Waiting...

So I guess the speed of Web 2.o has no relation to the speed of the lecturer marking.

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We’ve got bloglobility – a true story based on global events

Somewhere between the late 1990’s and yesterday, the word ‘blog’ got inducted into the global language of the internet, understood by a majority of planet earths inhabitants. A fad, a necessary evil, a means to fame, a ranter’s delight, all of the aforementioned can be categorized alongside a description of what a blog is or rather hopes to be, because after all; “it’s easy, and it only takes a minute” (www.blogger.com) to create. And in an increasingly cyber based existence where speed need not come in the form of a narcotic to ensure addiction, the faster and easier it is to set yourself up on the internet, the faster you’ll be able to reach that high. A high that involves sharing ourselves with the rest of the world seated behind blinking cursors eagerly awaiting approval of cool-factor, a sentiment/disposition that echoes the incessant human need for acceptance and thirst for knowledge be it academic, voyeuristic or just plain useless.

The accessibility provided by what I regard as one of mankind’s greatest inventions after the automobile – the internet - has given individuals another sphere from which to function, free from the confines of social realities. Having a blog has become an extension of the average urban existence/being. And the constantly increasing numbers of fashion, style, culture and art blogs that run rampant in cyberspace are testament to that. Everyone knows where everyone else is partying, what they’re wearing, the latest art exhibition they’re attending or what global cause they’re supporting. The cult of celebrity is no longer a members only club – Andy Warhol’s prophetic musing: a very real truth. We can ALL have our fifteen minutes of fame and claim it too. It is this accessibility that highlights the fact that the world is getting smaller and we truly are living up to the now pre-millennium clichéd term of being a ‘global village’, so much so, Africa hasn’t been left behind this time around in a cloud of third world dust.

From Lagos to Cape Town, Africans are wired and just as technologically savvy as the average American. And more than just technologically aware, a combination of post colonial detritus and modern day repercussions of capitalism has resulted in the archetype 21st century African urbanite – the AFROPOLITAN or as Taiye Tuakli-Wosornu described it on www.theafrobeat.blogspot.com:
…the newest generation of African emigrants, coming soon or collected already at a law firm/chem lab/jazz lounge near you. You’ll know us by our funny blend of London fashion, New York jargon, African ethics, and academic successes. Some of us are ethnic mixes, e.g. Ghanaian and Canadian, Nigerian and Swiss; others merely cultural mutts: American accent, European affect, African ethos. Most of us are multilingual: in addition to English and a Romantic or two, we understand some indigenous tongue and speak a few urban vernaculars. There is at least one place on The African Continent to which we tie our sense of self: be it a nation-state (Ethiopia), a city (Ibadan), or an auntie’s kitchen. Then there’s the G8 city or two (or three) that we know like the backs of our hands, and the various institutions that know us for our famed focus. We are Afropolitans: not citizens, but Africans of the world.

With the latter in mind, it comes as no surprise that the chosen form of existence in this world is through a globally accessible blog. The culture of the Afropolitan becomes a shared reality and not so much a confusing existence. While the internet becomes the permanent home that doesn’t exist for these individuals in real time. So instead of having existential crises for all to see, they celebrate this ‘rootless-ness’, embracing the global urban culture that they know rather than clinging on to a past/culture/present they don’t know, albeit with an afro-centric twist. As is evident in these three blogs:
- Hot Damn!!!: http://isaidhotdamn.blogspot.com/
-Negrita's Chronicles: http://inturire.blogspot.com/
-Africa. Visual_Media: http://forota.net/wordpress/

All three blogs explore their creators personal world view, while simultaneously outlining the creators ‘place’ in these worlds which span Johannesburg, Kigali and New York City. Visual culture is a common thread between the three blogs, urban art and photography especially. Music, fashion and alternative culture feature heavily too – subject matter that is catered toward the tastes and interests of the average Afropolitan to which they can relate and find out more about, whether they’re tuning in from Port Elizabeth or Singapore.


“Hot Damn!!!” is the project of Zee, a South African photographer who spends her time between Johannesburg and Cape Town. “Hot Damn!!!” is her visual diary shared with the world. From inspirational photographs articulating her visual style of the week to the latest album streaming out of her record player, Zee documents her existence and keeps both her immediate world of friends and the greater world of fellow bloggers posted, or as she puts it on http://isaidhotdamn.blogspot.com; “[she]expresses the direction that modern pop African culture is going”.

