Economies. The Social Network

What you use the internet for?

What you used to use the internet for?

From the beginning of the journal, there is a short conversation. A conversation between two guys talking about their work. And it is clear to see that Mark represent the past and Jeremy represent the present.

Last time, we used to work from day to night (9am to 5pm) and when you are in work, you really WORK. Not much time for all the little chit chats, hey how are you let's go for a drink talk, on Facebook to check your news feed nor time for you to go on Youtube to check out the latest celebrity embarrass moment. Instead, you'll have to face the paper works, poke the calculator from time to time to calculate, in worse case scenario, you even have to write, go to the dust-filled room to get the archives.

But look, now that the technology is so advance, there is no need for us to do all that anymore! Like what it is mentioned in the book,

"Knowledge-based service grew 177 percent between 1995 and 2005"

Can you see how advance the world is going right now? Staying at the same pace like what you used to be is no more helping in anyways already. Now this is the world that is knowledge-oriented.

"More manually intensive employment has move out and in its place we have the processing of services and "knowledge" industries, from banking to marketing."

In a way, it meant there are lesser manual works to be done anymore. No more poking the calculator to count when Microsoft Office Excel can count that for you. No more memorizing when your hard disk can keep everything for you. Sounds cool? Feeling great? But did you ever think of the downside of it? What will happened to the human then?

Do you still remember where all the factories used to be full of people to do the same action to produce a product?

What about now? Machines are replacing the humans.

What about the workers then? In a way, it actually caused more people to be jobless. It's true that it will be more efficient and everything will be more productive but like the barter system. If you want to gain something, you'll need to pay for it first. When the country chose to be more advance, they should know that they will sacrifice alot of workers in a way.

Now everything is so intangible. Just like one of the point we learnt in liquid labor, now that the technology is so advance, everything turns uncertain. You won't know when your account will get hack, you won't even know when your data is gonna crash. Taking this as an example, I'm not saying that accidents won't happen in the past. But think, if a place really caught on fire, isn't it that most of the details will be gone? Means you'll have to start all over again.

Another example, let's say you as a client is dealing with a high tech, very advanced, very famous company and this happened, which you'll choose to believe?

Situation A

Agent : Oh gawd, I'm so sorry. My hard drive corrupted and I might need sometime to work out the proposal again.

Situation B

Agent : Oh gawd, I'm so sorry. My office just caught in a fire and everything is gone. I might need sometime to work out the proposal again.

Which will you accept more? For me, definitely will be situation B. Who cares your hard drive corrupted? You should do a back up. But if it's office caught in fire, at least you really do see the damage of it.

Back to the article, it says

"In addition, employees are looking for values that match their own, and work that fits with their life rather than something that simple pays for it to happen."

they also say that

"workplace has quickly given way to a realisation that the boundaries between work and personal interaction are blurring and there has been a move away from a presumption that there is a clear boundary around the use of social networking tools at work"

This is very true especially in this century. Look, try imagine that you are working in a company. When your boss caught you Facebook-ing, you can always use "I'm checking/updating our fan page" as a reason to get away from it. (Provided that you have the fan page's tab ready). In fact, even if it's in Global Network class, the lecturer won't know if you're on your personal Twitter account or it's the account for assignment unless he reads the content in it.

There is no more a clear line telling you whether social network is for personal or work anymore. Remember when times you tell your mother you wanna do assignment and she caught you Facebook-ing instead?

Mummy: I thought you say you wanna do assignment? WHY FACEBOOK?

Me: Maaaa, it's work! It's assignment. It's a group to discuss assigments. =D

And pooof! You ran away from it.

Can social website call as social website then? Besides connecting with others, it also involve business, job or even money transaction (In terms of giving account numbers to do online banking etc) Is it just for social now?

No matter how, we can't deny the fact that network/ social network do help alot. Far more than just connecting with friends itself.

We're all the same. Cyberspace

Seriously, cyberspace is way easier than nodes and flows.

Cyberspace. Somewhere that most of the people want to be nowadays. Why? Think first before you continue reading.

Are you getting treat equally wherever you are right now? What about in cyberspace?

Do you get stereotypical views from people? Do you get the same in cyberspace?

How long you exposed to the real-time life everyday? More than cyberspace? Or not?

In cyberspace, we can be ourselves. We don't have to care about the other views. Well, it's true that we can be ourselves as well in the real world but with the weird looks/reaction you get from the others, you'll somehow still feel uneasy right? But in the cyberspace, you'll never see that. Unless you on the webcam when you interacting with someone.

Besides, there is no prejudice no stereotypes here. Like what John Perry Barlow mentioned in the article,

" Cyberspace doesn't lie within your borders."

Honestly, you won't understand how it feels until you really immerse in the cyberspace. It's somewhere that makes you feel easy.

