What does this mean for the "digitally disenfranchised" - well isn't it their right to veg out too? Should they not have *their* mind-numbing nonsense? Should *they* be able not participate in the numbing of culture also?
Oli
------------- Oliver Moran, Digital Media Centre, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Abeles" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "The Digital Divide Network discussion group" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2005 6:02 PM
Subject: Re: [DDN] RSS: The Next ICT Literacy Challenge?
This thread puzzles me from a number of perspectives. First, RSS while a powerful aggregating search tool is still mapping brick space into click space, the same as what we are currently doing with e-learning using the standard Learning Management Systems and their variances. It has, as has been carefully and repeatedly noted, the propensity for overwhelming the individual and, as some have mentioned regarding the developing world, chewing up costly bandwidth. What this list, in its pragmatic, tip-of-the-iceberg, manner shows is that self-organizing networks of human biocomputers probably is a more effective learning/sorting and aggregating vehicle. The corporate world, as Knowledge Management clearly shows, has embraced these self-organizing communities and have developed a variety of web deliverable vehicles for enhancing these. Wiki's offer a peek at the possibilities as do blogs.
Second there has been a side thread about the indifference of "youth" to using these knowledge systems and becoming committed to more than vegging out in front of the telly after classes. Let us dismiss the idea that this is the older generation just upset with the profligate ways of today's young folk. Perhaps one needs to look at the "gaming" community" to see that there is life and hope, particularly if one follows the MMRPG world (Massive Multiplayer Role Playing Games) where networks of participants engage each other at levels far expanded from the action on the screen. And one can not overlook the efforts now with the domain of "serious" games which are a much wider genre than just those used by the military or tech folk to check out systems.
What one might just be seeing is a "bifurcation" impacted by the arrival of the web and big pipes. What this means for the digitally disenfranchised may not imply just wiring the world and putting a computer in the hands of all. That would be falling into the same trap that concerns me (see above).
thoughts?
tom abeles
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