In Henry Jenkin’s white paper, Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21^st Century, he commented on participatory culture and the skills needed to be a successful member of this culture; play, performance, simulation, appropriation, multitasking, distributed cognition, collective intelligence, judgment, transmedia navigation, networking and negotiation.  There was a distinct parallel to recent reading that was assigned in another class, 21^st Century Knowledge and Skills in Educator Preparation.  The latter reference article identified skills that are in demand to be successful in the global economy; critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation (21^st Century Skills, p 6).  The skills that were identified for our global economy are entrenched in each one of the skills that require success within the participatory culture. 

            Generally speaking, I felt Jenkin’s paper was discussing participatory culture in term of our younger generation, specifically K-12.  I do agree and believe this is where we see it used so distinctly and frequently.  However, my target audiences are adult professionals within a corporate environment.  The needs and uses aren’t different, the concerns may not be as prevalent as we see with the younger generation.  The participation gap may look slightly different on a corporate level, the gap may not be access to the equipment necessary but the innate ability and ease of using the equipment.  Even within the department I work, there are a variety of ages represented and there is a clear learning curve for those department members in their 50s and those in their 30s.  Can that be considered a participation gap? 

I’m not sure if the transparency gap would translate into a corporate environment, I would have to explore a further into the implications.  Though, I would like to discuss further the ethics challenge and how it directly relates in a corporate setting.  I don’t believe this is solely a generational phenomenon, I have seen an employee’s poor use of judgment and it has cost them not only their job but their careers.  Understanding that when we choose to involve ourselves in a participatory culture in a public forum there is no separation of one’s personal life choices and their professional life choices.  As Jenkin’s states, “we may, in the short run, have to accept that cyberspace’s ethical norms are in flux:” (Jenkins, p 17).  Many of our young and seasoned professional have been reprimanded and some terminated due to the communication and/or behavior demonstrated in this public forum, is it a part of current participatory culture or is it contrasting the corporate culture?  Which takes precedence? Can we be involved in both cultures?  This is a concern that should be addressed worldwide in any professional environment.  Several employers are required to do annual trainings (sexual harassment, safety, etc.) based on regulation or laws, the first step to rectifying this situation in the corporate environment may be to include a digital ethics workshop to the list of annual trainings, to ensure there is common understanding of the company’s expectation.  If I understand Green’s theory correctly, this could be a lack of operational literacy by the employees.  (Lanskshear and Noble, p 175).

In relation to the new skills emerging within this participatory culture, one skill, multitasking, has been throw around my industry for some time and there is an ongoing debate.  The idea that “multitasking and attention should not be seen as oppositional forces.  Rather, we should thing of them as two complementary skills” (Jenkins, p 35), was a ray of light.  I agree that multitasking is not about distraction, it is a constant scanning of the vast amount of information coming at us daily (Jenkins, p36).  I would even argue that our attention has been heightened by the onset of multitasking.  Speaking first hand, I am able to share (not split) my attention to more than one task.  I also strongly believe that it takes introspection to know how to manage one’s attention.  For example, as I sit to write a paper or read a scholarly article, I know I need to focus 100% of my attention, however for recreational reading I am able to do it as I am on a treadmill and my daughters are watching television in the same room.  However it is my responsibility to manage my attention, in turn, how I multitask and maintain effective completion of any given task.  If we talk about the generation in an educational institute, it would be beneficial to assist them in that journey of self-discovery.  For the professional, motivation to learn a resource to guide them may be a possibility.

As I have worked in a corporate environment for the last 7 years.  I have always been extremely ‘fast-paced’ in comparison to my colleagues, some have chalked it up to the New York way, however in reading these white pages I realize it may be I am more apt in the 21^st Century Skills having grown up in this participatory culture. 

 

 

Lankshear, C, Knoble, M. (2011) Literacies: Social, Cultural and Historical Perspectives.  New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.

Jenkins, H.J. (2006)., Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century. http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C-E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF

21^st Century Knowledge and Skills in Educator Preparation [PDF]. (2010). Retrieved August 11, 2013, from http://www.p21.org/documents/aacte_p21_whitepaper2010.pdf