Web 2.0

What is web 2.0?

“Co-creativity, participation and openness, represented by software that support, for example, wiki based ways of creating and accessing knowledge, social networking sites, blogging, tagging and ‘mash ups”

New Media: A Critical Introduction, p. 204

Tim O'Reilly is the person responsible for creating this new buzzword in 2003. Ever since then people have questioned what it is and where it came from.

Many new websites have come out of web 2.0, websites that don't just show opinion and fact, but have levels of interactivity. Websites such as Live Journal, Myspace, Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube etc. 

'Michael Platt offers the following five qualities as being defining characteristics of web 2.0:- 

• Network and devices as a platform;

• Data consumption and remixing from all sources including

user generated data;

• Continuous update;

• Rich and interactive UI; and

•

 Architecture of participation'

It is also about 'the importance of user ownership data' (Dion, 2006). 

Ever since web 2.0 has been on the scene, there has been a huge marketing hype. 

“Web 2.0 is a term you love to hate or hate to love but either way, you'll know you'll get  folk's attention by saying it.”

                                                                                                                                          (Hinchcliffe, 2006) 

“Web 1.0 was all about connecting people. It was an interactive space, and I think Web 2.0 is, of course, a piece of jargon, nobody even knows what it means. If Web 2.0 for you is blogs and wikis, then that is people to people. But that was what the Web was supposed to be all along.”

Tim Berners-Lee (2006)

More and more user generated content is being produced now that web 2.0 is about. This can be in the form of blogs/vlogs, TV shows, music videos, articles etc. People are even becoming famous from it; Justin Bieber was found on YouTube by Usher and was then signed, and look at Bieber now! Wikipedia is also on that list. It is a online encyclopedia that anyone around the world can edit. The TV show The Million Pound Drop saw two contestants say Tom Jones was 90 plus, someone then changed his Wikipedia profile saying his new age. 

“Our idea was very radical: that every person on the planet would have access to an open-source, free online work that was the sum of all human knowledge”

Jimmy Wales (co-creator of Wikipedia)

In Digital Cultures p. 40

As technology develops, so do the number of people using web 2.0. 'Prosumers' is the latest buzzword to come out of the woodwork. It is defined as ' a model of production in which the user of the product or service gets more involved in the process'. For example, apps on the iPhone. 

“Truth and trust are the whipping boys of the Web2.0 revolution”

                                                                                                                                     (Andrew Keen, 2006)

Identity and Representation

What is identity rooted in?


Family, gender, class, language & accent perhaps?
All of the above could be class as correct.
But how does the media make products which reach all these categories?


The media is used to mediate different identities. Therefore it is used to make the public feel like they have an identity of some kind. Goffman wrote a book on the presentation of self in every day life, here is a part of that on identity:

'Goffman suggests that there are many 'sign vehicles' that are widely recognized as expressions given off unintentionally by people, by which other can evaluate how successful or sincere that self-presentation is. Some sign vehicles like sex, age and are, are extremely difficult to conceal or manipulate in face-to-face interaction. Although the rest - such as clothing, posture, speech pattern, facial expression, bodily gesture and intonation - are relatively more maniputable' 

                                  Charles Cheung, Presentations of Self Personal homepages in web.studies, p 47                          

                                                                                                                                    
Stuart Hall on the other hand says this:


' The question of 'identity' is being vigorously debated in social theory. In essence, the argument is that the old identities which stabilised the social world for so long are in decline, giving rise to new identities and fragmenting the modern individual as a unified subject. This so-called change 'crisis of identity' is seen as part of a wider process of change which is dislocating the central structures and processes of modern societies and undermining the frameworks which gave individuals stable anchorage in the social world.' 

Stuart Hall (1995: 96)

As digital culture keeps developing in the 21st century, it is lifting the limits of the personal being. Technology is the bridge for new representation. But does this mean we have separate identities online? The 1990's was influenced voyerism through homepages. Cheung defines a homepage as 'a website produced by an individual (or couple, or family) which is centered around the personality and identity of its author(s)' (Cheung, 2000:44). After homepages came GeoCities. It was seen as an important outlet for personal expression, but only lasted 15 years before it was discontinued.

