Being Human: How Computers Define Our Data

Every person is more than just who they are — deep inside, each one of us is made up of  potential that determines who we could be. This potential can be understood as all the possibilities we could be given our inner code which is comprised of all of the data that defines us. In other words, […]

Responsible Reception: The Importance of an Active Audience

Growing up, my parents would always tell me just how lucky I am for growing up in time when we have so much available at the press of a button. Born in the 1950s, they grew up with the major networks: NBC, CBS, and ABC. They watched whatever was on when it was on because […]

Monopolizing Creativity

Recently, I came across a quotation that really struck me: “The outsider has nothing to lose” (20).These words belong to Tim Wu, author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. The book outlines the arc of the information industry, beginning with the Bell Company and its subsidiary, AT&T. The reason these words […]

You Are What You (Cr)eat(e)

I’m a firm believer that we are — as the title suggests — what we create. Creators put a little piece of themselves into each of their creations. These are their horcruxes, the little bits and pieces of themselves artists share for people all over the world to find. And in the process, the creations […]

Creative Careers: What Are They?

What counts as “creative?” In 2018, it seems that creativity is in every sector of every career. The more businesses incorporate digital affordances into their work, the more creative freedom they have. We can design, edit, and stylize like never before. Of course, creativity is not limited to the Digital Age; any history class can tell […]

ASCAP, Music, and Fair Use in New Media

We have come a long way since the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) was founded in 1914. Music industries have blown up so much in the last 2 decades alone; we have gone through phases of new genres, ridden waves of new electronic instrumentation, and been introduced to a plethora of music […]

If Video Killed the Radio Star, What Killed the Video?

  The near-extinction of Blockbuster came as a surprise for many. It wasn’t long ago that “Blockbuster was practically untouchable,” says Jennifer Holt, author of Empires of Entertainment: Media Industries and the Politics of Deregulation, 1980-1996. According to her, it once dominated the home video market, owning 25% of existing video stores and still earning […]

Stuff You Should Listen To

Have you ever wanted to learn more about something new? Chances are that at some point in your life, you have either wanted or had to. Perhaps you had to look up historical information for a high school research project or maybe you just wanted to learn more about mermaids. Sometimes, you just get curious […]

1,000 to 1: Etsy and the Modern Artisan

Since the refinement of the assembly line during the Industrial Revolution, the personalization of manufactured goods has suffered for the sake of decreasing time being produced and increasing quantity consumed. “Handmade” and “personalized” have transformed from being manufacturer’s mission statement to buzzwords. These are hooks used to reel in customers with the fantasy that they […]