Blogpost #6

Riderz On The Pony Productions

High Folks! Welcome back to my blogpost! It has been a long journey my friends, but we have finally made it! The final blogpost for BCM! Okay, let’s not get too dramatic, shall we? I know I know, I am going to miss you guys too, BUT every end marks a new beginning, so, save your tears little penguins, for nothing is ever over! 

Over the week, a group of us were tasked to create a parody skit. Thus, a group of us got together and came up with a video that showcases the different uses and gratifications we gain from using the various social media platforms that are available to us!

Firstly, we highlighted the uses of Instagram, now although I am not a big fan of Instagram, it is evident that it is a titan of a platform in the social media world! People show off the memories and all the good times… Nahh who am I kidding? Most show off their bodies to get some sort of validation from literally anyone. The more the likes the better off you are in the social status of Instagram. It is one big mess there, literally it is either be judged or be the judge! (I know I sound like a grumpy old man but bite me if it isn’t nothing but the truth!) 

Moving on, we covered Twitter and the uses of it! Twitter has become the live update of important news; be it on celebrities, pandemics or even sports news. Since twitter has millions of users all around the globe it is easy to transmit viral news in an instance and although there is little we can do about most of the events, it is a useful heads up.

Bear with me on this one lad, but it has to be done! Ahhh yes, Tik Tok… A name that makes my balls itch (it is only sexual if you make it sexual… I meant my eyeballs bruv, what were you thinking?) Anyway, Tik Tok has a huge fan base and millions of users. It is always filled with videos of dances, moves and even lip-sync of songs, all of which are on trend. Thus, people who are very keen with following trends and live in the constant fear of #FOMO (fear of losing out) find this platform to be convenient. 

Here is the video created by us!

How has UGC changed the way traditional media is viewed

There was time where media was ‘fed’ to its users, and all the audience could do was to be a sheep that gets herded around. The rich and powerful dictated what was shown to the general public, however, times have changed and in this current time, literally anyone could produce a media content. The contents could range from music to parody and even news. 

Now, although some might question the legitimacy of User Generated Contents, I personally feel that it generally has more benefits to it. One crucial benefit of USC is its promptness in covering a news. Yes, news channels do cover most of the stories, but it is a known fact that they are usually a delayed broadcast. Moreover, in countries that has a government owned media, sensitive news might not even make it viral. However, due to the availability of platforms, occasionally USC contains live coverage of an ongoing event. An example of this is Hong Kong Riots (#shoutouttoJosie)… In the initial stages, the government tried to downplay the severity of the riot and in fact tried to place the rioters under a negative light, but thanks to live coverages by citizens on the scene, the whole world soon became aware of the circumstances surrounding the situation. 

Furthermore, User Generated Contents usually offer the perspective of the creator, basically their insights on a particular topic. This may be a useful information to some of the content’s consumers. A good example of this is V-logging. Citizens and travellers create videos and other contents based on their own experience. This does not only create awareness amongst future travellers, but it also can help educate them. This can be deemed to be more of a reliable information than the information that the travel agency and the local tourism management can give. I mean, technically speaking, if I were to visit a country, I would like to have a gist of what it is like to be in that country. Now, if I were to travel to a place solely after taking a look at the brochures and advertisement on TV, there is a good chance I might get scammed.

Lastly, the freedom and experience offered by User Generated contents come second to none. Not only does it contain an abundance of ideas and talents, it also creates an opportunity for anyone who is willing to share what they would like to show and this is in contrary to how traditional media selects its casts – prodigies, impossible beauty standards (dudes with a jawline that can slice metal and females who wears size zeros) and finally people with connection. This freedom offers a voice to virtually anyone and I feel that is essential as everyone has something to bring to the table at the end of the day.

That is all folks! I hope you have had a wonderful time! TILL THE NEXT TIME! CIAO CIAO!