Week three.. Networks!

The first reading covered New Media, (Lister, Martin, et al), and began to explain the network that is the internet. I especially took interest to the concept of how ‘minimal’ (p.164) the definition of the internet is as a way for computers to communicate to provide information, I guess because the internet is generally thought about as such a complex system. The idea of ‘open architecture’ (p164) with ‘no attempt to prescribed how or where’ the date flows also interested me in a way that some information out there (other than my general focus of advertising content that is VERY directed at a target audience) can be for expressive purposes and not the intent for a specific intended reader, but perhaps for anyone or everyone to read freely.

The second reading I found more interesting, as it compared the print literacy of books and libraries, and the way it is organised, to the way the internet and computers organise their own ‘network literacy’ and information systems.. and the advances this has in aiding us to find specific information we’re searching for in a much faster and easier way.

Adrian Miles ‘Soft Cinematic Hypertext (Other Literacies)’ also explains network literacy as ‘being able to participate as a peer with emerging knowledge networks that are now the product of the Internet.’  Recognising how content and the types of pages are weaved together by us as users through basic ‘inter’ and ‘intra’ communications shows that we as ‘peer’ users read and use others content, and contribute our own content to expand the literacies available online. (p.203)

The key point from this reading is around the communication between devices, services or websites through RSS and XML. XML is ‘a way to standardise the publication of information so that it can be shared’ and RSS ‘allows for the exchange of this information between different services.’ (p.204) Through the plethora of information available online, the concept of ‘tags’ and ‘links’ is also discussed as an important way of finding value within enormous amounts of material.

Miles recognises network literacy as ‘ having the skills to find what it is you think you want, of being able to judge it, and then being able to incorporate this, in turn, into your [own] knowledge flows.’ (p.207)

He also quotes Jill Walker’s definition of networked literacy as ‘linking to what other people have written and inviting comments from others, it means understanding a kind of writing that is a social, collaborative process rather than an act of an individual in solitary. It means learning how to write with an awareness that anyone may read it: your mother, a future employer, or the person whose work you’re writing about. Yes, it’s difficult.’ (p.208)

Information overload.. That’s enough on networking for now..

H!