Virtual Revolution videos

1. The web is celebrated as the revolutionary technology that is great leveling of humanity creating equal opportunity, equal access, and equal potential. However, there are only a quarter of people on the earth who can use it. How do you explain the controversial argument here?

While the web is regarded a revolutionary, the question of how it can be if only 20-25% of the world is able to use it is brought up. In the documentary, Dr. Aleks Krotoski says it is because for the 2 billion people that do have access, they have equal access and can upload and publish text, files, audio, video — virtually anything — for free. It is a power to the people, yet allows governments to spy like never before. It’s been blamed for those addicted to it, yet has become a “super brain.”

2. How is Wikipedia the best example to implement the leveling ideas of the Web rooted in the cultural revolution of 1960s, namely the Libertarianism in the counter culture? How does it explain some of the digital convergences?

With Wikipedia, people do not just look up information, they also add and edit the articles on the site. No formal qualifications are needed to be an editor; anyone with Internet access can be a part of it. Back in the “hippies” counter culture movement of the 1960s, Libertarianism came into play. This takes ideas from both the Democratic and Republican parties, rejects state control and focuses on the free will of individuals. The movement had a role in the early Internet (as a part of “The Well”), and without that, sites for blogs and sites known for media convergence like Facebook and Twitter would not exist.

3. How does the Web make it possible for different kinds of digital convergence?

The Web makes it possible for many different kinds of digital convergence because the Web is the ultimate blend of all different forms of media. Music, television, videos, audio, news, sports and more can all be found by just looking through the Web.

4. How can the Internet become a challenge for traditional authority? Use the political landscape changes in some counties to illustrate your answer.

Under traditional forms of authority, such as monarchs or dictatorships, the Internet can be used to spread ideas that oppose what the ruler would want and spark revolutions to bring that authority down. The Internet, specifically Facebook, played a role in sparking revolutions that occurred in Egypt back in 2011 to bring down the leader there.

5. Do you believe that getting information free can set us free eventually? Why or Why not? Do you see any concerns of the complete freedom or self-expression without limit on the Internet? Why or why not?

I do not believe we can be “set free” by the Internet. It can spread ideas, share voices and spark revolutions, but without any authority, societies would be in complete anarchy. I do not see any concerns about complete freedom or self-expression on the Internet because users have more control. They can choose what content they want to view, see and participate in, rather than being force-fed a bunch of information through government-run news media.

6. In traditional media communication, it has the “vertical” authority. In the Web communication, it becomes “horizontal?” How do you explain the change? How does this create the possibility for digital media convergence?

“Vertical” authority means that someone is at the top of the chain and that chain continues with specific roles to the bottom. With the web’s “horizontal” authority, everyone is an equal. With the ideas of everyone being treated as equal on the Internet, and how anyone can upload any form of media to the Web, there is a chance for increased digital media convergence.

7. Why is that the Web is free critical for the success of the Web itself? How does that clash with the corporate business ideology? How does that pose challenges for copyright issues at the same time? What will happen if the Web is not free?

The Web being free is critical to its success since that supports the claim of how revolutionary it is. Anyone with Internet access can participate in the Web by providing their own information on certain topics or spreading their voice and opinions on certain manners. This clashes with corporate business ideology because in that everything has a price and those with more money would have more power. That poses challenges for copyright issues because the Web is so easily accessible that it can be hard to determine what is copyrighted material and what is fair usage, especially when something is done not for profit. If the Web is not free, then the Web cannot be as revolutionary as it is said to be since there would be people who would lose access to it. 

Reading #2: Digital McLuhan

Questions for the article “Digital McLuhan”

 1. What are the differences between the pre-literate acoustic world and the alphabetical visual world? How does the media of television become a part of the acoustic world?

In the pre-literate acoustic world, gaining information depends mainly on the sense of hearing. With hearing, there’s less risk to be fooled than the risk of being fooled by the eyes. Also, you have to normally be in contact with something to smell, touch, or taste it, and these four other senses can be turned off. Hearing, meanwhile, you can’t really turn off because there are sounds practically everywhere in the world. With the alphabetical visual world, more copies of a single source can be made available, however, the article states it’s not as easy for the message to be spread as a voice to ears. Television becomes a part of the acoustic world as it uses both the senses of seeing and hearing by combining audio and visual graphics, and it can spread a message even more quickly to people all over the world.

 2. Why does the alphabet have the segregating tendencies? How exactly does the printing press reverse the segregating tendencies?

The alphabet has segregating tendencies because at one time it was a medium with limitations. Very few people could read a specific alphabetic printing at a time. This, however, is expected because a new technology has setbacks and benefits, rather than 100 percent benefits. The printing press reversed these because it made publications available to more people at one time and in a faster manner.

 3. How does the alphabetic communication in online communication make cyberspace acoustic? How is the online acoustic world different from the television, radio, or print acoustic world?

Alphabetic communication in online communication makes cyberspace acoustic because of interactivity with things such as live chats, social media, and the like. Any person can put something online and it can be viewed by anyone. It’s different from television, radio, and print because the author has to create and publish the media on the web, and a person must be an active participant and view the media. Radio can be listened to in many of situations. With television, you may have to keep your eyes open for the visuals, but there’s still the audio portion that you can take in with eyes closed. Finally, with print media, there is no interaction. It’s the person reads and takes in information.

 4. Not only do we invent media and media technologies but also we select their uses in different contexts. What are the two selection criteria? According to the selection criteria, please discuss what will happen to our online communication in

20 years.

The two selection criteria are that we want our media to extend beyond seeing and hearing, and we want media to get back past communication elements we’ve lost.

In 20 years, we will have media that is more interactive than ever before. With other forms of media (print, television, etc.) trying to implement interactivity and get with the times where social media is the big thing, there will be much more communication between those in the media and the consumers — and the older forms of media that do adapt like so are more likely to survive or continue to thrive.