The readings for this week generally defined computer mediated communication and the topics with which CMC research is concerned. One topic which continually came up was the revolutionarily interactive nature of CMC, and the new ways in which humans are communicating because of it. Individuals are now able to express and discuss their ideas and opinions in a highly organized, real-time structure that promotes rationality. Power is decentralized, and without the pressure of external forces that might be found offline (distance, social pressure, time, government…) great power is given to the masses. People have twisted this power into many different forms, nevertheless the internet has changed the way we live by giving us new ways to communicate as well as the place in which to gather, debate, test our ideas and opinions, and form the launching pad for collective action. There have been cases already in which people have demonstrated the power CMC gives us. Below are links to a few notable events that were greatly impacted by CMC. I’m linking to Wikipedia as just one more example of how CMC is changing the way we aggregate and access information.
- Incident in the
- Warblogging during the second gulf war revolutionized war reporting, holding governments highly accountable for their actions.
- ‘Rathergate’ scandal in which the blogging community stood toe to toe with the CBS corporation in exposing forgeries presented as news, resulting in the resignation of several of CBS’ top officials.
My question to the class is: do you think this kind of collective action will continue to take place on the internet? If so how might emerging technologies assist or hinder our ability to do so?
2 comments:
To answer the question that was posed to the class; yes, I do believe that blogging and new uses of CMC will continue to thrive on the internet. These technologies have only become more accessible over the past few years, and as more people become aware of the internet 2.0, they will continue to grow.
New technologies will lead to even faster dissemination of information, leading more people to rely on blogs and iReports for their news contents.
While the use of "new media" is still being discovered and critiqued, eventually user-generated content will hold its own as a source of respected information (particularly as independent media companies continue to be bought out by large conglomerations).
Official media outlets will always have their place as the primary source for news and media content. However, as more users become familiar with user-generated content there will be legitimate competition for these larger media operations.
I think the answer to Mike's question is a definite yes. Every day more and more people are finding how feasible the internet really is and all the opportunities that lie in it.
I think the key idea here, in regards to collective action via internet is that people are finding a comfort zone on the internet. Within seconds one can find an online community with virtually any interest in mind. Just how people create "fictions" or personas online through myspace, people are just as ready and apt to put forth their concerns to mutual strangers online rather than organize a rally within their neighborhood. People find comfort through the internet, by not having to fear a backlash against their opinions. There are plenty of people, no matter what the topic is, that share similar interest online. Furthermore, if people refute an individual's opinions online, the individual can easily erase his online persona, create a new one, or read a newspaper and decide to meet similar communities in the real world.
I've noticed several things in today's media that seem to drive people away from relying on the internet for information and networking. Television News Stations seem to have turned their segment into a reality T.V show. I think it was ktla last year who decided on letting viewers decide on the next broadcaster.
There is also all the advertising that seems to suffocate us when we log onto myspace and other online communities. Even facebook has recently made agreements with more advertisers and has opened registration to the wide public ( i believe it was initially for college students, right?). Anyway, all the advertising is driving many individuals away from online communities.
But of course, everyday, there are more people joining myspace than deleting their own.
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