Her post, “I know this corner of the earth, it makes me smile” (2009: August 19th) illustrates her own photography, however in her text based comments about these photos she highlights an interesting thing about the cult of blog and how the fact that ‘everybody’s doing it’, also means NOT everybody is doing it ‘correctly’; “These two pics were taken in my grandmother's room. They're two of my favourite pics ever taken. I generally don't like the way photographs are compressed on blogspot, so to see the pics in all their glory check them out properly on www.75.co.za/zee”. The highlighted comment sheds light on the fact that while setting up a blog is easy and fashionably hip (especially in the creative circles), maximizing it to make sure you get the most out of it requires basic HTML knowledge. This questions the authenticity of a blog in regard to quality being transmitted. Having a blog has almost become a desperate attempt to show your bones and share your wares, regardless of what you have to show to begin with. Nonetheless another factor to consider in the above comment by Zee is the alternative internet based solution offered, illustrating the vast expanse of the internet in our lives, i.e. options, options, options - the 21st century disposition. A disposition that can only be a good thing for upcoming artists like Zee, to get there work out there and get noticed beyond their MySpace and Facebook page, despite the aesthetic quality of the actual blog.

A similar blog to “Hot Damn!!!” is “Negrita’s Chronicles…the random thoughts and scattered ramblings of a nomadic Afropolitan...”, only Negrita broadens the range of her African urban existence while keeping it grounded in Kigali a city most automatically associate with post apocalyptic warzone imagery. However, courtesy of blogs like Negrita’s the world can be re introduced to a country that is slowly healing from its wounds and asserting itself on the world map as metropolis no different from any other African city. Art happens, music flows, fashion works and life goes on. Ironically, Negrita’s musings and posts highlight a contradictory reality: if it wasn’t for Rwanda’s genocide that forced people like Negrita to flee their homeland and essentially banish them to a life of nomadic tendency, the Afropolitan would not exist and the rich culture that has come of this migrancy would be considerably less layered. The latter would consequently mean the current subject matter on blogs like “Negrita’s Chronicles” would be non-existent too. It’s interesting to note how the internet brings people together to help deal with atrocities like genocide and through blogs its survivors can channel positivity and celebrate the after effects that occurred in lifestyle and broadened their worlds.

“Negrita’s Chronicles”, not only re-presents Rwanda to the global audience, but also Africa as a whole. Her post, “inspired: celebrating Africa” (2009: March 6th) reiterates this well; “having had enough of 'images of starving children, stories of corrupt politicians, famines, etc,' they decided to embark on a road trip around Africa in an attempt to 'celebrate all that is beautiful on the continent from her peoples to her cultures, languages and religions... their mission is to: 'contribute to changing the negative image of Africa and encourage Africans and the world to begin to see the beauty in the continent [and to] promote a sense of identity and unity for Africa’s people.'”. The African art of storytelling lives on in a digital age, stories shared between the blogger and her subject matter and stories re-told by the blogger to her cyber audience.



Story telling is central in this blog whose descriptive sub header “Keeping track of African and Africa-related culture in the media (film, photography, television, and print)” sums up the bloggers claim to Afropolitan rank and file. “AFRICA. VISUAL_MEDIA” is the blog of Kamau Mucoki, whose biography resonates in his postings; “Kenyan, born in the bay area, currently living in New York City. IT project management pays the bills, but music from the African Diaspora and photography feed the soul”.

“AFRICA. VISUAL_MEDIA” lends itself to blog roll recognition with its comfortable aesthetic and generally original content and could very well be THE archetype Afropolitan blog. Kamau shares, re interprets and informs just like Zee and Negrita, but focuses more on the Afropolitan goings on in and around New York City while simultaneously celebrating the African culture that has influenced the photographers, artists, musicians and film makers featured on his blog. In an email interview with him this is what he had to say about the blog:

