I have enjoyed reading the articles in The Digital Divide, they were interesting and entertaining. The four articles I chose to summarize for this assignment were; Nomadicity by Todd Gitlin, Web Squared by Tim O'Reilly and John Battelle, A Dream Come True by Lee Siegel, and The End of Solitude by William Deresiewicz. Each writer provides an original, thought-provoking idea of how technology has and will affect society as we know it.
I did not right away really get the message behind Nomadicity, but after reading it a second time, I understood the point in this article. Nomadicity is the tendency of a person, or group of people, to move with relative frequency and the phrase was coined by a man named Leonard Kleinrock in reference to the need for mobile devices, especially supporting the internet, for people constantly on the move. Todd Gitlin points out the freedom people feel when they have products that allow for mobility, products that are miniaturized or portable. These items are seen to boost societies ability to be self-sufficient. The article talks about the evolution of such products like the mountaineer's backpack to the terrible, yet convenient fanny pack. Also including portable sustenance such as Hershey bar's, the ice-cream cone, or the water bottle. He focuses a lot on the Walkman, and the power being able to listen to music anytime can help you to tune out reality, like being in a "mobile bubble." When this article was written, cell phones were in full force, but mobile broadband and internet access from your cell phone, IPads, IPods, ect. had yet to be introduced. But the article does point out some of the disadvantages of this new found portable freedom. One point the author makes is that most of the time we use these portable electronics for pointless, trivial, and trite purposes. I went without a cell-phone for many years because I felt like it was an electronic leash and this is pointed out in this article as well, that having a cell phone means you can be bothered at anytime by anyone. Also phones and other electronic devices can intrude on other's space and privacy, such as a cell phone ringing during a class, the theater, or a concert. I liked the point that the was made, "we are seeking distractions from distractions," and the final quote, "Where do all these highways go now that we are free?" I would love to read this same article revised with all the technological advances that have been made since it was written.
The article written by Tim O'Reilly and John Battelle, Web Squared, explains the miraculous changes and improvements that the internet has accomplished in a relatively short time and how Web 2.0 could evolve into a way to uncover solutions to the world's more urgent dilemma's if we use the power of the web and take it to another level. This piece describes the web as beginning the same way a baby does, learning and adjusting according to experiences and environment and that the web is now growing up and can do some very impressing things. It talks about collective intelligence which wikipedia, one such source of collective intelligence, defines as shared or group intelligence that emerges from the collaboration and competition of many individuals and appears in consensus decision making in bacteria, animals, and computer networks, This article describes the web as a source for "crowd-sourcing," and claims that it's value far surpasses the contribution of any one individual's submission. They believe that the web and it's applications are getting smarter and that it is just the beginning. Websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube, Amazon, and Craigslist have created all new uses and advantages of the internet. Businesses can profit from the internet as well if utilized correctly. This article tells us how the web learns from inferences from a "body of data." Also discussed is the Iphone and other mobile internet devices as well as the use of GPS, it is pretty amazing that our phone can track our movements, tell us what is around us, and direct us where to go. This passage basically describes the unbelievable progress the internet has experienced and the promise of even more wonders to come.
The next writer, Lee Seigel, has a very different view of Web 2.0 and the internet and actually mentions statements written by Tim O'Reilly and John Battelle. The article titled, A Dream Come True, brings to the surface some of the uglier truths about the almighty internet. He specifically attacks the whole idea behind web 2.0 and the idea that promoters applaud it with the hyperbole, "democracy." I thoroughly enjoyed his description of the robotic, automatic style of writing found on the net, Internetese. He used this word while referencing an excerpt from an article written by an advocate of Internet freedom in the matter of copyright law. That same writer, Seigel accuses of confusing the real meaning of democracy with his version, "control through reasoned discourse." Several sites used for attacking people anonymously are brought up along with reminding us that anyone, literally anyone can update or add to a Wikipedia definition. Another website, Assignment Zero, where anyone can file an investigative news article which can be used to slander or attack someone without any proof, or layers of scrutiny, to stop you from saying whatever you want. This article is the opposing view to the aforementioned article, Web Based, and as much as I enjoy my computer and the guilty pleasures it makes so easy to access, I have to agree with this author before I buy into all the "goodness," this smarter internet is going to bring to the world.
The last article I chose was The End of Solitude, and I think it may have been my favorite from this section. This writer is accusing technology of being the killer of solitude. He states that really we are doing it to ourselves, so it is not actually technologies fault per se because we are really doing it to ourselves, but it may be the availability of such things that have created this need to eliminate "alone time," all together. My 12 year old is always talking on the phone, texting someone, playing online, or hanging out with a friend and doing similar activities. This writer states that he asked his students how they felt about being alone and one said they were so afraid of it that they would sit with a friend even if they had work due, another exclaimed, "why would anyone want to be alone?" Solitude is not a bad thing, on the contrary it is actually a very beneficial thing, maybe not all the time, but it can not be healthy to never have it. My favorite quote was at the very end, "those who would find solitude must not be afraid to stand alone." If I never had time to myself, I would lose my mind.... literally!
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