Week 15 - Reflective META Post
I nominate my Week 10, 11 and 12 posts for grading.
Web 2.0 has changed the face of the internet for the better. The advancement in web design elements such as XML has paved the way for more a more user friendly experience when one uses the internet. The development of ‘Social Media’ such as ‘Flickr’, ‘YouTube’, ‘Myspace’, ‘Facebook’ and ‘Twitter’ has enabled a higher level of communication between people even if seen as still somewhat anti-social and un-necessary by some. The process of being able to interact, collaborate and socialise with people in completely different parts of the planet is something that would never have seemed possible when first electronic communication was invented. The ability to comment on someones work on ‘YouTube’ and ‘Flickr’ can spark discussions between individuals who have common interests or arguments about not-so-common interests.
The creation of ‘blogging engines’ such as ‘Tumblr’ allows anyone to create their own page, where they can discuss and comment on any issue they feel to be relevant or important to them. The creation of such services has dramatically heightened the popularity of ‘social media’ because knowledge of <HTML> code in order to publish your ideas is a thing of the past. However, by past I only mean 3 to 6 years ago. Technology in regard to computers, more specifically, the internet is expanding exponentially, it seemed like only yesterday ‘MSN Messenger’ and ‘Myspace’ were the ‘it’ applets, whereas, ‘Facebook’ now controls a large share of the ‘social media’ ‘pie’.
Networked Media is thought provoking and the possibilities are endless when one sees what has been created through the direct result of “Networked Production”. For example, Facebook allows users to stay in touch with friends not only through hypertext but with videos and pictures uploaded to an individual’s ‘page’. Although, the issue of privacy arises when supplying personal details to such a public forum, the creators step around this issue by allowing as little or as much detail to be shown to the general public through a vast array of ‘privacy options’.
Our dependance on technology although somewhat scary at times has led to everyday life becoming somewhat simpler with access to banks, social networking and shopping with the click of a mouse. Libraries are slowly becoming ‘history’ themselves, as online libraries such as ‘Wikipedia’ provide a wealth of information (although sometimes biased or incorrect) to the user with the click of a button. Services such as these are also collaborative, allowing users to add their own pieces of information to further expand knowledge in a certain subject area.
In regard to ‘traffic’, I am somewhat lacking in followers, however, this does not concern me because I see this blog as a way for ME to learn about the process of “Networked Production” through research and web browsing. I have written this blog as a way to demonstrate to myself what I have learnt throughout the semester. Posting interesting thoughts and content that I have found has helped me come to a better understanding of the process of “Networked Media” and its role in modern day society.