A little about my blog:
I started it roughly 4 years ago. For the first couple of years, it was offline only I had access to it. I used it to work out my reactions to links that I found about african photography. It was also a place for all the links that I came across on the web that I could go back to sometime. Why did I start it? As a photographer, I am exploring what is important to me as a way to figure out WHAT I would like to shoot (my point of view) ... to figure out what inspires me, what my obsessions are etc. Along the way, I starting uncovering so much about African culture (from the continent and the diaspora) that manifests itself in visual media (film, videos, photography, magazines) that I think should be shared with other people. That is the big reason I decided to make it public, so few of us are aware of the power of our culture and how its influences are so pervasive in Western culture. There are a number of other sites that are doing the same thing; the one that comes most immediately to mind is sci-cultura (http://sci-cultura.com/). That's site's author also blogs because it feeds the process of self-discovery about Africa's culture. Of late, I have been getting to meet other Africans/African-Americans who like me inhabit a cultural/mental space somewhere between Africa, its diaspora and America/Europe and who try to embrace all those places (there are various terms for people like us, Afropolitans, global citizens, third culture kids, etc., etc.)My process:
... is very organic. I have tried (unsuccessfully) to post regular updates to drive up the traffic to the site. But since this is such a personal site, I tend to post stuff only when the inspiration hits me, or I find something that fits the subject matter/themes that are consistent with the site's viewpoint. My sources of information are mostly from the web more from the art/culture sites vs politics), magazines and occasionally from events that I attend here in NYC. I try to focus on film, photography, videos, print media, with some music stuff thrown in. I try to keep the voice personal as much as possible and try to provide a little context/background when I can, although most of the time all I have time for is to post links.


His answer was a wonderful conclusion to my insight into the workings of the Afropolitan state of existence and global position. Kamau’s words illustrate the workings of the internet as a global tool of connection across cultures and borders. And through blogs, people can pick and choose what they prefer their reality to be. There are no limitations, being from Africa is no longer a fateful sentence to being disconnected from the “first world”. The world’s getting smaller but the internet just goes to prove how the world is also simultaneously getting a whole lot larger!

We’ll blame it on the cult of blog for now.

-end-

Mikhael Subotzky around the world

Mikhael Subotzky around the world
By Samantha Claasen
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Web 2.0 is very useful for its information sharing capabilities on the World Wide Web, and it is this very capability that allows bloggers to have discussions and share articles on the Web which can reach millions of people around the world. South African photographer Mikhael Subotzky, who has recently shot to fame with his photo stories on the inside of a prison and on the town of Beaufort West, owes much of his popularity to Web 2.0 and its effectiveness in spreading his name and work. This essay will look at how three different blogs from three different places report on photographer Mikhael Subotzky and the ways in which their reporting techniques and layout styles contrast one another.

The South African blog that was looked at was ArtThrob. ArtThrob claims to report on the “national art scene and the involvement of South African artists in the international art world”. The editor, Sue Williamson posted her article on Subotzky for ArtThrob entitled “Modus Operandi” in August 2007. The article begins by explaining the young artist’s rise to fame, his art background and his current projects. Some of his achievements are being invited to be a Magnum photographer, winning the 2007 City of Perpignan Young Photographer Award, the F25 Award for Concerned Photography and receiving a residency at Fabrica, Treviso. The list goes on. The article also dealt with trying to paint of picture of how Subotzky immerses himself into specific projects, staying with his subjects for months on end before producing a final photo essay product. The article is directly followed by Subotzky’s Curriculum Vitae of his exhibitions, competitions, grants and residences and collections.

Visually the blog is easy to read, with the article placed in the middle, on the left is a column of Subotzky’s photographs and on the right hand side is a column of links to other South African artists. The article was quite short and had sub-headings such as “Artist’s Statement” and “Next Up”. This also makes it easier to read and not too text heavy. It engages with Subotzky’s work purely as art and does not relate it to a photojournalism point of view at all. This blog’s article is less about critically analysing his photographs, and is more about promoting Subotzky and showcasing him as a South African artist to be proud of, and who has been acknowledged internationally for his work.


