This is a blog about my teaching, research and service with some occasional personal comments thrown in. These are my notes on a variety of topics. If you want to follow my blog posts on a specific topic, then see the Table of Contents in the right-hand column. While I try to work in the realm of facts, logic and moral absolutes, if there are any opinions expressed here, they are my own. -WilliamHartPhD
What is Communication? “A process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior” (Merriam-Webster).
What is Technology? “a design for instrumental action that reduces the uncertainty in the cause-effect relationships involved in achieving a desired outcome”(Rogers). What exactly does that mean? Break it down. Piece by piece. "Tech" in the Dictionary: (Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster...)
So, according the previous post, technologies evolve. New ones are created and some old ones go extinct. Or do they go extinct?
Focusing specifically on media technologies, what new media tech has evolved recently? Is there a new species of media tech? It could be argued that "the third screen" is a new species. Martin writes about it in his book, The Third Screen: Marketing to Your Customers in a World Gone Mobile. What is the third screen and how has it evolved? And, what does it have to do with your future? What do you see evolving in the future? Do you see a fourth screen? No screen? What is the connection between your future and the future of media tech?
Now take those basic ideas of biological evolution and see how they apply it specifically to technological evolution. What do Kelly and Blackmore add to this theoretical perspective?
First, "Kevin Kelly on how technology evolves"
(You may want to start the Kelly video at about 8:20.)
Previous posts have offered theories for how technologies come to be and develop over time. We've discussed, for example, Winston's model and we've discussed the Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations. We now turn to our last theory -- technological evolution.
This theory is based on the biological theory of evolution. One of the best explanations of biological evolution and the mechanism that drives evolution is found in Carl Sagan's Cosmos video series which was based on the book Cosmos. In the following video Sagan describes the process of artificial selection. As you are watching this clip from Cosmos, be sure to identify and be able to explain the mechanism that drives evolution. Does this mechanism explain technological evolution? Do technologies evolve?
Let's start first in Japan some time ago and the story of a drowned boy-emperor, a small crab and the idea of artificial selection.
Let's look at evolution in another way, noting especially the steps in the process.
Evolution is a process. What are the steps in the process?
In this short clip the process is explained in a different way. Slow the process down and catch each step. It starts with organisms vary.
Now, instead of rabbits, what if we were talking about mobile phones or any other media technology?
To best get a sense of Burke's approach to technological development, it would be helpful to see an example. In an episode of his 1970s TV series Connections he traced the development of TV and film back to the cannonball.
What does a cannonball have to do with TV and film?
What makes Facebook or Twitter examples of social media? Is YouTube social media? What is social media?
"Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as 'a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.'" (Wikipedia).
So, Web 2.0 has something to do with social media. What is Web 2.0?
"The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators (prosumers) of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (consumers) are limited to the passive viewing of content that was created for them. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications, mashups and folksonomies" (Wikipedia)
So, if this is Web 2.0, what was Web 1.0?
When did the Internet and the Web begin as communication tools?
Today we certainly use social media (e.g. Facebook and Snapchat) as a means of communicating with our family, friends and colleagues, however, wasn't the Internet used a communication tool before the advent of social media?
Starting with the late 1960s, what new communication tools appeared on the Internet? Examples: What year did email first appear? What year did blogs appear?
What makes Facebook or Twitter examples of social media? Is YouTube social media? What is social media?
"Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as 'a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content.'" (Wikipedia).
So, Web 2.0 has something to do with social media. What is Web 2.0?
"The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design,[1] and collaboration on the World Wide Web. A Web 2.0 site allows users to interact and collaborate with each other in a social media dialogue as creators (prosumers) of user-generated content in a virtual community, in contrast to websites where users (consumers) are limited to the passive viewing of content that was created for them. Examples of Web 2.0 include social networking sites, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, hosted services, web applications, mashups and folksonomies" (Wikipedia)
So, if this is Web 2.0, what was Web 1.0?
How did social media develop/evolve? What is the short history of social media?
Previously we have noted that when a person or a society adopts an innovations, there are consequences. What are some consequences of adopting social media based on recent research?
Now, let's shift gears, but stay with diffusion of innovations and social media. The adoption of social media has greatly increased in the past decade or so. People have adopted social media more quickly than any other past media technology (radio, TV, etc.). Why? What makes an innovation spread? What makes the rate of adoption increase? What are the key factors according to diffusion of innovation theory? What are the characteristics (or attributes) of an innovation that makes it quickly become adopted?
Specifically, what are the attributes of the innovation that make it spread?
