Porous

The word ‘porous’ is constantly being used in this subject as a means of describing networked media. It gives the undefined world of technological networking a more personified existence and perfectly describes the fluid nature of all that is online  and offline. 

Adrian said in the symposium that, “things gain meaning because of the relationships between the parts.” A point which is easy to ignore when using the internet for a specific, defined purpose. However, as much as we may try and avoid this notion, we are well and truly immersed in it no matter whether we acknowledge it or not.

My opinion is that maybe people see this as a new concept, that books do not have this kind of connectivity. This is where I beg to differ. A common theme in class this semester has been that a consciousness of how truly connected we are through technology must be established in order to become a successful media professional. Although I would agree with this statement, I do not feel that this is a lesson that needs to be taught to our cohort specifically, or our generation specifically.

The concept of “six degrees of separation” or the expression “it’s a small world,” even “the butterfly effect” all elucidate how connected the world was before the internet, as well as highlighting the ways that everything is eerily connected in some way without technology. In my opinion, technology simply shows us physical links between things which already have established connections, without creating them from a random clicks of the mouse.

Essentially, I am saying that, although, Networked Media, the internet and technology in general are porous in nature, it makes sense to consider that they simply exist as a physical representation of an existingly porous, interconnected world.

Check out this video I found on creative commons, explaining the interconnected concept of our world, “Six degrees of separation.”

Six Degrees of Separation by Rachel Latimore

 

Sarah

Professional Communication student. Writer. Blogger.

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