Mikhael Subotzky, Pasvang, Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison 2004.
The African blog looked at was the Nka Journal of Contemporary African Art which is an internet version of the print published Nka Journal which is released three times a year since 1994. This is a good example of print going digital. Nka states that “where no art history exists, critical journals and other related platforms are crucial to moulding its discourse and involve all the intellectual processes that such an undertaking implies”. Nka is edited by scholars on African art, Okwui Enwezor, Chika Okeke-Agulu and Salah M. Hassan. The article on Mikhael Subotzky posted on the Nka online journal was written by art critic Ivor Powell in April 2008. This article dealt with Subotzky’s photography a lot more critically as well as analytically.
Whereas ArtThrob praised Subotzky’s rise in the art world, Nka’s article regarded it with a more weary perspective, saying that it is “wise to be sceptical of such fairytale success... [because] the burden of recognition can weigh heavily and very dead indeed once the spin stops spinning”. However, the article did go on to praise Subotzky’s talent as an artist and his achievements, but it do not do so by merely providing a list of his achievements, Powell critically engaged with Subotzky’s work and used specific individual photographs for an in depth analysis. This is something that the ArtThrob article did not do, but that made the Nka article more text-heavy.

The Nka article written by Powell gives a lot of historical background to photojournalism in South Africa, from apartheid to present day. Therefore, this article is not only based on analysis, but brings in historical theory too, in order to see the bigger picture, the bigger frame of reference to Subotzky’s work. In Powell’s article he argues that photojournalism in the classic tradition of being responsible for recording of history is more layered than that in the South African context. He says that Subotzky’s practice as a photographer is deeply rooted in the “spiritual history of photogprahy and journalism in the context of the South African psychodrama.”

With regards to using in depth analysis to discuss Subotzky’s work, Powell uses Subotzky’s degree portfolio ‘Die Vier Hoeke’ on Cape Town’s Pollsmoor Prison, as an example of the “uncompromising and palpable rectilinearity that both binds and oppresses the images on an entirely formal level”. Powell says that the heavily weighing straight lines in most of these photographs have the effect of both “formally and actually confining and limiting the action and/or movement of the protagonists”. This is a clear demonstration of how the article on Nka engaged more with Subotzky’s art than the ArtThrob article did. The Nka layout is also a lot easier to read, it is more simplified than ArtThrob and not as clustered with images and text.


Mikhael Subotzky, Cell 33, E Section, Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison 2005.
The international blog that was looked at for the purpose of this essay was Conscientious. Conscientious is a weblog about fine-art photography which was created by Jorg Colberg. His article on Subotzky is the most recent of the three; it was posted on the 18th February, 2009 and entitled “A Conversation with Mikhael Subotzky”. It is an actual interview that Colberg had with Subotzky. Formally, Colberg’s blog is a three page interview with Subotzky’s photographs in between some of the paragraphs. The article is on most of the left hand side of the page and there are two columns of links on the right hand side of the page. Showing the photographs in this way is better than how they appeared on the ArtThrob blog; they were quite small and it was difficult to see detail. On this blog they were larger and actually embedded in the article, therefore they demanded more attention.

What makes Colberg’s blog and his article on Subotzky in particular so different from the other two is that it is an interview with Subotzky himself. Instead of doing a sort of promotional pat-on-the back list of his achievements or an analysis of a selection of some of his photographs, Colberg looks at Subotzky’s works as a whole and questions his motives as a photographer and the South African context within which Subotzky is working. Colberg’s questions to Subotzky came from a non-South African point of view, which made his interview very different from the articles by Sue Williamson and Ivor Powell. Colberg takes an outsiders view by saying: “from the outside - and far away – it seems like South Africa had such a bright moment of hope when apartheid was dismantled and when Nelson Mandela was elected president, and so much has gone wrong since then, for whatever reason.” Colberg asks a few questions about Subotzky’s relation to South Africa, like asking him how he places his work in the context of other photography form South Africa, and the somewhat difficult question of “how would you put photography from South Africa in a larger African context”.

One of the questions Colberg poses to Subotzky is whether he sees it as his responsibility to record what is “going on” in South Africa today. Subotzky replies that he does not believe that photographers can effectively take responsibility for such things. He feels that they have the power to bear witness and he sees the responsibility as a responsibility to oneself, to try to make one “as conscious as possible”. Comparing Colberg’s interview to Powell’s article on Nka, one realises the difference between how Powell has interpreted Subotzky’s art and how Subotzky explains it himself. This is a good example of how the analyser or viewer makes the art mean what it means for them, derived from a basis of their own background, interests and knowledge. Perhaps this is where the ArtThrob blog post of Sue Williamson’s article on Subotzky comes handy, because it is an almost neutral account of his works and achievements, it does not give too much insight into Subotzky or his works, and in so-doing leaves the viewer’s mind largely uninfluenced and therefore clear for their own interpretation of his work. It is not to say that in-depth analysis is not useful here, Powell’s article related Subotzky’s work to South Africa as a whole as well as zooming in and focusing on the formal qualities and their effects on the interpretation of the images.

