Studio Session 1 Reflection

After completing the first studio session for the second digital assignment, I am excited and intrigued about my topic, Wikileaks. I have some knowledge about Wikileaks because we studied this topic in one of my media studies introductory courses. I have read a book, titled “Beyond Wikileaks” that I remember was very informative and helpful. Based on the research that I did yesterday during class, I feel that our group has already discovered many newspaper stories, movies, videos, blog entries, and controversy over Wikileaks and its founder, Julian Assange, who is currently held in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. Our group had a good discussion regarding the lawsuits that are filed against Assange, namely that he is being charged with rape or assault. Our group also found a lot of articles, all which we posted to Diigo. I feel that I need to search for more information on how the Internet influenced the movement. I’m possibly interested in exploring the idea of the public sphere and the role of anonymity in relation to Wikileaks. Wikileaks has definitely caused a lot of national debate and uproar regarding the transparency, security, and actions of the government and the role of whistleblowers. I’m excited to explore and learn more about Wikileaks and how social media played a role in this social movement.