Buzz word: Digital Divide & hype
Tuesday 1 December 2009
It has come to my attention that this will be my final blog entry for the semester. As this is a very sad occasion for me, I thought I should make the most of it by getting on with the task and finally finishing it for good. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed all 4 of my blog entries and I personally think they have been a great way of getting the class to think outside the square and build on issues to do with digital media and society.
Before I begin this blog, I thought it would be a good idea to firstly define the digital divide theory. According to Flew it has been defined as ‘the differential access to and use of the Internet according to gender, income, race and location’(Flew 2009). According to the lecture notes from this week, hype refers to hyperbole, an excessive promotion, exuberant positive (or negative) discourse or exaggeration (Brand 2009).
Are the commercial promises made about digital media just hype to cloud our vision about the digital divide?
‘A recurring feature of the development of the internet and the popularisation of digital media technologies has been their capacity to generate hype about how these technologies will change everything typically for the better’(Flew 2009). I personally agree with this statement; however I do feel as a student that I have been blindsided by the digital divide and the hype that surrounds it. I agree with the question for this week that the commercial promises made about digital media are just hype and they have blurred my vision about the digital divide in essence. However, if the boot was on the other foot, and I lived in somewhere like Africa, whereby I was offered a laptop, I for one, would not know how to use it and would probably think all my Christmas’s had come at once. I would be over the moon about it. I have never stopped to think how the other half live, without access to telephones, the internet or Facebook, until now. You kind of forget to think about the idea that although so many percentage of the world is connected via the internet, what about the other percentage that aren’t?
In terms of the public relations profession, it is fair to say that it is an information rich industry. I honestly do not think that Public Relations professions in 2nd world countries like Africa would be able to survive without the internet or connectivity that the internet brings (2009). The internet to public relations is like what cheese is to Jatz, you can’t have one without the other. I guess you could relate the digital divide, hype, 1 laptop per child scheme all back to globalisation. In this sense it could be used as a positive thing, one which means that these children are now connected to the rest of the world(Bob Kelly 2009).
In conclusion, I believe that the popularisation of digital media technologies and the hype associated with it has changed everything typically for the better, however it has also blindsided me into being so focused on my own world that I have never stopped to think about the rest of the world not connected like I am. In terms of public relations, it has furthered this industry and I believe it will probably further it more however the industry just needs to be weary of hype and the digital divide.
(2009). "One Laptop per child." Retrieved 1/12/2009, 2009, from http://laptop.org/en/.
Bob Kelly, G. T., Raya Procovnik (2009). Globalisation- What is it. Understanding Social Change.
Brand, J. (2009). Globalisation Lecture 12. D. M. S. Class. Gold Coast, Bond University.
Globalisation
Flew, T. (2009). New Media: an introduction, Oxford University Press.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Media Richness: Fun
Wednesday November 18, 2009
How could rich media represent risks to people who rely on them for wide range communications in the Public Relations and Motoring industry.
As this is my third blog, you would think these little assignments would be getting easier. Apparently not. After deliberating for 2 hours over this blog topic, I finally decided that this has to be done and in order for it to be done further research needs to be done.
Here are my findings:
According to researchers Daft, Lengel and their successors who ‘propose that communications medias have varying capacities for resolving ambiguity, negotiating varying interpretations and facilitating understanding(Jones 2009)’. From this article, I was able to come across 2 main assumptions set out by Daft and Lengel.
These were that
1. ‘people want to overcome equivocality and uncertainty in organisations’ (a key part of this theory)
2. The idea that a ‘variety of media is commonly used in organisations and often works better for certain tasks than others’ (Jones 2009)
In a corporation sense, they look for a couple of things in communication including a) availability of instant feedback, b) capacity of the medium to transmit multiple uses for example body language, c) use of natural language and d) personal focus of the medium (Lengel 2009).
So after reading this I can now find it easier to relate this back to the public relations industry, in particular the motoring industry. As face-to-face communications is characterised as rich media, new communication technologies such as email are considered lean media. As a graduating student, it has come to my attention that ‘these days’ the ‘richness’ of new communication mediums are being viewed with higher equivocality and in order to move forward in the professional world, I believe that the theory must be re-designed to include the theory’s lower equivocalities as higher in order to continue communicating.
