According to Tim Riley- If Netscape was the standard bearer for Web 1.0, Google is most certainly the standard bearer for Web 2.0. . From the researching I have done on Web 2.0 and Web 1.0 I have come to realise that there is quite a difference between the two.
These two types of the Web are seen as DIY Media and Collaboration and this is the topic for my week 7’s blog. I am new to this whole virtual cultures subject and was unaware of that there were even two different types of Web. From my understanding of Web 2.0 which was introduced by Tim Riley and from reading sources, Web 2.0 in the computer industry is a business revolution caused by the move to the internet as a platform and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that platform.
In contrast Web 1.0 in my own words is about reading, home pages, html, client-server and companies. Web 1.0 was the past and it seem that Web 2.0 is the future, with Web 2.0, being a new and improved system which provides communities, writing, blogging, peer to peer and interaction between one another on the web rather then individual concepts which is what Web 1.0 is about.
In Tim Riley’s article What is Web 2.0, he defines Web 2.0 as… Services, not packaged software, with cost-effective scalability, Control over unique, hard-to-recreate data sources that get richer as more people use them, Trusting users as co-developers, Lightweight user interfaces, development models, AND business models. The term Web 2.0 throughout my researching i have found has been frequently criticized for its suggestions of a revolutionary new stage in Internet development. However in my opinion Web 2.0 is the basis of social networking communities and online communities. There are more and more people joining Face book for example and this is due to the fact that Web 2.0 provides a community concept and is revolved around interaction.
Web 2.0 can be seen as being apart of the new DIY media and collaboration concept throughout the virtual world. According to Axel Bruns The concept of DIY is no longer new- it has emerged over the last couple of decades and has older histories such as open source software development- which is a community of developers of programmers themselves who come together to make soft ware and share the software with the rest of the world so the rest of the world can be included as well.
Web 2.0 is defiantly the new and improved internet and virtual concept of the future with interaction and peer to peer relations being the main focus. The concept of DIY media and collaboration has provided the internet and people with the opportunity to be free and to blog, interact and talk to people over the internet. This to me is the way of the future.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Online Communities
“The notion of community has been at the heart of the internet since its inception” Online communities are a social network with a common interest, idea, task or goal that interact in a virtual society across time, and organizational boundaries and is able to develop personal relationships.
The role of online communities is a partial answer to how we as individuals can deal with an abundance of information that we are now faced with in the 21st century. Online communities help us to make sense of what is out there and it helps us as individuals be a part of online communities. Online simply means expressing yourself through participations. According to Terry Flew there is an element, “found in online community networks the scope to develop new forms of community, based upon the core principles of: an inclusive, supportive and convivial culture; education for citizenship and active learning; strong democracy and active citizenship; community-based health and well-being; economic equity, opportunity and sustainability; and freely available information and participatory media” (Flew, 2004) .
With online communities you are able to be someone who you are not entirely in real life. This is the point of online communities that I personally find the most interesting and the most disturbing. You could for example in real every day, be disabled however when you are online and in a virtual community you are able to construct new forms of identity and that is one of the most attractive qualities of online communities. Most people join or are a part of an online community so they can be seen in a different aspect of life. It is quite a disturbing notion as well.. As how well do people who are a part of an online community really know each other? If someone were disabled and a part of an online community would they make that point open to everyone or would they hide it and pretend that they really are normal just like everyone else? Or does it even matter that much when you are a part of an online community and do people just like you for you and your persona which comes across virtually? The questions I have are endless on this notion of online communities.
A major advantage and the best case scenario according to Axel Burns of an online community are active communities that share an understanding of information and interests. This is implying that all individuals within online communities are a part of that community because they all share a common interest or understanding. This best case scenario for me could potentially be a major problem. Some individuals join online communities for social aspects however joining an online community with a common interest and understanding an idea could have major problems for the entire universe. Take hate groups for example there could be an entire online community centred around a hate group and this in turn could produce a major hazard for the entire universe, as online they are able to organise events and plan without other people knowing.
So when it comes down to it Online Communities can be seen as step forward in technological and virtual advances. There are some aspects to me which are a bit freakish however in the end if it helps someone feel better about themselves and they can pretend to be someone there not for a few hours or minutes a day I say embrace it as i am sure there is still much more to come in the world of online communites.
The role of online communities is a partial answer to how we as individuals can deal with an abundance of information that we are now faced with in the 21st century. Online communities help us to make sense of what is out there and it helps us as individuals be a part of online communities. Online simply means expressing yourself through participations. According to Terry Flew there is an element, “found in online community networks the scope to develop new forms of community, based upon the core principles of: an inclusive, supportive and convivial culture; education for citizenship and active learning; strong democracy and active citizenship; community-based health and well-being; economic equity, opportunity and sustainability; and freely available information and participatory media” (Flew, 2004) .
With online communities you are able to be someone who you are not entirely in real life. This is the point of online communities that I personally find the most interesting and the most disturbing. You could for example in real every day, be disabled however when you are online and in a virtual community you are able to construct new forms of identity and that is one of the most attractive qualities of online communities. Most people join or are a part of an online community so they can be seen in a different aspect of life. It is quite a disturbing notion as well.. As how well do people who are a part of an online community really know each other? If someone were disabled and a part of an online community would they make that point open to everyone or would they hide it and pretend that they really are normal just like everyone else? Or does it even matter that much when you are a part of an online community and do people just like you for you and your persona which comes across virtually? The questions I have are endless on this notion of online communities.
A major advantage and the best case scenario according to Axel Burns of an online community are active communities that share an understanding of information and interests. This is implying that all individuals within online communities are a part of that community because they all share a common interest or understanding. This best case scenario for me could potentially be a major problem. Some individuals join online communities for social aspects however joining an online community with a common interest and understanding an idea could have major problems for the entire universe. Take hate groups for example there could be an entire online community centred around a hate group and this in turn could produce a major hazard for the entire universe, as online they are able to organise events and plan without other people knowing.
