Are 'categories' the same as 'genres'?
Hello, Forgive me if this has been covered previously but a thought occurred to me just now as I prepped for my night course (yuck!) called "Understanding Television." I wondered how students today make sense of the notion of 'genre' and then I thought, well since most of them don't watch TV over the air (or cable or satellite) and get TV shows online (a whole other issue as to whether or not that's the same as watching TV), it makes sense to think of it in digital terms. So then I got to thinking, how do genres get represented on the Internet - through database categories used for indexing? Through site producers file structures? Through tagging? If so, how do we deal with the semantic arbitrariness of tagging between individual users? Even if categories are what can be considered genres today, do the different types of content that appear on various manifestations of the Internet fall into the same categories as other 'traditional media'? What are the genres in the age of the Internet and are they same as they ever were or altogether new? In this case it's just a question out of curiosity. Ravi --------------------------------------- Ravindra N. Mohabeer, PhD Media Studies Vancouver Island University Nanaimo, BC CANADA ravindra.mohabeer@viu.ca ---------------------------------------
Perhaps because I used to research TV, back before the internet (where there ever such times?), I still like the idea of genre. I suspect that the current buzz word might be format, however, which has its own interesting resonances with computing. I would also say that you comment about how people watch TV now is much more pertinent - recalling Williams and flow, clearly that is the major change. To the extent that programming schedules for TV channels, whether free to air or subscription, tend to produce flow out of the juxtaposition of different genres, then I think genre is less important now. Matt Professor Matthew Allen Head of Department, Internet Studies, Curtin University Life member, Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Fellow, Australian Learning and Teaching Council Visit me at: http://netcrit.net. Follow me @netcrit v: +61892663511 f: +61892663166 CRICOS Provider Code 00301J (WA), 02637B (NSW) -----Original Message----- From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [mailto:air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Ravindra N. Mohabeer Sent: Thursday, 12 January 2012 7:17 AM To: Air-L@listserv.aoir.org Subject: [Air-L] Are 'categories' the same as 'genres'? Hello, Forgive me if this has been covered previously but a thought occurred to me just now as I prepped for my night course (yuck!) called "Understanding Television." I wondered how students today make sense of the notion of 'genre' and then I thought, well since most of them don't watch TV over the air (or cable or satellite) and get TV shows online (a whole other issue as to whether or not that's the same as watching TV), it makes sense to think of it in digital terms. So then I got to thinking, how do genres get represented on the Internet - through database categories used for indexing? Through site producers file structures? Through tagging? If so, how do we deal with the semantic arbitrariness of tagging between individual users? Even if categories are what can be considered genres today, do the different types of content that appear on various manifestations of the Internet fall into the same categories as other 'traditional media'? What are the genres in the age of the Internet and are they same as they ever were or altogether new? In this case it's just a question out of curiosity. Ravi --------------------------------------- Ravindra N. Mohabeer, PhD Media Studies Vancouver Island University Nanaimo, BC CANADA ravindra.mohabeer@viu.ca --------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
As much as I can hardly disagree with a Professor, not to mention a life-time member of AoIR and a memorable past-President, my recent trip to the USA during which I (unfortunately) watched television, I have to say that in the 300 - 600 multi-channel media that tv has become, if anything, genre is even more pronounced. There are sci-fi channels, sports channels, lifestyle channels, history channels, and one of my country friends leaves his set tuned to the Western Country Riding channel. There is little or no cross-flow. To change channels, one can stay in the genre (sports, etc.) or at the insistence of other family members, switch to another genre (such as a movie channel). While I agree totally that the word genre is perhaps outdated, it appears to drive selection into an increasing narrow version of reality - lifestyle vs. sports, etc. The biggest movie channels, such as HBO would have the opportunity to offer cross-cultural (sic) events such as new dramas, new comedy, and new mini-series that include more than one 'lifestyle' such as gangsters, chic flicks, history fiction (The Tudors) and so on. I am tempted to say the word 'lifestyle' while ridiculous, offers a chance to differentiate between the goth, the nerd, the gangbanger, the preppy, the hipster, the tragic romantic, and so on, might offer a clue to the next generations after X and Y (whatever they are called) as to what genre might mean. Genre indicates multiple things (among others) appropriate beginnings, tone, rhetoric, and endings. Category seems a weak way to cover that richness of terminology. Dr Denise N. Rall, Research Assistant, School of Health & Human Sciences Upcoming exhibit: "The Bride as Banquet" The Channon Gallery, The Channon, NSW Denise N. Rall, Mobile +(61)(0)438 233344 Fax +(61)(0)2 6624 5380 http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/esm/staff/pages/drall/ ________________________________
Hi all-- In technical communication, "genre" is used to refer to a typical response to a recurring situation. For example, when I need to provide ongoing direction for employees, I produce instructions or procedures, both of which would be described as genres. This definition of genre is further from a "category" interpretation than the examples mentioned by Ravi. Thus, the definition of "genre" is likely to vary by field. The interesting thing then is that "genre" would have to be defined for a given field before attempting to analyze using it. I teach, and my students just don't seem to relate to the use of "genre." This thread has me thinking about that--as my students may be seeing "genre" used in a number of different ways. Pam ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ravindra N. Mohabeer" Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 6:16 pm Subject: [Air-L] Are 'categories' the same as 'genres'? To: Air-L@listserv.aoir.org
Hello,
Forgive me if this has been covered previously but a thought occurred to me just now as I prepped for my night course (yuck!) called "Understanding Television."
I wondered how students today make sense of the notion of 'genre' and then I thought, well since most of them don't watch TV over the air (or cable or satellite) and get TV shows online (a whole other issue as to whether or not that's the same as watching TV), it makes sense to think of it in digital terms.
So then I got to thinking, how do genres get represented on the Internet - through database categories used for indexing? Through site producers file structures? Through tagging? If so, how do we deal with the semantic arbitrariness of tagging between individual users?
Even if categories are what can be considered genres today, do the different types of content that appear on various manifestations of the Internet fall into the same categories as other 'traditional media'? What are the genres in the age of the Internet and are they same as they ever were or altogether new?
In this case it's just a question out of curiosity.
Ravi --------------------------------------- Ravindra N. Mohabeer, PhD Media Studies Vancouver Island University Nanaimo, BC CANADA ravindra.mohabeer@viu.ca ---------------------------------------
_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
Pamela Estes Brewer, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Director, Writing and Editing Internships English Department Appalachian State University Manager, STC Academic Special Interest Group brewerpe@appstate.edu 828-262-2351
participants (4)
-
brewerpe＠appstate.edu -
Denise N. Rall -
Matthew Allen -
Ravindra N. Mohabeer