Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Emergence of Virtual Communities

It can be agreeably said that the internet has changed our lives, most of our lives - those who engage in the technologies of our century to make life easier and faster in some parts. The global economy is becoming so much more competitive because it has become so small due to the use of technologies, especially the internet. The internet has many purposes. Kahn and Kellner address that the "emergence of the utpoian rhetoric of cyberdemocracy and personal liberation" have allowed the growth of new online communities. I feel the internet can be both dangerous and extremely beneficial for people. Kahn and Kellner also introduce that the internet (World Wide Web) "constitutes a dynamic and complex space in which people can construct and experiment with their own identity(ies), culture, and social practices. People are able to "act out roles" of themselves that they wouldn't really do in real life. Posts of social networks like Facebook of the "daily me" statuses allow people to publicize their lives they otherwise would not think to share to others in person - this makes information about other people more easy to find than ever. The internet is a place that embodies reconstructions of citizenship as Kahn and Kellner argue in their essay "Oppositional Politics and the Internet". This youtube video below demonstrates a good example of what this essay is talking about. It is scary when you think deeper on this idea.

No comments:

Post a Comment