A New...Thesis.

Okay so, abandoning the whole trying to figure out a link to digital media and what I see to be a decline in consciousness. I'm not buying it as much anymore, and it's becoming ridiculously difficult to find enough scholarship to tie it all together. And if there's anything I do well, it's run from my problems!

NEXT!

I will now be taking a look at digital media, specifically remix, as a political input mechanism. Anyone who has taken a basic level political science class understands that an input mechanism is a way that the public communicates to the government, the two best examples being voting and protest. But there are also ways such as contacting representatives directly when possible, donation, and lobbying. However digital technology and digital media cultures have allowed for a new kind of input mechanism. People, not journalists (though not to suggest that journalists are not people...) are now playing a significant role in shaping news coverage through blogging. Increasingly though we see political remix -- people can remix a SOTU speech, or remix a series of speeches, remix photographs, or remix advertisements. Another way of remixing as an attempt at political statement is by remixing regular advertisements and juxtaposing them with text, or with a movie trailer, or with music to create some sort of a political statement. Many of these examples can be viewedhere.

Of course inherent in that is the reverse involvement by the political machine, and how politicos attempt to use digital culture (even remix) as a way to communicate with the ever-important youth culture. Many questions arise here: Is digital remix an effective way to make a political statement? Can digital political remix follow in the footsteps of blogging and begin to make a difference in the political climate? What makes digital remix effective? Does the political machine effectively use digital culture to communicate with youth (and other age-groups that utilize the internet heavily.)

The project portion of this would quite simply be creating a number of my own political remixes. Either mixing single speeches, multiple speeches, or commercials and other advertisements to create my own political statements.

So where I'm at right now is searching for scholarship and resources to help me investigate these questions. Quite clearly, I'm short on time. My literature and Media Review is to be this Thursday and my topic was changed over the weekend. Clearly, I'm on top of things. So any thoughts you might have, articles/books you may suggest (I have a few on their way from Amazon) or even comments you can make about how you see things would be helpful. Oh, and before Thursday afternoon please :-)

Thank you all in advance, I appreciate any help you can give an idiot like me.

~J