In the real world, government claim that there are plenty of problems occur in cyberspace. But as what Barlow stated, that are just the excuse to invade to our precinct. I agree with this. Look, let's take pornography as one of the problems. If the government were to point this as the problem, don't you think it's contradicting? There are also pornography in this real world, but what action did the government took? Did the problem solve? If hacking is one of the problem in the cyberspace, what about murdering and raping in the real world? These crimes will never end. since they can't solve theirs why are they invading the cyberspace? Hence, it can't be point out as a problem in the first place.

Besides, if there are really problems or false information, netizens will definitely take action and solve it in their own ways. Be it to block it or delete it, it's their way of handling it. Not the government's.

Everyone is a leader in cyberspace. We don't have to conform or listen to the others. We can have own opinions. In cyberspace, we treat each other equally. Because, this is a place where we can have something call equality.

We're the freeman. Although cyberspace is colorful, it is also a black and white world. Why so? Because everyone has the same color. No one deserve different treatment. Everyone is open to equal chance!

Frankly, if government stop the interaction in cyberspace, what will the netizens do? Figure that yourself! =)

BUT. No matter what, do remember. Never fully exposed to cyberspace. Even if cyberspace is free from prejudices/stereotypes, as what I mentioned earlier, it still has unsolved problems. Uncountable problems that we can never solve for the time being.

We are all the same

The Nature of Network. (Time and Space)

Here comes the second part which is the time and space!

This will be short as it's just a really simple idea IMO.

As what I mentioned earlier, time and space is today's main character! And in short, it meant that at the present of time, human learnt to manage more space in lesser time.

Look, in the past, speaking of space, one can only manage a limited space physically. But now, in the digital world, with network provided, as long as you can read, listen and type fast. You can manage a lot of spaces. Like what I mentioned in the first post,

way before "a tap away from Facebook";

it was "a click away to the Internet".

And for even earlier of the days, I guess it used to be

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"A few hundred meters away from the postbox"

In the past, even if both parties wait at the postbox everyday, they might only able to receive the mail in few days time, if it's overseas, weeks time. But now, you type you click you wait and few seconds later, he/she will get your mail. Can you see what network brought to us?

Space is bigger than what we imagined. Now, central controlled of a company will not required to be in the same spot as the marketing department anymore. As what Stadler said, it's no longer based on the physical proximity. Best example could be our university itself. It's the partner of Inti yet the main university is not located here in Malaysia but in Australia.

Besides, with the space provided, we can now choose whoever we want to communicate with. For instance, A Japanese company that wish to incorporate with the other company no longer need to limit themselves to choose companies among their company but can look into international companies. Well, this is also one of the way for most of the major company to internationalize their company and make themselves well known globally right?

However, downside of it is that it will make us not communicate that often anymore. As we can choose our target to communicate with, if so happened that the people around one does not share the same thought as one do, one will eventually stop communicating with the person.Which directly make the person's attitude colder.

Hope I'm getting my points right! That's all for part 2!

The Nature of Network. (Nodes and Flow)

There are a total of 2 articles for us to read.

First is related to Nodes and Flows.

Another is Time and Space.

--------------------First Article (Nodes and Flows)-----------------

In short, message Felix Stadler wanted to convey is that nodes and flows are equally important. Without one of the parties, another will either be dead or DEAD.

To make myself understand more of this, I think it is best to describe nodes as...

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the frying pan.

Stadler stated that nodes are the ones that process and direct the information. So, just like a frying pan, when one put the raw food in, with the heat, it'll process and come out as a edible dish, which consider as the new information here. Well, I don't know how well it work for you guys but definitely making me to have a clearer picture of what exactly a node is.

Besides that, as far as my understanding goes in this article, nodes will definitely give a great help in company that controls that market share as there are plenty of inputs and outputs go on. A slight mistake will returned with a big consequences. Hence, without info, flow is just nothing but plain noise and without nodes, flow will be dead.

4 important keys were being discussed in Stadler's article.

Interdependency

It simply meant it depend on each other. Information is the relation which arises within the environment. One fascinating point that were mentioned in the article is the quote quoted by Marshall McLuhan saying that

The "Meaning of meaning" is relationship

Indeed, that is really true. Although it's just a simple word, I never try thinking what it meant until he stated that. In the network. Like what I mentioned in the earlier post. Everything is interconnected. Everything is just about the relationship as if without it you can't continue to go on to the network. It's just like a chain.

Change

This point totally reminds me of the butterfly effect. A slight change will lead to a major difference. Like what Stadler said

"One significant change generates total change"

Imagine, if the statement of "the cockroach is in the car!" were sent out as a piece of information and without you knowing it changed to "the cockroach is on the car!" Can you even imagine what will happened next? Relating it back to the first point - interdependency. Just because everything is interconnected, that is why just a small change generates different consequences.

