Ever read Naruto? I helped make that.

The concept of prosumer is quite simple, one who is able to both consume and produce media. The internet is full of prosumers, while some may be more of one than the other; we all have an input in internet culture.  Ritzer’s concept is quite fascinating as I began to review my input as both a producer and consumer.

I am largely a consumer, I’m no Superwog of KevJumba. I constantly consume information from all reaches of the web, but I’m considerably lacking in the producer department. Over the last couple of years I have only been producing on social media, the odd Facebook post or Tweet is all I seem to do. However, as I delved into my past I found that I was once a very active producer. Back in my high school days, image was everything. The need to be with the in crowd, to go to the coolest parties and to attempt to cover up my obvious nerdiness were my biggest problems going through adolescence. The internet was my haven, a place where, under the guise of a username, I could satisfy my nerdy cravings. I was a constant poster on many forums, ranging from football, lacrosse and a forum for Asian Australians, but my largest input was in the anime and manga online scene. I was a constant poster on those sites and had befriended many people, most notably the guys who run the sites and illegally collect and distribute the anime and manga we all loved. My popularity with these people, got me a spot in the scanning team for some of the more popular manga series. 

This was the high point of my producing phase. I was an assistant for the expert scanners and online publishers I learnt how to edit scans and clear pictures and how to input translations.

When I look back at my prosumer history, I feel a sense of accomplishment. The joy and wonder I get from my weekly dose of anime and manga is something I cannot imagine living without, and for that small portion of my life I am happy that I was able to help in bringing the same joy to others from anywhere around the globe.

Ritzer, G & Jurgenson, N, 2010. Production, Consumption, Prosumption: The nature of capitalism in the age of the digital ‘prosumer’. Journal of Consumer Culture, 10/1, 13-36

Piracy

Australian television channels are mainly dominated by American television shows. As such, they have a large influence on Australian television culture. As a child I loved shows such as The Simpsons, South Park and Everybody Loves Raymond, and they were a big part of my childhood. However, as I grew older, I began to realise that the episodes I was watching were made several years ago or that they were a re-run and I became frustrated and impatient with having to wait a whole week before a new episode, if Australian broadcasters were even able to get a copy from the US. The solution was piracy. The internet is a powerful tool for globalisation, the ability to upload a television show from one location and to have it be downloaded from anywhere across the globe is amazing. Now I can keep up to date with all my favourite shows and even shows which are unheard of in regular Australian programming. Nowadays my regular internet piracy programming consists of a weekly dose of anime, manga, Dexter, Suits and the greatest show of them all……. GAME OF THRONES!!! (Seriously, get on it)

An article last December, shows that Game of Thrones has become the most downloaded television series in the world, with single episodes being downloaded over 4.28 million times! Recently I heard on the radio that 20% of those downloaders are from Melbourne!

US Ambassador, Jeffrey Bleich has even warned us Australians over the ridiculous amount of piracy happening in our country. Jeffrey Bleich, is however, correct. Just because we cannot wait a few weeks or months, does it mean we can break the law to watch a television show. But if piracy is such a large issue in the country then shouldn’t there be more enforcement of the laws? Occasionally I’ve gotten emails, with warnings but to be honest, they are a weak deterrent to such a large scale problem. I cannot give a solution that could possibly be practical and please both parties of creators and consumers, but for now I, like the millions of others who need their daily dosage of Hollywood, will continue to do what we do until someone finds a way to stop us.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/television/us-ambassador-explains-his-fight-against-game-of-thrones-piracy/story-e6frfmyi-1226634534605

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20836739

Being myself with Manga

One of the main sub-cultures that have influenced my life has to be anime and manga. As a child, I was obsessed with Pokemon and Dragon Ball, and when we got our first dial up connection I delved further into the world Japanese comics and cartoons. Through my teenage years I became an avid reader and watcher of anime including Naruto, Bleach, One Piece and Full Metal Alchemist. I became further involved with the online community and started helping with the process of taking the raw Japanese comic and translating and cleaning pages for distribution around the world.
My acceptance into this online culture was a major factor in my life. In the real world my friends did not share these same interests as me, with our friendships evolving from a love of sport instead of anime and manga. But online I was able to be completely open with a global group of individuals who shared these same interests as I did. I still read manga on a weekly basis and while my contribution on forums and blogs has waned over the years, I still feel a strong connection to the community as it allowed me to share the other half of myself with the world, in a time where I was only being half of myself.

"It was like entering a whole new world" an afternoon with Father.

Cultural flows describe the movement and assimilation of cultures, traditions, beliefs and objects from one national boundary to another. My father is a living example of cultural flows, bringing all his experience and culture with him from around the world and introducing his brand of food to Australia’s already multicultural society.

My father grew up in a war torn East Timor (Timor Leste) in 1963. At the time, East Timor was, and to this day still is a third world country, and was defending their land from the Indonesian invasion. However, we are not of Timorese background. My grandfather was a Chinese immigrant, who had left southern China due to British rule and migrated to East Timor where over time, a large Chinese community had developed. Towards the end of his teenage years, moved to Portugal, where he worked as a kitchen hand for several years, before finally moving to Australia to reunite with the rest of his family.

When my father first arrived in Australia in 1985, his first thought was that “it was like entering a whole new world”. Australia is a prime example of the power of globalisation and cultural flows. When I asked him about his first experiences in Australia, he delved into his passion of food and told me stories about his first encounters with the vast amount of cuisines Australia had to offer. Explaining the concept of globalisation is difficult when my mastery of Mandarin or Cantonese is at a preschool level, but it was so easy when I used food as an example. Food is a component of any culture and the cultural flows allow Australia to prosper from all these cultures and beliefs.

Perhaps too many cooks don’t spoil the broth :P

About me

Hey guys, my names Will but mates call me House. I'm a pretty simple guy, I could probably sum myself up in a short list -

- Deakin student, studying Media & Communications and Public Relations.
- Love chicken, hate chocolate.
- Love my sports - Malvern Lacrosse, Essendon Bombers, Chelsea Football Club, Greenbay Packers
- Also a bit of a closet nerd - I play LoL, read both American comics and Japanese manga

That wasn't too hard. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy my blog :)