I think some of the most important
takeaways that I’ve come across from the readings and group discussions in this
course so far this semester include understanding the multiple elements of Web 2.0, crowdsourcing, media convergence, the concept of cognitive surplus, and
the difference between communal and civic collaborative efforts.
Web 2.0 is a kind of umbrella term
that is used to describe the many ways in which people use the Internet. Web
2.0 is a new level of web usability that encourages audience members to become
active participants in the development of websites and applications in order to
create a more robust online experience for everyone. The concept of the
perpetual beta describes the limitless potential for improvement to individual
sites or apps – meaning we no longer see applications as having a final form
but instead we have the opportunity to continuously update and improve content
and applications. As users generate more and more content for certain sites
(such as a restaurant rating application for a smart phone) a web-community
develops and blooms into a stronger and more effective utility.
Crowdsourcing is a term used to
describe our ability to use the Internet as a place to recruit people from all
over the world in whatever goal you’re trying to accomplish. In the example of
the lost/stolen taxi-cab phone, one person was able to recruit an entire of
army of followers who were willing to support his cause. With the help of a few
million readers and a number of helpful law enforcement officials, one man was
able to get a lost/stolen phone back for his sister.
Within the
new framework of Web 2.0 we also see the emergence of media convergence. This
convergence is the site at which media producers and their audiences meet. Once
content is created and presented to the world, people with access can comment
and often engage with the content in a way that might influence future works by
the author. The rate of exchange between the two parties is faster than ever
before because of digital communicative technologies.
Cognitive
Surplus is an idea that describes our ability to contribute and collaborate
with one another within a global online community. All the free time that the
people of the world have to collaborate on projects is lumped together through
digital technologies and the Internet. The web provides the platform in which
the large scale efforts can take place for virtually any type of project. People
with similar interests in working on projects are no longer separated by
geographic distances because the tools for online collaboration connect
everyone who wants to participate in any specific effort.
Collaborative
efforts that take place within online communities can typically be classified
as either communal or civic efforts. Communal efforts, such as lolcats and
other popular Internet memes, have value which is created by participants for
participants of that web-community. In other words, members of this type of
community that value lolcats humor can also generate new content to contribute
to the community. The other major type of collaborative effort is a civic
effort. In this scenario, producers of media do so in order to enhance or
improve society in a new way. An example of this type of effort is Ushahidi.com.
