MediaSnackers

Keeping track of the growing MediaSnackers Meme.

(WORLD) We probably weren't the first to apply the 'snacking' metaphor to media, although there seems to be a growing adoption in terms of describing the new youth-media landscape—we thought it would be good to keep an eye on the growing MediaSnacking meme:

I have developed a bad habit. I snack too much. No, I'm not talking about in real life (though that's probably true, too). I'm talking about in my information consumption habits.
Chip Griffin talking about his snacking 'problem'.

A recent NY Times article highlights the rise of midday 'media snacking' by cubicle dwellers, a trend that's affecting not only office culture, but online media producers and the advertisers who help support them as well.
Even cubicle workers are snacking.

A key theme for the 'digital natives'—those who have grown up immersed in technology, especially the bracket of 15to24 year olds, is impatience. They want to get things done quickly, using multitasking and 'media snacking,' with community interactions playing a central role. Yeah, social networking—it has a long ways to go yet. And users need to have control over the technology, allowing it to express their originality.
Discussing the unqiue habits of digital natives.

I think it unlikley, no matter what the advertisers might tell us, that anyone would settle down to watch a 90 minute movie on their mobile (in its current form). What is realistic is that the mobile suits our increasing appetite for media-snacking; taking bite-sized chunks of entertainment to fill our downtime, commutes etc.
How mobiles won't affect the film industry

More people are turning to the Internet for entertainment, enjoying a 'media snack' whenever and wherever they're in the mood for a break. Buzzed is a great example of original short-form video content that puts the power of the Internet to good use. It's interactive, engaging and entertaining—delivering value to our viewers and sponsors alike.
Erick Hachenburg, CEO, Metacafe talking about a new interactive online show.

View all ‘MediaSnackers Meme’ posts

February 08, another mouth-watering MediaSnackers Vodcast to devour.

The MediaSnackers monthly vodcast is a ten minute shot (more or less) of yummy-youth-media-goodness. Featuring content made, produced or focussed on young people and media from around the globe.

Featuring: The Unblocker by Mohamed Billawal : theoneminutesjr.org; trainers recruitment job video ad; E-democracy interviews; Into The Inkwell by Rhiannon Evans, University Of Wales Newport; Got something on me by The Rivers.

Subscribe directly to these podcasts through iTunes by clicking the 'subscribe' icon opposite (download iTunes for free here).

Not using iTunes? Then just copy / paste this feed and drop it into your podcast aggregating software.

If you have any short video content (under two-mins) relating to youth media projects, are involved in any aspects of youth media or are a young person producing digital content (audio/visual) and want to discuss submitting pieces for consideration, please get in touch.

Watch the other MediaSnackers Vodcasts.

Short film review of our training and event support.

Music by The Rivers

Check out the event blog here.

The young people had a fantastic couple of days with the Mediasnackers' workers and were buzzing from the experience. The Mediasnackers team took on the challenge of working with some hard to reach young people and showed a lot of patience and commitment. Highly recommended to all youth workers.
Colin Ward, Youth Media TV Director, National Media Museum

Related posts: Part One, Part Two

Announcing this years pro bono project.

(WORLD) Pacific Youth is a five week online social media course for twenty youth leaders from Tonga and Papua New Guinea.

Coordinated by MediaSnackers the project is being delivered in partnership with Antonio López (World Bridger Media), Chris Schuepp (youth media consultant for UNICEF and theoneminutesjr.) plus Youth Action for Change.

Born out of a conversation and request from the founder of Youth Action for Change (check out the podcast we did with her here), MediaSnackers is excited, scared and honoured to coordinate this bold initiative.

The two reasons as to why we're doing this:

• to give something back—our annual pro bono projects are about enabling access to our services for those who would usually never have the opportunity (hence the participants being made up from two remote youth organisations on the other side of the planet);
• it's a first—to our knowledge this has never been done before (an energising factor in the whole project).

For more information on the agenda and delivery partners please check out the welcome page we have put together for the participants.

Where we are, where they are:

All the materials from the course will be made available upon completion under a Creative Commons license.

Related post: The Start, An Update, Ends

It’s going to be big.

(WORLD) YouTube Warp Speed illustrates how to navigate, search and view online digital content in a non-linear fashion.

Here are some other examples:

• Digg labs: illustrating the ‘live’ nature of online information;
• Stumblepon: dynamic and random within a set search criteria;
• Badoo: multi-layered searching of profiles on this social network homepage;
• Musicovery: interactive music browsing by genre and mood;
• Flickr Related Tag Browse: allows you to search pics on Flickr by tags in a non-linear format.

The real fulcrum of all this is ‘meta-tagging’: attaching an identifiable and searchable word or words to any content (whether it be a website or element within a website, like a video or photograph, or even different profile pages on a social networking site).

In terms of how it relates to young people and their online habits in the next few years:

A hoary old fish, hooks and leaders trailing like battle ribbons from his jaw, approaches a collection of loitering youngsters taking their ease by a coral reef. “Hey,” says the grandpa, “how’s the water?”. The young fish smile, bob and sway their fins deferentially. “Fine, fine, fine,” they all say. When the relic has swum off and away, they turn to each other and, almost simultaneously, say, “What’s that all about? What’s water”

Quote source: David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest.

