A Foundation for Creation: Building Research on Substantial Resources in Modern Media

With the internet available at the click of a mouse, viewers are exposed to endless amounts of information from all corners of the globe. This growing interconnectedness through modern media has evolved and changed the ways in which countries relate to each other by forming societal bonds through the sharing of popular culture. In constructing a blog to discuss this modern phenomenon, I sought first to find the most appropriate and useful resources on the internet. Rather than relying heavily on journals and academic writing, internet resources provide up-to-date and easily accessible information from around the globe. This quest for the most effective resources began with various searches on Meta-Engines Dogpile and Metacrawler which turned up websites for organizations dealing with global popular culture including International Food Information and the International Music Network. The search continued through several directories including the Open Directory Project, Arts and Letters Daily, and Artslynx. The three directories provide ample resources, most notably the Journal of Popular Culture, which gathers scholarly articles on a regular basis that deal with popular culture in a global context as well as country-specific cases. The directories were also particularly useful in providing precise topic searches. Included in this linkroll are websites that deal specifically with different aspects of popular culture, from film to radio, dance to tobacco use. A deeper look into these websites uncovered links to other related and vital sites such as the International Food Council Foundation, which provides information on customs, regulations, food news across the globe.
While the research proved fairly successful in ascertaining links to valuable websites, it also turned up many websites whose aspirations were larger than its capabilities. One particular challenge when writing about and investigating popular culture is that the subject itself is opinionated and easily accessible to everyone. Therefore, many websites failed to be efficient and effective in their delivery of information. In order to choose the best sources possible, the Webby Awards criteria were applied to each website. These criteria evaluate the content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and the overall experience of the websites. Thus, readers can be assured that the websites chosen for my research on this topic are of the highest standard and provide information that is relevant, accurate, and precise, and it is my hope that this blog will be equally as effective in the online community.