July 20, 2009
The internet has become such an all pervading part of our society, with people developing an almost obsessive desire, if not need to be connected and interactive. My intention is to take an in depth look at the positive and negative aspects of the society in which we are able to share information at the click of a button. I am investigating the reasons for the emergence of this cultural phenomenon and the relevance of communication technology in our lives. Is excessive information sharing a by-product of postmodern society or is it simply an expression of identity. The area of internet communications I am focusing on includes blogging, micro-blogging, image posting, and the social networks that rely on communication and feedback to sustain popularity. Such sites include Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Fhotobucket, Blogspot, Tumblr, and many more. I believe that what people are doing on these various social media websites can always be described as blogging. Posting a photo, article or comment, whether it is on a social network, image hosting site, or traditional blog is irrelevant because they have become one and the same. It is possible to comment on anything as long as you are part of the network, they all have the same rules and so for this purpose we can classify most social media activity as blogging.Participatory media has become a major source of social connectivity for many people. Websites such as Facebook and Myspace as well as instant messaging and Skype have become cheaper substitutes for the humble letter or phone call, and their social merits do not end there. Far from simply keeping people together, it makes it easy to reunite with old friends and forge bonds with people that might otherwise have just been acquaintances. It serves to promote a greater understanding of our peers and their actions throughout the day.Social media also has the advantage of inadvertently exposing people to new things through their friends. Because of the self exposing nature of such sites; lists of favourite bands, films, books, artists, etc. information is publicly displayed almost as a recommendation to the viewer. A person may chose to read a book or listen to a new band because they have seen it listed on a friend’s profile. It has become the norm for creative endeavours to be self publicized on blogs and image sharing sites, a practice that leads to further exposure when friends, relatives or unknown browsers happen upon their work and do their own publicizing. Many emerging artists, writers, musicians and designers have found exposure in this way, gaining a wider audience through the use of the internet as an exhibition space. Las Angeles’ Kogi Korean Barbeque Taco truck relies entirely on social media to publicise, and inform customers of its whereabouts.  The truck parks in different locations every night, gathering crowds of up to eight hundred customers, all receiving their information from social media updates.

The internet has become such an all pervading part of our society, with people developing an almost obsessive desire, if not need to be connected and interactive. My intention is to take an in depth look at the positive and negative aspects of the society in which we are able to share information at the click of a button. I am investigating the reasons for the emergence of this cultural phenomenon and the relevance of communication technology in our lives. Is excessive information sharing a by-product of postmodern society or is it simply an expression of identity.
The area of internet communications I am focusing on includes blogging, micro-blogging, image posting, and the social networks that rely on communication and feedback to sustain popularity. Such sites include Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Fhotobucket, Blogspot, Tumblr, and many more. I believe that what people are doing on these various social media websites can always be described as blogging. Posting a photo, article or comment, whether it is on a social network, image hosting site, or traditional blog is irrelevant because they have become one and the same. It is possible to comment on anything as long as you are part of the network, they all have the same rules and so for this purpose we can classify most social media activity as blogging.
Participatory media has become a major source of social connectivity for many people. Websites such as Facebook and Myspace as well as instant messaging and Skype have become cheaper substitutes for the humble letter or phone call, and their social merits do not end there. Far from simply keeping people together, it makes it easy to reunite with old friends and forge bonds with people that might otherwise have just been acquaintances. It serves to promote a greater understanding of our peers and their actions throughout the day.
Social media also has the advantage of inadvertently exposing people to new things through their friends. Because of the self exposing nature of such sites; lists of favourite bands, films, books, artists, etc. information is publicly displayed almost as a recommendation to the viewer. A person may chose to read a book or listen to a new band because they have seen it listed on a friend’s profile. It has become the norm for creative endeavours to be self publicized on blogs and image sharing sites, a practice that leads to further exposure when friends, relatives or unknown browsers happen upon their work and do their own publicizing. Many emerging artists, writers, musicians and designers have found exposure in this way, gaining a wider audience through the use of the internet as an exhibition space. Las Angeles’ Kogi Korean Barbeque Taco truck relies entirely on social media to publicise, and inform customers of its whereabouts.  The truck parks in different locations every night, gathering crowds of up to eight hundred customers, all receiving their information from social media updates.