Stepping away from genre which seems to be touchy with some people, I wanted to talk more about what the topic says: technology, Wikipedia, and today's smart mobs. Do you remember when you were in elementary school and the teacher said to go research a topic? Where did you usually go? I went to the library, asked about my topic, and the librarian found the correct Encyclopedia. I would see what the Encyclopedia said, and use that for my research.
Step back and think about that for a minute. What do you do now for a research project? Google it. Google usually has a Wikipedia entry up near the top of the page. You go to it, browse it, and look through the sources. Surprisingly these sources contain relevant scholarly articles, new and breaking news on the subject, and even links to online encyclopedias. Why do this when the information could be incorrect? When something gets edited, the user is told it has been, and has yet to be reviewed. So you know it may not be true. But if something is cited, it is usually trustworthy.
Technology, specifically the internet, has created this pool of information. I call it a knowledge HUB where anyone can go, gain knowledge, contribute knowledge, all for free. Microsoft is now trying to pay people for their entries on Microsoft products, but this is not going over well. To help lighten the mood here is Stephen Colbert talking about the latest on Wikipedia and what he calls Wikiality. Excuse the stuff at the end, this guy is trying to get his message across through YouTube videos, but this is the only version online:
This technology has lead to the "smart mob," a self-structuring social organization through technology-mediated, intelligent emergent behavior. James posted a hilarious, yet enlightening, video on his blog where people all did the M.C. Hammer dance in a store at once. People were unbelievable confused. But it was funny. The internet birthed the knowledge HUB, but also the social HUB. You can not only look up an entry, you can look up and event, people, and even organize the people to come said event. Technology has evolved society as we know it. Computers, cell phones, iPods, etc, all contribute to these HUB's. I can post an event on Facebook that says "Party at my place - invite your friends" and invite everyone on my friends list. One person is bound to choose to attend, and invite their friends. Another may attend, and invite their friends. I now have two people attending, but roughly 500 people with that same invitation. More people decide to attend. They send the word out. They text their friends. Eventually my apartment is so full the party has to end. I created a smart mob.
I remembered an example of a campus smart mob that happened the past two years. It started with posters pinned throughout the halls. A Clemson Silent Rave. What was it? Then I saw the Facebook event. A pre-finals stress-reliever where everyone plugged in their headphones and just had fun raving in the library. No noise or disruption, just fun. It spread throughout campus, and before you knew it, this thing was actually going on. Someone decided to do this, and convinced others. They talked to their friends, who made posters. Someone made an event. A chain reaction occurred that turned into a full on event in the library. Just take a look:
Technology was a catalyst for extensive information exchange. This lead to Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, etc. Those lead to smart mobs, creating things from nothing by the will of one. In this day in age, technology rules, and when we write, it has to keep up with the times.
Technology definitely is taking over. I think that your example of the silent rave is particularly interesting. 5 or 10 years ago the predominant communication in the business world was the telephone and the fax machine. Today technology has evolved to where everyone has an iphone or blackberry. Email is quickly becoming the preferred form of communication and the addition of camera phones has added a whole new dynamic that can be utilized. Working in the Civil Engineering field, these technologies have greatly improved productivity. Many questions that would have required a site visit or situations that would have required a special trip back to the office to get information can be handled quickly and easily with modern communication devices.
ReplyDeleteThis monumental shift in the connectivity of society is fascinating. Think about many people you are connected to through social media, cell phones, etc. It's mind boggling. Reading an article, scrolling through pictures, commenting on a status... all multiply threads in the fabric of society. Cause and effect are almost simultaneous with the increase in social connectivity.
ReplyDeleteSo correct. I remember when I was kid, if I wanted to know the average height of an African elephant, I had to go to my bookshelf, get my encyclopedia's index out, because I didn't know if I should look under "elephant" or "Africa", and then get the correct encyclopedia volume, and flip through the pages until I found the information. Now all I need to do is go to Google, and within seconds I can find the information from hundreds of different sources.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts that technology is a catalyst for information exchange. It seems that every day facebook, the iPhone, or some other source seems to come up with yet another little gadget that lets you communicate faster, tweet louder, or widget better. It seems at the rate society is going with communication speeds and effiecency, that perhaps telepathy will be next?.....now there is a scary thought.
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