So what's in store for Digital Culture?

What does the future hold for digital cultures? Who really knows? We can only guess at what is going to happen. However I believe that the future for digital cultures is bright.

The number of people that the digital culture effects is massive. These people are all impacting on the way in which the digital world will evolve, with different needs, desires and expectations all impacting on the evolution of digital cultures.

One thing i can say for sure is that it will continue to play a pivotal role in our lives for a long time to come. The digital world is still in the early stages and i strongly believe there is a lot more potential for advancements in this area.

Nonetheless as i said earlier it is hard to accurately predict what the future holds. Could the digital culture turn us all into zombie like creatures, just passively soaking up information and almost brainwashed? That is probably the future that some people behold for digital cultures. Some believe that the digital world could be used against us. In an age where we frequently hear of acts of terrorism, some believe that the digital world could be target for such terrorist attacks. It seems ludicrous that perhaps a terrorist group could attack things such as military computers and put millions at risk by using the information against them.

Things like this are a possible reality, however as i said before i expect the world of digital cultures to expand, continue to create new technologies and and remain a forefront for innovation.

A time for reflection

Earlier today i sat in my room reflecting on some of the things i had learned in my digital cultures lessons. When looking back through my blog i was quite astounded, the amount of issues, complications and indeed amazing technologies that have arisen from the digital world, was sheerly amazing.

I've learned not only the technological jargon that comes with the world of digital culture, but perhaps more importantly about the society that evolves around a digital world. The impact the digital era is affecting everybody's lives, some say for better, others would argue otherwise.

One of my favourite areas that i have studied has to be virtual reality. The idea that one day you could possibly completely immerse yourself in a game, to the point where you are in control of the game with movements of your own body. Imagine in a few years time perhaps we will be wearing costumes when playing games consoles, projecting an image of yourself onto the gaming platform. Its also something that is being used for scientific research, helping train doctors and nurses and so forth (Refer to my previous blog Virtual Reality for more information), the fact that the human race is capable of creating a virtual reality astounds me.

For me however, an area that spoils digital cultures for me is the laws and restriction that come with it. Things like copyright laws, which i know play a pivotal role in the smooth running and operations of business etc. However for me the world of digital cultures, a fantastic thing which allows for the creation of new and innovative ideas. The sharing of information and artistic approach to what much of the digital culture has to offer, seems to be all derived from developing ideas. Laws like this and various offers seem to be putting a strain on people being creative. If you refer to a previous blog Copyright which i have posted, you will see how these laws are stopping the production of innovative ideas.

The world of digital cultures is extremely interesting, when you actually look closely at the effects it has on many of our lives it is truly astounding. Technologies and such like that have sprung up through the digital world are a true testimony to mankinds ability to adapt, be revolutionary and strive for a better life. The digital world is somewhat taken for granted, atleast that is true for me. Being born in 1990 i am clearly a person that was brought up in this digital era. The fact that it has always been a part of my life, means that i sometimes forget just how much i rely on it. I feel that the digital culture is something that we should all pay much more attention to.

The Long Tail Effect

Prosuming

The term "Prosuming" comes from the combination of consuming and producing. When looking at this term in connection with the media, it becomes clear how easy it is now for not only the intellectual elite, but the average joe to produce there own digital literature.

Once again the availability of digital media platforms has allowed individuals to flex their creative energies and participate in media where their views can be heard. Various media programs such as the Young Journalist Group in Vietnam (YOJO), are allowing individuals to express their opinions more and more on subjects such as politics, and gives a wider scope for issues of public awareness to be raised.

In my humble opinion prosuming can only be a good thing, allowing for a much wider scope for individuals to express their concerns, views and ideas about whatever they desire. It can be said that prosuming can give us a detailed insight into the culture and society that has boomed from the digital era.

Privacy

"In many primitive communal societies, people live openly and tolerate much greater degrees of visibility than people in modern industrialised societies" - Daniel J Solove, Understanding Privacy 2008

The statement above gives us a great picture of todays society. Its a society in which discretion, privacy and safety are at the top of the list when it comes to the needs of todays public. Privacy has always been a feature in the lives of humans, take for instance the door at the front of your house. An invention made to keep out peeking eyes or unwanted intruders from your personal space. That very same need for safety is a trait that is still embossed on todays society.

New technologies such as cameras and recording devices have allowed the general public to have an even higher sense of security about them. But how far can this technology be taken? Is this technology that was meant to keep us safe actually being used against us?

Living in the 21st Century we are used to seeing CCTV cameras dotted all over the country that are constantly monitored. When i think about my own privacy its only then that i realise that in-fact i have a lot less privacy that i actually thought. The introduction of new technologies means that our whole lives are constantly being monitored, checked and followed. Our personal details are on file all over the place and easily accessed, and its all down to the very same technologies that were supposed to make our lives safer and more private.

