I know from past experience that armies of below-my-thresholds hasten point out that this was all covered by {insert name of science fiction writer] years ago. If anyone who actually read the book would like to discuss it, I'll be happy to participate.
Yes, OSS development shares two key characteristics with smart mobs: the OSS community engages in a form of collective action, and they use online media to communicate and coordinate. Smart Mobs specifically looks at the new kinds of social impacts afforded by the combination of mobile communication, pervasive computation, and collective action. When OSS developers start using the Net and mobile devices to coordinate their activities, they will be smart mobby.
Jenkins article was about the art and science of writing about the future in a way that would encourage discourse. I believe that we can have more influence on events if we understand the driving forces and critical uncertainties raised by the intersection of society and technology -- and if we have intelligent discussions about the implications. Anyone interested?
Thanks. Useful blog. I will check it from time to time.
Political conflict between open and closed systems
on
Smart Mobs
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· Score: 1
One theme running through the book is that disruptive technologies such as new wireless technologies that use the spectrum in new ways, peer to peer methodologies, mesh networking, and other tools and methods near and dear to Slashdotters are the site of political battles such as the Hollings Bill and Berman bill.
Are the technologically sophisticated -- such as those who read and post here -- going to attempt to influence the outcome? Because the MPAA, the RIAA, Microsoft, Time-Warner-AOL are actively lobbying regulators and legislators.
I've tried to make the stakes and the nature of these conflicts clear to people who might be interested in political change and don't know technology developments. What I wonder is how many people who understand the potential of emerging technologies are willing to engage in the political battles over control of these technologies.
I've paid my contributions to The EFF and I've submitted my public comments to the FCC and I urge other Slashdot readers to do so as well.
Re:Is this a good thing? Nigerian Miss World Riots
on
Smart Mobs
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· Score: 1
The printing press enabled self-governing nations, the institution of science, better-organized warfare. The Bible and Mein Kampf reached far larger populations than they could have reached otherwise.
Was the printing press a good thing or a bad thing? Or does the moral value lie in human agency?
Re:Interesting but hardly new.
on
Smart Mobs
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· Score: 2, Insightful
It seems that in your eagerness to display your knowledge you failed to read the actual review you are commenting on. Yes, Hiltz wrote a classic work in the field I wrote about ten years ago in a book that isn't the subject of this revie.? I doubt that Starr Roxanne Hiltz wrote about the social implications of mobile communications and pervasive computing!
Indeed Hiltz's book, and the work of her partner, Murray Turoff, is important, and of course I cited it in The Virtual Community. But again, that isn't the book under review here.
Re:Ratings
on
Smart Mobs
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· Score: 3, Informative
You can read my own summaries of the book and the chapters within it easily enough, and an ongoing blog about Smart Mobs if you don't like the review. You can also read other reviews and articles about the book
Re:If I have to hear one more thing about The Well
on
Smart Mobs
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· Score: 5, Informative
Of course, if you actually read The Virtual Community (which has been on the Web since 1994), you will see that I did write a history of the first mailing groups on ARPAnet, the Usenet, BBSs, and all of the many virtual communities that preceded the WELL. The WELL was a good story, and you really can't get a publisher to put out a history of computer mediated communication without a good story. Certainly there are things to criticize about the book, but I would recommend critics to read the book first.
Re:Wireless comms has already changed our lives
on
Smart Mobs
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· Score: 2, Informative
Perhaps you might find these links indicative of slightly more significant activities:
http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/000439.html h ttp://www.smartmobs.com/archives/000413.html#0004 13 http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/000403.html# 0004 03 http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/000383.html# 0003 83
Re:Unlikely.
on
Smart Mobs
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· Score: 4, Informative
I certainly didn't ignore the surveillance implications of emerging technologies. The final chapter, "Always-On Panopticon or Cooperation Amplifier" gets into the surveillance implications.
I believe there is a lot more to the potential for collective action in mobile communication and pervasive computing. For more on the broader implications of smart mobs:
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/rheingold/rheing ol d_print.html
I've done some thinking and research -- direct observation, experiment, and scholarly -- about this issue. The uncopyedited version of my new chapter for my ancient book, The Virtual Community, is at http://www.rheingold.com/VirtualCommunity.html
The new MIT Press edition, including the new chapter and an extensive bibliography for those who care to look at the actual social science research that has been conducted, will be available November 1. http://mitpress.mit.edu/book-home.tcl?isbn=0262681 218
The short answer -- it's easy to be glib about the subject, easy to theorize from your armchair, and easy to miss the big picture. I don't claim to have a black-and-white answer, but I do claim to have made a serious attempt to elevate the level of discourse to include the many ambiguities and shades of gray that seem to be lost in the usual "it IS community/it ISN'T community" debates.
