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Mario Plenković, Daria Mustić: THE NEW PARADIGM OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AS A RESULT OF PAR-

TICIPATORY CULTURE OF DIGITAL MEDIA


Media, Culture and Public Relations, 7, 2016, 2, 143-149 143
INFO-108 UDK: 316.42:316.772
Received: 2016-06-09 Preliminary Communication / Prethodno priopćenje

THE NEW PARADIGM OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AS


A RESULT OF PARTICIPATORY CULTURE OF DIGITAL MEDIA

Mario Plenković1, Daria Mustić2


Alma Mater Europaea – European Center Maribor & Univerza v Mariboru , Fakulteta za elektrotehniko, računalništvo in
informatiko, Inštitut za medijske komunikacije, Maribor, Slovenia1; Faculty of Graphic Arts, University of Zagreb, Zagreb,
Croatia2

Abstract
This paper researches the participatory culture in new media and information
consumption regarding the phenomenon of social media, content communities
(e.g., YouTube), social networking sites and blogs (e.g., Facebook), collaborative
projects (e.g., Wikipedia), and virtual game worlds (e.g., World of Warcraft). All
these applications have widened the concept of sharing, what has resulted with
change of traditional media gatekeeper. The research approach is qualitative and
exploratory in nature, as the aim is to develop a theoretical argument based mo-
del of information consumption in environment in which the information
quality is challenged by many individuals who create and dissiminate informa-
tions in digital environment. Primary findings are encompassed in the theoreti-
cal framework. Media fragmentation has led to fragmented dissemination of
information and breakdown of traditional control structures, leading to amateur
information dissemination.

Key words
media communication, media audience, media content producers, gatekeepers

Introduction this way we get a digital asset as a value


without an expiration date /1/. Information
Communication is one of the many
user today partly assumes the role of creator of
everyday activities that is interwined with all
visual aspects of information, so there is a re-
of human life so completely that we sometimes
positioning in relation graphic designer - reci-
forget its role, importance and complexity.
pient.
New information technologies have enabled
greater interactivity and a greater degree of Communication process is defined by
democracy and level of participation in the its origin, historical, tehnological, cultural and
creation of media content. Modern means of social frames. When we talk about the cultural
communication have become so powerful and social frames in which modern communi-
communication tools not only for managing cation processes are happening, we have to
content, but also they have become a new define the historical and philosophical concept
battlefield for individual, group, technological of modernism/postmodernism. The concept of
and social conflicts and compromises. The modernism has its roots in the attempt to
world wide web today is a participatory explain the meaning and significance of the
community where both users and information social changes occurring in Europe in the se-
sources co-create, share and modify content. cond half of the nineteenth century (the effects
Digital media production allows efficient and of industrialization, urbanization, political
rapid organization of media mediation of vi- democracy on essentially rural and autocratic
sual messages which in this process become a societies, changes in property relations). In
permanent value that does not disappear – in modern society the world is experienced as a

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Mario Plenković, Daria Mustić: THE NEW PARADIGM OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AS A RESULT OF PAR-
TICIPATORY CULTURE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
144 Media, Culture and Public Relations, 7, 2016, 2, 143-149