So when it comes down to it Online Communities can be seen as step forward in technological and virtual advances. There are some aspects to me which are a bit freakish however in the end if it helps someone feel better about themselves and they can pretend to be someone there not for a few hours or minutes a day I say embrace it as i am sure there is still much more to come in the world of online communites.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Networked People
Networked people- Week fives lecture on Network People got me wondering... What is a networked person? Am I a networked person?
Castells argues that "Networks constitute the new social morphology of our societies, and the diffusion of networking logic substantially modifies the operation and outcomes in processes of production, experience, power and culture." Castells in Flew also comments on the rise of a network society, since the 1980s a new technological and economic framework has emerged that is global, informational, and networked. This therefore can be seen to mark a transition towards an informational mode of development, and the rise of the network society, whose origins lie in the mass diffusion of ICTs, and whose consequences affect everything from “the development of cities and regions, the conduct of everyday life, workforce trends, contemporary politics, and the development of new forms of social identity”(2005: p27). It is because of this networked society that networked people are formed.
Networked people to me are people who are exposed to an abundance of information, and that information becomes greater and greater as we are exposed to more and more information, from which we learn. According to Axel Bruns a network of people can be defined as a network through which communication flows occur, that are open, flexible, and adaptable forms able to expand without limits. The concept of networking is based upon the Internet and has been the centre of claims that the current phase marks the emergence of a ‘new economy’, or a ‘network society’. Bruns also makes mentiont that the significance of a network is that it draws attention to the ongoing relations between people which are embedded in cultures, rules and norms. In a networked society we are surrounded and engage each day in continuous content of information, knowledge and meaning.
After reading various sources and thinking about what it means to be a networked person, I consider myself to be a networked person. I am a part of a networked society which surrounds me with information, knowledge and meaning on a day to day basis. I have also come to the conclusion that we are all networked people in different ways, with our society becoming more and more of a ‘new economy’ with new and improved technological advances helping us to become a networked person. Since the beginning of time, man has migrated together sharing ideas and arriving at new ideas as a result of communicating with others, networked people are an example of this people who have shared ideas and have arrived at new ideas as the result of communication between others.
Castells argues that "Networks constitute the new social morphology of our societies, and the diffusion of networking logic substantially modifies the operation and outcomes in processes of production, experience, power and culture." Castells in Flew also comments on the rise of a network society, since the 1980s a new technological and economic framework has emerged that is global, informational, and networked. This therefore can be seen to mark a transition towards an informational mode of development, and the rise of the network society, whose origins lie in the mass diffusion of ICTs, and whose consequences affect everything from “the development of cities and regions, the conduct of everyday life, workforce trends, contemporary politics, and the development of new forms of social identity”(2005: p27). It is because of this networked society that networked people are formed.
Networked people to me are people who are exposed to an abundance of information, and that information becomes greater and greater as we are exposed to more and more information, from which we learn. According to Axel Bruns a network of people can be defined as a network through which communication flows occur, that are open, flexible, and adaptable forms able to expand without limits. The concept of networking is based upon the Internet and has been the centre of claims that the current phase marks the emergence of a ‘new economy’, or a ‘network society’. Bruns also makes mentiont that the significance of a network is that it draws attention to the ongoing relations between people which are embedded in cultures, rules and norms. In a networked society we are surrounded and engage each day in continuous content of information, knowledge and meaning.
After reading various sources and thinking about what it means to be a networked person, I consider myself to be a networked person. I am a part of a networked society which surrounds me with information, knowledge and meaning on a day to day basis. I have also come to the conclusion that we are all networked people in different ways, with our society becoming more and more of a ‘new economy’ with new and improved technological advances helping us to become a networked person. Since the beginning of time, man has migrated together sharing ideas and arriving at new ideas as a result of communicating with others, networked people are an example of this people who have shared ideas and have arrived at new ideas as the result of communication between others.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
How does technology become cultural technology?
In the chapter titled "New Media as Cultural Technologies" of Terry Flew's book, technology becomes cultural technology when aspects of culture are introducedand it is used as a social tool.
"Technologies are not merely aids to human activity but also powerful forces acting to reshape that activity and its meaning"
"Technologies are the tools of artifacts, used by humans to transform fnature, enable social interaction or extend human capacities"
We use technology as an extension of our own cultural pursuits.
Eg the way we use a mobile phone. As technology, it is just what it is, and it becomes a cultural technology through the way we use it --> texting our friends
Therefore, according to Terry Flew in his chapter, technology becomes cultural technology when humans use it as a social tool. Technology becomes cultural technology when individuals make use of it to extend their social pursuits networking with other like-minded people.
"Technologies are not merely aids to human activity but also powerful forces acting to reshape that activity and its meaning"
"Technologies are the tools of artifacts, used by humans to transform fnature, enable social interaction or extend human capacities"
We use technology as an extension of our own cultural pursuits.
Eg the way we use a mobile phone. As technology, it is just what it is, and it becomes a cultural technology through the way we use it --> texting our friends
Therefore, according to Terry Flew in his chapter, technology becomes cultural technology when humans use it as a social tool. Technology becomes cultural technology when individuals make use of it to extend their social pursuits networking with other like-minded people.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Virtual Cultures
Virtual Cultures are formed through and by the internet. The internet can be seen as a carrier of culture in some ways, through virtual cultures. This concept of the internet being a "carrier" of vitrual cultures provides the individual with an abdundance of information and sees the internet being a medium where information can be found and moved around from one indivual to another.
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