Slashdot Mirror
>Rheingold may wish it to be so...
You might be interested in this:
http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/002611.html
Thanks, Laetus. It's refreshing to see a Slashdot comment from someone who not only read the article but got the point.
Yes, OSS development shares two key characteristics with smart mobs: the OSS community engages in a form of collective action, and they use online media to communicate and coordinate. Smart Mobs specifically looks at the new kinds of social impacts afforded by the combination of mobile communication, pervasive computation, and collective action. When OSS developers start using the Net and mobile devices to coordinate their activities, they will be smart mobby.
Jenkins article was about the art and science of writing about the future in a way that would encourage discourse. I believe that we can have more influence on events if we understand the driving forces and critical uncertainties raised by the intersection of society and technology -- and if we have intelligent discussions about the implications. Anyone interested?
Thanks. Useful blog. I will check it from time to time.
Are the technologically sophisticated -- such as those who read and post here -- going to attempt to influence the outcome? Because the MPAA, the RIAA, Microsoft, Time-Warner-AOL are actively lobbying regulators and legislators.
I've tried to make the stakes and the nature of these conflicts clear to people who might be interested in political change and don't know technology developments. What I wonder is how many people who understand the potential of emerging technologies are willing to engage in the political battles over control of these technologies.
I've paid my contributions to The EFF and I've submitted my public comments to the FCC and I urge other Slashdot readers to do so as well.
The printing press enabled self-governing nations, the institution of science, better-organized warfare. The Bible and Mein Kampf reached far larger populations than they could have reached otherwise.
Was the printing press a good thing or a bad thing? Or does the moral value lie in human agency?
I didn't say they were wise mobs.
It seems that in your eagerness to display your knowledge you failed to read the actual review you are commenting on. Yes, Hiltz wrote a classic work in the field I wrote about ten years ago in a book that isn't the subject of this revie.? I doubt that Starr Roxanne Hiltz wrote about the social implications of mobile communications and pervasive computing!
Indeed Hiltz's book, and the work of her partner, Murray Turoff, is important, and of course I cited it in The Virtual Community. But again, that isn't the book under review here.
You can read my own summaries of the book and the chapters within it easily enough, and an ongoing blog about Smart Mobs if you don't like the review. You can also read other reviews and articles about the book
Of course, if you actually read The Virtual Community (which has been on the Web since 1994), you will see that I did write a history of the first mailing groups on ARPAnet, the Usenet, BBSs, and all of the many virtual communities that preceded the WELL. The WELL was a good story, and you really can't get a publisher to put out a history of computer mediated communication without a good story. Certainly there are things to criticize about the book, but I would recommend critics to read the book first.
Perhaps you might find these links indicative of slightly more significant activities:
h ttp://www.smartmobs.com/archives/000413.html#0004 13# 0004 03# 0003 83
http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/000439.html
http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/000403.html
http://www.smartmobs.com/archives/000383.html
I certainly didn't ignore the surveillance implications of emerging technologies. The final chapter, "Always-On Panopticon or Cooperation Amplifier" gets into the surveillance implications.
I believe there is a lot more to the potential for collective action in mobile communication and pervasive computing. For more on the broader implications of smart mobs:
g ol d_print.html
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/rheingold/rhein
I've done some thinking and research -- direct observation, experiment, and scholarly -- about this issue. The uncopyedited version of my new chapter for my ancient book, The Virtual Community, is at http://www.rheingold.com/VirtualCommunity.html The new MIT Press edition, including the new chapter and an extensive bibliography for those who care to look at the actual social science research that has been conducted, will be available November 1. http://mitpress.mit.edu/book-home.tcl?isbn=0262681 218
The short answer -- it's easy to be glib about the subject, easy to theorize from your armchair, and easy to miss the big picture. I don't claim to have a black-and-white answer, but I do claim to have made a serious attempt to elevate the level of discourse to include the many ambiguities and shades of gray that seem to be lost in the usual "it IS community/it ISN'T community" debates.