On the whole, these three different blogs from three different places were not similar in their layout style or their way of reporting. This is a good thing for now one has three diverse views on Mikhael Subotzky and his work, from a list of his achievements and a formal analysis of his photographs to a direct interview with him. Web 2.0 has been one of the tools that has helped Subotzky gain acknowledgement from countries outside of South Africa, by peoples’ ability to harness the sharing of information that is so integral to Web 2.0 and its effectiveness in reaching and connecting people all around the world.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. ArtThrob
2. Nka Journal of Contemporary African Art
3. Conscientious

Reporting Ways & Styles on Zimbabwean Politics

What a mission it has been to start doing this essay. Yet it is an interesting marketing tool that can benefit an artist in the practical world. I enjoy painting, sculpting, surfing on the internet and prefer working out mathematical equations than writing an essay. I find it easier to express one self within those mediums. Even though the motivation has been lacking and the losses can outweigh the benefits of not writing the essay, the prerequisites for the academic qualification always make it unavoidable to write the essay.

This essay looks to investigate the ways and styles of reporting based on the political environment in Zimbabwe and their intentions. It will look at three websites/blogs, basically The ZimDaily- which is internationally based in United Kingdom, New Zimbabwe- based in Zimbabwe and BlogCatalog.com- from South Africa. These websites/blogs make use of Web 2.0 latest add on social networking on their homepages. I will also give a short brief history of web 2.0.

Assessing web 2.0 interactive learning simulations, has made it possible to realise that the art field does not end on the canvas but goes beyond the shelter like the wind. Just as the art of conversation grabs the words and quickly the meaning is transformed into different truths and lies depending with the readers’ initial idea and reaction.

The term Web 2.0 is a technical jargon that was born from Web 1.0 and the main difference in-between the two is that Web 2.0 provides interactive learning and opens up participation of the reader into the main stream of interest and allows one to get lost and get back on point unlike the web 1.0 which did not give much user participation/engagement into the weaving of websites and discussions. In other words, web 2.0 is web-sites that gain from the involvement of its users.

The web 1.0 had a single flow of ‘read only’ information most of the times and internet connections were very slow unlike today where the information is dispersed around with more options like forums, chats and other add-ons coming into existence with the revolutionary ‘semantic’ web2.0. By 1996, the read only web had about forty five million global users with about 250 000 web-sites. Compare that to the semantic web, up to date, it has about one billion users with more than 120 million web-sites. About one tenth size of the published content is user generated compared to the four fifths published-user generated content of 2009.

The ZimDaily website is structured in a more unique and friendly framework as on each and every story, a reader can make a comment about the article. The webpage is user friendly; the pictures are bright, colourful and energetic with reference to their subjects. On the homepage you are greeted with funny cartoons before you go to the main stories. This News website though it may be based internationally in United Kingdom, it seems to be catering for the Zimbabweans who are based internationally and are familiar with the names because for someone who does not know the person(s), they would not get to the full depth of a cartoon or story easily. Those who comment in Shona or Ndebele- which are two major languages in Zimbabwe, restrict other english readers from accessing their comments as no translation is provided by the website. The ZimDaily practices its reporting style in an advocating way as it clearly shows it has an agenda of making almost all politicians who have gone into the deal with the devil ‘Mugabe’ (the formation of the Interim Government of Zanu PF and Movement for Democratic Change).

