NMIX 4510/6510 New Media Technologies
Personal Media / Public Good
TH 5:00P - 6:15P
Shamp
In the last few years, personal media has become a focus for the New Media Institute. For us, personal media falls into two general categories: social media and mobile media. Social media (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) is inherently personal because you craft your own networks and content to create a completely individualized media experience. And the fact that more people are using their cellphone to receive tailored information in a variety of formats, means mobile media is rapidly becoming our most important personal media channel.
There has been explosive growth in both these categories of personal media -- new companies are growing, new technologies are coming to market, and entrepreneurs are pioneering new applications. But with all the attention being devoted to the commercial applications of personal media, there is an important question that is getting lost in the shuffle. What can personal media do to make the world a better place?
In the NMI, we have begun to explore the question of how personal media can lead to public good. Our AIDS Personal Public Service Announcement projects are one way we are making a contribution -- http://www.mynmi.net/GlobalAIDSPPSA/. But we want to do more. We want to learn how people all over the world are using personal media to improve lives and communities.
Spring 2010 we will offer a special topics class called "Personal Media / Public Good." In this class we will look for the examples and case studies of innovative programs geared toward positive social change through personal media. The end product of that class will be a resource for people who want to implement new personal media initiatives for public good. It should be fun.
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