1). Jenkins discusses the transparency problem of participatory culture: the difficulty students face comprehending the ways media can shape their worldview. What causes the transparency problem, and why does Jenkins think the stakes are higher for digital media than for traditional media? Jenkins argues students need the skills to read games as texts, but how is this skill set different from the kinds of critical thinking that FYC aims to teach students to apply to the world at large? Is it really more important to ascertain “commercial interests” in digital media than in any other form?
2). In his discussion of “affinity spaces,” Jenkins envisions environments of participatory culture as a kind of egalitarian and utopian space, as “ideal learning environments” (9). Are online communities really this supportive and inclusive, or is Jenkins’s optimism misplaced?
Activity 1: Let’s construct a case study for engaging with participatory culture in the FYC classroom. Using the five-point definition on page five, can we envision a digital assignment that would both fit Jenkins’s definition of participatory culture while working to achieve some of the WPA outcomes?
Activity 2: Let’s produce some media! Free write, or, if you feel comfortable, post on your blog some reflexions about your own engagement in participatory culture. To what extent do you view yourself as a content producer? Do you value media literacy as much as Jenkins believes we should?
