12

17. Moshell’s Media Principles • User is always learning. Information arrives … qwerty12

18. Moshell’s Media Principles • User is always learning. Information arrives … Changes user’s state … qwerty12

19. Moshell’s Media Principles • User is always learning. Information arrives … Changes user’s state … qwerty12 And user’s capabilities. !

20. Moshell’s Media Principles • User is always learning. Information arrives … Changes user’s state … Notice: qwerty12 Changes user’s EMOTIONAL state … Emotion is much more basic/primitive/central than thought. We learn in order to get what we want. We have 250 million years of history, being guided by feelings --- and maybe 50 thousand, of symbolic/logical thinking.

21. Moshell’s Media Principles • User is always learning. Media exist on the frontier between EMOTION and LOGIC. Never forget which one is the boss. qwerty12

22. Moshell’s Media Principles • User is always learning. Media exist on the frontier between EMOTION and LOGIC. Never forget which one is the boss. qwerty12 Skateboard! Consequence: If I can save $138… Then I can . . . We must understand emotions and personalities, and how they grow.

23. Moshell’s Media Principles • 3 Principles about Individuals Using Media • User is always learning. • User must UNDERSTAND • & CONTROL the learning. qwerty12 “Wow .. The Wompa-matic is a way cool board…” WHY does he think that? Because the dude in the ad gets the girl? Because he likes the band that makes the commercial’s music?

24. Moshell’s Media Principles • User must UNDERSTAND and CONTROL the learning. If you’re not in charge of what affects you, qwerty12

25. Moshell’s Media Principles • User must UNDERSTAND and CONTROL the learning. If you’re not in charge of what affects you, Others will take charge. (Maybe they already have.) qwerty12

26. Moshell’s Media Principles • User must UNDERSTAND and CONTROL the learning. If you’re not in charge of what affects you, Others will take charge. (Maybe they already have.) What is literacy (traditional?) - The ability to read, analyze and understand. qwerty12

27. Moshell’s Media Principles • User must UNDERSTAND and CONTROL the learning. If you’re not in charge of what affects you, Others will take charge. (Maybe they already have.) What is literacy (traditional?) - The ability to read, analyze and understand. What is literacy for media? - The ability to understand what media do to your emotions. qwerty12

28. Moshell’s Media Principles • User must UNDERSTAND and CONTROL the learning. If you’re not in charge of what affects you, Others will take charge. (Maybe they already have.) What is literacy (traditional?) - The ability to read, analyze and understand. What is literacy for media? - The ability to understand what media do to your emotions. qwerty12 Consequence: We must help people to build “mental muscles” So that they steer the horse … not vice-versa.

29. Moshell’s Media Principles • Meta – learning: Learning HOW TO learn. • What are your best skills and techniques for learning? • How can you apply them to remedy your weaknesses? • What is your STRATEGY? • What are your learning objectives? • What are your learning practices/policies/plans? • Who do you plan to call on for help? • How will you know when you’re succeeding? Failing? qwerty12

30. Moshell’s Media Principles • Meta – learning: Learning HOW TO learn. • Example: Portals • Awareness: Websites are getting complex, interactive • Concept: There must be ‘kits’ of reusable software • Rebuilding the DM Site: Students survey portals, pick Drupal • My personal learning style: • Is there a textbook? Amazon … yes, but not ‘til November • Can I leverage my learning (2 for 1?) sure -- • My wife’s business needs a portal. So I learn faster • Mentor: Software developer Jim Salmons + students • Start hacking! Try things, set goals. Make it work! qwerty12

31. Moshell’s Media Principles • 3 Principles about Individuals Using Media • User is always learning. • User must UNDERSTAND • & CONTROL the learning. • 3. User is always teaching. qwerty12

32. Moshell’s Media Principles Everyone is always teaching someone else something. Or: “giving away info” Or: “making choices” Or: “Providing role models” Ask yourself: Who’s watching? qwerty12 What do they want or need to know? Is there a win-win?