The switchboard lady at dealerships has now been replaced with instant messaging programs on computers. According to the theory, these types of new communications offer the availability of instant feedback, it has the capacity to transmit emotions, natural language and also give the opportunity for a personal focus to the medium. New communication mediums have saved corporations millions of dollars over the last couple of years as they have been developed.
Programs like skype, msn messenger and facebook chat have become great, inexpensive ways of communicating with people however it does pose some problems to users. These problems could include things like lack of personal communication for example: people who are constantly using these types of communication (with the delay) tend to shy away from face-to-face communication. In turn, they find it easier to hide behind these programs instead of saying what comes to mind where receivers of the face-to-face communication can examine body language, tone and eye contact.
Another problem with this rising trend towards media richness is the decline in face-to-face communication, effectively weaning out the theory all together. In the public relations industry, it is characterised by a heavy ‘reliance on personal invitations, telephone contacts and other relational methods for conducting and evaluating public relations practices. The preference for richer media tactics has implications for public relations practice and theory building in the future’(Taylor 2003) . an industry which relies on face-to-face communication and relationships, it poses multiple problems. However research has proven that this industry is not embracing the new communication technologies, rather dealing with them in a productive way. For example, having skype meetings rather than flying interstate to meet, or sending emails rather than letters and the list goes on.
In conclusion, as a new blogger myself, I embrace the new communication technologies, however I still enjoy the face-to-face communication and rate-it higher than communication via the internet or SMS. In terms of the public relations industry, they too rate personal communication high, like the theory, and are not resisting change.
Jones, D. (2009). "Media Richness Theory." Scribd: 10.
Lengel, D. a. (2009). "Media Richness Theory." Retrieved 18/11/2009, 2009, from http://www.tcw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Media_Richness_Theory.doc/.
Taylor, M. (2003). "Exploring Public Relations Review." Public Relations Review 30(2): 145.
How could rich media represent risks to people who rely on them for wide range communications in the Public Relations and Motoring industry.
As this is my third blog, you would think these little assignments would be getting easier. Apparently not. After deliberating for 2 hours over this blog topic, I finally decided that this has to be done and in order for it to be done further research needs to be done.
Here are my findings:
According to researchers Daft, Lengel and their successors who ‘propose that communications medias have varying capacities for resolving ambiguity, negotiating varying interpretations and facilitating understanding(Jones 2009)’. From this article, I was able to come across 2 main assumptions set out by Daft and Lengel.
These were that
1. ‘people want to overcome equivocality and uncertainty in organisations’ (a key part of this theory)
2. The idea that a ‘variety of media is commonly used in organisations and often works better for certain tasks than others’ (Jones 2009)
In a corporation sense, they look for a couple of things in communication including a) availability of instant feedback, b) capacity of the medium to transmit multiple uses for example body language, c) use of natural language and d) personal focus of the medium (Lengel 2009).
So after reading this I can now find it easier to relate this back to the public relations industry, in particular the motoring industry. As face-to-face communications is characterised as rich media, new communication technologies such as email are considered lean media. As a graduating student, it has come to my attention that ‘these days’ the ‘richness’ of new communication mediums are being viewed with higher equivocality and in order to move forward in the professional world, I believe that the theory must be re-designed to include the theory’s lower equivocalities as higher in order to continue communicating.
The switchboard lady at dealerships has now been replaced with instant messaging programs on computers. According to the theory, these types of new communications offer the availability of instant feedback, it has the capacity to transmit emotions, natural language and also give the opportunity for a personal focus to the medium. New communication mediums have saved corporations millions of dollars over the last couple of years as they have been developed.
Programs like skype, msn messenger and facebook chat have become great, inexpensive ways of communicating with people however it does pose some problems to users. These problems could include things like lack of personal communication for example: people who are constantly using these types of communication (with the delay) tend to shy away from face-to-face communication. In turn, they find it easier to hide behind these programs instead of saying what comes to mind where receivers of the face-to-face communication can examine body language, tone and eye contact.
