The growing prominence of networks is the most defining shift of the last half century. Networks of communication and information have existed as long as people have communicated with each other. The initial forms consisted of conversations shared in small groups/tribes. The development of writing as a means to make the spoken word explicit and more permanent, permitted networks to form outside of time limitations. And there we stayed for many many years. While time no longer limited the ability of people to form networks (connect) with each other and with ideas, geography (space) still did. While we found better ways to record ideas - tablets of stone replaced with parchment and ultimately paper - the core nature of connecting with ideas and people changed little. Gutenberg accelerated the process of writing, sharing text, and made it more cost effective and thereby accessible to a wider audience. But other than increased efficiencies, nothing new was added to our ability to network. The development of travel (global - first by boat, then recently by air) made the world appear to be smaller. People and ideas flowed more rapidly. Another improvement, but not a revolution.
The development of the telegraph and then the telephone provided the first cracks in the geographical limitations of network formation. Unfortunately, these tools eliminated the value of text as a means of making our ideas explicit (telegraphs were not effective for sharing extensive passages of text so while it played a role in reducing the role of geography, its limitations were severe). Even though we could connect with ideas/others outside of time barriers, the conversations vaporized as the phone call ended. We were again at the mercy of time - we had to be present in real time to benefit from the conversation. But the physical networks created by the developing telecommunications industry provided the foundation for what would eventually become the internet and then the web. It was the web that enabled a reduction of geographical and time barriers for connecting with others. Limitations were still severe. But the basic structure was in place. The efficiency improvements - like those applied to paper and text over the previous millennia - now came in the form of broadband, voice over IP, and other emerging tools of content creation and conversation. Essentially, geography and time were no longer limitations. Three additional value points were provided: interactivity (two-way flow), multiple media (images, video, integrated), and presence (video and avatars). Our ability to form networks with people and ideas, riding on the backbone of the internet, existed at unprecedented levels.
But progress and developments come at a price. The turbulence following Gutenberg's press resulted in tremendous conflict and hundreds of thousands of deaths. Our ability to now form networks with ease comes with a different type of cost. The web 2.0 hype engine and its advocates often gloss over drawbacks. But the acknowledgment of negatives and drawbacks lead to addressing the real concerns. An article in Financial Times - No place to hide - raises some of the challenges networks create in social interactions. Making ideas (and ourselves) explicit has its own problems. We are not only known by those we want to be known by. We are known by anyone. And everyone. Like other revolutions before, the tools and methods of networking create a new reality, the need for new skills, new opportunities, and new challenges.
Posted by gsiemens at November 24, 2007 11:11 PM | TrackBack