Chapter five of Net Smart, “Social Has a Shape: Why
Networks Matter”, begins with this idea of human social networks and how the
whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts because the group’s properties
are different from the individual’s properties. According to Rheingold, we need
to understand some things about how network nature affects us are: 1) Networks have
structures that influence how we as individuals behave. 2) New forms of sociality
are possible because technological networked communication extends the reach of
traditional networks. 3) Online networks that support social networks share
properties of general network structure and specific properties of human
networks.
The theory of six degrees of separation is really interesting, and I found it
fascinating that when the original study (Milgram and Travers study which
involved letter forwarded by mail) was given digital framework and the number
of participants greatly increased, the results remained similar. The study done
by Milgram and Travers resulted in an average “path length” of 5.5. When Watts
recreated the study using email in 2001, the average path length was again
around 6, and a 2010 study also found that 98% of people on Twitter are only separated
by 5 steps. Similar results were found in a 2007 study by Leskovec and Horvitz:
the average path length of Microsoft Messenger users is 6.6. It made me start
to wonder how this applies to me and the people I know…
Rheingold later talks about
networked individualism, and how the focus of technology has shifted the center
from community to the individual. Rheingold writes that in the early years of
cell phones, many conversations began with “Where are you?” It made me think
about how today, so many people think that everyone is always available just because of cell phones. Some people actually
get offended if you don’t text or call back in a certain time frame, but we
shouldn’t have to be available to everyone all of the time. It also made me
think about disappearing landlines. How many people still have one at home? (I haven’t
had one in over 5 years!)
The section on Facebook use was
also really interesting and thought provoking. Rheingold begins the section by
saying, “Keeping track of our social relationships is a serious piece of work”.
He also mentions that Facebook has caused us to form a redefinition of what the
word friend means. There is definitely an etiquette to using Facebook and handling
friend requests. Like Rheingold writes, there is social pressure and reluctance
to hurt people’s feelings. However, this leads, in many cases, to “friending”
people that you may not really want to be friends with. Which is worse: denying
a friend request or ultimately realizing that you made a horrible mistake by
accepting and then unfriending them? I have a few friends that I wish I had
never accepted…
My experiences with Facebook also
came to mind when I was reading Rainie and Wellman’s description of people who
will thrive in this environment in which networked individualism plays a strong
role. One of the characteristics mentioned was, “Those who learn to manage their
boundaries”. Rheingold asks, “Does a person want all 300 of her friends to know
what she did last night?” The “overshare” is popular on Facebook. There have
been many times that I have asked myself why my “friends” (those regrettable
ones) would want to post some of the things that they are being seen or read by
perhaps hundreds of people. I get that your ex-husband isn’t going to win
father of the year, but do I really
need to know that. Just today, one of my friends posted a close-up picture of
her crying child because she wanted help identifying the rash-like marks around
his mouth… Call the doctor.
Chapter six is titled, “How (Using)
the Web (Mindfully) Can Make You Smarter”. Again, Rheingold notes the emerging
divide between those who know how to use social media for individual advantage
and collective action, and those who do not. The section on parents was
relatable. Rheingold says that “teenagers need to experiment with who they are
and play with different kinds of identities”. The problem is that now, everyone
is watching. I don’t even remember how many “phases” I went though as teenager
(but some of them are definitely mortifying to look back on). Boyd encourages
parents to focus on the underlying issues that worry them as parents instead of
focusing on the technology aspect. My son is only three, so I don’t yet know
how I will react to his life online. (Actually, I don’t even want to think
about this yet.)
Two quotes/ideas that stood out the
most in these chapters:
--“Although the Web affords a large
audience to only a few, that audience is quickly accessible to other publishers
when the conditions are right.”
--Knowledge can spread through
online networks as swiftly as any viral videos do.
As far as what I want to learn/take
away from this class:
-Think more critically about
digital interactions
-Use new tools/ learn how to work
with digital tools
-Find new ways/ become more comfortable being creative in a digital context
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