FROM GLOBAL TRAVEL TO INTERNET EXPLORING

a discussion about culture

Through my travels I’ve explored Mexico, Jamaica, Canada, Honduras, and India, each offering an infusion of culture and understanding in my life. Dance, music, literature, art, traditions, religion, and their unique forms represented by the people, create culture in a specific place or context. So what happens if you think culture not from a country or ethnicity-specific context, but instead translate this creation of culture to digital media? And from there, what rules, prescriptions, norms, and ideas govern digital media’s culture? Who are the players in this game? Who has a say in what governs the use, transmission, and creation of digital media? These are all important questions in framing ‘what is digital media’ and how we view its culture collectively, as well as on an individual level.

Creating a website was my first taste of contributing, creating and mirroring digital media culture, as well as being a place to evaluate it. Arguably my digital presence on Facebook, Instagram, snapchat, and platforms of these sort started my contribution to digital culture, as I posted, reposted, liked, and replicated what I liked and saw online. But I felt like creating my own website, my own platform to put my photos, thoughts, work, and music, made it more unique in its ability to mirror and display the culture of media that I appreciate. From this experience, I highly recommend and enjoyed the process of creating my own website.

Some considerations when creating my website included, what would it look like? What would the content be? What ‘vibes’ do I want the audience to experience? What impression do I want my viewers to get of me? Is the site easily navigable? Do the fonts fit the aesthetic? What colors do I want? Does this reflect me as an individual? Will this reflect the work I would do for a client? How do I get this website out to the public eye? So many more questions, I know. But all of these considerations make up what the culture of digital media is inclusive of. They present the rules and expectations of others viewing a website, as well as bringing into question and consideration what type of media culture I want to assume in my own digital presence. From this experience of website creation, I would say that I now understand the considerations that go into making a part of digital culture, and I appreciate the interesting differences that media’s culture has to offer, just as I enjoy the cultures I experience in my travels.