Homepages may include photos, 'description' of the author, achievements etc, much like modern day homepages such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. 

'Cheung also argues that personal websites offer their creators the chance to 'reveal' previously-hidden aspects of their identities; in this way, homepage authors suggest that it is the 'real me' is presented (even though many admit to self-censoring, and to 'tailoring' the presented self)' 

David Bell , An Introduction to Cybercultures  (p.118)

Indentity & web 2.0

(Quick guide to what web 2.0 is!)

Anything that allows a large part of us to engage through the media. The audience becomes the author, eg Youtube. User generated content is a big part of the 21st century digital age. It can range from singing on Youtube instead of going through the mainstream television shows, or tweeting the latest news from Downing street. 'Web 2.0 leads to multiple partial representations of the self in a multilayered form' Alessandro Ludovico. 

Is this true?

For example, on Facebook, if you are tagged in a picture that doesn't show you looking your best, you untag it. Therefore you are altering what the audience of your Facebook can see to make your self-representation something you control. The same with profile pictures, the author chooses one where they think they look their best. 

People find their identity in different ways, one way may be through gaming. For example, WOW (world of warcraft). Identity can be gained through achievements in the game, or socalising with other users. 

As a generation are we remediating our identities? 

Issues of the body; Cyborgs and artificial life.

What does it mean for us to be networked?

If you ask someone what a cyborg is, the usual answer that is given is someone who has a human head and armored body; giving a distasteful look on humans. 

“With the telephone, there occurs the extension of ear and voice that is a kind of extra sensory perception. With the television came the extension of the sense of touch or of sense interplay that even more intimately involves the entire sensorium”

p. 265-266

Marshall McLuhan, Understand Media - The extensions of man.

Notions of life: Vitalism

'Life is seen as having unique, and sacred properties that are not possessed by an inanimate object.'

Materialism

'A scientific tradition that regards life as having the same physical and chemical qualities as inanimate objects; eg DNA.'

Informationalism

'Cybernetics built on the materialistic view of life, and introduced some informationalist ideas to understand the nature of life. Living forms are capable of growing and repairing their structures.' Life can also create new life. 

Some informationalist perspectives on cyber-culture:

- Cybernetics

- Cyborgs

- ALife

- Artificial Intelligence 

Norbert Weiner in the 1940/50's came up with the cybernetic idea. This then developed into the term Cyborg (cybernetic organism). 

“The figure of the cyborg encapsulates many contemporary anxieties about the encounter of the natural and the artificial and the idea that there are no clear divisions between the non-human and the human, the technological and the biological, the original and the copy.”

Dani Cavallario Cyberpunk & Cyberculture p. 44

The cyborg is said to be a creature of myth and social reality whilst embodying cultural fears and anxieties. There are many different examples of fictional cyborgs. These include: Cybermen from Dr Who, Captain America and Wolverine from X-Men. 

This fictional idea of cyborgs have now been used by surgeons and biologists in recent years. They worked with the notion that 'body parts are replaceable.' This creates a pragmatic sense of realism, that infact spares of the human body can be made.

“anyone with an artificial organ, limb or supplement (like a pace-maker), anyone reprogrammed to resist disease (immunized) or drugged to think/behave/feel better (pyschopharmacology) is technically a cyborg”

Dani Cavallario Cyberpunk & Cyberculture p. 46

For example hand transplants, cochlear implants and artificial hearts have all been used in recent years. 

So who controls the body?

Kevin Warick actually plugged the internet into his arm. He had an artificial arm in one place, and by moving his arm, the other hand would do what his hand did. The scary part is, if the artificial hand was moved by someone, Warick's hand would do the same thing!

As all this was going on, Steven Levy wrote a book on Artificial Life. 

"Artificial life, or a-life, is devoted to the creation and study of lifelike organisms and systems built by humans. The stuff of this life is non-organic matter, and its essence is information: computers are the kilns from which these new organisms emerge. Just as medical scientists have managed to tinker with life's mechanisms in vitro, the biologists and computer scientists of a-life hope to create life in silico” 

Steven Levy

 

Levy explained that programmes self replicate and control. This then can lead to virus'. But is this just paranoia?

But when does the blending of humans and technology become morally unacceptable? 

