Online 2.0 and Public access television

The main effect I got from reviewing the links to these online platforms is that they are probably visited by more teenagers/young adults, perhaps at college or preparing to enroll than by full blown adults. A lot of the themes border on the miscellaneous, for example on the community channel on YouTube there are advertisements by circuit city, oreos and home depot as well as calls to end poverty among other special interest programs. I didn't get the sense of community found in say TigerTV or Willinet where you know the programs are directed by and to the immediate community.

Also, from the additional required readings, I did get the sense that free speech is at higher risk on the online world, specially if blogs/videos are targeted by mobs who dislike a particular user. I don't foresee this sort of thing happening in public access TV unless the specific program is really offensive. Of course, you could signup as a new user on YouTube and begin with a new identity, but I think people may discover that quickly if you beat around the same issues, in which case you will be knocked off the grid. Then again, you could get your own mob and target those targetting you--but then it becomes a war between the two sides and no messages will get across to the community in the end. Public access feels more personal, and it's definitely more accessible. I mean, it's on TV as apposed to online. Who doesn't have a TV? To have internet access means that there is enough money to go around to be purchasing the service in the first place. Therefore, wealthier individuals seem to have access to these online platforms while the less wealthy fall behind. The benefits, as the readings pointed out, are that people get a sense of community when allowed to create their own videos/blogs/etc., which in turn allows them to connect to others, albeit in a very inpersonal way. Public access has the potential of bringing people together more efficiently, for one because the distance is presumably shorter, and two, events can be planned for "next week," for example, and really stir people together.

What online users are doing unconsciously, it seems, is to increase the revenue for those internet giants like google who buys out popular sites like youtube as soon as they capture enough online attention. Working for free by tagging images on a google site feels a little uneasy, to say the least.