An Interview with my Dad

Networked Media 2019 Week 2

Hey friends, meet Paul.

This goofball is my beloved father and I’m writing about him today because I believe he has some interesting wisdom to share about networking. My dad has been working as an electronic engineer for over 30 years now, and currently has partnerships with companies based in Hong Kong and China. So, every fortnight or so he’s on a plane flying over waters. However, lucky for me, he’s been in Melbourne the past week, so I sat down with him with a bottle of wine and two glasses, and grilled him on what he has learned about the internet through his years of work, and what his thoughts are on how networking has benefitted his craft.

*Disclaimer: My dad is not an expert in social media or networking in media, these are strictly his opinions and experience in his field of engineering.

“Online networking has broken the physical barrier from one place to the other. So, for instance, I can write a software program and email it to the other side; communicate through Skype or video conference; I don’t have to physically be there. Even for emergency help, I can offer support through the internet while I’m at home in Melbourne.”

To this, I replied, “Yeah, so you can stay home with me.” To which he rolled his eyes.

:'(

Anyway… I think this affordance of networking applies to many individuals, and not just for business entrepreneurs like my dad. The creation of the internet has opened up so many means of communication, that compared to centuries ago, it’s incredible how the methods of communication have evolved at such an exponential rate. From literal hand-written messages that would take weeks to deliver, to now group video calls from anyone and anywhere around the globe. The internet, or what some call “Web 2.0” has fewer limitations that therefore allow individuals to expand more freely and more conveniently, whether for their work like my dad or even just as a means of keeping in touch with friends and families around the world.

Apple’s YouTube advertisement for the iPhone’s new feature, the Group FaceTime shows the capabilities of communicating with as many people as you want, whenever you want, and from wherever you want.

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What do you hope for the internet in the future? 

“I hope for the internet to be faster, effective and more convenient to use. [I want] more information sharing – that creates today’s “cloud” – and I hope for the cloud to become more powerful, with more storage, so it’s more convenient. Unfortunately, [currently] there are limitations to the cloud: it costs too much to access, and at the moment, too slow to access it… So, 5G is coming up to overcome that… Technology, the link, is all about the A to B communication linked through data; the throughput (the number of information that goes through the pipe)…

…I don’t mind paying for valued service. I don’t believe in the idea of “free software”. Free software tries to get you in, but then it’s no longer free because they make you pay later and basically, they use your name for advertising. So, they bring in the numbers and then when they have enough people, they charge you. Now, there are so many companies doing this, the concept is diluted, so it’s not worth that much anymore. So to find income, they sell you junk and crap, i.e. advertisements on facebook and youtube.

I like the concept of Wikipedia, which is purely no advertisements. I donated $100 to them because I believe in their system. I don’t want all this crap on Facebook and YouTube. (me: Wait, really? Why did you donate so much?) I benefit from Wikipedia, so without hesitation, I will donate to them and support them. When I go to Google, there’s junk everywhere, and it’s clear to see the big companies trying to plug and sell their stuff… they’re sellouts.”

Although there are some aspects of my dad’s ramblings that I disagree with, his support for a community and for a socialism-esque network definitely resonates with me and I believe also with the essence of this week’s readings, and fundamentally this whole course. My dad expresses his approval of the way Wikipedia works in a community aspect, and believes that people who work in such a network deserve his money and time. Whereas, platforms that plug advertisements and try to entice you with “free” subscriptions and such feel like “sellouts” to him, therefore he will refuse to buy into their marketing schemes. Whether these marketing tactics are necessary, successful or even morally correct is perhaps another blog post for another day, however, the lesson to take from here is that the evolution of the internet, the rise of Web 2.0, has opened up a whole new discussion on how our society should thrive in this network.

This signifies a tension in new media studies itself – as the media objects of our attention transform and mutate in conditions of digital interconectedness we need to call upon other disciplines to explain what is occurring.

Lister. M, “New Media: A Critical Introduction. (Section: Networks, users and economics. Pg. 168)