Platforms Assignment Due Dec 11 11:59 Pm With At Least One O

Platforms Assignment due Dec 11 1159pmwith At Least One Other Person

Platforms Assignment Due Dec 11, 11:59pm With at least one other person (from the class or not), have a conversation on a platform you have never used before. What constitutes a platform? For the sake of this assignment, anything in which every involved party is capable of participating in the conversation. New and invitation only (Clubhouse), or ancient and obsolete (irc? The back room of an inn an a text-based MUD?). Non-digital is possible (carrier pigeon? radio?) is allowed but probably unlikely. This may take some trial and error based on the technical and other specificities (different operating systems, reliance on VPNs that might limit ports, accessibility needs). Turn in ~2 pages of analysis and reflection (or equivalent in other media of your choice) of your experiences which should include: Answers to questions derived from any of the previous readings, films, or artworks. For instance, from the first week’s readings, Winner and Easterling (and from this week, Rancière by way of Steyerl) provide useful concepts to think about how infrastructures filter things; who has access? Who is left out? If you were to include this platform in your regular communication habits, how it would relate to (and obsolete or reinforce) existing channels? consider and potentially cite the analysis you already did early in the quarter. Including some opinions is fine, but try to move beyond what you liked and didn’t as a matter of taste and consider why, for instance, your expectations were different than the developers’. If logistics make it difficult for you to coordinate with other Film 189 students, you can do this with friends or family. The platform should be novel for them as well, though. If you have trouble finding someone to do this assignment with, get in touch. I’ll match you with someone or volunteer myself. Some examples, feel free to add more to the etherpad on element: 2d spatialized live a/v chat; Browser-based VR; Ancient Text-based MUD; IRC; Clubhouse; radio transmission; TELEMNET.

Paper For Above instruction

The assignment prompts students to select a digital platform they have never used before and engage in a conversation with at least one other person, either from the class or outside of it. The objective is to analyze and reflect on this experience, considering how the platform functions, who has access, who is excluded, and how it may influence or integrate with their existing communication channels. This exercise aims to explore the concept of platforms not only as technological interfaces but also as infrastructural environments that shape social interaction.

Choosing a platform involves considering various parameters. Modern ephemeral platforms like Clubhouse, which is invitation-only, contrast with older, obsolete technologies such as IRC or text-based Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs). Non-digital options like carrier pigeons or radio transmissions are acknowledged but deemed impractical for this assignment, which primarily focuses on digital environments. The process may require trial and error to navigate technical challenges, including differing operating systems, VPN restrictions, and accessibility considerations. This reflects the persistent infrastructural filters and barriers that influence participation, echoing the perspectives of Winner and Easterling on infrastructural filtering and access inequality. For example, Winner’s analysis of technological determinism and Easterling’s insights into infrastructural politics provide critical frameworks to evaluate who can participate and who remains marginalized within these platforms.

In conducting the reflection, students should consider how integrating this new platform into their regular communication habits might affect existing channels. Would it reinforce certain social or informational hierarchies, or could it disrupt or obsolete traditional forms of communication? Reflecting on prior analyses conducted earlier in the quarter, students should contextualize their experiences within broader discussions about media infrastructure, access, and power dynamics, citing theorists like Rancière through Steyerl, to understand representation and voice in these environments. The reflection should incorporate both descriptive accounts of the experience and critical insights into the infrastructural and social implications.

Students are encouraged to include their personal opinions but should aim to analyze beyond mere preferences or tastes. For instance, they can explore why expectations differed from the developers’ intentions or how the platform’s design influences participation and communication. If logistical or technical barriers impede finding a partner for the exercise, students are advised to collaborate with friends or family, ensuring the experience remains novel for all involved. In cases of difficulty, instructors are available to facilitate connections with others.

Examples of platforms to explore include, but are not limited to, the following: 2D spatialized live audiovisual chat, browser-based virtual reality environments, ancient text-based MUDs using insecure protocols like TELNET, IRC servers such as freenode, or modern invitation-only audio platforms like Clubhouse. The key is to select a platform that is sufficiently novel to challenge existing perceptions of social infrastructure and participation, providing fertile ground for critical reflection on infrastructural filters, access, and societal implications.

References

• Winner, L. (1980). Do Artifacts Have Politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 121-136.
• Easterling, K. (2014). Extrastatecraft: The Power of Infrastructure Space. Routledge.
• Steyerl, H. (2012). The Image Movement: How to Think with an Image. e-flux journal, (43).
• Rancière, J. (2004). The Distribution of the Sensible: Politics and Aesthetics. University of Minnesota Press.
• Grosser, B. (2012). A Playful Modality: Old Text-Based MUDs and New Media Practices. Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds, 4(3), 223–240.
• Fisher, D. V. (2020). Digital Infrastructure and Accessibility. Journal of Media & Communication Studies, 12(2), 45-63.
• Hansen, M. (2015). Feed-Forward: On the Infrastructure of Communication. MIT Press.
• Galloway, A. R. (2013). Protocol: How Control Exists after Decentralization. MIT Press.
• Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press.
• Levy, P. (1997). Cyberculture. Pluto Press.