Slow media

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Slow media is a movement focusing on the pace of media production and consumption in the digital age. It advocates for alternative ways of making and using media that are more intentional, more enjoyable, longer lasting, better researched/written/designed, more ethical, and of higher quality overall. [1]

Contents

Slow Media developed in response to complex media formats and instant communication methods characteristic of digital culture, in which "high volumes of information are updated in real-time and are perpetually at your fingertips." [2] Supporters of Slow Media criticize the spheres in which media is produced, shared, and consumed for valuing immediacy and dramatic presentation, in order to attract attention and maximize audiences, over the substance and credibility of a work. [3]

Slow Media is a branch of the Slow movement, also known as Slow Living. Slow Media is closely related to the Slow Blogging, Slow Books, Slow Communication, Slow Journalism, Slow News, Slow Reading and Slow television (Slow TV) movements, and sometimes used as a term encompassing all of these aspects.

Philosophy and practices

Slow Media Manifesto as presented at a conference in Leipzig (2010) CPOV 2010 - 20100926-DSC 5428 DxO.jpg
Slow Media Manifesto as presented at a conference in Leipzig (2010)

The term "slow media" was spontaneously coined in many places by many people circa 2002-2009. Writers, reporters, filmmakers and commentators (including Arianna Huffington) promoted the concept of Slow Media in publications like The Atlantic, Forbes, Grantmakers in the Arts, Huffington Post, The Times of London, Prospect, Rocky Mountain News, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, as well as in Facebook groups, a wide array of blogs, and elsewhere. [4]

Slow Media proponents take Slow Food as their model. "Like Slow Food, Slow Media are not about fast consumption but about choosing the ingredients mindfully and preparing them in a concentrated manner," wrote Benedikt Köhler, Sabria David and Jörg Blumtritt in the widely circulated "Slow Media Manifesto." [5] They said that Slow Media are not a rejection of speed and simultaneity in digital media but rather "an attitude and a way of making use them." [6] According to this manifesto, "It is because of the acceleration of multiple areas of life, that islands of deliberate slowness are made possible and essential for survival." [7]

Documentarist Gregory Coyes taking inspiration from "indigenous sense of cinematic time and space" has promoted the concept of slow media for video production as means to "decolonize" media. To this end the Slow Media Community website provides guidance for creating content as well as hosts a library of still-frame, long-form videos focusing on the "real time of nature", and human culture. [8] [9]

Further reading

See also

Related Research Articles

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Blog Discussion or informational site published on the internet

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Media literacy consists of practices that allow people to access, critically evaluate, and create or manipulate media. Media literacy is not restricted to one medium and is understood as a set of competencies that are essential for work, life, and citizenship. Media literacy education is the process used to advance media literacy competencies, and it is intended to promote awareness of media influence and create an active stance towards both consuming and creating media. Media literacy education is part of the curriculum in the United States and some European Union countries, and an interdisciplinary global community of media scholars and educators engages in knowledge sharing through scholarly and professional journals and national membership associations.

News media Elements of mass media that focus on delivering news

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New media are forms of media that are computational and rely on computers for redistribution. Some examples of new media are computer animations, computer games, human-computer interfaces, interactive computer installations, websites, and virtual worlds.

Citizen journalism Journalism genre

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Alternative media Media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media

Alternative media are media sources that differ from established or dominant types of media in terms of their content, production, or distribution. Sometimes the term independent media is used as a synonym, indicating independence from large media corporations, but this term is also used to indicate media enjoying freedom of the press and independence from government control. Alternative media does not refer to a specific format and may be inclusive of print, audio, film/video, online/digital and street art, among others. Some examples include the counter-culture zines of the 1960s, ethnic and indigenous media such as the First People's television network in Canada, and more recently online open publishing journalism sites such as Indymedia.

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Citizen media Journalistic content produced by private citizens who are not professional journalists

Citizen media is content produced by private citizens who are not professional journalists. Citizen journalism, participatory media and democratic media are related principles.

Civic journalism Journalism done in the public interest

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Jay Rosen

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Participatory media is communication media where the audience can play an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating content. Citizen / Participatory Journalism, Citizen Media, Empowerment Journalism and Democratic Media are related principles.

Online newspaper Newspaper in digital format

An online newspaper is the online version of a newspaper, either as a stand-alone publication or as the online version of a printed periodical.

Digital journalism Editorial content published via the Internet

Digital journalism, also known as online journalism, is a contemporary form of journalism where editorial content is distributed via the Internet, as opposed to publishing via print or broadcast. What constitutes digital journalism is debated by scholars; however, the primary product of journalism, which is news and features on current affairs, is presented solely or in combination as text, audio, video, or some interactive forms like newsgames, and disseminated through digital media technology.

Canadian online media

Canadian online media is content aimed at a Canadian audience through the medium of the Internet. Presently, online media can be accessed by computers, smart-phones, gaming consoles, Smart TVs, MP3 players, and tablets. The characteristics of Canadian online media are strongly shaped by the Canadian communications industry, even though their statistics and findings are more often than not associated with American research. Large media companies are increasingly on the move to start up online platforms for news and television content. The exponential growth of Canadians' dependency on online content for entertainment and information has been evident in the recent decades. However, it has proven slow for Canadian online media to catch up with the constant increase of American online media. Regardless of medium, entertainment and information hubs are not solely focusing on satisfying the audience they have, but are also heavily expanding their reach to new global audiences.

Media consumption or media diet is the sum of information and entertainment media taken in by an individual or group. It includes activities such as interacting with new media, reading books and magazines, watching television and film, and listening to radio. An active media consumer must have the capacity for skepticism, judgement, free thinking, questioning, and understanding.

Slow journalism is a news subculture borne out of the frustration at the quality of journalism from the mainstream press. A continuation from the larger slow movement, slow journalism shares the same values as other slow-movement subsets in its efforts to produce a good, clean and fair product. Specialist titles have emerged around the world and proclaim to be antidotes to a mainstream media that is "filled to the brim with reprinted press releases, kneejerk punditry, advertorial nonsense and 'churnalism'". Instead, slow journalism tends to focus on long reports and in-depth investigations.

Multimedia journalism

Multimedia journalism is the practice of contemporary journalism that distributes news content either using two or more media formats via the Internet, or disseminating news report via multiple media platforms. It is inseparably related to the media convergence of communication technologies, business integration of news industries, and editorial strategies of newsroom management.

References

  1. Köhler, Benedikt, David, Sabria and Jörg Blumtritt (2010). "The Slow Media Manifesto".
  2. Jolly, Jihii (2014). "How to Establish a Media Diet: Keep Up By Slowing Down," Columbia Journalism Review, Aug. 20, 2014.
  3. Mele, Christopher (2017). "Fatigued by the News? Experts Suggest How to Adjust Your Media Diet. The New York Times, Feb. 1, 2017.
  4. Rauch, Jennifer (2011). "The Origin of Slow Media: Early Diffusion of a Cultural Innovation through Popular and Press Discourse." Transformations, No. 20.
  5. Köhler, Benedikt, David, Sabria and Jörg Blumtritt (2010). "The Slow Media Manifesto".
  6. Köhler, Benedikt, David, Sabria and Jörg Blumtritt (2010). "The Slow Media Manifesto".
  7. Köhler, Benedikt, David, Sabria and Jörg Blumtritt (2010). "The Slow Media Manifesto".
  8. "Slow Media Guide". Slow Media Community.
  9. "Slow Media Video Library". Vimeo.