It is quite fascinating to me how that we are now to the point where there are so many options for "voices" to be heard. Once upon a time people joined clubs and organization with other people who shared the same interest or views. Depending on the interest and the location one lived in it was possibly difficult to find others to unite with. Now we are in a time where one can go online and within a short period of time find a myriad of options (social networks, message boards, wikis, and blogs) where they can actively participate in the sharing of information.
The cellphone story also demonstrates another aspect where groups can organize rapidly to unite for a cause. This cause may be to fight crime, raise political or social awareness, or generate support for any cause. Shirky points out that "When we change the way we communicate, we change society. The tools that society uses to create and maintain itself are as central to human life as a hive is to bee life." (p. 17). A situation like this ten years ago would have resulted in a few lost and found phone calls and maybe an add in the classifieds of a paper. Most likely, even with the photos that were obtained, the result would have never ended as this story did.
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As far as informal group is concerned, I have just watched "Gossip Girl" and see abundant use of cell phone among those teenagers. Text, graphic,audio. I heard that in Japan cell phone users can do video chat (3G). I really hope that someday I can broadcast a Vol game to my friends in China soon.
ReplyDeleteI have two teenage girls and the cell phone use is indeed abundant! Japan is always years ahead of the game. When I was there in 2001 they already had features that we are just now getting. That would be cool to broadcast a game! I had not thought of that!
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