Identity fraud is a familiar crime within modern society, another being credit card fraud. These are crimes that are steadily rising in frequency as the advancements in technology rise. It lead me to question whether or not our lives were truly more private before major advancements in surveillance technologies etc.? Primitive societies seemed to have more privacy than we do today, this can be seen as a direct implication of having a society in which handing out personal details and suchlike over social networking sites for example is an all too frequent occurance.

As i have said in previous blogs, it is time to stop and re-evaluate the impact that we are having on our own societies.

Why study digital cultures?

Why did i choose to study digital cultures? This is a question that bounds around my head as i near the end of my first year of studying the subject. The immediate answer to that question would be; because i myself had become aware of the culture that has quickly formed out of the digital era.

Culture is an eloquent thing. Raymond Williams sums it up as having three main features as follows;

1. A general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development.
2. A particular way of life.
3. The works and practices of intellectual and especially artistic activity.

The culture that has arisen from the digital era conforms to these three points and is quite extraordinary. When taking into account that the vast majority of the worlds population regularly interacting with digital media and such like, it is easy to see how an amazing culture has arisen. Digital forms of art, poetry and philosophy are now part of our lives. The digital world is one that is forever expanding.

The digital culture is one with an extreme amount of wealth within it. Take for instance the first mobile phone. This is an example of a product created with digital technology. There are now over 3.3 billion mobile phones in the world, a number which just like the amount of money made from these products, is staggering.

Another feature of the digital culture that i found extremely interesting was the fact that there is a pure strive and dreams for even newer media. Its the fact that even though the digital world is extremely advanced, it has created a norm to strive for better. The way in which media is now so readily available through digital systems is astounding. However, new and exciting ideas are still forming from the digital culture. Take for instance virtual reality (something i wont go into in detail as i have previous blogs on it), this is a new form of immersion into a virtual world, created from ideas and concepts that steam from the digital culture.

These are just a few reasons why i have chosen to study digital cultures, its a unique culture, one affecting people the world over and is therefore an extremely pivotal part of the whole of society.

Cyberspace in the community

"Cyberspace can be seen as the new bomb, a pacific blaze that will project the imprint of our disembodied selves on the walls of eternity" - Nicole Stenger - Animator

What an amazing quote, cyberspace is being compared with a bomb. Giving to the notion that the the explosion of cyberspace is just that - explosive.

Cyberspace is one of those amazing feats of man kind. Just think about it, the world wide web, interactive gaming, virtual reality the list is endless. Its a thing that all of us are aware of as the vast majority of us interact with cyberspace in our day to day lives. The author, William Gibons describes cyberspace as the following;

"A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts...A graphical representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the non-space of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding..."

Cyberspace is now clearly embedded in the social norms that make up our society. So much so that many believe that the technology of the internet is making us a lot more social and forming a new kind of community. I can agree with this to some extent, its obvious that the internet and cyberspace as a whole has made communicating to others substantially easier. The internet is allowing interaction between people so easy that now, all you have to do to see and speak to a friend that lives on the other side of the planet, is switch on your computer.

My problem with the quote is that yes, interaction between people has become easier, but what is the off-spin from such interaction? Cyber-bullying being the main thing that springs to mind. A new form of bullying has taken over, bullying that is now even easier for one to participate in, simply because the face to face barrier is no longer there. Another problem that seems to be arising from cyberspace is that it seems to be making a false community, one that is based on nonchalant conversations, often not even via a web-cam. Could it be leading to a less personal community? What would the effects of this be? These are questions well worth a ponder over...

The open source movement

Open source:

"Free access to the source code of a program and extensive free redistribution rights for this product" - Dr Gavin Stewart 2010

Microsoft excel, power-point, word. All of these programs are used in the average joe's day to day life. However, to access these programs you have to pay a fee, sometimes a very high fee. After paying for the product you are allowed to then use the intelligence that comes with them for as long as you own them. However; i thought that when you buy something, it's yours. Yours to keep, play about with and do almost whatever you desire to do with it as it is - in essence "yours". Nonetheless if you tampered with the core intelligence of such programs, or even decide to share the product over the web with others you are in-fact committing an illegal offence. That is because these programs are protected under copyright laws, allowing the 'real' owner of the product (Bill Gates in this instance) to sue you, even though you have already purchased the product and may have deemed it "yours".

It is this exact frustrating and somewhat unfair reason that led to the birth of the open source movement...

You probably dont even realise when your using open source software. However open source software is now all around us. If you have a Facebook account you are in-fact using an open source program, inputting data, manipulating and redistributing it.