Another problem with this rising trend towards media richness is the decline in face-to-face communication, effectively weaning out the theory all together. In the public relations industry, it is characterised by a heavy ‘reliance on personal invitations, telephone contacts and other relational methods for conducting and evaluating public relations practices. The preference for richer media tactics has implications for public relations practice and theory building in the future’(Taylor 2003) . an industry which relies on face-to-face communication and relationships, it poses multiple problems. However research has proven that this industry is not embracing the new communication technologies, rather dealing with them in a productive way. For example, having skype meetings rather than flying interstate to meet, or sending emails rather than letters and the list goes on.
In conclusion, as a new blogger myself, I embrace the new communication technologies, however I still enjoy the face-to-face communication and rate-it higher than communication via the internet or SMS. In terms of the public relations industry, they too rate personal communication high, like the theory, and are not resisting change.
Jones, D. (2009). "Media Richness Theory." Scribd: 10.
Lengel, D. a. (2009). "Media Richness Theory." Retrieved 18/11/2009, 2009, from http://www.tcw.utwente.nl/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Media_Richness_Theory.doc/.
Taylor, M. (2003). "Exploring Public Relations Review." Public Relations Review 30(2): 145.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Buzz word - Global Village
Tuesday October 27
What relationship can you draw between the ideas of the global village and collective intelligence and how this will impact your professional field of work.
According to Wikipedia ‘ Global Village is a term associated with Marshal McLuhan and popularised in his books in which McLuhan describes how the globe has been contracted into a village by electric technology. Instantaneous movement of information from every quarter to every point at the same time. In bringing all social and political functions together in a sudden implosion, electric speed has heightened human awareness of responsibility to an intense degree’(2009). It sounds difficult to comprehend doesn’t it?
In this blog entry, I am going to attempt to answer what relationship I can draw between the ideas of the global village and collective intelligence and how will this impact my professional field of work.
According to the text book, collective intelligence refers to the 'capacity of networked ICT's to exponentially enhance the collective pool of social knowledge by simultaneously expanding the extent of human interactions enabled by communications networks’(Flew 2009). Boorstin (1978) argued that electronic communication would bind humans into a global community, in other words one local culture. I couldn’t agree more with Boorstin. The fact that he argued this theory over 30 years ago has me stunned.
In terms of the relationship I draw between the concept of a global village and collective intelligence the first thing that comes to mind is communication. Concepts like computer mediated communication, networks and wiki’s have all allowed professionals in the public relations field to communicate much faster and easier. An example of this is the Disgusting Domino’s case where 2 employees uploaded a video on YouTube, within a day of the uploading Dominos’ public relations and crisis communication team were on board to rectify the situation(2009; Baron 2009). This is an example of how communication spreads like wildfire (in the PR profession) and has allowed this business to go from centralised business intelligence to a more collective intelligence as people make more and more connections with the company than ever before.
As a society I believe we have embraced new communication mediums leading us further and further into this global village theory. It has allowed us as humans connected via the internet to move beyond the idea of a global online village and to perhaps become one network of connections. During the lecture, it was noted that 1.7 billion of 6.7 billion people have access to the internet. When you have a connection of this type, a connection of 1.7 billion people worldwide all connected to the one network you get something pretty cool. It’s not just the 6 degrees of separation anymore; the internet is bringing that separation down at a rapid speed.
The only problem I find with this type of fact is what happens when almost everyone is connected? Is that a good or a bad thing? It could be good in the sense of communication however it’s not always a good thing. In conclusion, collective intelligence and global village terms help communication spread across different means on the internet. It has allowed the public relations profession to further develop and monitor programs and plans in place and allows for quick responses to issues or problems that arise with communication networks.
(2009). "Global Village (term)." Retrieved 27/10/2009, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_village_(term).
(2009). "Online PR Crisis Example- Dominos Pizza." Retrieved 20/10/2009, 2009, from http://www.2sticksdigital.com.au/pr2.php?PR-Crisis-Example---Dominos-25.