human construction, so is the communication on issues such as the link between knowledge
system and its essential parts. Modernism beli- and power, dissensus rather than consensus.
eved that the lives of people would improve Other postmodern trends are the link between
thanks to science (humanely and altruistic use power and ideology, the concept of hyper-
of science) and a world based on logic. Post- reality, the challenge to rationality, the rejecti-
modernism means “after modern” which is on of the distinction between truth and falsity,
formed with the combination of the word the rejection of metanarratives, and the lack of
“post”, which means “after” in English and representation of minorities and marginalized
French, and “modern”. groups /8/. All of this trends have found a per-
fect platform in todays information technology
Postmodernism is the term used to de-
and opportunities provided by Web 2.0 tec-
scribe contemporary culture, or the very recent
hnologies.
surroundings which we live amongst. It is an
internal criticism and an effort to provide an Based on this philosophy, we can ask
alternative to modernism /2/. Baudrillard /3/ ourselves are then contemporary very popular
argues that postmodernism is comfortable concepts of alternative truths and post-truth
with the commodification of culture (and its era just another logical consequence of ideas
information/mass media products) and recog- conceived in the core of postmodern thought?
nizes its power in the modern, industrialized Different realities must lead to alternative
world. He believes a new era of simulation has truths. Fast development of new technologies
dawned where society is organized around has only accelerated the multiplication of al-
simulation codes and models that replace pro- ternative truths as products of alternative reali-
duction as the organizing principle of society. ties.
Baudrillard /4/coined the term “semiurgic”
This paper will examine a
society in which signs take on a life of their
contemporary information consumption in the
own and that constitutes a new social order
context of postmodernism. The purpose is also
structured by models, codes and signs. Pos-
to demonstrate how the fragmentation of tra-
tmodern thought emphasises that people with
ditional information production structures
different ethnic, cultural, social, class and eco-
have been replaced by new amateur, self-
nomic frames of reference have very different
produced information production further con-
realities. Postmodernism focuses on diverse,
tributing to the acceleration of social changes.
subjective, and local multiple truths by
The goal is to define research questions for
identifying and deconstructing underlying
communication researchers that will include
processes of power and discourse that shape
the challenges of postmodernity.
social reality by asking how and why
knowledge comes to be /5/. Hyper-realities are
Methods
based on the idea that reality is constructed,
and therefore it is possible to construct things A literature review was carried out on the sub-
that are more real than real /6/. Postmodernism ject after determining the problem statements
implies that objective truths do not exists and of the research. The literature is limited to the
in the postmodern age subjective observations resources used in the study. These papers were
and opinions will have to be enough. The goal examined with the document analysis method
according to Lyotard (1984) is not an anarchy of the qualitative research pattern.
of ideas as postmodernism is sometimes cha-
racterized, but a critique of the modern, an The following question will tried to be
acknowledgment of the current world, and answered with this research:
state of technology and the difficulty of legiti- If we assume that information quality today is
mation of knowledge in this context. Lyotard challenged by the lack of traditional gatekee-
/7/ was concerned about the meta-narratives pers and many individuals who create and
that had become a substitution for knowledge dissiminate informations in digital environ-
and felt this led to a compartmentalization of ment, what are the effects on social reality?
knowledge and a lack of coherence in
knowledge domains. Postmodernism focuses

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Mario Plenković, Daria Mustić: THE NEW PARADIGM OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AS A RESULT OF PAR-
TICIPATORY CULTURE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Media, Culture and Public Relations, 7, 2016, 2, 143-149 145
Document analysis includes the pment was predicted by Toffler /12/ who refer-
analysis of the written materials that contain red to it as “prosumption”, a term deriving
information on the phenomenon aimed to from a combination of the terms producer and
investigate. The researches carried out on the consumer, and has been a focus of study in
social reflections of postmodern understanding recent years.
were generally assessed with the document
Communication history is showing the
analysis method.
permament need for superiority and control
Theoretical framework and discussion over the all levels of communication (local,
national, regional and global). Governments,
Information is consumed through a organizations, institutions and interest groups
communicative process which begins by acces- – they always have had and always will try to
sing the information from a source. In informa- have some control over the channel for com-
tion science, search engines are considered municating with the public. Media studies
information retrieving systems - IR systems documents decreased production staff, conso-
and the process of retrieving information is lidation and reduction of news offices
considered an information search process domestically and internationally, reduction of
(ISP). The most important IR system and the news reporting and editorial staff, and reduc-
most dominant sources of information today is tion in television franchises (which report local
the commercial search engine. A great number news) – all efforts designed to improve profit
of the population use these search engines to margins (seek surplus value) with resulting
gather all forms of information. The search reduction and quality in production of local
engine represents a gateway, a form of control and international stories /13/. This reduction in
owned and operated by private, for profit bu- reporting represents a weakening of the in-
sinesses. While they do not own the content, formation quality dimension of completeness
they have complete control over the view of since there are news stories (information) that
that content. These information sources exist in are not being provided to the information see-
a larger socio-economic framework which ker. Users can immerse themselves in social
impacts the construction and distribution of environments with an ever-expanding com-
information /9/. New graphic media discourse pendium of symbolic tools at their disposal to
involves multiple media channels synergies, present their identities to others. In the internet
sharing of information content in multiple environment, physical beings are transformed
graphic presentations, allowing the user to into digital self-entities charged with symbolic
select the information he wants to use, for how meaning and evolving dynamically /14/.
long and in what way /10/. According to Today’s digital technology provides a rich
Taylor /11/, today web provides information range of multimedia cues in the form of pho-
from a multitude of sources which include a tographs, videos, graphics, symbols and
variety of self-published sources such as blogs, hyperlinks enabling users to create multidi-
wikis, discussion boards, news aggregators, mensional identities /15/. As opposed to media
news readers. For many of these information like TV or print, where the amateurish is mar-
sources, the gatekeepers of the past are gone. ginalized , Douglas /16/ emphasises that the
Modern information technology provides ac- internet is built to give outsized attention to
cess to vast information sources. The result is a the amateurish, the accidental - creators with
huge offer of easily accessible information of no traditional skill or talent often become onli-
increasingly questionable quality. The traditi- ne celebrities for their work, and creators with
onal gatekeepers who provided some level of skill or talent often suppress their abilities or
quality control, validity and objectivity, have manufacture amateurish conditions to better
been set aside. Although, the actual roles and achieve so called the Internet Ugly aesthetic (it
effectiveness of traditional gatekeepers has normalizes imperfection, objecting to the effect
been often criticized, they did represent an of magazines, TV shows, and corporate
intermediary role in the production and access websites that use technical tools to build an
of information resources. This phenomenon artificial simulacrum of the world). Audiences
associated with modern technological develo- have become more and more information satu-

