The Machine is Using Us

January 16th, 2008 Richard

Eleven months ago, Mike Wesch, an Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University created a video called “Web 2.0 .. The Machine is Using Us” and posted it on YouTube. As I type, the video has been viewed more than 4 million times.

There are a number of interesting and provocative points about the web brought up in the video, but the thing that makes it so interesting (and popular) in my view, is the way he presents the information which, of course, supports his points, in that he is using the rich media and wide distribution enabled via the web.Some of the most interesting issues he touches on in the video are: the nonlinear nature of hypertext as relates to traditional linear text; the notion of separating content from form via xml/xhtml, and its implications; automated data exchange via xml, affording sharing of information among diverse sources; and, finally, the inherent social nature of the web.

Posted in web 2.0, web and new media, web-research, web-transformation | 7 Comments »

Clue Train Manifesto

January 15th, 2008 Richard

The clue train manifesto; written by Chris Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger, to me, captures those things that are most promising and potentially transformative about the World Wide Web. It is a classic written about 1000 years ago in web years (1999), so, one interesting issue, is the extent to which the manifesto has served to predict the future. In some ways, I believe it is profound and prophetic. Of course many think it’s just a bunch of high-falutin’ mumbo-jumbo hype. Look over the 95 theses and see what you think.

Posted in web 2.0, web and new media, web-transformation | 8 Comments »