Yes lives can be saved, but from a young age children are being subject to watching cyborgs through the media. Will this impact on generations to come?

Issues of the interface; Design and the desire for immediacy

Why have an interface?


'A means which people interact with a particular machine, device, computer programme etc.'


User interface provides:
- A means of input allowing users to manipulate the system.
- A means of output allowing the system to demonstrate the effects of the users manipulation. 


Interface allows immediacy and it is ultimately easier to use. It started off as wires being plugged into different sockets, then the development of punched tape eased the way for graphical interface. This then resulted in a command line being developed and it is the basic way to create html in the current day and age. 


Early interfaces were invented in the 60's. Ivan Sutherland invented early models of the sketch pad. Doug Englebert invented the mouse in the 1960's also, a piece of technology that is used in every computer today. 


As technology developed, so did interface. As time went on, people kept making it easier to use the computer:


- 1973 saw Zerox Alto have basic user interface
- Apple Macintosh then developed interface more in 1984
- By 1989, Microsoft Windows had the basic interface that would be in the majority of new computers.
These developments then lead on to technologies such as hand held computers (PDA's), the iPhone for example. 


As these developments in interface continued, the WIMPS model was then born , (Windows, Icons, Menus & Pointers). 
- See & Point: Users interact with the computer by pointing at objects on the screen

- Direct manipulation: Users interact directly with objects in the interface (drag & drop)

- Metaphor: The interface is based on metaphors familiar from the non-computer world around us (desktop)

- Consistency: Learning will be reduced if objects with a similar function always look & behave the same (icons)

- Forgiveness: User actions should generally be reversible. User warned if something will cause data loss (trash can)

- Perceived Stability: Elements in the computer interface should not be changed without the user’s involvement. (windows reappear as user left them)

What do you want to communicate?

Lisa Seaman, Designer for Hotwired said that these points will get the best results: 

'Don’t get too caught up with trends!

The job of design is to communicate a message.  Make sure your designs communicate that message

Hold onto it rigorously, like a bulldog to his bone! '

Barbara Kurh, creative director for Asylum said simplicity is the best way forward:

'Keep it simple

The power of good design is in its simplicity

Define the essence '

The design of interface goes back to art history: images, colour, typography, metaphors. Designers remember that colour is key as it creates mood. This then lead on to the idea of hierarchies. 

“The foundation of almost all good information architectures is a

well designed hierarchy”

Louis Rosenfeld & Peter Morvill

Interface in the 21st century is not just a list of guidelines, but a link of ideas to your audience. As interface is such a big part of technology, the gaming industry has now joined the bandwagon. This can be seen through vibration, touch pads, visual aids such as Xbox Kinect and the Wii. 

There are other interfaces that aren't just computers: oyster cards, bank cards, finger prints even. More and more technologies are becoming computer interfaces, is this a bad thing?

News and Technology

What is news? 

Mitchell Stephens once said that the news is 'new information about a subject of some public interest that is shared with some proportion of the public'. As technology develops, these pieces of news are becoming increasingly easier to read. 

The history of news dates back to when oral news was all that was known to man. Phedippedes ran over 25 miles in a single day to bring news of the Greek victory at the battle of Marathon. This was an achievement in those days, where as now if even the slightest bit of news that could gain public interest is broadcast, it can take people seconds to load it up on their iPhone 4s. 

Oral news then can be divided into different categories. For instance, gossip is peer to peer, hand written news needs transmission and using websites such as Facebook contain computer mediated gossip. 

As technology developed, it wasn't long till the internet was born. This gave news an even faster way to travel than ever before. This lead to a decline in newspaper sales as more and more people were using the internet. But can a news website still be classed as a newspaper? 

Technology transmission also impacts on what is and can be considered news; morse code, steam press transmission, transatlantic cable etc. 

Whilst the rise in popularity of internet news increased, older platforms of media had to get back in the game. Next came 24 hour news channels. Are these a positive thing? Yes if the world was under attack the public could find out at 3:42 a.m, but on the other hand, it could easily scare people by knowing that much information. 

What is news in the 21st century?

Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have become common among the younger generations. Many people found out that Osama Bin Laden was dead through a tweet. 'The rapid circulation of news is evidence of more than just the desire of individuals to know and tell; it is evidence of a social commitment.' A History of News (M.S) [pg 15.]