The website advances its own objectives of hatred as the writers show a point of view and gather evidence or facts in order to make the point strong and clear that the person is what he/she claims to be. For example the heading Jonathan Moyo- A Political Prostitute and Mercenary has strong words used which open up the flood gets of hatred, name calling and destructive behavioural comments. The comments are said that they would be screened off if they are based on obscenity, vulgar, tribalistic and racist grounds but that isn’t the actual story on the ground. On these blog comments, users or readers leave their rude and racist comments in Shona or Ndebele. Either there is no screening process or the enforcing is not being dealt with. The reason for this I think is because the site is itself practicing double standards as the reporter gives the strongest case by all means in support of his/her view point by concentrating on the wounds. The people who comment use anonymous names and people lie their identity as I did on the 31st and the 32nd comment on Moyo’s article. It also gets one to think, are these really other readers who are genuinely commenting in this way or is it the same people posting the stories that are commenting afterwards? Interesting.

If you compare that to the NewZimbabwe blog, which is based in Zimbabwe, you have politicians like Professor Jonathan Moyo who are also bloggers on it. You find that the bloggers try to justify their actions or counter other websites/blogs arguments like ZimDaily by giving their own side of the story. Similarly, these two blogs share the same kind of advocacy and humanistic reporting where the story is entered through one person’s eyes. The blog mainly has an opposing agenda on attacking the so-called ‘West yet at the same time it practices hate speech and personal political attacks on the opposition party members of MDC and other individual opponents or anyone who stands in the old regimes’ road (Zanu PF way).

The blog especially the one posted by Jonathan Moyo entitled Biti: Seeking Sympathy from the Devil seeks to kind of reflect a kind of In-depth/Investigative report that is based on many sources, public resources and constant rechecks yet it is an advocating report when you examine the content that it has his agenda to advance his objectives as he tries to say everything he says is correct. The blog seems to be aimed at de-campaigning the opposition MDC. The comments that are coming from the readers are difficult to take into consideration because the people who run the blogs are in Zimbabwe and the issue of your security and safety under the current President and Zanu PF party makes contributors to the blog comments weary if it is found out whom they are.

Freedom is very limited as the comments are also screened but who screens is the issue, whether it’s the blogger or weblog owners. The procedure is not clear which is unlike the ZimDaily one where your comment immediately goes onto the blog page. The common feature is that all comments are posted below all articles. The NewZimbabwe blog does not unveil who locally started or caused the chaos from the start or who was involved in the most high level corruption that has brought the country to a standstill but the blog focuses on mud slinging opposition politics and works against any form of support the opposition gets from member countries that the former ruling party declared enemies. It is not surprising to hear, if I may propose another theory brought about by victimisation and torture in Zimbabwe, that the government can be behind the construction of these two blogs but it is definite the NewZimbabwe blog, government forces are involved because both are too naïve and ignorant.

When one compares the last two blogging sites/websites to the South African based site blogcatalogog.com, we find the home page is more user friendly and welcoming than any of the other two I have previously mentioned. In other words This site feels like a social space unlike the other two of ZimDaily and NewZimbabwe when you analyse the design layout. It gives room for anyone who visits the site to run through and get going with other sections that may not be of interest to one because the sites pages seek to demand attention from the lookers because it is very attractive.

The site is very open as discussions determine the directions the argument or story goes with lots of twists and turns that there is always constant reminding that there is need to rebuild the country not focus on adding salt to the wounds. This site uses not precisely but close to an In-depth/ Investigative journalism where it takes time by rechecking its facts with the public unlike the ZimDaily and NewZimbabwe blogs. The way the news and writing up on the discussion board is based in a more in-depth/Investigative reporting being found in the public sphere where it is easy to have the information decentralised. The reporting stands to take an objective style where as the blog members goal is to show no bias though it may just fall of objective perfection, but at least the style appeals to a broader audience. For example, if we look at the recent posts, one post under the group discussions; Africa-Awareness, Activism and Discovery which talks about Zimbabwean politics, it asks for people to play their part in changing Zimbabwe to head in a better way! In the same stylistic reporting, new journalism is practiced as the three websites paint their own versions of the truth with the aid of photo journalism and humanistic approach as the stories are negotiated through a one person avenue.

The three sites demonstrate the results coming from the un-filtering and filtering of comments like the advantages of quick feedback and openness to all readers can also backfire when you have the wrong people commenting and lying about their being and the story because of fear of being identified as who they are. Some of the photographs used in the photojournalism are not really necessary and most of these stories are not told in many parts as is the failure to realise the probability of each of them ending up in one viewing avenue.

