[iDC] Re: iDC Digest, Vol 30, Issue 26

[Palo Fabuš]

Hi, John

I like your point and would like to offer a humble elaboration.

The conditions of gaining and disposing of social power in social
media is necessarily confined in the same way instant messaging is
limited in comparison with face-to-face communication. The means of
enculturation in the environment of social media thus naturally yield
hyperbolization and exaggeration. Just like the communication through
instant messaging adopted the use of de iure strong acronyms like LOL
and ROFLMAO.

The clash of old paradigm (with it's meaning of "friend") and
conditions of new environment in the "plane of reference" is a source
of a notion of absurdity (2500 friends!!) and a culture shock in
general. So it is not an issue to find a solution for but a new
constellation of signifiers and signified's to get used to. The
meaning of "friend" is just becoming more complex.


-- 
Palo Fabuš
palofabus.net

> Message: 5
> Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 23:46:58 -0700
> From: John Hopkins <jhopkins at neoscenes.net>
> Subject: [iDC] Re: A critique of sociable web media
> To: <idc at bbs.thing.net>
> Message-ID: <p06230902c24c4e85cd2e@[172.16.0.19]>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed"

(...)

>
> Let's promote some fundamental understanding on how these systems
> (read: ANY social infrastructure that is a result of collective
> concentration of resources) drain the energy of participants in order
> to concentrate power, and how we can prevent that drain from our
> human-to-human connections (prevention lies in the determination of
> pathways BY THE individuals involved).  Now it might be that some
> socio-technical infrastructure might offer the individuals a pathway
> which they are happy to use, but in the vast majority of cases, the
> socio-technical infrastructure is imposed virtually without choice on
> anyone who happens to be nominally participating in the social
> system.  Participation and the consequent adaption to the normative
> is required to be a part of the social system to begin with.  Lack of
> adaption is either passively or actively punished.  Adaption/Adoption
> is rewarded -- why would anyone want 2500 friends -- except to have
> the pride of social power and position.  In a social system that
> values pride, power, influence, and visual appearance, what young
> person would risk punishment to forge an existence outside of that?
>
> so it goes.
>
> Cheers,
> jh
>
>
>
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> End of iDC Digest, Vol 30, Issue 26
> ***********************************
>