What’s new media good for anyway?

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…and who am I to tell you?

Today we’ll tackle

•  Questions for emerging media projects

•  Why we need better models and methods

•  A first attempt at a new impact language

•  Examples from my own work

•  An example from an emerging field: VR

But first: a bit of show and tell

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Questions for emerging media projects

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Q1: How new is this?

Is it even media?

Q2: Is this even media?

Q3: Where is this in the hype cycle?

Q4: What are the points of connection?

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Q5: What’s the point of the connection?

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Why we need new models & methods

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What do we mean when we say “engagement”?

It’s not just “reach” or “attention minutes”

My favorite definition

But, it depends, right?

•  Communities of practice

•  Goals of the maker or outlet

•  Platform affordances

•  Audience needs

•  Funder expectations M

People get stuck

•  Applying assumptions from previous platforms or commercial settings

•  Searching for a single impact equation

•  Reinventing the research wheel

•  Not consulting users soon or often enough

•  Confusing intention with success

The issue is not methodology. It’s mindset.

Useful approaches:

•  Developmental evaluation•  Experimental, embedded, espouses

bricolage over rigid methodology

•  Design thinking•  Hands-on, user-focused, visual inquiry

•  Lean startup•  Rapid iteration, minimum viable

products, practice trumps theory

A first attempt at a new impact language

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Initial impact models:

What do makers need?

•  To put their media projects in context

•  To talk through goals and strategies

•  To communicate quickly and cleanly

•  To mix and match platforms and outcomes

•  To understand relationships with audience

a to z

abcdefghijklmn

opqrstvwxyz

1 to 0

1234567890

A to Z

ABCDEFIKL

MNPQRSTUVWXZ

! to )

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everything else

-+<>|=

={}[]

’:\~/

¢€€™£®©

plus, lots of

;

Back to basics

How can we use these icons to clarify:

•  What the media project is?

•  How it engages users for social impact?

•  What that suggests we should evaluate?

•  What happens next?

A few examples from my own work

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Tell impact stories

Political TV Ad Archive:

1 + / + B + 6 =

i[j8.

Clarify strategy

iSeeChange

phase 1

c + y + p + Q + r =

5 + 7 + 6 + x

phase 2

u + / + : + W + 9 = n

An example from an emerging field

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How did it work?

Uncritical discourse about Clouds over Sidra :

! = E

Closer look at points of connection:

! + / + h + 7 + b =

Emj

Pondering new models

! + E = q ! + F = q ! + T = q

Suggested metrics:

•  Amount of VR content

•  Number of headsets

•  Number of journalism VR apps

•  Amount of direct advertising

We can do better at making new media do good.

TQ