Weeks 1 and 2 Class and Reading Reflection

Week one’s reading, New Media as Cultural Technologies by Terry Flew, discussed the development of new media and its relationship with technology and culture. It elaborated on the three levels at which technology can be understood as discussed in the lecture; common sense, contextual and systems of knowledge. I think the discussed levels of technology are important because they highlight the intersection of cultures and communication, which are important issues in KCB295. The other reading, Antipodean Internet: Placing Australian Networks by Gerard Goggin, discussed the concept of the Internet being national. It introduced the question of whether there is an Australia Internet within the global age and what that means. I think that as there are communities online that are socially shaped the Internet can be culturally shaped. I think the issue of the Internet taking different forms in different local, national, regional and global contexts is interesting.

Week two’s reading, What is a Weblog? by Rebecca Blood, described what a blog is, its history and provided a basic foundation for blogging. The most interesting thing I found in this reading said, “Webloggers understand that people will regularly visit any website that reliably provides them with worthwhile content, even when that content is on another site. As counterintuitive as it may seem from an old-media perspective, weblogs attract regular readers precisely because they regularly point readers away.” I liked this because it contrasts old and new media. The other reading, Cyberculture in the Dotcom Age by Geert Lovink took a rather critical and slightly cynical approach towards the Internet and cyberculture. It raised an interesting issue concerning improper use of open forums and communities leading to mailing lists and forums becoming password protected because “no one wants to discuss sophisticated concepts with all the wierdos surfing the web” – snobbery?

The first lab session showed me how to send an email to my entire class, start a blog, blogrolling and posting to the class discussion. Emailing techniques, blogging, networking and online discussions are all techniques that could be important for me to use for other studies and work. Although it was a basic introduction they are important skills to maintain especially in terms of blogging. In my future professional practice or research it may be necessary for me to establish and maintain a blog for a more significant purpose.