Time-boundness

Just like a piece of news, everything require to be timely! Think, who would want to read a news back in few days ago when there is a new hot issue being discussed a few hours ago? Unless you're trying to catch up some late news; the news is related to you; you're interested on the certain piece of news; you ARE the one who wrote the news, or you'll never want to read something outdated. Agree?

Differentiation

As simple as what the word meant. Information is different as long as they can make a difference. It looks abstract but if you understand it, it really do have a point. Try figure it out! Differences make a change. Just like the media person. Every company tries their best to get a scoop so that they can get more attention/rates from the audience. And more importantly, to differentiate themselves from the other agencies. Sounds easy? It's way harder than what you imagine.

These 4 points are just like the 4 keys of an information ecology. I totally agree with all of these. In fact, I find it similar to the chapters that I've learnt before in Introduction of Mass Comm. Do you guys think so too? Tell me! =)

Second article will be updated soon! Hope I got this right this time!

Network is the Matrix

Why Network Matters? - Manuel Castells

No body will denies it if one were to state that network is now the controller of our life. Believe it or not, it actually affects us from work to our daily life.

In the journal itself, Castells stated 6 strong points to support his statement. Of all, one of the points stated that it expands on the global scale. Even though not all people are connected in the network society but all countries are influenced and shaped by it.

Examples? Now sit down and think, what we used to play before the network expand? Got the answer? and now, what's the kids' new toy in this generation? Can you see the point now?

Last time, we'll go hyper if we get to come...

HERE

Girls used to be so happy if she has

THIS or

THIS

Boys will go crazy if he can ever get to play

THIS or

THIS

But what about the kids in this generation? When I was in my grandparents house, my 7 years old cousin came to me, and her first line was "I saw you on Facebook! Got so many pictures!"

I don't think I need to further elaborate anymore. It's clear that how the network is expanding. Not only globally but in terms of age. Even to the kids.

And, Castells also said that networked organisation out-compete all other forms of organisation. In simple words, it meant that if you can't follow the pace, you're screwed. You see, what will be the first thing you'll do if you were to book a hotel in Australia for vacation? Yes, internet. So, if you try to find a hotel through the internet and the hotel doesn't even have a website, will you still go for that hotel? That is why, Castells said that, organisations that can't follow this logic will ultimately phased out. Face the truth, the world is cruel! If you can't follow the pace, you'll get eliminated. Do it or not, you'll decide yourself.

Let's look at it this way, how network changes us? In what way it changed us?

Did you ever realize that we are very attached to social networking sites? When you met a new friend, instead of

"Hey! Really nice meeting you! We should really keep in touch! Mind giving me your phone number?

we turned to this...

"Hey! Really nice meeting you! Do you have Facebook account? or Twitter?"

It even make the employer's job easier in the sense that he/she can just browse through your page to see what kind of person you are way before he/she set an interview with you.

Like what Mr.Faizal mentioned, when we reached a new place, first thing we need to do is to take photo and upload it on Facebook. Why? When we reached somewhere, smartphone user will just check in the place. Why? Are we trying to show off? Are we trying to let other people know what are we doing? Or, we're doing it just because everyone does that?

In year 2009, there was a case whereby the mother tweets about her 2 year old son just 34 minutes after he was found in the bottom of her backyard pool. The message of her tweet is "Please pray like never before, my 2yr old fell in the pool"

Click here for the whole article

The son just passed away and instead of crying and screaming her head off, she tweets!

Life is more important or updates are?

In the article, Lisa Neal Gualtieri, an adjunct clinical professor of the health communication program and an expert in social media and public health said that

"Many people become closer to the people who they use Facebook and Twitter with than they do with their friends and neighbours," said Gualtieri. "And many people even use social media as their primary way of connecting with their friends."

Little did you know, network gave us a very very big impact. As if the life is attached with it. Reading this journal makes me wonder, who is supposed to take this blame? Founder of social website? For me, the answer is the technology.

No doubt, the technology did make our life much more easier but it also made our life more miserable. Ask yourself, do you still talk to your friend that much compare to how you do last time? Instead of wishing your friend "Happy Birthday" face to face, how you wish them right now? Before smartphone is widely used, we used to go online to surf the social networking sites. But now with the advanced technology, instead of "A click away to Facebook" it became "A tap away to Facebook" You can surf whenever you want, wherever you like.

It's true that it made us closer to each other globally but this ended up turning to be communicating more often electronically and lesser in terms of verbal. It made us feels that, we can definitely breath without it but we can never live without it. Worth it or not? You'll decide. Indeed,

"Network are the Matrix"

Global Network

Blog post testing! It's global network time!