Baron, G. (2009). "Dominos explains its response to the YouTube video crisis." Crisisblogger Retrieved 20/10/09, 2009, from http://crisisblogger.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/dominos-explains-its-response-to-the-youtube-video-crisis/
Flew, T. (2009). New Media: an introduction, Oxford University Press.
What relationship can you draw between the ideas of the global village and collective intelligence and how this will impact your professional field of work.
According to Wikipedia ‘ Global Village is a term associated with Marshal McLuhan and popularised in his books in which McLuhan describes how the globe has been contracted into a village by electric technology. Instantaneous movement of information from every quarter to every point at the same time. In bringing all social and political functions together in a sudden implosion, electric speed has heightened human awareness of responsibility to an intense degree’(2009). It sounds difficult to comprehend doesn’t it?
In this blog entry, I am going to attempt to answer what relationship I can draw between the ideas of the global village and collective intelligence and how will this impact my professional field of work.
According to the text book, collective intelligence refers to the 'capacity of networked ICT's to exponentially enhance the collective pool of social knowledge by simultaneously expanding the extent of human interactions enabled by communications networks’(Flew 2009). Boorstin (1978) argued that electronic communication would bind humans into a global community, in other words one local culture. I couldn’t agree more with Boorstin. The fact that he argued this theory over 30 years ago has me stunned.
In terms of the relationship I draw between the concept of a global village and collective intelligence the first thing that comes to mind is communication. Concepts like computer mediated communication, networks and wiki’s have all allowed professionals in the public relations field to communicate much faster and easier. An example of this is the Disgusting Domino’s case where 2 employees uploaded a video on YouTube, within a day of the uploading Dominos’ public relations and crisis communication team were on board to rectify the situation(2009; Baron 2009). This is an example of how communication spreads like wildfire (in the PR profession) and has allowed this business to go from centralised business intelligence to a more collective intelligence as people make more and more connections with the company than ever before.
As a society I believe we have embraced new communication mediums leading us further and further into this global village theory. It has allowed us as humans connected via the internet to move beyond the idea of a global online village and to perhaps become one network of connections. During the lecture, it was noted that 1.7 billion of 6.7 billion people have access to the internet. When you have a connection of this type, a connection of 1.7 billion people worldwide all connected to the one network you get something pretty cool. It’s not just the 6 degrees of separation anymore; the internet is bringing that separation down at a rapid speed.
The only problem I find with this type of fact is what happens when almost everyone is connected? Is that a good or a bad thing? It could be good in the sense of communication however it’s not always a good thing. In conclusion, collective intelligence and global village terms help communication spread across different means on the internet. It has allowed the public relations profession to further develop and monitor programs and plans in place and allows for quick responses to issues or problems that arise with communication networks.
(2009). "Global Village (term)." Retrieved 27/10/2009, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_village_(term).
(2009). "Online PR Crisis Example- Dominos Pizza." Retrieved 20/10/2009, 2009, from http://www.2sticksdigital.com.au/pr2.php?PR-Crisis-Example---Dominos-25.
Baron, G. (2009). "Dominos explains its response to the YouTube video crisis." Crisisblogger Retrieved 20/10/09, 2009, from http://crisisblogger.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/dominos-explains-its-response-to-the-youtube-video-crisis/
Flew, T. (2009). New Media: an introduction, Oxford University Press.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Buzz word- Convergence
Question Time: Convergence has implications for governments and society. Pick a profession and then answer the question, how convergence is forcing change in the profession?
Convergence -buzz word of the week
Before I begin the blog, I thought I would take the time to define convergence and get to know it a bit better. According to Flew, Convergence refers to ‘the interlinking of computing and IT, communications networks, and media content that (have) occurred with the development of the internet and the convergent products, services and activities that have emerged in the digital media space’(Flew 2009). According to Henry Jenkins, a key theorist of new media and media convergence, convergence is ‘continually reforming to adapt to enduring demands of technologies, therefore, changing the ways society consumes, learns and interacts with one another’(Jenkins 2006). It is ‘shaped by the desires of media conglomerates to expand their empires across multiple platforms and by the desires of consumers who have the media they want, where they want it, when they want it and in the format they want it in’(Jenkins 2006).
