Podcast

https://soundcloud.com/adamwolski0-1/podcast

    The transfer of information has always been prevalent in human society; ever since the invention of the printing press in 1450, information has had the opportunity to be distributed quickly, uniformly and to the masses.  However, as this progressed into the Industrial age, there was a clear division between the social classes and who could give their own slant on the information at hand. In the past, intellectuals and the elite were the ones who were publishing and distributing the information. There was a clear imbalance of power which resulted in one group lecturing and the other group blatantly accepting the knowledge passed down. The CBC podcast “ReCivilization” by Don Tascott; interview regards the World Wide Web, Wikipedia, the Guardian & the new world of television indicate a turning point in the spread of information. Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World-wide-web, has seen the strength of collaborating and the concept of “networked intelligence” when he left his invention free of patent and available to the public.

      Today, consumers are no longer uneducated, are less subjective to bias and are now contributing to the sources that at one point they could only read. One of the best examples of this is Wikipedia; a resource built entirely on public support. Organizations like Wikipedia give everyone the chance to express their journalism abilities by working towards bettering the service without payout. Looking beyond the podcast - YouTube has also proven to be a good outlet for the share of knowledge; examples including tutorials and D-I-Y’s, users post this information to better the experience of others and expect little in return. This seeming endless potential of new media brings up the question: How are traditional forms of media adapting and surviving? The Guardian – a Uk newspaper has been progressive and tried to make the jump to prevent themselves from being left in the dust. The Guardian, has an open forum in areas like the arts where the public can help be the critic. This is based on the belief that no matter how experienced a reviewer may be, having a diverse range of opinions can help the article more than ever.

Aside from this, all of the papers content is available online for free, resulting in an enormous international following. Another form of a traditional media which has developed is television. The television industry has been creating around maintaining a larger number of viewers. This does not attend to small niche markets, in order to overcome this – television has moved to the internet. Viewers can log on and view the material created by the channel, it is much less costly to produce and can carefully pick at a desired audience. This concept is similar to ‘Vlogs’, which tend to be homemade, yet powerful and reach a certain demographic. With human communication being a part of us for as long as we can remember, it is astonishing to see how in such a small time scale communication has changed so much. This is what makes the future of communicative information technology so exciting.

 

Tapscott, D. (CBC National Radio). (2012, January 22). ReCivilization Episode One: Turning the media inside out [Audio Podcast].                                                                                                                        Retrieved fromhttp://www.cbc.ca/recivilization/episode/2012/01/04/episode-one-turning-the-media-inside-out/

Social Media: Creating a new generation of online do-gooders; or is it all talk no action?

         The article ‘Small Change’ by Malcom Gladwell is one of comparison; on one hand we hear of the constant benefits of the new digital age, on the other hand we here of the successes of the yesteryear and some critiques of the use of social media. Social media can be an incredible force at times; humans are more productive in a setting that facilitates the flow of ideas. “Our acquaintances—not our friends—are our greatest source of new ideas and information.” Social media is continuously expanded; it allows an even playing field for all those who contribute, removes the hierarchy structure seen in most organizations and ultimately empowers those who may not normally have a voice.  For this reason, Twitter was considered being nominated as a Nobel Peace prize winner for its effects in conflicts like the 2009 civilian uprising against the communist Moldovan government.

      Some of the critiques against social media are questioning if whether or not they are getting to the bottom line. The term digital divide can also be applied in this situation. Many of the social issues at hand are in some of the least developed countries on earth, this means those most affected by the situation are the least likely to have the technological access and to benefit from this type of assistance. As mentioned in the article, those who were fighting for democracy in Iran, were not the one using twitter, it was outsiders who were tweeting in English trying to make a difference. Unfortunately, again due to the digital divide and the fact that most residence only speak Farsi – a tweet of this nature would not end up carrying much weight. People often incorrectly think they can sit at their computer all day liking pages on Facebook and they will be making the world a better place. Lastly, some companies are aware of this and are potentially using it to their advantage. In an article by ‘Business Day’ an Australian journal speaks of the how the company Kia, they offered to feed a family in Sudan for a day based on every like they received – an idea that seemed innocent enough. Many visitors to the site were outraged that Kia would be blackmailing clients for likes on Facebook especially since they were planning on donating a set amount anyway.