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Mario Plenković, Daria Mustić: THE NEW PARADIGM OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AS A RESULT OF PAR-
TICIPATORY CULTURE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
146 Media, Culture and Public Relations, 7, 2016, 2, 143-149

rated or bombarded by the media on a daily the communication technology and minimal
basis. They are familiar with many texts, both technical knowledge about it, can be a a sour-
current and from the past, making intertextual ce, gatekepeer and the consumer of the media-
references entertaining. ted message at the same time. This person with
the multiple roles in an communication pro-
Figure 1. shows the contemporary
cess is the basis of the new paradigm of parti-
communication model with communication
cipative culture created in the new media.
flux between creators of the message and users
of the message. Every person with the access to

Figure 1: Circular model of information flow with multiple roles in communication process

Source: Authors

New technology may offer new oppor- theory of sharing is needed and she identifies
tunities for social connectivity and the develo- three distinct perspectives in the literature:
pment of cultural identity, but also raises sharing as an economy driven by social capital;
questions about equality of access to and ethi- sharing as a mode of scaled distribution; and
cal standards within these virtual communities sharing as a site of social intensification. The
/17/. Social movement studies have emphasi- Facebook statistics indicates that, as of August
zed the role of social media in creating 2016, the average number of items shared by
opportunity structures, organizational infras- Facebook users daily is 4.75 billion.
tructures, and spaces for the formation of co- Social networks open up new possibili-
unter-publics /18/, /19/. Social capital refers to ties: mobilization, social awareness, control,
the resources inherent in social relationships; it representation, imagination, creation of alter-
is considered the foundation of economic, poli- native truths and alternative realities and new
tical, and social development /20/. Theirs rese- possibilities for data metrics. This affordable
arch (2016) indicates that Internet use and in- mass communication has become a mobilizati-
formational media use increase social capital on tool, but it has also brought the risk of di-
and that societies seem to benefit from open, sinformation, populism and social
free, and pluralistic media systems as they irresponsibility.
support the production of social capital. Social According to Taylor /22/, when an in-
networks are also changing the dynamics of formation search is conducted on the internet,
communication and the dynamics of social the hypertext interface of the web browser is
changes: they are fast, they affect the commu- most likely the medium used to consume the
nication strategies, the distribution of power information and since the information is often
and attention; using them is a cheap way of read on a computer screen, in-depth coverage
communication; they change media agenda, of a topic which would require a large number
providing new space for discussion and they of pages is instead condensed into a smaller
can increase transparency (if wanted). number of pages. Those who view this infor-
Kennedy /21/ argues that a framework for a mation may not recognize a fragment as such

