The Invasion of Web

Based on: Scholz, Trebor. "Market Ideology and the Myths of Web 2.0" First Monday [Online], Volume 13 Number 3 (2 March 2008)

With our private information rolling off our finger tips and into the hands of businesses and marketers everywhere, industries are ready to gather your information and sell, sell, sell. Today, marketers have the ability to learn about us through the information we put online. With the web becoming a norm in day to day life, people, particularly youth have dropped their guards and become more and more willing to share their private information. Our openness has given marketers and agencies the ability to take control.

Even with a pirate mentality Web 2.0 may lose the battle against capitalism. Huge corporations have hopped on the band wagon and began collecting our data and invading these channels by filling them with media and ads. With the rapid expansion of the web, soon un-marketed space will be unheard of...even from those sites that promised to stay ad free such as thepiratebay.org. Aside from the fact that the web will eventually turn to a massive advertisement as television did, another example of companies hoping on the band wagon and utilizing the web is the new concept of user generate content or crowd sourcing. Crowd sourcing enables companies to outsource work and have a large group of people collaborate on finishing it for generally no compensation. This concept is no longer only online.

Examples of this concept can be seen thought our every day life. Throwing your cup out at a fast food restaurant, self check outs and information kiosks are all examples of technologies and methods saving companies time and money by not having staff complete certain jobs. This leads up to the idea and question; is it possible that we have become so consumed in technology that the technology is using us?

We will come back to this another day. In the mean time check out this though provoking video:

Scholz, Trebor. "Market Ideology and the Myths of Web 2.0" First Monday [Online], Volume 13 Number 3 (2 March 2008)

Use the Internet, Don't Let it Use You

The internet has enabled the world to come together and communicate on a global level instantly. The advanced capabilities of the internet have created a society better informed on global issues and a population that can share information globally at the click of a button. Gordon Brown discusses the idea of harnessing the Web and using it for the greater good of society. After watching the video below we begin to acknowledge further uses for internet that could potentially better the world.

We are well aware of the common uses of the Internet, for example social networking, *, business and research. As a population that makes thousands of clicks daily on the World Wide Web we must begin to analyze other purposes the web can be used for. Gordon Brown highlights the ways in which the internet has been used to spread important messages that need to be addressed globally. An example is the photograph of Tiananmen Square, a man standing before three tanks became a picture known to the whole world showcasing resistance. Using the internet to raise awareness of problems going on around the world invokes action.

As a technologically savvy generation, we must look at far past the advantages of using the internet as a business tool and actually begin to think how we can use it as a tool to educate the public on what is going on around the world. We must use our communication skills, our intellect and our ability to broadcast messages throughout various platforms on the Internet. We must use our knowledge of the internet for the greater good of society.

New Technology, New Media: More Opportunity

Starting as a text based tool and evolving into the World Wide Web with a mass user base leveraging the social platform it has become, the Internet is one technological innovation that has grown into a necessity.

The Internet was developed to safeguard military knowledge; nobody could have predicted the technological development that the Internet would go through. From a tool funded by the US Department of Defence to a technology used worldwide, the creation of the web and the amount it has advanced is dumbfounding. Since the Internet is a relatively new technology, which has not even been fully explored it is amazing to think of the further advancements it will undergo. Rather than focusing on the media itself, I would like to focus on the issues new technologies raise or don’t raise.

The Internet has changed our culture, our relationships, and our communities affecting the way we interact and socialize. With such a drastic effects on our lives, this technology poses threats but must be looked at optimistically.

With our privacy becoming less and less important, and a culture that fiends for social interaction the changes that this new technology has implemented is becoming more and more apparent. It is said that these changes lead to anxiety. On a side note, I believe any form of change leads to anxiety be it technological advancements, change in government or even something as simple as moving. In researching change management it becomes obvious that people don’t adapt well to change. To say the least, I strongly feel if anything our society is adapting quite well, its proved by the millions of social networks being accessed everyday and a population now willing to tell the entire world just about anything.

I feel that social interaction on the Internet is not such a bad thing; though huge corporations are uneasy at the fact the today’s youth could be considered pirates adding and taking from the web jeopardizing revenue. Social interaction is simply a new gateway for companies to better target their audience. As said before with a culture whose less concerned with sharing private information this is a huge opportunity for companies take advantage of the technology and target specific markets on specific platforms.

Though new technologies come with new issues and new boundaries, I strongly feel people must embrace the change. By embracing change we are able to see the huge advantages that these technologies have to corporations, individuals and intellectuals.