digital cultures 1.0
August 17, 2010
Our first class will include an overview of the themes for the semester and a brainstorming session about topics for individual projects.
Come to class ready to discuss this video
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allitravis
kachristen
mlcrowell
nsinha1522
priyanka30
digital cultures | digital divides 
Wow, this is impressive. Thanks for sharing, Kim.
I think it’s fascinating how digital technology is headed toward an era of interactive information-sharing and user-generated content with Web 2.0. With social media/networking & collaboratively built knowledge (wikipedia, knol), we are both producers and consumers (prosumers???) of knowledge – these are tremendously powerful tools for people to engage with their identity and express their opinions, especially when such opinion is different from mainstream discourse about an issue. Web 2.0 is thus a significant conduit for resistant and alternative voices. It’ll be interesting to see how concepts of intellectual property, copyright, and authorship will be reconceptualized with time, as the video suggested.
What a great video.
In particular, the segment about about how WE are teaching the machine was especially thought provoking for me. To understand that each time we create something digitally, link items together, or give information a role, we in essence are teaching the machine what we want done. WE are telling the machine what is right and true.
In addition, recognizing how far we have evolved from the pencil and paper is truly remarkable. Even looking at this blog site and evaluating its characteristics (videos, links, different colors/sizes/variety of fonts, the ability to upload new comments and share ideas with one another) and comparing it to the original form of written communication (the pen and paper), it blows my mind. Looking toward the future and seeing what other types of information are already becoming digital (airline tickets?), it makes me wonder…what could possibly come next?
Kim … what a wonderful intro piece to start out the semester with; and a side note, what a wonderful promotional presentation you had this morning in CUE. For those of you who didn’t get the chance to attend, I’m wondering if you (Kim) could get a copy for those that want to watch it during our spare time?
When people first meet me, they expect me to be some typical college, and yes even fraternity, male who is gung-ho about WSU and everything associated with it and its collabrative institutions. What they don’t see is my extreme (I tend to think almost geekish) enjoyment of technology. I guess this mask comes from that fact that I don’t like to sit in front of the computer creating application after application, hacking government databases (oops … hope the CIA isn’t tracking my online “moves” now), or creating webpages for new start-up companies. I love the application of technology in the real/virtual worlds and in people’s everyday lives.
Priyanka …
I have to agree that Web 2.0, as it stands right now, has aspects and different uses that could be used for social resistance and global social movements. I to agree that this sort of technology affords people an opportunity to simultaneously consume and produce knowledge, language, texts, rhetorics, identity, etc. But one area that counters this affordability is issues surrounding access. What does it mean for the Maori tibes in New Zealand to have an Internet cafe at one of their schools if there is no constant source of electricity; or technically experienced educators to teach the children how to use the Internet, how to effectively conduct research, etc.; or sources of funding to support such a center or another institution that provides its’ financial backing; etc. etc. etc. Also issues surrounding ownership (does Washington State University own the Maori Internet cafe or is it the tribal members themselves?), sustainability (how/who maintains the center’s advertising, up-keep, webpages, etc.?), and collectivity (was there honest collaboration taking place? Did the Maori implement what they want?) … (Summarization of Kim’s presentation, “Digitze This: Indigenous Knowledge and the Public Domain”; Aug. 25th, 2010).
Alli …
Agree. I also think its wonderful to look at the human interest in virtual reality and how spaces like the Internet, virutal reality games (even 3-D movies), and modern RPG’s (Role Playing Games) like Second Life and Mass Effect complicate what’s “real” or “true”. I also find it interesting that notions (I need to find some sources on this) that say what appears on your computer screen is “yours” but once you log off your machine or switch websites that information becomes inherently everyones (the only information that is censored is what you see on your screen, no one can censor virtual information —> if this is complicated I’ll say more about this in class).
I personally liked the part where the video says, “Reinventing ourseleves”. If we create a landscape painting, it’s seen as a “thoughtful extension” of the author … in essence, an extension of their mind. But no one really sees the internet as an extension of 19% of the world’s population (again, quickly referencing Kim’s presentation). It is seen in terms of websites, with each site being the only extension of eBay, Apple, Nikhil Prasad an artist from Seattle, or 1-800-Flowers.
Long story short … very very mind-provoking!
Great comments everyone, I think this video gives us both cause for excitement about the possibilities afforded by these new digital technologies and it also should give us pause when we think about the implications for who can an cannot use these technologies (machines). We may want to begin by looking at the video in light of who the intended audience is, who may or may not be the “we” or “us” in the collective and how we might bridge some of the celebratory tone with some critical reflection about use, access and technological determinism.
Let’s begin class MON by looking at this again in light of the readings for the week.
Also bring or post URLs of other videos that may help us put this one in to perspective.