Posts Tagged: Wealth of Networks

In regards to the Wealth of Networks reading, I had the following questions:

1. I keep thinking of the Bing.com commercials in which people are spouting off random facts and creating a cacophony of information overload. Is it possible that with everyone having a public voice there is indeed too much information being shared and most is getting lost in the crowd? Is the Babel objection actually a reality?

2. It was interesting to read about the history of music as an informational good. It was mentioned that in the nineteenth century music was a relational good. “It was something people did in the physical presence of each other.” The advent of recording technologies transformed music into a more profitable good that was easier to package and copyright. However, now is it possible that we are slowly moving back towards a world in which music is once again, a thing of the people? The collapse of the record companies and bands connecting directly with fans through live performances and online seem like they both are signs of a new age.

Wow there sure are a lot of words in this book, aren’t there? This whole book is free online in search-able HTML – pretty meta considering what he’s talking about.

He starts by mentioning “the Internet Revolution.” Are we really calling the Internet a revolution still? Let’s all get on MySpace and blog about Sanjaya guys, we’re hip. But seriously, in an age when even the term “Web 2.0” is cliche as they come, is an analysis of digital networks going to be that mind-blowing? Spoiler alert: we’re all related, amateurs are empowered, etc.

Benkler notes that a networked information economy has shifted the mass-mediated public sphere to a networked public sphere. What are the key differences, and is one necessarily better than the other? Was this shift a good thing?

He also makes sure to point out the rise of individual practical capabilities. As society becomes continually more interrelated and interdependent, what place does the individual still have in all of this? Is he pushed to the margins or a cog in the machine?

Great! We are all connected and love each other and can express and develop that online!

I’m not so sure that this is the best possible thing. I’m also skeptical of how far this can go and what it says about human development.

Are there specific activities that will ALWAYS need person-to-person contact? School? Sports? Or will we just live online in avatar form?

What are the negative consequences to organizing online?

Is this something for the masses or just “witches”, “Bloggers” and “Atheists”?

I do also have some positive notions of the possibilities. How has this technology and world-wide community allowed more developed nations to give access to advanced information abroad? The implications of using this technology in this manner seem quite impactful.

Questions from The Wealth of Networks reading

1. How do the different productions and exchanges of knowledge and culture affect our understanding of the world around us?

2. What does Benkler mean by the “on the shoulders of giants” effects? Explain and research this concept more.

3. How has the Internet (especially social media sites) impacted our cultural freedoms?

1. When I was reading through the Wealth of Nations, I couldn’t help but think about freedom.  In the chapter on culture, cultural freedom was discussed. What I think about it how has our freedom, cultural or otherwise, been affected to by the Internet and interactive media? Does the internet give us more freedom by allowing us to publish as much as we want and explore millions of site, discovering an ocean of information, or does the internet actually strip us of some freedoms like privacy and the like?

2. I haven’t finished reading the book “Here comes everybody”, but in just the beginning of the book, I couldn’t help but relate to the story of the girl losing her phone.  I feel like this illustrates the desperation and dependance on technology, today. My question is, will this technology dependance continue to increase as our technological developments mature, or will the novelty of all these new technologies become “overdone” and “old news”? Eventually will everyone decide to give up these technologies in order to cleanse and rid their life of the hassle?

3. When thinking about company growth, how does the internet play a part? Do websites with higher interactivity begin to build the company’s size and income?