As I sit here this week, with the majority of my classes being postponed or delivered online, I thought I would struggle to think of something to write about. But it’s because of the highly networked environment in which I reside in that my everyday functions are able to continue, despite a hectic physical environment.
Despite the slight isolation I have put myself in, from being in a higher risk group, I can basically do everything I normally would. In this case though, it’s from the comfort of my own room although reliant on having a stable internet connection. My classes are available online, countless forms of entertainment are accessible online, socialisation is still possible thanks to various social media platforms, and food and other commodities can be ordered online and delivered straight to my door. In the current climate, I have come to realise how much easier my life is with the presence of web 2.0. Nearly everything is constantly available from a wide range of sources online, providing users with easily accessible features and content.
But having a networked society is not without its negatives, as Lister (2009) suggests within New Media: A Critical Introduction user-generated content impacts everyone. With regard to the recent spread of Coronavirus, I have seen countless fake remedies easily spread throughout social media. My mother is quite susceptible to this kind of content, freely believing whatever her friends on Facebook and Instagram share; whether it be that the virus is a hoax, drinking more water will flush the virus out, or the implementation of ginseng and garlic with help fight the virus.
While I was initially focused on the negative impact this affordance to freely share content had upon users and the wider society, there is no ignoring the good that can come from such ease of use and accessibility. Personally I would say around 50% of the people I interact with on social media, including friends and celebrities alike, have shared an image of how to properly wash your hands. Sites like wash your lyrics even provide an easy to use platform to generate such imagery with relevance to whatever song the user wishes, but in a visual manner which is engaging and suitable for the conventions of online platforms such as Instagram. Users are easily afforded the ability to customise this piece content, while other users are given the ability to easily re-share the image to their own platform.
As a result of this somewhat hectic time with everyone being unsure of the disruptions to their daily lives, I have become aware of the privileges web 2.0 has afforded myself and others to be able to continue our daily lives with minimal disruptions. Regardless of the few negatives that present themselves, there is little argument that web 2.0 has positively effect us all.
References:
Lister, M et al 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction, Routledge, New York.