Therefore in conclusion, I find it easier for one to be drawn to these social blogs/webs because they look more user friendly than the NewZimbabwe and Zimdaily websites but all websites do indeed benefit from the acknowledgement of user participation as the sites grow from the introduction of Web 2.0.

wtf?? why is there a huge open space?? agh.

The Power of Successful Blogging

Essay: You are the Power: The Impact of Web 2.0

The Power of Successful Blogging

The phenomenon of the ‘World Wide Web’, perhaps more commonly known as the ‘Internet,’ was developed by Tim Berners-Lee. His vision for the World Wide Web was that it would be a device for gathering and creating access to a mass of information through virtual human interaction and collaboration. Web 2.0 is a stage of development towards Berners-Lee’s ultimate gaol. There are various ‘systems’ that have developed simultaneously with Web 2.0 one of which is Rich Site Summary (RSS). RSS is a format designed to help regular internet users to narrow down information intake to sites that specifically interest them. You will find RSS feeds on more and more sites nowadays, as people are becoming more aware of its benefits. The development of Folksonomy, also known as collaborative tagging, social indexing or social tagging, is a kind-of bookmarking of sites which has become a collaborative way of annotating and categorizing information. Blogging is another system that stems from Web 2.0. It involves the notion of the production of self-published information. The benefits of blogging are broadening and increasing numbers of people are becoming aware its capacities. It can be accessed by millions of people all over the world at virtually no cost. My essay focuses on the blogging with particular reference to four different blogs created by visual artists as a mechanism of self-promotion. Wikis, another interesting system of the internet, is similar to Blogging, in the sense that anyone can create a hub of information and, like blogging, it can be updated and changed so that it doesn't become outmoded in its design, content and style. See http://www.charlesleadbeater.net/cms/xstandard/Web2.0_OVerview.pdf for further information with regards to the power of Web 2.0

Now that all the banal, predictable information has been covered and condensed into one boring introductory paragraph, let’s have a look at what this essay is really about: artists that blog and why? Blogs have become the newsstands of the internet world. In the ‘blogosphere,’ one can find just about anything from up-to-date news coverage, the latest celebrity gossip, sports commentary, fashion/styling tips, political propaganda to ‘how to tie your shoelaces in thirty-seven different ways!!. Different blogs will be analysed and looked at according to their content and style with relation to how they have made use of blogging for networking to benefit themselves. I am also interested in the context of the g with regards to ‘origins’, whether it is South African, African or International. Here, the international ‘blog-artist’ of concern is the infamous Damien Hirst, who is also a part of the well established Young British Artists, (The YBA’s with the other parts including, Sarah Lucas and Tracey Emin). Hirst is an example of someone who has used blogging to his advantage. A South African example of a successful blog space, is that of Avant Car Guard, a trio of young men from Johannesburg who work collaboratively towards one goal. Concerning an African blog, i will navigate two examples. Jepchumba, a Nigerian artist living overseas is a digital wiz and is also responsible for the creation of the site called African Digital Art Network. This network is where one will find a link to both her own blog as well as that of Kenneth Shofela Coker.

Avant Car Guard, which started as a group show called At Dirt Contemporary, is made up of Zander Blom, Michael McGarry and Jan-Henri Booyens. Together they encapsulate an aura of silliness which aids the nature of their very different and often very quirky work. In an interview with Robert Sloon, which is posted on Art Heat’s blog – http://artheat.net/?2009/09/avant-car-guard.html- Zander Blom explains what it means to be a part of Avant Car Guard: “It’s a thing of hanging out, getting drunk and coming up with ideas. It’s not sitting down and this is our fucking manifesto, this is what we work with, this is our brand.” Avant Car Guard has their own blog at http://avantcarguard.blogspot.com/. The design of the site is simple but effective comprising a mainly a white background. Their signature mark is a simple logo comprising a triangle, square and circle in primary colours and juxtaposed on top of the three shapes, a hand yielding a sword and a pirate-skull flag. The blog comprises solely of photographs taken at their latest exhibitions/shows. The most recent post is of photos taken at their exhibition at the Johburg Art Fair in April this year, titled ‘WHATIFTHEWORLD.’ The photos show them riding around the gallery space in a golf cart that is covered in A4 pieces of paper, with AVANT CAR GUARD printed in bold letters. It looks like they’re having a pretty fun time, drinks in hand and so on. In fact most of the photos, show them having a couple of drinks and smoking in pretty much whatever they are doing. They have a kind of a ‘rock star’ element about them, although in the interview with Sloon, Blom explains that their ‘look’ is more about a “punk sensibility than a rock band sensibility.” On the Avant Car Guard blog, there are no write-ups or blurbs about their work, it is an endless stream of photos, showing the boys doing their thing, whether it be drinking, working or playing. To them it’s all one thing. It’s what they do. It is Avant Car Guard.