Although convergence might have implications for governments and society, it also has proposes some great advantages with the shift further towards convergence. In terms of implications, it essentially means the continual reformation and modification of policies and procedures to in order to be kept up to date with other governments and societies. This can be costly and very time consuming.
How is convergence forcing change in the sales (car industry) profession?
My research has proved that in terms of this industry, convergence is forcing change in the sales profession. However it is not consistent across all sales industries. The convergence of new technologies and the web 2.0 is making life easier for those working in the profession, but perhaps a little too much. With the rise of the internet, programs such as MYOB and websites offering consumers the option to buy online, the industry is diminishing itself the need for retail sales outlets and in turn probably costing them money. According to Jenkins, ‘the power of networked communities (like carsales.com) in developing knowledge systems (for consumers) that are not only greater than the sum of their individual parts, but that grow, evolve and collectively learn through their individual parts’(Jenkins 2006; Flew 2009). It is apparent to me (as the daughter of a car dealer) that car dealerships are digging their own graves, fooling themselves in some instances.
The car industry is a behind-the-times industry that has not exactly been forced in to a convergence change. Dealerships currently are not taking into consideration the influence of convergence changes as opportunities instead insisting on a ‘build and then sell sales model’(Golden 2008). This is because the industry is not listening when their consumers are calling for smaller, more economical cars and ease in terms of buying patterns. With the rise of private sellers on the internet it is becoming harder and harder to sell cars in a dealership.
Convergence of technology in the consumer sector is adding to this complication by making it easier for customers to preview, sell and make contact with those selling cars from their own desk/phone/television/games console rather than the traditional trip to your local Dealer. Websites like carsales.com.au and tradingpost.com are all contributing to the forced change of the car dealership to perhaps... the online car dealership.
However, convergence is forcing some good change in the car industry in some cases although it is slow. As a kid growing up, I remember my dad having a Nokia phone in his car that would have been the size of my text book. It offered no loud speaker, no SMS capabilities and was not even cordless. Now mobile phones are cordless and connect with the blue tooth in the car. It is the same with GPS systems. Once upon a time, GPS systems were huge, now they are standard in almost every car that is rolled off the production line. With further forced convergence in the car industry, your mobile phone, GPS system, Bluetooth and television is now incorporated with your cars own computer making the car a multi-purpose agent for a range of (illegal) activities involving new digital media and driving, of course.
References
Flew, T. (2009). New Media: an introduction, Oxford University Press.
Golden, G. (2008). Accelerating the Auto Industry's Convergence with Energy and Software. Future Blogger.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide. New York, New York University Press.
Convergence -buzz word of the week
Before I begin the blog, I thought I would take the time to define convergence and get to know it a bit better. According to Flew, Convergence refers to ‘the interlinking of computing and IT, communications networks, and media content that (have) occurred with the development of the internet and the convergent products, services and activities that have emerged in the digital media space’(Flew 2009). According to Henry Jenkins, a key theorist of new media and media convergence, convergence is ‘continually reforming to adapt to enduring demands of technologies, therefore, changing the ways society consumes, learns and interacts with one another’(Jenkins 2006). It is ‘shaped by the desires of media conglomerates to expand their empires across multiple platforms and by the desires of consumers who have the media they want, where they want it, when they want it and in the format they want it in’(Jenkins 2006).
Although convergence might have implications for governments and society, it also has proposes some great advantages with the shift further towards convergence. In terms of implications, it essentially means the continual reformation and modification of policies and procedures to in order to be kept up to date with other governments and societies. This can be costly and very time consuming.
How is convergence forcing change in the sales (car industry) profession?
My research has proved that in terms of this industry, convergence is forcing change in the sales profession. However it is not consistent across all sales industries. The convergence of new technologies and the web 2.0 is making life easier for those working in the profession, but perhaps a little too much. With the rise of the internet, programs such as MYOB and websites offering consumers the option to buy online, the industry is diminishing itself the need for retail sales outlets and in turn probably costing them money. According to Jenkins, ‘the power of networked communities (like carsales.com) in developing knowledge systems (for consumers) that are not only greater than the sum of their individual parts, but that grow, evolve and collectively learn through their individual parts’(Jenkins 2006; Flew 2009). It is apparent to me (as the daughter of a car dealer) that car dealerships are digging their own graves, fooling themselves in some instances.