Has the internet changed the way we read/interact with and generate news?

'Perhaps the most valuable news we can receive is warning of a clear and present danger.' [pg 4.]

Thinking about Media Change

Are all new media just building on old media?


The world wide web hasn't been around for that long. It builds on the memex from 1934, and since then it has carried on developing. Once this had been developed, Ted Nelson underpinned WWW dot with hypertext in 1960. 

Old media these days is referring to news papers, books, radio whereas new media is more the internet, video games, DVD's etc. New media doesn't include feature film, magazines, television programmes and books unless they contain some form of digital interactivity. 


'In recent years the 'newness' of new media has attracted an increasing groundswell of rebellion against using the term at all' 

Sue Thomas, 2006

The 1960's showed the new buzzword 'multimedia'. This then lead to remediation (moving from one media to another). There are different types of remediation strategies:

- (Transparent) immediacy = window into reality

- Hypermediacy = applications that present multiple medias using hypertextual organisations. 

But why would there be a difference between 'old' and 'new' media? There are other ways to think about digital media. Conceptual tools needed to think about current changes in the media:

- Digitization

- Convergence

- Interactivity

-Remediation 

Digitilization makes media files: 

'Highly amendable to manipulation by a computer' 

Wise, 2000

As the technology developed, digitilization lead to the media introducing green screens & compositing, for example Jurassic Park used this.

'Digitilization inevitably involves loss of information. In contrast to analog representation, a digitally encoded representation contains a fixed amount of information' 

Lev Manovich , The language of new media (2001)

Convergence has probably had the largest impact on the media industry. Many institutions are now combining media platforms to reach a larger audience. For example, the internet on a mobile phone; it is now faster than ever to check the weather in Greece whilst on the move. 

Internet allows for

“Interconnectivity: the capacity to easily connect interactions across different networks

Interoperability: the capacity to access all forms of information and media content using different operating systems”

Flew, T. (2008) New Media: An Introduction

“We call the representation of one medium in another remediation, and we argue that remediation is a defining characteristic of the new digital media”

Bolter and Grusin, 1999

So how do all these ideas link? Do they all exist in 'new media?

Will there always be new media?

The more people buy into this new wave of new media, the more old media will die. Google Tv for example incorporates television with the internet. 

(What is google tv?)

The more technology develops, the more popular new media becomes. Shouldn't we stick to what we know best and stand by old media? As a generation who thrive off technology, this may not happen. 

The Myth of Cyberspace

"The natural environment in which communication over computer networks occur."

What is cyberspace? A question which has many alternative answers. The etymology of the word is from the word 'Kybernates'. This is the rear of a boat, the part which navigates. On the other hand, Jari Petola says cyberspace is 'a matrix constructed out of information.'


But how does all this fit in with everyday life? Two of the most commonly known examples of cyberspace are Second Life and the film series The Matrix. Second Life is a online virtual world where people communicate with people round the world through the use of 'avatars'. At the end of 2011, over one million active users were counted; can Second Life be blamed as a form as escapism for a generation? Petola said that cyberspace can help you 'obtain immorality', maybe this is why games such as Second life have increased in popularity.


People of the 21st Century don't realise how powerful cyberspace can be. Information is powerful, whoever can manipulate information is powerful. Everybody would like to have some form of power, on the internet these come in the forms of 'cowboys'. These are hackers. As hackers emerged, so did other new buzzwords. These include 'RL' (real life) and 'meatspace' (virtual space). But can the mind and body be separated?


In the mid 1990's, Barlovian cyberspace emerged. This was a contrast to the earlier Gibsonian cyberspace, this is what Petola described as 'bodiless consciousnesses life there'. John Barlow describers the Barlovian era as a 'free, frontier zone' and that is is a 'declaration of the independence of cyberspace'


'The widespread adoption of the internet will result in the de-massification of the media.'


Many are now saying that the death of cyberspace is approaching. This can be seen through:
Smart Phones
Mobile Gaming
Ubicomp
Augmented Reality
Wearable clothing
Everywhere


If cyberspace was a myth to start with, how can it be near it's end?

Here is Neil Postman's view on the relationship between society and 

technology.