The following posts are from 2006

A-ha from week 3's reading

At first when reading chapters 2 and 3 of "Media Technology & Society" I was quite bored and was wondering what the point was. Did I really need to be going through the details of the invention of the telephone? After reading Postman's "Informing Ourselves to Death," I began to understand the point of the reading assignment. When considering new technology and and its impact on society it is important to understand that the development and intent for that technology may be a far cry from the way it is used. One example given was the invention of the mechanical clock by monks for the use of worship, and then societies using the clock to make capitalism possible. There are key forces in society driving the development and adoption of technology, some being government, politics, military, science and business.

In terms of Internet Use and Gratification, I think it is an incredible tool for businesses trying to find the right segment to advertise to. The way I could see myself using this concept in my paper in the social sense in that it lends itself to creating a segmented populations. On the business side, it allows new avenues for advertising to a very specific group instead of having to try and please a wider audience.

The Medium is the Message (Group #2)

In The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan, I expected much less progressive content because it was written in the 1960s. I did not anticipate so many of his thoughts and points to be so applicable today. I suppose I shouldn’t be so shocked, as my comments in earlier classes and blogs have been that no technology is “new” but just a build upon earlier technologies and ideas. If that is true then it would make sense for the same issues and points to have the same roots as those we experience today.

The major take-away for me from the reading was the examination of not just media, but the way media changes how we experience the world. The technology is not just changing the technological sphere of our world, but the social, cultural spheres as well. It’s about looking more deeply into the impact, and the real root of the medium without being blinded by the content the medium is projecting. At the base of all of this is information, how the medium moves it, uses it, and what that means to us.

Another key point is not putting limitations on mediums. If we are to examine something, a phone line for example, and only look at its sole use, or what it was designed to do, we could be missing out on all of the other ways it could be utilized. As we all know, a phone line has many uses beyond having a conversation with a person on the other end. It transfers information to computers, fax machines, etc, etc. It moves information in multiple ways and has had a huge impact on technology, our social sphere, and how our communities have developed.

Supplemental Reading:
http://www2.scedu.unibo.it/roversi/SocioNet/114601.pdf

A-ha's for week 4

As We May Think was particularly interesting to me because of the time in which it was written. It is clear that Dr. Bush was well-informed about a great deal of scientific history, research and innovation. I think he was right on the money when he spoke of working on "the record." I think he would've been quite pleased with the way things have developed in our "information society." The foresight with which he predicted the need-for and development of a way to organize research and information in a way that was accessible and user-friendly says a lot about his ability to think on a global level.

Now that we have the Internet and the World Wide Web at our fingertips, it is no surprise that new discoveries and research have taken on new life and speed. Information is power, and we have more organized and accessible information now more than ever.

Chapter four of Mediamorphosis: Understanding new Media, did an excellent job of outlining the history and background of technology. I don't feel like I took much new information away from this reading, but it did reinforch some very important points. The way it outlined both the social and technical history of of technological advances gave a good overall view of how technology advances. Instead of isolating each technology, you really get a sense of how one plays off another. I was also reminded that technological advances are not solely based on technology, but on the needs of the time and who had access to the technology. Just as Alexander Grand Bell did not expect the phone to be used the way in which it is today, there was a need and a demand that it filled.

I found myself thinking of technology as a tree, where each ring was a new technology. I use this metaphor because without the previous rings, the new ring could not grow. The chapter mentioned the railroad, maybe not something I would have thought to be connected to technological development, but other ideas and innovations in communications technology were brought to life in-part because of it. I don't think there is any one comunications technology that can stand alone without those previous "rings" to support it. There is a technological core, that new innovations and development build upon.

A-ha's for week 2:

I would first like to make a comment about the Economist article regarding the downfall of the traditional phone. It is clear to me that if a new technology can improve an existing technology that companies providing that technology need to embrace and experiment with the improvements or be left behind. To fight the improvements would be foolish, but even more foolish may be putting TOO MUCH into the new. There needs to be a balance and an incorporation as not to alienate the current clients.

Technology, as illustrated in the other readings, is an evolution. What is "new" is most likely just something that already exists growing to a more mature and advanced state. The consumer will always follow what is cost effective and convenient. Staying on top of the new technology and viewing it as a tool instead of a problem will determine what companies survive, and which ones disappear.

I know I make it sound like it is easy, and I am not so naive as to think it to be. To adopt new elements to old business plans takes money and research. A company may take a blow initially, but if they are smart and can achieve that balance I referenced earlier, then they should come out on top.