‘Cybraries’.. The New Thing!

As this subject is getting into the hypertext stages, I thought I would do some extra research on what this topic is about, and how it relates to society. Coming up to the exam, I want to be confident about on this subject, and know why, how and who uses this form of language.

Basically this blog is hypertext, you can creatively link and interact with people from around the world, through pictures, music, text and programs. What we click on that takes the viewer to a different site is called a hypertext link or button. Hypertext systems are said to be useful for organising large databases that include all forms of information, that people can interact with via the web.

It seems to me that hypertext is the way of the future, the way people connect, communicate and interact with people from not only their society, but also on a global scale. This is an advantage of having a system like this, as everyone is linked together in some way or another.

I came across an article discussing Print Literacy vs Networked Literacy. I found it an insightful and informative piece that gave a thorough understanding on the topic. It is called, ‘Information Literacy: The Changing Library‘. Have you ever heard of a Cybrary?

Normally a library is a place of recorded history, and artefacts of symbolic representation. It is a physical space that are for printed, visual and audio pieces memorable within society.

This article discusses how Print Literacy is now and how it used to be, while intro ducting the topic of network literacy and how it affects Print now and into the future. A quote from this piece reads as follows, “Digitalization and its two main derivatives, the Inernet and hypertext, propelled information access and exchange into the era of cyberspace and the syber Library, or knows as ‘cybrary’. Networked communications technologies have transformed not only the physical space of this time-honoured learning place but also the literate and textual work that takes place in it” (Cushla Kapitzke)

Cybraries are the way of the future!!

 

DANCE QUIZ

Dance Quiz
‘Dance Quiz’ is a new TV series on Channel 31, with Glenn Brittian as the producer. This show is about dance schools from around Melbourne taking part in a quiz about their genre of dance, and then performing for their school. This photo is a bit blurry, however it is taken on set during rehearsals.

 

‘Litera scripta manet’ – Horace

Litera scripta manet‘ (The written word remains)…. or does it?

Hypertext is the way of the future, the next stage of literature, and the next step in education, art, culture and technical fields. Hypertext means Non-sequential writing. Theodor Holm Nelson in his reading ‘Literary Machines‘ talks about hypertext being text that branches out and allows the viewer to be apart of an interactive screen. There are multiple links that will connect the reader to different pathways throughout internet, which results in this being the most general form of writing.

The computer and now the personal computer, have opened whole new realms of disorder, difficulty and complication for humanity” (Nelson), however my generation and those under me, this digital media and network literacy comes more naturally than it does to others. We have been brought up in a time where technology has changed dramatically, and we have no other choice but to progress alongside technology as it advances into the future. This brings the topic back around to technological Determinism*, where it is said that technology changes society. Is this the case? Do we change due to the fact technology is changing?

Some people like all of this incompatibility and complication, and say it is the new world we much learn to live in” (Nelson). Personally I find print literacy easier to use and would say it is a preference of mine. However this is quite rare, as everything is online. I do admit, where would we be if there was no such thing as network literacy. I read this reading off a computer screen, although I was taking notes with a pen and paper. Some say I might be doing double the work load, but there is something about reading your own writing and notes that allows me to understand the text in greater detail.

Three major points about Networked Literacy:
-Origin: The parts where elements begin.
-Commonality: The sharing of elements between units.
-Links: Mark, annotate and connect portions of the units.

The Future is not what it used to be” (Nelson).
We are entering into a new age, where everything is online. The written word has changed dramatically, and society will change alongside this. It is said that offices will be paperless, and that the world is advancing into a place where hypertext and hypermedia are taking over. There will be no more print literacy. We are leading an open hypertext network. To sit back and think about what the future is going to be like, no one can tell exactly. Will there be such a thing as going to a bookshop to buy a novel or will you have no choice but to read it off a compeer screen?

The questions are endless, and I guess the only thing we can do, is see where the future will take us.

*This is a great link to a website to someone who has has their own blog about understanding technological determinism.

Print Literacy or Networked Literacy?.. It is all Literacy!

This weeks symposium was focusing on the questions presented to the Tutor’s and Lecturer.

One question that I found quite helpful (and that answered one question I had) was ‘How do you trust the validity of something someone says?’ … You need to ask yourself, what platform is it on. Look at a site that is known for trusted journalism, meaning Facebook and this blog don’t count as a viable source. The information or author has to have credentials, and must be an expert in the field, or quoting from an expert in the field.

The Tutor’s were discussing this in quite some detail, and I managed to pick up on the point that if you see information that only one person is posting, it is most likely not true. However if you see everyone including journalist sites, the information is probably correct. It is common sense to see what is false and true, by how many people are reporting on the issue already, and how many people are saying the same thing, using the exact same facts.

Towards the end of the symposium Adrian connected print literacy and network literacy. There is no longer a market for print literacy. There is only a very small percentage of authors who demonstrate print literacy. Everything is done via a network. Everything is done via a computer. Sure, a book comes out of the process being a hard copy, however this is the only stage it will be in print literacy.

A line that I thought was beneficial.. “We all use media.. However nobody knows how to engineer it”.

Networked Literacy: The Path To Knowledge

This reading was an informative piece explaining what is network literacy, and how it is used within today’s society. I found this piece quite beneficial towards the concept of Networked Media and how links, and tagging work online. The internet is a way for everyone to connect, for people to read, write and develop online relationships through the use of literacy. When writing a blog, you are publishing it for everyone to see. It is a public piece, that will be seen, that can be linked to, and it then becomes interactive with the online world. To be Network Literate, you need to be able to connect with individuals through the use of online resources, that all connect to one another. This relates back to tags and links. When you link from your blog, you are allowing more interaction, resulting in you discovering more paths that lead in the same direction or different. I like to think of the internet as a web. Everything joins up, links out to external sources, however everything is accessible and allows for interaction between online users. An example of interaction is just in this course alone.. We read each others blogs, we create links to ones that we find interesting or beneficial, allowing my followers to see my who I link out to, or tag. This creates a cycle, where everyone is viewing each others work, generating ideas, working together and being interactive through an online source.

Technological Determinism

As touched on in Week 2 Symposium, was the term Technological Determinists. What is this term? How does it relate to society and the way the online world influences us?

Technological Determinism: Independent of other social forces. Determines cause and effect. Determines social change. Autonomous. Independent/Independent Variable. Mono-casual. CAUSALITY.

Technological Determinism shapes society, influences how we act, how we communicate and how we view the world around us. This term equals a SOCIAL CHANGE, which is seen as an highly influential part within history. Society is seen to be determined by society. All of the new technologies being introduced into the market, are transforming the way institutions and individuals see each other within the social interaction levels.

I recommend Visual Memory for more information on this topic, where you will find they have links to theories and evidence on how and why society has changed from technology. If technology advances.. SO DO WE!

Symposium.. WEEK 2!

Personally, this Symposium was difficult to understand, however the points that I did manage to get, I found useful for Networked Media.

On the internet there is no first or last page. What does this mean for storytelling/narrative?

There are always stories online, however they normally do not have a traditional structure. Am I writing this blog post with a start, middle and end? No, I’m not. The internet and books differentiate as one is an object, something you can touch. You can feel and smell the pages. While the other is in cyber space, just text on a screen. However this text must be substantial, as most people these days seem to read and write online, leading back to this course, and to society in general, which is that everything is online.

A question that I came across, is what does this mean for the language online to not have a Beginning, Middle, and End?

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