This week brought about the end of our examination of the Web Theory text and introduced us to our next textbook titled Holding on to Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium by Albert Borgmann. For Web Theory, we had to read chapters 8 and 9, as well as the conclusion. I have to say that I was sorry to see the end of this book as I quite enjoyed reading about the more theoretical aspects of the Web. It certainly gave me an opportunity to think outside the box. Chapter 8 dealt with informational news on the Web. According to Burnett and Marshall (2003), “We can define news traditionally as information about recent events of general interest, especially as reported by newspapers, magazines, radio or television. Digital news is the integration of such news into a multimedia presentation delivered over the Internet. Digital information is different in three fundamental ways: its relative short lifespan, its immediacy, and the capacity to link to other sources” (p. 153). Through the creation of news databases, Web browsers and online news groups, news is now available to be processed at a rapid rate of speed. Due to the swift change and growth, the news industry has had to evolve and change as well. They have had to develop new business models and reassess how to get information to the public. Additionally, they must be aware of the information needs of the public.
While newspapers, television and radio are still solid sources of news, they are somewhat restricting in that are limeted in what can be reaveled in only one page or in timed segments. Now the Web has given readers a multitute of options, control over what they want to read, the ability to be able to instantly verify data,discuss news in online forums and blogs, and read news from other cultures and countries.
The subject of Chapter 9 was the connection between the Web and the entertainment industry with the focus being primarily on music. I am familier with this topic it has gotten a lot of attention in the news and in entertainment media and has been a point of contention between artists, the industry and the public . According to the textbook (2003), “The problem is that currently there are not proper business models in place, where the value of the intellectual property being produced is maintained” (p. 175). Those in the business have been trying to adapt, but due to the rapid growth and changing technology, it has been a difficult adjustment and many on both sides are not totally satisfied. This is also true in case of television on the Web. Many TV shows are now available to watch and download from the Web, but this has had some issues as well. One major issue came up during the writer’s strike in Hollywood two years ago. The writer’s guild had a problem with the fact that they were not receiving royalties for shows that were being viewed online and it was very difficult for both sides to come to an agreement about compensation. The strike ultimatly lasted for 100 days as It started on November 5th, 2007 and finally concluded on February 12th, 2008, but it just goes to show how Web entertainment still has some issues to iron out. While I understand that many people love to turn to the Internet for entertainment as it is simple and inexpensive, I still prefer watching my shows and the news on the actual TV. The Internet does not really work for me to watch TV as the screen is small and the sound is not as good. With the TV, I can streach out and have a big screen. Plus, I associate the TV with spending time with family as my parents and I would always watch TV together when I was younger. It’s not as easy to do that with a computer. I just prefer to use the Internet strictly for reseach, browsing and maybe shopping.
In conclusion, the Web Theory text has allowed us to see just how much the Web has grown and rooted itself into our daily lives. We were also able to learn about the history and development of the Web and catch a glimpse of the future and what we can expect from it.
This week we also began to read Holding on to Reality: The Nature of Information at the Turn of the Millennium by Albert Borgmann. Our reading consisted of the introduction and part 1 which included chapters 1 through 5. I found this book to be very interesting and informative. Chapter 1 was mostly about the origins of information as we now know it and how structural and cognitive information come into play. Chapter 2 deals with the nature of information with particular attention being given to the information relation. We are introduced to the central structure of information and the relationship between a sign or signal, the thing or message, and the person or recipiant and how each of these depends on the context in which they are presented. Chapter 3 discusses ancestral information and our natural ability to process signs that we see around us in our environment. Here we learned how early humans took information from the things they observed in nature and how this process has evolved.
In chapter 4, the authors chart the shift from us taking information from natural signs to the development of counting with such tools as bones, wood and clay tokens and how counting and the recording of numbers led to writing. When it comes to the rise of writing, the authors state that writing was born from lithographs or symbols of the numerical value of items. Lastly, chapter 5 focuses on the rise of literacy. It writing, it is the letters that communicate meaning. The authors explain that Plato was an eyewitness to the spread and growth of social literacy and how writing was initially viewed as being of godly origin, but as it spread about the people and cultures, writing was viewed as a more simple way to aquire and accumulate information. With literacy and writing came such tools as tablets and papyrus as well as expanded communication through letter writing.
Based on these early chapters, I am really excited to continue. It has certainly been interesting to read about the history and origins of how information and the way we handle it has developed. I’m sure the rest of the book will be just as thought provoking as these first chapters were.
References
Burnett, Robert and Marshall, P. (2003). “Web Theory: An Introduction.” New York, NY. Routledge.