33. Moshell’s Media Principles Summary of Personal Principles: Learning: Input changes users’ emotions & knowledge. Meta-learning: Users should be in charge of learning. Teaching: Users’ output affects other people’s lives.

34. Moshell’s Media Principles Three Principles for Communities: 4. Commonality: A community is defined by a common interest.

35. Moshell’s Media Principles Three Principles for Communities: 4. Commonality: A community is defined by a common interest. 5. Diversity: Diverse communities are stronger and wiser.

36. Moshell’s Media Principles Three Principles for Communities: 4. Commonality: A community is defined by a common interest. 5. Diversity: Diverse communities are stronger and wiser. 6. Sustainability: A community provides benefits that make it worthwhile to its members – so they stay, and new members come.

37. Moshell’s Media Principles: Inspiration “ A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.” Aldo Leopold The Land Ethic

38. Moshell’s Media Principles Three Principles for Communities: 4. Commonality: A community is defined by a common interest. • When developing a media system: • What core common interests • define the user community? • What do you know about this community • that will influence your media design?

39. Moshell’s Media Principles Example: eBay Community of individual buyers and sellers • Analogy: an on-line flea-market or garage sale • Common issues of this community: • Low cost of business (‘do it at home’) • Need for effective publicity (yard signs…) • Trust (hence, the rating system) • Cash and Convenience (hence, Paypal)

40. Moshell’s Media Principles Three Principles for Communities: 4. Commonality: A community is defined by a common interest. 5. Diversity: Diverse communities are stronger and wiser. • How many kinds of diversity are there? • Brown beige & blue frogs, female, old etc. • Those who knit and those who don’t • Mathematicians and the rest of humanity • What else … you name a few!

41. Moshell’s Media Principles Diversity of roles in a community Actually, BACKGROUND matters less than NEEDS and GIFTS – when building an ecosystem. • So your media system needs to • be open to users who invent new roles for themselves • be constantly rethinking its own business model • provide tools for open-ended inventiveness

42. Moshell’s Media Principles Three Principles for Communities: 4. Commonality: A community is defined by a common interest. 5. Diversity: Diverse communities are stronger and wiser. 6. Sustainability: A community provides benefits that make it worthwhile to its members – so they stay, and new members come.

43. Moshell’s Media Principles Sustainability • Respect: “The Egg Trader of the Month”, September 2005 • Communication: Frequently refreshed, interesting news items

44. Moshell’s Media Principles Sustainability • Respect: “The Egg Trader of the Month”, September 2005 • Communication: Frequently refreshed, worth-seeing news items • recruitment, training of next-generation key players

45. Moshell’s Media Principles Sustainability • Respect: “The Egg Trader of the Month”, September 2005 • Communication: Frequently refreshed, worth-seeing news items • recruitment, training of next-generation key players • Convivial Media – (content provided by users) • are very important tools for sustainability

46. Moshell’s Media Principles Summary: • Learning • Meta-Learning • Teaching • Commonality • Diversity • Sustainability

47. Moshell’s Media Principles Summary: • Use these concepts to understand and then to build good media • Learning • Meta-Learning • Teaching • Commonality • Diversity • Sustainability

48. Moshell’s Media Principles Summary: • Use these concepts to understand and then to build good media • The frog-people are • counting on you! • Learning • Meta-Learning • Teaching • Commonality • Diversity • Sustainability

49. Moshell’s Media Principles Cross-check with Journalism.org 1. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth. 2. Its first loyalty is to citizens. 3. Its essence is a discipline of verification.

50. Moshell’s Media Principles Cross-check with Journalism.org 1. Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth. 2. Its first loyalty is to citizens. 3. Its essence is a discipline of verification. 4. Practitioners must maintain distance from those they cover. 5. Must serve as an independent monitor of power. 6. Provide forum for public criticism and compromise.