Adam's Lecture: Media, New Media & Internet Studies

The concern of Adam's lecture was upon New Media and the virtual community. What's Virtual Community? Well, we learnt that a virtual community was when "...people carry on public discussion long enough with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships." It was this point in the Lecture when I could see where the next 40 minutes were going: Social Networks and Social Media.

Adam briefly introduced topics such as Web 2.0 and highlighted the equation of Media: Technology + Culturally + Socially = Media. He discussed Shared Interests, which reminded me of my Internet practices 7 years ago when the Internet was really beginning to make an impact in our homes; the memory of ICQ (the old MSN) resurfacing.

Then Adam introduced the term Ego-centric Social Network - and I thought, "My God, perfect description for Twitter and appropriate description for Facebook." This simply signifies the movement of Virtual Communities away from groups of people with common interests. And i think I have to highlight the point, just for myself, how bad Ego-centric Social Networks really are. If the 'social' of social networks is removed, and replaced with more of a focus on what the user or the individual is doing, well - there is no communication and thus, no network either. Like the video Adam showed regarding the very concept of "Tweetering" - it's just a whole lot of people shouting out into the darkness.

Outlining Social Media, Adam listed 3 types: 1 Weblogs/ Blogs, 2 Social Network Services (SNS's) and 3 Content Sharing Communities.

Ending his lecture, Adam asked us to complete some Homework. He asked as to investigate who owns the SNSs' and the Blogs that we use. Well I've discovered the Facebook is privately owned and I already know that Google owns Blogger.com / Blogspot.com - and subsequently, has the power to give up my details (if requested. See previous post.) Before leaving, Adam left us with one interesting question: What if the sites we use, closed down tomorrow? In answer: I don't know - it'd be, bizarre.