"Facebook has created the worlds most popular social networking sites with over 350million users to date on linux and open source technologies such as PHP" - Ken Hess 2009

The fact that users of such programs are now able to do almost whatever they like to it, whether it be to share it, manipulate the information and redistribute it without facing the the possibility of being fined to do so is something that has the large conglomerates such as Microsoft and Apple shaking in their boots.

Why would normal people pay for software which - ultimately - is not really there's. They are not able to redistribute the information or adapt it in anyway. So, with the introduction of free programmes, in which you can use in anyway you want without the possibility of being sued or fined for misuse of the product, many large companies are in fear for there finances.

However much of a good idea the open source movement may seem there will always be downsides of such products in the eyes of some. For instance many people are now saying that the software may have a wider impact on society as a whole. By promoting FREE distribution and manipulation of software many are saying that this removes the competition aspect of business. Also the word "free" is giving many the impression that products and software that come from the open source movement are allowing communist ideologies to creep into a capitalist society.

Can computer software and programs really have that much of an effect on society? It would seem a possible reality, as technology is ever impacting society in various ways. Just take a peek at my previous blogs, you'll see that society is very impressionable when it comes to new technologies programs and software, watch this space...

communist ideologies creeping into capitalist society?

Issues of the body

How would you like a fifth limb..? Artificially enhanced legs..? A cochlear implant perhaps? How about an implant in your brain that's capable of sending text message like information to another receiver? Far-fetched it may seem, however, ever increasing advancements in technology and technological research seem to be making such ludicrous ideas a possible reality...

The idea that; " the body is an array of sub-assemblies called organs that carry out specific functions (e.g. legs are for walking, the eyes are for seeing etc.)" To quote Dr Gavin Stewart (2010), is obviously an approach that society agrees with... It is these "sub assemblies" and the notion that the body 'parts' are replaceable however that is at the very centre of a mass debate. Do we really want artificially enhanced organs, limbs and such like? Where do we draw the line with such scientific explorations?

It is undoubtedly a 'good thing' that the human race is now capable of replacing damaged limbs , with artificial ones. Take for instance the case of heroes such as Ben Mcbean, the marine that was blown up by a Taliban land mine in Afghanistan resulting in the loss of an arm and leg. Without scientific advancements in areas such as limb replacement, Ben would never have been able to run a marathon little over two years after his horrific injuries.

However scientists are exercising their capabilities more and more, and creating ever more advanced technologies. Take for instance the Cochlear Implant.

"A cochlear implant is a small, complex electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing. The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin"

Giving a profoundly deaf person back the sense of sound is a remarkable scientific achievement for the human race. However could it be that the innate ability for humans to constantly strive for a better standard of living could in-fact lead to a world in which Frankenstein like monsters are roaming the streets. Could it be the case that society will become over obsessed with such scientific capabilities and step into a realm of creating artificial intelligence that one day could lead to the demise of our planet?

Society as we know it seems to be functioning pretty well so far. So it is my theory that we don't need to change an awful lot. The idea of scientists creating artificial intelligence is remarkable but actually quite a scary thought to me. Various questions fly around my mind when hearing the words "artificial intelligence". For instance what would happen if these so called "artificial intelligence" bodies become more and more intelligent? Could it be that a new strain disease may inadvertently arise from such research? Could this technology slip into the hands of a terrorist group, and instead of being used for the good of man kind actually be used as a weapon against us? It is questions like these that seem far-fetched, however i feel that these are possibilities that should be taken into account. Its time to stop and think, how far do we take such scientific explorations? When do we call it a day in the interests of society?

In the strive for better standards of living, ever greater scientific achievements and alike are we humans in-fact obliviously creating our own demise?

What effect is E-Government having on our privacy?

The birth of the digital era has brought about a number of staggering changes to our society, as you will know if you have had the chance to read my previous blogs. It seems that the storm of the digital area is one that the government has been extremely anxious to get involved with. When you consider how many people across the globe use the internet and various other digital forms, it is clear to see why the government would use the internet to address, contact and research the citizens of their country.

My problem with the whole idea of having an E-government is the lack of privacy that it allows the citizens of a country. With the government obtaining more and more information on its citizens online, the feel of personal privacy is lost. I found an interesting passage on Wikipedia that helps to explain my arguement:

"Increased contact between government and its citizens goes both ways. Once e-government begins to develop and become more sophisticated, citizens will be forced to interact electronically with the government on a larger scale. This could potentially lead to a lack of privacy for civilians as their government obtains more and more information on them. In a worse case scenario, with so much information being passed electronically between government and civilians, a totalitarian-like system could develop. When the government has easy access to countless information on its citizens, personal privacy is lost."

The amount of information governments now posses on their citizens is actually quite scary, from your bank details to your home address. This "hyper-surveillance" as it is known is just another term that really scares me.

Its time to stop and look at how private our lives really are, do we really have real privacy anymore? Or have the lines between privacy and regulation become somewhat distorted?