The car industry is a behind-the-times industry that has not exactly been forced in to a convergence change. Dealerships currently are not taking into consideration the influence of convergence changes as opportunities instead insisting on a ‘build and then sell sales model’(Golden 2008). This is because the industry is not listening when their consumers are calling for smaller, more economical cars and ease in terms of buying patterns. With the rise of private sellers on the internet it is becoming harder and harder to sell cars in a dealership.
Convergence of technology in the consumer sector is adding to this complication by making it easier for customers to preview, sell and make contact with those selling cars from their own desk/phone/television/games console rather than the traditional trip to your local Dealer. Websites like carsales.com.au and tradingpost.com are all contributing to the forced change of the car dealership to perhaps... the online car dealership.
However, convergence is forcing some good change in the car industry in some cases although it is slow. As a kid growing up, I remember my dad having a Nokia phone in his car that would have been the size of my text book. It offered no loud speaker, no SMS capabilities and was not even cordless. Now mobile phones are cordless and connect with the blue tooth in the car. It is the same with GPS systems. Once upon a time, GPS systems were huge, now they are standard in almost every car that is rolled off the production line. With further forced convergence in the car industry, your mobile phone, GPS system, Bluetooth and television is now incorporated with your cars own computer making the car a multi-purpose agent for a range of (illegal) activities involving new digital media and driving, of course.
References
Flew, T. (2009). New Media: an introduction, Oxford University Press.
Golden, G. (2008). Accelerating the Auto Industry's Convergence with Energy and Software. Future Blogger.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide. New York, New York University Press.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Question Time: 'there is little question that new communication technologies are spread through the diffusion of innovations process. However, how might new communication media themselves contribute to the diffusion of innovations process and other innovations?'
As this is my first attempt at creating my own blog post on the internet, to make life a little easier for myself i am going to break the question down into smaller parts and then answer it as a whole.
The 'Diffusion of Innovation' theory is a process given to who, what rate, when, where, why and how new ideas/innovations are adopted in society. With the rise of new communication technologies, it is fair to blame the innovators for taking on these new technologies and developing them further so that they can reach us ‘early’ or ‘late majority’ groups further down the track (Flew 2008).
This is the way that I have tried to answer the question:
New communications technology is spread through the diffusion of innovations process
Then...
How might...
New communication media contribute to the diffusion of innovations process for other innovations?
I believe that new communication media in today’s society contributes to the diffusion of innovations process for other innovations because it speeds up the process of diffusion on the groups associated with the theory. In simpler terms, as early adopters find something better to adopt, those in the late majority and the laggards finally catch on to the new idea/innovation and the process starts again.
An example of this process begins with the example given to us during the lecture about the Texas Hook ‘em’ Horns team. Rather than go on again about that example I thought it would be more interesting to draw in one of my own. Recently, whilst visiting my Grandparents I was excited to come across an iPod owned by none other than my 84 year old Grandfather, Papa. Although i am now on my 5th iPod and my 1st iPhone, you can imagine my excitement when he approached me for help downloading iTunes and music onto his new ‘music player’. The process was lengthy and everything had to be explained 400 times. Eventually both he and I gave up and I continued to put the music on there so he wouldn’t have to worry about the software updates and other crap associated with iTunes. As a non-computer user with a dial up modem, it proved really hard for him to come to terms with.
I consider Papa part of the late majority to laggards group of iPods and MP3 players in society today. As us kids are adopting the new iPhones or the brand new Nano’s with video or any other high tech, highly expensive gadgetry, he has just adopted an iPod. The flimsy, original-looking iPod that does exactly what it is meant to –play music. To his mates (who are also in their 80’s) he is an early adopter who has found a trend and will educate his mates on how to use it, eventually, then they become part of the late majority. And further down the track, I expect their ‘dinner parties’ and ‘boating trips’ to become dance festivals with my sad attempt at filling up my 84 year old Grandfather’s iPod with music that is some what easy-to-listen-to.
