Scissors, paper… hypertext

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Max

Lisha talks about the learning potential of hypertext systems, providing that students apply themselves thoughtfully to Web 2.0. Mustafa contemplates the benefits books and e-books. He believes that physical books will live on because of people’s nostalgia for the form (and as an adornment)! Amelia felt a little fatigued after reading Ted Nelson (this seems to be a common theme) but the accuracy of Nelson’s predictions force us to sit up and take stock of the network culture in which we live. With this in mind, should network literacy be cultivated earlier for newer generations? And James wonders considers if the Internet be a dying technology in the way that some argue books are…

…God help us?

Master embedder

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Max

Having not embedded anything before…ever…

…I thought I would begin with my preferred citizen journalist, Russell Brand.

Enjoy

Symposium 6

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Max

Interesting discussion today on the potential of hypertext, as set out by Ted Nelson many decades ago… and how its capacity to represent a dynamic communication network isn’t quite being realised on the Web, despite the myriad advancements in technical invention over the years.

Conceptualisation and thus realisation of the technology (vis-à-vis that enduring form vs. content debate) seems like one very plausible reason. Or to put it more simply, people are still stuck in the paradigm of linearity from print as the default communicative technology (…at least up until the 21st century).

Indeed, using text alone (via print) to express the full intricacies of a network and dynamic (or reciprocal) streams of communication between ‘nodes’ in the network doesn’t quite do it justice, I think … The network is a 3-dimensional beast which 2-D schematics go some of the way to helping visualise… but only some of the way.

Hypertext

Posted on August 25, 2014 by Max

Landow’s writing on hypertext and what it means for the way we communicate provides a comprehensive conceptual detailing of the rather profound differences of this medium relative to print.

There are a lot of ideas in here. Perhaps my biggest takeaway idea is that hypertext facilitates a network and what a network emphasizes is the communicative aspect of the artefact (i.e. the text).

The technology of hypertext and the internet seems to sum up everything that defines that nebulous term postmodernity – decentralized, non-hierarchical systems of organisation, etc, etc. – that prioritize the dialogue and the discourse incited by a text (if that’s where you began) – rather than the sacredness and infallibility of the text alone.

Although, in the era of the digital technology and hypertext, hierarchies do of course still exist, masquerading as community – look at Facebook or Google, for example (I’m not singling you out here Google, it’s just you’re prone to exemplification and superlatives). I’m reminded of a quote by English cultural theorist Raymond Williams talking about the tendency of the most powerful groups to shape the ways technologies are used (way back in 1974) – which he describes as:

‘[a] counter-revolution, in which…a few para-national corporations, with their attendant states and agencies, could further reach into our lives’.

Nevertheless, hypertext as a technology seems to inherently favor a kind of socially democratic form of community. So a homegrown website might be bought out by a corporation once it becomes popular, for advertising revenue, but then another homegrown site will pop up.

Anyway, I’ve digressed somewhat. …

The immediacy of hypertext allows us to follow a thread of enquiry immediately and if we are to participate in a community, which the online environment encourages, then we have to communicate our information, our knowledge, our thoughts – rather than keeping it private (notes scribbled along the margins of a printed page) – and that I think can markedly stimulate the way and the speed at which we learn… (so long as we are literate enough about the network to be wary of possible pitfalls).

References:

Landow, George P. Hypertext 3.0: Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2006.

Freedman, D. (2002). A’Technological Idiot’? Raymond Williams and Communications Technology. Information, Communication & Society, 5(3), 425-442.

Week 4 Symposium – Discussing literacy

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Max

Today’s forum discussed print and network literacies. Often I’m left reflecting on the similarities between things rather than searching for clear-cut distinctions, particularly so concerning the commonality between technologies. Literacy – be it print or network – gives us the means to connect in inherently social ways (ideas, narratives, discussion, etc.) Of course social connection may be the product or byproduct of any given literacy; for example, mechanical (auto) literacy allows us to understand and engage in the workings of our car and not get duped by a dishonest mechanic, but this in itself is inherently social.

I’m also left contemplating on form versus content in various guises, which was certainly something which resonated in last week’s reading, where the ability to apprehend form and learn from it (e.g. how we learn) was explained as double-loop learning by Chris Argyris & Donald Schön.

Form influences content and content can lead to new form (e.g. imagining up a new piece of technology – which can be put into effect), so clearly the relationship is dynamic. Specifically, I was considering how the form of digital technology (i.e. the internet) and network literacy has influenced our perception of print.

For example, internet and the ease of self-publishing online has seen the precipitous rise of citizen journalism – which brings with it the good, the bad, the bigoted, the uninformed, the weird, etc, etc, etc. With that, we have come to realise the need to scrutinize the veracity and validity of the information we receive online, which was a focal point in today’s symposium. Concurrently, we’ve seen the rise of alternative media and political websites and blogs (e.g. Huffington Post, Counter Punch, Dissident Voice, amongst many others) which draw us to the potential bias of corporate mainstream media.

As a result, I believe (I don’t have the empirical evidence to back it up right now… but watch this space!) that the public are generally more aware of the potential fallibility of mainstream newspaper reporting (even those considered more esteemed – the New York Times, and the recent flack the BBC has encountered over its coverage of the recent conflict in Gaza…)

Whenever a new technology is introduced, it seems to bring with it equal parts awe, excitement and suspicion, until it becomes part of normal, everyday life and culture. For centuries, print was the dominant (only) literary form and print – the newspaper – was arguably deified as a source of veritable truth and expert opinion. Certainly I think it’s still highly valid and highly respected by many, yet with a competitive or at least alternative news form on the scene – the internet – print has lost some of its prestige and mantle as the veritable mecca for quality news distribution and commentary… something about the decentralisation of things in our (sorry to use the word…) postmodern era?

