4th Industrial Revolution

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Primarily I felt Klaus Schwag’s work on the 4th industrial revolution to be focused on the idea of preparation. It provides scenarios whereby it seems all industry is heading, and glosses over the implications that this has on various aspects of how we will perceive life in the future.

The most resonating part of Schwag’s work for me was actually in the beginning paragraphs. Whilst many have heard of the concept of the ‘internet of things’, there isn’t really much on it to set it apart from the rest. The notion that I got from this, which I feel to be one of the most important when looking at business, especially as a communication professional, is that you can no longer have a set, solid business structure. Everything from social media, to technology and innovations are moving so fast at this point that to slow down and have ‘concrete’ plans is not effective, you have to be flexible and be able to adapt to the constant changes that are happening.

To bring this idea back down to earth and apply it to more ‘straightforward’ industries, I have noticed personally with my interactions in industries such as the building and construction industry, that gone are the days whereby the idea of locality and a personal connection through word of mouth are major contributing factors to economic wellbeing. I have been involved in these industries since childhood, and I have noticed as time passed how it has moved from a more personal industry, to a disconnected one. More value is put on the word of those whom will remain unknown and the branding of a company than the idea of personal referrals and reputation.

Whilst Schwag’s work covers so much more than is written here, I feel this idea for me is the most important. As a business minded individual and media professional this is going to be one of the most critical things to be fully aware of in the coming years as the world continues to grow in areas unheard of before. Without this specific experience and knowledge, there may not be a place for you in certain industries right now, let alone many more in the future.

Trusting information

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Last week we talked about the idea of how can we trust the information we receive on the internet. Whilst I feel this is an interesting and a worthwhile topic to discuss, but at the same time, although we’re talking about networked media, I feel trusting information in general is important to talk about. Especially in circumstances where reliable networking is not available. An example of this is North Korea claiming they won 7-0 to Japan, 4-0 to the USA and 2-0 to China in the world cup, even though they did not even participate.

You can also talk about ideas such as other false governmental claims that are uncovered by whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden. How can we really trust any information we are receiving, when even our Governments are keeping secrets and lying to us?

Social media’s power

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Check out this article

Its about a man who fell in love with a woman on an airplane and his journey to track her down. He used twitter creating the hashtags #LoveAtFirstSight and #findkatie. Low and behold, he ended up tracking her down, is in contact with her and is meeting her soon!

This demonstrates the absolute power of the internet and social media, making it possible to track people down from across the globe with only their first name.

Week 3 Questions

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Questions from class

  1. How can we trust the validity of the information we engage with on the internet?
  2. Can blogging be put into a specific formula, like how we put a formula to essays?
  3. a. How does network literacy differ from print literacy? What limitations do they share? What strengths help compensate for each other?
    b. Can they work together? or are they always going to be separate
  4. Can network literacy be taught formally, or does the ever changing form of the internet make teaching and learning network literacy redundant?

Extra question

  1. If the essay is redundant in everyday life, why has some form of assessment not been developed that evokes the writers ideas in a relevant way that may be used in later life?

The essence of the internet

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I feel this photo encapsulates the internet (and blogging) perfectly. The idea of an infinite and unknown number of eyes on you and your content is frightening, but true. Also the idea that anonymity is essentially an impossibility on the web captures the essence of the internet, and one of the reasonings behind this course (Networked Media).

Photo credit: laverrue via photopin cc

Week One Reading and ‘Unlecture’

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So, I wasn’t asked to do create questions for our ‘Symposium’ but I thought, what’s wrong with doing more work, sort of. So I’ll be posting questions about the readings each week from now on. Woo?

Here is the reading by Adrian Miles. Click here if you dare.

  1. Should our blogs be casual, fun and inviting, rather than professional and aimed at our ‘future self’? Do we take on a more sophisticated and ‘industry’ based approach, or do we use our blog as a place where we can be casual and inviting to those that discover us?
  2. a). Will blogging itself as a media and communication form, one day, become a thing of the past? Will this relatively new form of communication (in the whole scope of the history of communication) become what physical paper books are becoming to eBooks on our electronic devices?
    b).If so, what are some ideas that, using forward thinking, could replace it?
  3. We have been advised as future ‘media professionals’ that knowledge and awareness of our online presence and the content we post should be regulated heavily by us. So, should we manipulate our current online presence until the content is suitable and relevant, or should we create a new online presence? (e.g. starting over on Social Networks or other institutions which we make contributions to)
  4. If one person has very strong views about certain issues, can posting about these issues (with strong bias and opinion) be very helpful to their future as a ‘media professional’ or may it hinder their future opportunities due to their outright and forward opinion? Is blogging really the best way of spending our time to be heard?
  5. What do we actually blog about? I’m still confused.