IS20090 slides from the lecture given on 11/11/2009.

1. (November 11 th 2009) Shane Mc Loughlin [email_address] IS20090 : Toys The Social, Political and Economic consequences of Web 2.0

4. - Students should become aware of wider theoretical issues concerning the impact of newer technologies on society (e.g.. 'Power', Castells 'Network society' and 'Communication power' etc) -Students should understand definitions , scope and critique of the term web 2.0 -Students should be aware of significant social issues concerning the design of these technologies. -Students should become familiar with significant theoretical and practical issues concerning the social, political and economic implications arising from web 2.0 -Students will become familiar with significant international events demonstrating the role of web 2.0 -Students should have an understanding of present figures and statistics regarding web 2.0 usage by citizens. Learning Outcomes:

7. Manuel Castells – Network Society “ The network society is a society where the key social structures and activities are organized around electronically processed information networks. So it's not just about networks or social networks, because social networks have been very old forms of social organization. It's about social networks which process and manage information and are using micro-electronic based technologies….The diffusion of a networking logic substantially modifies the operation and outcomes in processes of production, experience, power, and culture” (Castells, 1997)

8. “ For the first time the written, oral and visual modes of communication have been integrated into a single communications structure.” (Castells, 1996) “ the fundamental battle being fought in society is the battle over the minds of the people...Because Communication, and particularly socialized communication, the one that exists in the public realm, provides the support for the social production of meaning, the battle of the human mind is largely played out in the processes of communication....As a result, power relations...are increasingly shaped and decided in the communication field” (Castells, 2007).

12. Castells (2009) defined web 2.0 as: “ the cluster of technologies, devices, and applications that support the proliferation of social spaces on the Internet” (p. 65).

14. Tim Berners-Lee described the term "Web 2.0" as a "piece of jargon": "Nobody really knows what it means...If Web 2.0 for you is blogs and wikis, then that is people to people. But that was what the Web was supposed to be all along." What is Web 2.0? Criticism

16. Gartner, Inc. : Web. 2.0 technologies enable changing business models. Gardner researchers stress the need for 'flexibility' within organisations, the need for balancing control with openness and more generally the power of networking: 'Gartner predicts that by 2009, six out of 10 new collaboration-related IT projects will seamlessly incorporate supplier, partner and customer personnel, heralding a move away from the traditional, closed, inward-looking organisation to a more open, collaborative and innovative environment.' (Kennedy. John, 9-11-07, “Web 2.0 could lead to ‘openness’ in the workplace” (Web 2.0, 2007) Economic impact of Web 2.0: Operationalising Network Society Theory

17. -Empowerment? -Democratisation? -Creativity? -Exploitation? -Narcissism? -Mediocrity? -Exhibitionism? -’Over-sharing’? -Self-Monitoring? And policing? -Commoditisation and branding ourselves? -Image over substance? Simulacra -Flickering over depth? -Weak over strong relationships? Some social issues with Web 2.0?

19. Question for the group: - How might Web 2.0 enhance cultural hegemony? and how might it serve to counter it?

22. -Bottom up and top down profiling... -More and more of our lives become mediated through technology and such information can be captured by the market – 'Knowing Capitalism' “ Information about preferences, choices, and other personal details are considered valuable in an age of 'knowing capitalism' where data-mining and predictive technologies are prominent.” (Beer and Burrows, 2007) For Scott Lash the 'web 2.0 heralds “an 'age of the portal' where 'the data find you' (Lash, 2006, p.580). This is highlighted as we are frequently confronted with recommendations, news specific to our interests or about our friends, suggested purchases and other things of supposed interest. You find the data? The data finds you? Capitalism finds you?

25. However, Fuchs (2009) argues that ‘political counter power on the internet is facing a massive asymmetry that is due to the fact that the ruling powers control more resources such as money, decision making power, capacities for attention generation…power struggles may remain precarious’ (p.8) He cites how Indymedia, the most popular alternative online news platform is only ranked 4147 whereas the BBC is marked 44 Power and the web: Communication power

28. Question for the group: - How might symbolic violence be a relevant theory to understand social life on facebook?

30. The “New” Public Sphere: John Keane “ 'The old dominance of state structured and territorially bounded public life mediated by radio, television, newspapers, and books is coming to an end. Its hegemony is rapidly being eroded by the development of a multiplicity of networked spaces of communication... fragmenting anything formerly resembling a single, spatially integrated public sphere within a nation state framework...public life is today subject to refeudalisation , not in the sense in which Habermas...used the term, but in the different sense of the development of a complex mosaic of differently sized, overlapping, and interconnected public spheres that force us radically to revise our understanding of public life and its partner terms such as public opinion, the public good, and the public private distinction” (Keane in Webster et al, 2004, p366) Keane proposes Micro, meso and macro understanding of public spheres