References:

Chris Argyris: Theories of Action, Double-Loop Learning and Organizational Learning.” http://infed.org/mobi/chris-argyris-theories-of-action-double-loop-learning-and-organizational-learning/. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 July 2013.

Loops, models & learning

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Max

I had not been familiar with Chris Argyris and Donald Schön’s theories prior to reading this overview by Mark K. Smith, but what struck me was the general applicability and currency of their ideas regarding single- and double-loop

Oversight via (self-) reflexivity is the crucial component which distinguishes double-loop learning favourably from single-loop learning, with Argyis and Schön contending that it results in a more profound and substantial learning experience. Put more simply, knowing how we learn is incredibly useful in guiding as to what we should be learning (and why).

While these theories and their applications were conceived for (professional) organisations – clearly these principles can be applied to individuals as well (as Smith points out). Certainly this resonated with me as ‘double-loop’ learning, or what I might call ‘self-critique’, forms the cornerstone of psychoanalysis, which is an area I’m very interested in.

Thoughts on network literacy

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Max

Reading through this week’s chosen texts, I was reminded of one of Albert Einstein’s (many) famous quotes … “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

I try to practice what I preach whereever possible, as much as I do enjoy learning new words – and sometimes dropping them gratuitously into discussions, just for intellectual lols. Perspicacity.

It’s also a profesional habit that I’ve had to adopt in the exercise of script editing, where we (editors) have been known to viciously cut, condense and clarify anything which remotely verges on verbosity. It’s a mandate of the medium. Mind you, not all such actions necessarily produce better drama, but in a format as rigid as television programming, time and budget are ever-present standover men that often get in the way of the desire to create something of substantial quality and truth.

Anyhow – getting back to this week’s readings. I found Adrian’s overview of print vs. network literacy very helpful because I find that the way that I learn, before I become practically competent, I have to sufficiently digest the concepts underpinning its use (something of an existential bent…). Above all, it explained these terms simply, which I appreciated.

More generally, I reflected on the notion of literacy and culture, and how we tend to learn through adopting agreed, socially established, practices. The advent of print media is now so long behind us that it can be harder to appreciate the historical contexts under which it formed – for what reasons, purposes, etc, etc. We’re in an interesting time now because we’re still experiencing the rapid evolution of digital media and can track the events (political, economic) which shape its evolution, as they occur. I suppose that last sentence proves I’m not much of a technological determinist, although it might also be argued by some that much of the technology (as ‘machinery/hardware’) is already formed, and that simply its applications are diversifying. Ahh… I could argue with myself all day long.

I suppose it’s natural that literacy would be socially-taught because literacy represents the fundamental skill that enables us to interact or engage in social context. For instance, on the topic of adult illiteracy, issues such as isolation and social exclusion are common themes which arise.

Meanwhile, I found Paul Graham’s reflection on the essay anything but concise. There are some interesting insights and contexts which are raised, no doubt, but by the time I got to his section on ‘Meander’ and his own confession that “sometimes I tend to meander…” I thought had witnessed a brilliant moment of personal reflection and connection with the author. And it was at that point, I must admit, that I stopped reading!

Are blogs a means of rediscovering community in the 21st century?

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Max

I just read a terrific article published yesterday in The Guardian, by George Monbiot.

The article discusses the climate of social discordance and intense competition that pervades modern, first-world, civilised (and corporatised) societies. Monbiot sets out to debunk the myths of neoliberalism as a merit-based system which rewards hard work and innovation, and particularly the notion that neoliberalism creates equal opportunities for everyone who adheres to such industrious application.

What I found most interesting is the notion of the cultivation of the individual (as consumer) and how this notion of individual enterprise fundamentally distances us from our fellow citizens and makes us wary of each other.

While it represents a heavily corporate dominated environment (look at Google), the Internet – vis-a-vis blogs and other platforms for community exchange – do offer a popular contemporary platform for us to reconnect outside of the context of commerce or corporate-mediated space. I think this can only be a good thing, if you consider examples that WikiLeaks and most alternative political sites offer as necessary counterbalances to mainstream media (both of these sites much in common with the platform of blogging).

The article ties into much of my other reading at the moment, particularly the notion that neoliberal governance undermines the possibility for collective action, as discussed by Jeremy Gilbert in his book, Common Ground. This economic-centered view of things is also so apparent in much of mainstream reportage and its focus on the quantitive elements of various events (e.g. death tolls, budget forecasts, etc, etc.), which give only the most cursory glance at the affective elements of such events on us as humans. The article took a refreshing qualitative stance and it’s a bit of shame that it was relegated to the lower sections of the The Guardian’s homepage.

If you get the chance, check out the full article here:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/05/neoliberalism-mental-health-rich-poverty-economy

References:

Gilbert, J. (2014). Common Ground: Democracy and Collectivity in an Age of Individualism.

Pretty Fly for a Cyber Guy

A collection of ideas, reflection and analysis on media workings, a few other random delectables…

Monthly Archives: August 2014