by Nettrice R. Gaskins

Nettrice's Icon on MySpace

Participatory culture is about the intersection of digital media tools and the ongoing transition of the World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a full-fledged computing platform serving a variety of web-based applications to people. I use the term “participatory culture” to reference the concept of active participation or the act of sharing in the creation of ideas, versus the “passive” scenario where people can receive information but are not allowed to engage in the creation or selection. Participation also refers to the availability of sources and individuals’ ability to customize their media experience.