Monday, February 12, 2007

we are OPEN for business

Jeff Rice says, "In the network model, emergence (or 'growth'...) is vital to the metaphor of writing" (Networks and New Media, 132). As the internet and other network culture expand, they are growing in knowledge and information. I think that as the network grows, we, as users of the network, must grow also. We cannot be "...the individual who works in one fixed space within a fixed disciplinary focus with a single identity tied to a singly motivated reading practice tied to a single idea expressed at a single moment" (Rice, 130). If we do not expand our horizons and grow with network culture, we will be stuck a a world that might no longer exist. Also, we must learn from network culture as it grows in information. Scot said in class that the network is full of possibilities. We can gain much from these possibilities of network culture; we can share ideas, get work done more efficiently, and "integrate different disciplines" as Scot said. The idea of possibilities is apparent in Rice's work as he describes network as "...the open space constructed out of connections where multiple writers engaging with multiple ideas in multiple media at multiple moments function" (Rice, 130). The new media of today functions as an ever-growing place where there is no limit to what can be done.

I also wanted to touch on the video we watched in class and the video by Daniel Anderson that was assigned for Tuesday February 6th. The term that came up in Anderson's video was "prosumer." I liked how Erin described it as "breaking the boundary between producer and consumer." By producing and being able to produce more with new media, we can understand more of the producer's standpoint and become better consumers. Also, you don't need to be an expert in most of the new media to be able to work it. Most things are very user friendly, and eve novices to network culture can create what they want to create.

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