Related post: Digital Breadcrumbs

The 102nd MediaSnackers podcast features Animoto cofounder, Brad Jefferson.

(WORLD) The MediaSnackers podcast focusses on individuals, organisations or companies who are simply impressing us and which are crying out for more discussion.

Brad Jefferson is one of the cofounders of Animoto, a deliciously intuitive slideshow creator for your photos which we love here at MediaSnackers (plus, have been using in our training gigs with adults and young people).

0.00—0.24 intros
0.25—2.00 how/why was Animoto born
1.01—3.17 logisitics
3.18—3.48 price caveat
3.49—7.49 stories of use (like this one)
7.50—9.34 democratising media practises
9.35—11.36 the future
11.37—11.46 outro

Subscribe directly through iTunes by clicking on this icon (download iTunes for free here).

Not using iTunes? Then just copy / paste this feed and drop it into your aggregating software.

Want to suggest someone or put your virtual hand-up to be interviewed? Then get in touch here.

Devour our other podcasts.

I've become an online outcast.

(WORLD) Facebook disabled my account claiming I was using a fake name.

Facebook doesn't allow one letter names so I had "DK Ismyname".

In correspondence with them I explained my name, provided online proof of who I am plus offered to give them 'references' from several trusted sources. Their response:

…please provide a scanned image or a digital photo of a government issued I.D. (e.g. driver’s license, passport) to confirm the accuracy of your name.

Would you give them this?

I posed the question to my twitter network if they would provide the information were they to be in the same situation. You can read their responses here, here, here and here (thanks guys).

On the one hand it's great to see Facebook ensuring the validity of their users. For me, a user with over 300 friends plus an obvious online prescence across many websites and web platforms, testimonies and quotes all citing my name, it seems an obvious mistake by them but one which they are not rescinding upon.

I'm not alone in getting my account deleted by using an apparent fake name check out this. It brings up a larger issue of identity and online ownership (to be tackled another time).

Will keep you posted.

UPDATE 7.2.08: After many emails back and for I am very pleased to announce Facebook has agreed to change my listed name to DK. Thank you Facebook for listening and agreeing (now people can find me just by typing 'DK').

The 101th MediaSnackers podcast features LA Youth founder, Donna Myrow.

(WORLD) The MediaSnackers podcast focusses on individuals, organisations or companies who are simply impressing us and which are crying out for more discussion.

LA Youth is a twenty year old print newspaper by and about teens. Here, we talk with its founder and CEO Donna Myrow about this great youth project, how it happens and its forthcoming 20 year anniversary event.

0.00—1.08 intros
1.09—3.14 LA Youth logisitics
3.14—6.48 20th anniversary
6.49—8.34 impact of new technology and online platforms
9.35—10.21 success stories
10.22—10.33 outro

Subscribe directly through iTunes by clicking on this icon (download iTunes for free here).

Not using iTunes? Then just copy / paste this feed and drop it into your aggregating software.

Want to suggest someone or put your virtual hand-up to be interviewed? Then get in touch here.

Devour our other podcasts.

The 100th MediaSnackers podcast features our founder, DK.

(WORLD) The MediaSnackers podcast focusses on individuals, organisations or companies who are simply impressing us and which are crying out for more discussion.

To relaunch our podcast series the tables got turned and MediaSnackers founder DK got interviewed by our esteemed friend and colleague, Christian Long.

0.00—0.35 intros
0.36—1.38 MediaSnackers conception
1.39—2.15 previous experience
2.16—5.17 core values and brand essence
5.18—8.41 real-life stories
8.42—10.43 the African experience and the button theory
10.44—13.52 deeper change through social media and technology
13.53—17.32 repeatable questions from conferences, events or clients
17.33—22.02 the future for MediaSnackers
22.03—23.25 outro

Many thanks to Christian Long for giving up his time and for framing such great and exploratory questions.

Subscribe directly through iTunes by clicking on this icon (download iTunes for free here).

Not using iTunes? Then just copy / paste this feed and drop it into your aggregating software.

Want to suggest someone or put your virtual hand-up to be interviewed? Then get in touch here.

Devour our other podcasts.

One of our theories.

(WORLD) This is purely experiential and non-academic. We talk about it a lot with clients and in our talks plus it's one of the reasons 75% of our training is with adults and not young people.

Get ready to chew on this for a while:

A young person would push a button to see what it does—an adult would ask what the button does before they pushed it.

It's very subtle but vastly important in terms of social media and technology.

It's why young people don't read manuals and navigate the web much quicker than older folks (for them, there's always a back button…). Call it the arrogance of youth or that they haven't learned how to 'fail' yet—they at least don't have the same consideration to the consequences.

Some say that's dangerous. Others, (like us and in this context) think it's a quality to regain and a healthy part of the nuances of being young.

You can hear me talk about it a little more in the MediaSnackers 100th podcast.

Image credit