Wow, what a week. I didn’t realize that social networking had gone to such a level. After being exposed to the new social networking tools I can see how people can spend way too much time at it. However, I do see the value behind it. You post a question and you really have the entire world to provide the answer. That is a power that impresses me (and I don’t impress easily).
Speaking of power here is my question for all of you that may stumble across this blog. In a world that is rapidly advancing in technology, social networking, etc is this really good for a national society? Are the areas that do not have dependable and affordable access because of geography or any other reason just being further alienated from the rest of society? Really, the people in these areas are not responsible for the dilemma but are most likely powerless to fight it.
I will reserve my comment until a later time.
Hi Dean. You’ve extended the notion of the digital divide. When the label was coined, I don’t think we fully understood the impact. Having computers and not having computers was discussed more in the context of that aim of education that prepares youth for work. Now the digital divide speaks to the other aims as well – creation of knowledge and development.
It would be interesting to explore the historical context of the introduction of disruptive technologies and their impact of the digital divide of the time. Sometimes these technologies closed the divide. The printing press, for example, made the written word more widely available. So one could now argue that the Internet is helping to close the digital divide. The barrier is access, and projects like OLPC (www.laptop.org) are trying to mitigate. I believe that the new media technologies will in fact help to close the digital divide (aka The World is Flat by Friedman) rather than extend it.
Cindy
Interesting points. In response to regions that have no access, local economic development and the rising global economy may be one of the factors that reaches to those regions, and to it’s local populations.
In regions that are tightly controlled, I believe governments may “attempt” to repress the Web 2.0 platform, but in the end this may be the new catalyst for change, whatever that may entail….
However, for now, alienation and intellectual exclusivity (and with that, power) is a present and disturbing reality.
To me, it’s a moot point. It is what it is and we simply have to respond to try and figure out how to make the most of things. There’s no use lamenting the past or wondering if all this is really good. I don’t think these tools or services or technology in general is either good or bad; it’s our response that determines this.
I agree Dean. There is no sense sweating about things that are out of our control or already done. What we need to do is look to the future an build on the successes and try to correct the failures of the past.