"A New Arena" By:Brittney Hoogervorst

In Johnson and Williams arguments about the new generation of consumers on the internet they discuss what they feel has caused the change in broadcasting online, and what the positive and negatives are to the new change. Johnson argues in “It’s All About Us” that the new internet has give “power-to-the-people authenticity. For others, it signals the end of quality and professionalism” (Johnson 447.) What Johnson means by this is that now with blogging, im-ing and sites like Wikipedia ordinary people are now given the opportunity to share whatever they want with whoever they want. People with real experiences are now the ones sharing their opinions, and with more information out then ever it has given a whole new world of access to any information someone could want. Williams argues, however; that through blogging and sites such as Wikipedia everyone has begun to believe their life’s are so interesting that everyone would want to read about it online. This self-centered attitude has taken things that were once kept in private or only talked about in private, and put them in the public for everyone to have access too. Another problem he points out is the news and information we expose ourselves to can be hand selected by ourselves, this can negatively effect us because it can keep us close minded without realizing it. Although some believe the internet is over-saturated, the internet has begun to offer new opportunity to bands everywhere trying to get noticed, or receive recognition.

With the radical transformation the internet has made in the past years, one of the most positive changes is that now more often then not articles or blogs written are written by those who have a true passion for the topic. It used to be that reporters were paid to research a topic and report on it, reporters are now being replaced by those who have a true passion and interest in a topic and want to write about it. Johnson further discusses this idea when he states, “What’s so interesting about those local conversations is that they involve experiences that the experts in traditional media have largely ignored-for good reason. Those experts realize that they can’t compete with the real experts: the people who live in these communities and know all the issues-small and large-that shape their daily lives” (Johnson 448.) When someone has personally experienced or is experiencing something and writes a blog online, it would seem that these personal and intimate conversations are more creditable because they are experiencing what they are writing about. In contrast a reporter or journalist is more often then not assigned to write about a certain topic that may not be something they have experienced before. In this case a reporter or journalist must research a topic and then write about it, life experiences and actively learning can be much more educational then learning through reading a text book. The band Barcelona is a indie band which could be compared to other bands like Coldplay or Death Cab For Cutie, Barcelona is just now receiving the attention they deserve through a online networking and blogging site called Myspace. Fans from around the world begun noticing Barcelona when they started blogging on their Myspace page about what they were up to, tour dates and even posting their music online. These fans then were able to have Barcelona’s music play when a fellow Myspace user opened their page, it is through these fans that willingly love Barcelona that the band gained more exposure. For many the opportunity to discover the newest band online and be able to share that with others is the best rush, Barcelona gained their popularity through their fans desire to share their music.

One characteristic Web 2.0 has to offer that is loved by many, is the opportunity it provides to be exposed to new things every day. Previously it was a lot harder to find new music because the bands and artists that were being talked about were the ones that the newspapers or online news sources wanted to talk about. Now with Web 2.0 it is the fans that are blogging and exposing the world to new bands and artists. While Barcelona did create their own Myspace page, they would have gained no exposure had other Myspace users not added them as friends. With 23,809 fans to date, it is these fans that are spreading the word of Barcelona via internet (Myspace.com.) Barcelona is now signed to a major record label company and gaining more and more exposure. Had Barcelona never created a Myspace page they may have never been given the opportunity to have a successful career in the music industry, that they now have. If Barcelona had left it up to the media to help them gain exposure it could have been years before they ever gained the attention they deserved.

Web 2.0 offers limitless information because it is a platform for anyone to discuss or talk about anything they desire. Previously news sources are the websites that someone would visit if they wanted the newest information on music, movies or even current political issues. However, with blogs and networking sites like Myspace there are endless sources for someone to find the newest information on anything they can think of. There are now search engines like Google and Yahoo where someone can type in any word they can think of and it will search all internet sources for anything that could even be possibly related to the key word. It is this limitless access to anything someone could ever want that could be one of the biggest advantages of Web 2.0.

With this limitless amount of information it is now more then ever that blogging or networking sites are needed to help expose bands, Barcelona received their exposure through their fan base. Without their fan base to blog, post their music on their sites or even just talk to their friends about Barcelona it would have been a long time before Barcelona received any attention for their music. Continuously on Barcelona’s Myspace site they thank their fans and supporters because they know how much of an impact they have made. Through a true interest in a band, book or online blog fans everywhere are continuously contributing to a creator’s popularity by networking online, and adding to the massive pool of information available on the internet.

While Williams provides many good reasons why the internet shift has been destructive it is important to understand why Johnson's argument is generally stronger. The internet has gone from a structured way of the past into a revolutionary arena for everyone to share what they feel is most important from all genres and all walks of life. Bands like Barcelona, which may have never received attention from the old ways of the internet, are now receiving credit and attention for their talents. The new arena the internet now encompasses does not judge, it provides information from those who are most passionate about a topic.