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Mario Plenković, Daria Mustić: THE NEW PARADIGM OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AS A RESULT OF PAR-
TICIPATORY CULTURE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Media, Culture and Public Relations, 7, 2016, 2, 143-149 147
and may be confused about the nature and quality, equality, inclusion, and the maximal
validity of the information being consumed diffusion of the message, a manipulator of the
through this interface. technological tools that are adapted to the new
If we assume that the information communications media, as well as an identifier
quality today is challenged by the lack of tradi- of stereotypes, bad practices, abuse and lack of
tional gatekeepers and many individuals who veracity of some messages that are distributed
create and dissiminate informations in digital through communication media and social
environment, we can derive question for futu- networks, a booster of the communication and
re researches: interaction between emitters and receptors, the
Q1: If we cannot manage and control commu- organizer of the resources that are required for
nication process in the ways originally the production of creative, critical and respon-
thought, what would be alternative prac- sible content...This great number of roles for
tices for best communication outcome? one person, indicates the necessety of media
Q2: Who are these possible partici- litearcy in the modern communication world.
pants/creators and what is their role and
impact? Conclusion
Q3: What are the implications for public com-
munication when every man can be an ac- Google now processes over 40,000 search
tive participant and have an impact on queries every second on average which tran-
public communication without any real slates to over 3.5 billion searches per day and
responsibility? 1.2 trillion searches per year worldwide (Inter-
Q4: How do new postmodern forms such as net live stats). According to a 2013 comScore
social networks influence public commu- public release /24/ as of December 2012, Goog-
nication? le enjoyed a 65.2% share of web search volume
Q5: What would be appropriate gatekeeping worldwide, with 114.7 billion searches that
solutions for public communication to en- month. Baidu had a 8.2% share, Yahoo 4.9% ,
sure comprehensive and meaningful par- Yandex 2.8% and Microsoft sites (mostly Bing)
ticipation for different publics and audi- 2.5% . We can say they are the new gatekee-
ences? pers, who have a different way of information
Q6: How should practitioners and scholars filtering then the traditional gatekeepers. They
research new communication modes ba- have transferred the responsibility for the
sed on fiction or “alternative truths”? accuracy, quality and relevance of information
Q7: How should media and communication to an audience who is not always able to
practitioners perform their media role in effectively evaluate information. There are
hyper-reality? many reasons - information overload, media
illiteracy, lack of accountability for power of
Postmodern media presumes that the (in)accurate information released to the media.
audience is media literate and familiar with a The almost near-zero production and distribu-
wide range of media references and needs a tion cost of the internet removes the barriers
high level of stimulation. But, media literacy is for active participation, therefore, skills for
a wide term, and in shouldn´t be considered critically using the search engines are indis-
superficially. According to Garcia Ruiz et all. pensable. When users will be capable of both
/23/ media literate person, a modern »prosu- consuming and producing media messages in
mer« knows how to arrange the necessary a free, responsible, critical and creative way,
resources for generating creative and innovati- we will have a meaningful platform for all- to
ve content; he/she is a reviewer, of the content all communication. Information theory
he or she receives, as well as that which s/he generally does not require information to be
creates, with a critical, thoughtful and pluralis- true, thus information that is false is still in-
tic eye; he or she has to be an observer of the formation /25/. Because of that, users need to
message’s production and emission processes, develop such skills for evaluating messages
as well as its impact, taking into account the and facts offered by the new gatekeepers –
possible audiences; he/she should be a selector search engines. They also need to learn about
of the content and a unifier of the criteria for the mechanisms behind how they work and

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Mario Plenković, Daria Mustić: THE NEW PARADIGM OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AS A RESULT OF PAR-
TICIPATORY CULTURE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
148 Media, Culture and Public Relations, 7, 2016, 2, 143-149

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Mario Plenković, Daria Mustić: THE NEW PARADIGM OF PARTICIPATORY COMMUNICATION AS A RESULT OF PAR-
TICIPATORY CULTURE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
Media, Culture and Public Relations, 7, 2016, 2, 143-149 149
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NOVA PARADIGMA PARTICIPATIVNE KOMUNIKACIJE KAO POS-


LJEDICA PARTICIPATIVNE KULTURE DIGITALNIH MEDIJA

Mario Plenković1, Daria Mustić2


Alma Mater Europaea – Europski centar Maribor, Maribor & University of Maribor, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science, Institute of Media Communications, Maribor, Slovenia1; Grafički fakultet, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Zagreb,
Hrvatska2

Sažetak
Ovaj rad istražuje participativnu kulturu u novim medijima i načine korištenja i
kreiranja medijskog sadržaja uzimajući u obzir fenomen društvenih medija, apli-
kacija za dijeljenje sadržaja (npr. YouTube), društvenih mreža i blogova (npr.
Facebook), projekata temeljenih na suradnji (npr. Wikipedia) i virtualni svijet iga-
ra (npr. World of Warcraft). Sve ove aplikacije su proširile koncept dijeljenja što je
rezultiralo promjenama kod uloga tradicionalnih vratara u medijima. Istraživački
pristup je kvalitativan, jer je cilj razviti teorijski argumentirani model o korištenju
informacija u okruženju u kojem je kvaliteta informacija ugrožena sudjelovanjem
mnogih pojedinca koji stvaraju i šire informacije u digitalnom okruženju. Primar-
na razmišljanja su iznesena u teorijskom okviru fragmentacije medija koja je dove-
la do fragmentiranog širenja informacija i sloma tradicionalnih upravljačkih struk-
tura, što dovodi do amaterskog stvaranja i širenja informacija.

Ključne riječi
medijska komunikacija, mediji, publika, proizvođači medijskog sadržaja, vratari

ISSN 1333-6371

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