As a student at a great university, it was drilled into me from day one, never to use Wikipedia for anything other than gaining further useless research. As this is a blog (and part of my research) I have to admit I agree with the statement made on Wiki’s new media page. It is as follows ‘‘new media changes continuously due to the fact that it is constantly being modified and redefined by the interaction between the creative use of the masses’, emerging technologies (brought on by innovators) and cultural changes in society’ (2009). This statement sums up my view on answering the tutorial question, again, the fact that it is a cycle and new media communication will speed up the diffusion of innovations process.
Recently whilst driving to uni, I was listening to Rebecca Livingstone and John Birmingham on the morning show on 612 ABC Brisbane. A topic unknown to me was brought up about the technological move away from reality to what we know now as virtual reality and further on towards a world of, wait for it, Augmented reality. Augmented Reality? Sounds like something out of some type of war game. Actually, my research suggests, it is a ‘display in which simulated imagery, graphics, or symbology is superimposed on a view of the surrounding environment’ (Herts). According to the website ‘How Stuff Works’ the basic idea of augmented reality is to ‘superimpose graphics, audio and other sense enhancements over a real-world environment in real-time’ which will excite those innovators and early adopters (Bonsor 2009).
This is another example of how new communication media has contributed to the diffusion of innovations process and other (new) innovations in the sence that Rebecca and John from 612 just educated me on ‘Augmented Reality’ and what it means for the future. From my research I can now download an iPhone application that demonstrates augmented reality called the ‘TwitaRound’ application, coincidently, it shows nearby Twitter users (digital-media.net.au). Along with this comes another new iPhone application that is bound to be a great party trick. ‘Nameo’ allows iPhone users to download an application that delivers the business cards of people in the room and the ability to exchange the card in one simple click (Abbasi 2009). This shows evidently, that I am now an early adoptor of this technology (within reason) I’ve heard about it from an innovator and now I will show it to my friends and alas, the cycle continues.
Although new communication technology is spread through the diffusions of innovations process, newer communication media technology contributes to the diffusion process in multiple ways. As technology gets better the diffusion of innovations theory lifecycle is consistently being reset again and again. This process is speeding up partly due to society and their acceptance of new ideas and new communication technology.
References
(2009, 23/09/09). “New Media.” Retrieved 29/09/09, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media.
Abbasi, S. A. (2009). “I Phone App Nameo: A virtual business card exchanger.” 2009 from http://startupmeme.com/iphone-app-nameo-a-virtual-business-card-exchanger/
(16/06/09). “Augmented Reality iPhone app brings mobile directions into the real world.” Retrieved 29/09/09, from http://www.digital-media.net.au/article/Augmented-reality-iPhone-app-brings-mobile-directions-into-the-real-world/490667.aspx.
Bonsor, K. (2009) How Augmented Reality Will Work. How Stuff Works Volume, DOI:
Flew, T. (2008). New Media, Oxford University Press
Herts, D. “eMagin.” Retrieved 29/09/09, 2009, from http://www.emagin.com/technology/glossary.php
As this is my first attempt at creating my own blog post on the internet, to make life a little easier for myself i am going to break the question down into smaller parts and then answer it as a whole.
The 'Diffusion of Innovation' theory is a process given to who, what rate, when, where, why and how new ideas/innovations are adopted in society. With the rise of new communication technologies, it is fair to blame the innovators for taking on these new technologies and developing them further so that they can reach us ‘early’ or ‘late majority’ groups further down the track (Flew 2008).
This is the way that I have tried to answer the question:
New communications technology is spread through the diffusion of innovations process
Then...
How might...
New communication media contribute to the diffusion of innovations process for other innovations?
I believe that new communication media in today’s society contributes to the diffusion of innovations process for other innovations because it speeds up the process of diffusion on the groups associated with the theory. In simpler terms, as early adopters find something better to adopt, those in the late majority and the laggards finally catch on to the new idea/innovation and the process starts again.