33. - Mark Granovetter is an American sociologist at Stanford University who has created theories in modern sociology since the 1970s. He is best known for his work in social network theory and in economic sociology, particularly his theory on the spread of information in social networks known as "The Strength of Weak Ties" (1973). - Your relationships with others, or 'ties' range from strong ties to weak ties: - Strong ties are those relationship with people you are emotionally close to. They tend to be multi-stranded, frequently maintained and intimate. It is argued that strong ties were common in traditional communities. - Weak ties are connections with people emotionally distant to oneself, e.g. acquaintances. These ties are generally single-stranded, infrequently maintained and non-intimate - In his famous article The Strength of Weak Ties, Granovetter (1982) stresses the importance of weak ties as they enable people to seek out new resources, new information and diversity of information one doesnt get from strong ties Strength of weak ties

34. Web Statistics:

37. Are there disparities amongst citizens contributing on the web, creating new differential power relations?

38. - 1% of users participate a lot and account for most contributions - 9% of users contribute from time to time, but other priorities dominate their time. - 90% of users are lurkers (i.e., read or observe, but don’t contribute). Impact of Web 2.0: Contributing on blogs, wikis, Microblogging

42. “ Most blogs are of personal character. According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 52% of bloggers say that they blog mostly for themselves, while 32% blog for their audience. 31 Thus, to some extent, a good share of this form of mass self-communication is closer to “ electronic autism ” than to actual communication. “ (Castells, 2007)

44. McKinsey Quarterly – Business survey 2009 Found that successful companies not only tightly integrate Web 2.0 technologies with the work flows of their employees but also create a “networked company,” linking themselves with customers and suppliers through the use of Web 2.0 tools. - High-technology companies are most likely to report measurable benefits from Web 2.0 across the board, followed by those at companies offering business, legal, and professional services. -Companies most often report greater ability to share ideas; improved access to knowledge experts; and reduced costs of communications, travel, and operations - Highest on that list of benefits is the ability to gain access to expertise outside company walls more quickly . These respondents also cite lower costs of communication with business partners and lower travel costs - Respondents say informal incentives incorporating the Web ethos, such as ratings by peers and online recognition of status, have been most effective in encouraging Web 2.0 adoption. They also say role modelling—active Web use by executives—has been important for encouraging adoption internally Impact of Web 2.0: Business value

45. Mc Kinsey Survey Continued… -The survey results suggest that networked organizations have created processes and Web platforms that serve to manage significant portions of these external ties. - Respondents reporting measurable benefits say their companies, on average, have Web 2.0 interactions with 35 percent of their customers. -The more heavily used technologies are blogs, wikis, and podcasts—the same tools that are popular among consumers—(Exhibit 2). - those capturing benefits in their dealings with suppliers and partners, the tools of choice again are blogs, social networks -- allow companies to distribute product information more readily and, perhaps more critically, they invite customer feedback and even participation in the creation of products Impact of Web 2.0: Business value

52. References: Alexa (2009) Alexa Research. Available at; http://www.alexa.com/ Barzilai-Nahon, K (2004) Gatekeepers and gatekeeping mechanisms in networks. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel. Beer, D., & Burrows, R. (2007) Sociology and, of and in Web 2.0: Some Initial Considerations. Sociological Research Online, 12(5). Bourdieu, P. (1977) Outline of a theory of practice. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Bourdieu, P. (1986) The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241-258). New York: Greenwood. Castells, M., (1996) The rise of the network society. Malden, Mass: Blackwell Publishers. Castells, M. (2004) “Informationalism, Networks, And The Network Society: A Theoretical Blueprint”. In Castells, M. (Ed.), The Network Society: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar. Castells, Manuel. (2007). Communication, Power and Counter-power in the Network Society, International Journal of Communication 1 (2007), 238-266 Available Online : http://ijoc.org/ojs/index.php/ijoc/article/view/46/35

53. Castells, M. (2009) Communication Power. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Comscore (2009) Comscore Statistics. Available at: http://www.comscore.com/ Fuchs, C. (2009) Some Reflections on Manuel Castells Book “Communication Power”, TripleC-Cognition, Communication, Co-operation, 7(1). Granovetter, M. S. (1982) The strength of weak ties: A network theory revisited. In P. V. Marsden & N. Lin (Eds.), Social structure and network analysis: 105-130. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Giddens, A. (2006) Sociology. 5th ed. / Anthony Giddens edn. Cambridge: Polity. Habormas, J. (ed.) (1976) Was heist Universalpragmatik?, in K. O. Apel Sprachpragmatik und Philosphie. Frankfurt am main: Suhrkamp McKinsey (2009) McKinsey Quarterly, Available at; http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/home.aspx Pisani, F. (2007) 'Networks as a unifying pattern of life involving different processes at different levels – An interview with Fritjof Capra' International Journal of Communication 1, Feature 5-25 Pew Research (2009) Pew Research. Available at: http://pewresearch.org/ Tapscott, Don; Williams, A. (2007) Wikinomics. How mass collaboration changes everything. Penguin Books Ltd Technocrati (2009) Technocrati. Available at: http://www.technocrati.com

54. Web 2.0, (2007) 'Web 2.0 could lead to ‘openness’ in the workplace'. Silicon Republic, URL: http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single960 Webster, F et al (ed.) (2004) The Information Society Reader. Routledge: USA