The Participatory Movement

Back when the internet was in its infancy, and even as recent as a few years ago, the sites were mainly used to go to retrieve information. Nowadays, the internet is mainly used for participation and creation. As Boyd says, we live in a stream on the internet, and we "add to it, consume it and redirect it." This statement is totally true, and one can easily use Twitter as a perfect example. People can use Twitter and participate by following people that are experts in the fields they want to excel at in life. At the same time, the experts are creating micro-blogs that give this valuable information to the followers who are participating.

This new participatory movement is revolutionizing the way people interact, and even how kids learn. As Jenkins said in his lecture, the participating and creating on internet sites actually enhance ones ability to think critically when it comes to reading and writing. Students can look up any information at there own convenience and critique what they learn themselves.

In conclusion, the participatory movement is changing the way everyones lives their lives. Both Boyd and Jenkins comment on how it keeps getting easier to become a part of this participating and creating phenomenon. Anyone can buy a cellphone with a camera and hook it up to a computer to upload a video on Youtube, thus creating a form of new media.