An example of this process begins with the example given to us during the lecture about the Texas Hook ‘em’ Horns team. Rather than go on again about that example I thought it would be more interesting to draw in one of my own. Recently, whilst visiting my Grandparents I was excited to come across an iPod owned by none other than my 84 year old Grandfather, Papa. Although i am now on my 5th iPod and my 1st iPhone, you can imagine my excitement when he approached me for help downloading iTunes and music onto his new ‘music player’. The process was lengthy and everything had to be explained 400 times. Eventually both he and I gave up and I continued to put the music on there so he wouldn’t have to worry about the software updates and other crap associated with iTunes. As a non-computer user with a dial up modem, it proved really hard for him to come to terms with.
I consider Papa part of the late majority to laggards group of iPods and MP3 players in society today. As us kids are adopting the new iPhones or the brand new Nano’s with video or any other high tech, highly expensive gadgetry, he has just adopted an iPod. The flimsy, original-looking iPod that does exactly what it is meant to –play music. To his mates (who are also in their 80’s) he is an early adopter who has found a trend and will educate his mates on how to use it, eventually, then they become part of the late majority. And further down the track, I expect their ‘dinner parties’ and ‘boating trips’ to become dance festivals with my sad attempt at filling up my 84 year old Grandfather’s iPod with music that is some what easy-to-listen-to.
As a student at a great university, it was drilled into me from day one, never to use Wikipedia for anything other than gaining further useless research. As this is a blog (and part of my research) I have to admit I agree with the statement made on Wiki’s new media page. It is as follows ‘‘new media changes continuously due to the fact that it is constantly being modified and redefined by the interaction between the creative use of the masses’, emerging technologies (brought on by innovators) and cultural changes in society’ (2009). This statement sums up my view on answering the tutorial question, again, the fact that it is a cycle and new media communication will speed up the diffusion of innovations process.
Recently whilst driving to uni, I was listening to Rebecca Livingstone and John Birmingham on the morning show on 612 ABC Brisbane. A topic unknown to me was brought up about the technological move away from reality to what we know now as virtual reality and further on towards a world of, wait for it, Augmented reality. Augmented Reality? Sounds like something out of some type of war game. Actually, my research suggests, it is a ‘display in which simulated imagery, graphics, or symbology is superimposed on a view of the surrounding environment’ (Herts). According to the website ‘How Stuff Works’ the basic idea of augmented reality is to ‘superimpose graphics, audio and other sense enhancements over a real-world environment in real-time’ which will excite those innovators and early adopters (Bonsor 2009).
This is another example of how new communication media has contributed to the diffusion of innovations process and other (new) innovations in the sence that Rebecca and John from 612 just educated me on ‘Augmented Reality’ and what it means for the future. From my research I can now download an iPhone application that demonstrates augmented reality called the ‘TwitaRound’ application, coincidently, it shows nearby Twitter users (digital-media.net.au). Along with this comes another new iPhone application that is bound to be a great party trick. ‘Nameo’ allows iPhone users to download an application that delivers the business cards of people in the room and the ability to exchange the card in one simple click (Abbasi 2009). This shows evidently, that I am now an early adoptor of this technology (within reason) I’ve heard about it from an innovator and now I will show it to my friends and alas, the cycle continues.
Although new communication technology is spread through the diffusions of innovations process, newer communication media technology contributes to the diffusion process in multiple ways. As technology gets better the diffusion of innovations theory lifecycle is consistently being reset again and again. This process is speeding up partly due to society and their acceptance of new ideas and new communication technology.
References
(2009, 23/09/09). “New Media.” Retrieved 29/09/09, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_media.
Abbasi, S. A. (2009). “I Phone App Nameo: A virtual business card exchanger.” 2009 from http://startupmeme.com/iphone-app-nameo-a-virtual-business-card-exchanger/
(16/06/09). “Augmented Reality iPhone app brings mobile directions into the real world.” Retrieved 29/09/09, from http://www.digital-media.net.au/article/Augmented-reality-iPhone-app-brings-mobile-directions-into-the-real-world/490667.aspx.
Bonsor, K. (2009) How Augmented Reality Will Work. How Stuff Works Volume, DOI:
Flew, T. (2008). New Media, Oxford University Press
Herts, D. “eMagin.” Retrieved 29/09/09, 2009, from http://www.emagin.com/technology/glossary.php
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