I have to confess that when I heard the name of this paper 'cybersocieties', I was somewhat skeptical as to whether I would enjoy this paper, as I am not the most technologically advanced person and have never been too interested in spending lots of time in front of a computer screen. However, my initial reservations have disappeared. So far I have found this paper interesting and have come to realise that I do in fact rely on the internet more than I thought. This was bought to light by the fact that I had to go without internet at home and thus the easily accessible wonders of email and internet banking for the first week and a half of the uni year (really not a long time, but it felt like ages), as our flat had not yet set our connection up (yes, I did use the computers around uni). Once the internet arrived I realised I actually spend a decent amount of time on the internet, it is a surprisingly good procrastination tool.
I thought that Ian Miles' article put forward an interesting idea of what the future could possibly hold, especially in the boxes entitled 'Changing Times'. I thought that they showed clearly just how important technology is becoming in our everyday lives and the reliance we have begun to place upon it. If you think about it, we use/rely on technology for almost everything in our day to day lives, I know I cannot imagine living without a cellphone or a computer. I particularly liked the 'Early 2020's' box, it would be amazing to be given the run-down of every area you went through, although I can imagine it would get somewhat tiresome and the idea of 'sonic beams' is kind of creepy.
David M. Berry's article had some interesting ideas surrounding internet research and the various ethical considerations that arise. I don't think I like the idea of 'lurkers' or 'harvesters', although I guess we all 'lurk' to a certain degree by reading comments on other peoples blogs, bebo's and facebooks etc, but not actually contributing anything ourselves. He talks about intellectual freedom and the free exchange of scientific and academic knowledge. However, with the advent of the technological age more personal information is being shared and, people's privacy is becoming increasingly threatened. Although this is to an extent their own fault as people voluntarily post info about themselves on sites such as facebook. Generally, I think that information should be freely avaliable and that people should be able to choose how much or how little they share about themselves. Although, they do not always have a choice. Consent is an important aspect of any research project, but as Berry says "with the decentralised nature of the internet...seeking consent is extremely difficult". I wonder whether this problem will be solved in the future or whether it will in fact get worse. The issues surrounding the internet are certainly complex.
I'm looking forward to exploring the concept of cybersocities further during this course , as I think that these types of networks and communities will become more and more important and prevalent in the future.
Ok, post over...
See you in class
Kat
7 comments:
Hi Kat, this was an interesting first post. Those little narratives in the Miles reading are interesting thought-experiments. But do you think they're the most likely outcomes (wearable tech, using it to constantly report and be 'vigilant' on the world around you? Agents who assess urgency?) I mean, you mentioned your cellphone: any thoughts of what the next generation might look like? Or what you might want it to do?
(anyone else who wants to answer those questions, feel free!)
Hi Kat. In regards to the comment on cellphones, it's interesting to watch how advanced they are gradually becoming. It's pretty amusing to look back at old 'brick' cellphones and laugh. I recently dropped my cellphone in the ocean (accidentally!), which was relatively modern, with pxt, browsers etc, now i have to make do with a super basic and old Nokia 'brick', which is a weird step backwards in technology. I`m just looking forward to when phones are competent at being: mp3 players (i.e. with good sound), internet providers (that are fast and reliable), Cameras (with high resolution) and all the other little gadgets most people don't use combined. I know alot of phones do these types of things in sync today, but I don't think they do so in a way that is worth ditching all your gadgets and devoting yourself to one. Perhaps by 2020, standards will have risen completely....?
Advanced technology of cellphones..
Maybe by 2020, we may all not use cellphone, ,maybe some communication machine that combine all of phone, txt, pxt, mp3, computer, navigator and tv function!
Kat, I read you left commonet on Erika ( at comment on "welcome" and I added my comments below yours..
well, I agree with you that there are not the most likely outcomes. For communication technology, it can be varied depends on culture, purpose and countries.
But I think there are higher technological priorities, but it can also be different depending on
culture and ways of people's life style.
Also, I added extended one with images on my blog, come and have a look:) )
Have a great day and I will see you in class.
i really liked reading the "changing times" boxes too; it reminded me of a short film thingee i saw in maybe first year. my memory is a little hazy but i think it was based on google (or at least mentioned google lol) and it was like a mockumentary on what would happen if google joined up with other websites, newspapers etc etc. very interesting indeed!
Hey Kat. Funny you should say how much you realised you relied on the internet. I never knew how much I relied on it too until I had to organise the connection myself! Still haven't gotten round to doing it so I have to endure the ten minute walk to uni to use the internet. Transferring money, getting simple info like quick recipes, checking lecture slides, emails, catching up with friends on facebook etc! There's so many things I took for granted when I had easy internet-access at home, it's pretty scary how reliant we've all become on technology in general I guess. I salute the cavemen! They had it tough!
More Berry and Giles here;
http://www.noemalab.org/sections/ideas/ideas_articles/berry_moss_libre_commons.html
http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/articles/commons_without_commonality/
Hi Kat, i think ive now fixed the problem i had on my blog and hopefully now you will be able to post comments on my page. Thank you so much for the intended help, it's much appreciated.
And like many of your other comments in regards to the cellphones and technology in general, it just keeps continuously advancing and each time there's always something new being added. I remember when pxting was such a new and exciting thing, now its gradually becoming the norm. What will be next????
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