Participatory Culture, are you involved?

With the invention of websites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Flickr it is so simple to share things with others over the Internet and ultimately all over the world. Anyone and everyone can have a Facebook or Myspace page, and share pictures, thoughts, and feelings with others. Not only are these websites good for sharing photographs with family and friends, it can also be used as a way to get your voice out there. By posting notes on Facebook, or sharing your artwork, or displaying your photography, you can show the world your opinions and talents. Websites like Myspace and Facebook are a great way to get known as an artist. So many people are on social networking sites that you have an excellent chance of being noticed by at least some people who share your interests.

Not only can these websites be used for staying in touch with friends and family, and sharing your thoughts and opinions, consumers can also benefit. Since people share so much of their personal information on social networking sites, consumers can find out everything they need to know to get the attention of their audience. They can also conduct surveys, and advertise on the websites.

When it comes to Facebook and Myspace sometimes it may seem like a competition just to see how many so called “friends” you have. But are these people really friends? Would you really feel comfortable calling every single one of your 500 Facebook friends and asking them to meet with you to catch up over coffee? Highly doubtful. Personally, I believe this is quite ridiculous. For some people, it is very interesting to know what is happening in everyone else’s lives, but it can start to take away from your own. Spending so much time on social networking websites can really start to take away from your real life.

Participatory culture has its ups and downs just like anything else. For the most part, I believe if used effectively, social networking is a good thing. Facebook can allow you to keep in touch with friends and family from all over the world as well as share your pictures and thoughts with them. For consumers, it can allow them to gather information to market their products, and appeal to their target audience. Lastly, for musicians, artists, and photographers, they can show their work to the world and receive feedback for free. Whether you believe Facebook and Myspace are positive websites or not, you will be surrounded by it anyways, so why not embrace it?