Avant Car Guard, at their exhibition during the Johburg Art Fair, April 2009.

Damien Hirst is said to be the richest living artist of our time. If it has anything to do with his blog it would be understandable as his blog truly fantastic. It is the most virtually interactive blog that will be discussed in this essay. Here one can fill in a poll based on what you think of the artists work. When viewing the statistics, it was interesting to note that the majority of people who answered the question, “What do you think about my art?” chose the option, “I’ll answer you if you pay me.” If one is in the mood for a bit of online shopping, this is also a possibility on Hirst’s blog. There is the option of purchasing ‘the cheapest art in the world!’ which are postcards titled, “For the Love of Paris Forever,” (a photoshopped version of his famous Diamond Skull that was worth 50 million pounds) and “For the Love Of Paris,” an altered iconic image, with the letters ‘You got to love art!’ placed diagonally across the whole image. This is a play on the whole notion of copyrighting images, except it is ironic in Hirst’s context, as the slogan, which he uses often, is placed there on purpose. Hirst’s sense of humour never fails, which is evident here in his little online shop, as he has provided art to buy for ‘the rich,’ and ‘the poor.’ The exact same postcards are shown below each title. While the cheap art only costs 1, 5 euro, the expensive art which is exactly the same as the cheap art, costs 1, 000 000 Euros!! Then for the real Hirst fans, one can purchase an item of “You Got Love Art!” clothing. The clothes come in various styles of t-shirts, hoodies and even boxers and thongs. Like any other blog, one can decide to follow Hirst’s blog, and therefore will receive news on his latest updates. Hirst’s most recent posts, are titled photographs, with rather bizarre descriptions below them. The photographs are part of a series titled, “White Plastic Windowsill."

'For the Love of Paris Forever'

‘For the Love of Paris’

The classic thong, for only 6, 50 pounds.

The two African blogs were found on a site called Global Voices Online, which provided a link to the site called African Digital Art Network. This site, created an artist of the diaspora, Nigerian Jepchumba, is where one will find a link to her own blog as well Kenneth Sofela Coker. Jepchumba’s blog is actually called Afrodigi Studio, which a space where she posts all her work for her fans to view. She works with digital and new media, graphic design, audio/video production, 3D/2D animation. With this range of skills under her belt, it seems only right that Jepchumba would choose the Internet as a platform for self promotion and an ideal place to receive recognition. On Afrodigi Studio, you are offered the option of looking at all of Jepchumba’s artwork, under the genres of videos, web design, artwork and graphic design. There is also the option of contacting the artist, whether it is simply just to communicate with or if want to hire her as she offers a whole range of web services such as; print and web design, audio/visual production and digital media consultation.

An example of Jepchumba's work.

Kenneth Coker’s blog is also an artist of the diaspora. He is 22 years old and from Lagos, Nigeria, although he currently lives in Memphis, Tennesse. He is an animator/illustrator who has successfully created a blog where one can easily view his work and get insight into his artistic endeavours. The purpose of his blog, as he explains in an interview on African Digital Art, is because he is trying to start up a career in the animation industry. He also uses the Internet for inspiration, as it allows him to access sites such as Drawn.ca and Notcot.org, which are also sites that focus on animation. On Coker’s blog one can view his full multimedia portfolio, which is obviously advantageous to someone trying to start up a career.

Example of Kenneth Shofela Coker's animation skills.

The four artists mentioned above have all successfully illustrated the capacity of blogging as a useful instrument and expressive tool of global accessibility. It is also important to note the professionalism and the skill involved in each artists blog, skills which create an available and continual link to their interests as artists. This is because they are able to add and update information that is relevant to the blogs general content, interesting and fresh, all the components needed for a successful blog. From here they can launch their own careers as successful artists in both the virtual and tangible sense.