Chapter 6 (The Convergence Culture of Campaigning)

Henry Jenkins is very hopeful that the convergence culture will make politics more accessible to all of us, thereby “democratizing” it so that it is part of our everyday lives. The new trend indicates that our politicians haven’t turned their noses up to the notion either. Jenkins rightfully points out Howard Dean’s success at mobilizing [...]

Chapter 4 (Folk Culture’s Comeback?)

When I teach the different genres of music to my students, I always feel inadequate to explain folk music. It is hard for middle schoolers to conceive of music that there are few recordings of. Sure we have folk rock and bluegrass among others, but those are genres unto themselves. Almost by definition, folk music [...]