How do these attributes of an innovation apply to the diffusion of social media like Facebook, Twitter, etc.?
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The above diffusion of innovations concepts has been previously covered. Now, let's introduce a new diffusion of innovation concept, adopter categories. We'll then apply this new concept to your adoption of social media.
According to Rogers, there are five categories of adopters, five type of people who adopt an innovation.
Innovators - "Innovators are willing to take risks, have the highest social status, have financial liquidity, are social and have closest contact to scientific sources and interaction with other innovators. Their risk tolerance allows them to adopt technologies that may ultimately fail. Financial resources help absorb these failures."
Early adopters - "These individuals have the highest degree of opinion leadership among the adopter categories. Early adopters have a higher social status, financial liquidity, advanced education and are more socially forward than late adopters. They are more discreet in adoption choices than innovators. They use judicious choice of adoption to help them maintain a central communication position."
Early Majority - "They adopt an innovation after a varying degree of time that is significantly longer than the innovators and early adopters. Early Majority have above average social status, contact with early adopters and seldom hold positions of opinion leadership in a system (Rogers 1962, p. 283)"
Late Majority - They adopt an innovation after the average participant. These individuals approach an innovation with a high degree of skepticism and after the majority of society has adopted the innovation. Late Majority are typically skeptical about an innovation, have below average social status, little financial liquidity, in contact with others in late majority and early majority and little opinion leadership.
Laggards - They are the last to adopt an innovation. Unlike some of the previous categories, individuals in this category show little to no opinion leadership. These individuals typically have an aversion to change-agents. Laggards typically tend to be focused on "traditions", lowest social status, lowest financial liquidity, oldest among adopters, and in contact with only family and close friends." (Wikipedia)
When it comes to your adoption of social media, which category did you fall into?
Before there could an Internet of connected PCs, there needed to be PCs (personal computers). Who is primarily responsible for bringing the PC into lives and putting it in our homes? What is their story?
"Are you a pirate?" What's that mean? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Any life lessons you learn from this movie?
Any career lessons you learn from this movie?
How much do you know about the development of the Internet and the use of computers as communication tools? What do you recall from previous readings, notes and discussion?
Can you trace the development of the Internet using Winston's model?
What would a timeline (a list of events) look like for the development of the Internet as a communication tool? How does the history in video below fit into Winston's model? How, for example, does ARPANET fit into the history and Winston's model?
Starting with the late 1960s, what new communication tools appeared on the Internet? Examples: What year did email first appear? What year did blogs appear?
Zuckerman gives a good timeline (or list) in his brief talk.
What would you add to this timeline for more recent years?
See the evolution of social media for the rest of the timeline.
We've covered a variety of theories that explain the development and diffusion of media technologies (e.g. diffusion and technological determinism). Let's now start to add another to our list. Let's start to look at how technologies evolve. Are there similarities between the biological theory of evolution and technological theory of evolution?
First, briefly what is the theory of evolution and how might it be applied to the evolution of media technologies, like TV?
How has TV evolved? When watching this what changes do you spot? What features change?
Is it helpful to think of media technology evolving?
Along with Winston's model, Diffusion of Innovations, etc., we've now added the evolution of tech as another theory that helps explain how and why media tech develops and spreads throughout society. We'll cover a little more on this theoretical perspective a little later.
Now let's move to HDTV and answer such questions like what's that 1080 stuff?
Nowadays, you don't need a separate receiver.
The newest TV tech out there is UHDTV.
Ultra-high-definition television (also known as Ultra HD television or UHDTV) includes two types (1) 4K UHD (3840 pixels wide by 2160 pixels tall or 8.3 megapixels) and 8K UHD (7680 pixels wide by 4320 pixels tall or 33.2 megapixels).
Why is there a digital divide? There are many answers to that, but one way to look at it is to see it in the context of the diffusion of innovations.
Put another way,
those with cash can afford to get the costly innovation. Price usually higher at first.
Change agents (in this case: marketers, advertisers, sales people), focus on those people with the cash. So, maybe only those with the cash, learn about the product.
Those with cash, tell those with cash.
If those with cash get adopt the innovation, then they benefit from it. Imagine when cell phone just came out. Those who could afford to buy the cell phone had advantages over those people who could not afford it. Maybe those with cash can more easily get there business phone calls and then make even more money. Those who did not have the cell phone missed that important business call and lost the money.
Imagine this process repeating again and again. The gap between the two groups widens.
“a design for instrumental action that reduces the uncertainty in the cause-effect relationships involved in achieving a desired outcome”(Rogers
).
picks up the Jobs-Gates story where Pirates left off.
