Politics and Technology of Control: Introduction - Revision history

Andy at 17:58, 18 March 2015

2015-03-18T17:58:37Z

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	Reflect on what you believe are the most significant social, cultural, political or economic changes associated with the spread of the Internet and digital technologies. In a few sentences, please offer 2-3 examples in the [[#Class Discussion\|Class Discussion]] section below and be prepared to discuss them during class.		Reflect on what you believe are the most significant social, cultural, political or economic changes associated with the spread of the Internet and digital technologies. In a few sentences, please offer 2-3 examples in the [[#Class Discussion\|Class Discussion]] section below and be prepared to discuss them during class.

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	== Readings/Watchings ==		== Readings/Watchings ==

Chanel Rion: /* Class Discussion */

2015-03-02T22:59:16Z

Class Discussion

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	[[User:Chanel Rion\|Chanel Rion]] ([[User talk:Chanel Rion\|talk]]) 17:57, 2 March 2015 (EST)		[[User:Chanel Rion\|Chanel Rion]] ([[User talk:Chanel Rion\|talk]]) 17:57, 2 March 2015 (EST)

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Chanel Rion: /* Class Discussion */

2015-03-02T22:57:56Z

Class Discussion

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	Brafman and Beckstrom’s “The Starfish and the Spider” is a book about leaderless organizations and their power. They use the Internet as prime example of the omnipotent “Starfish” – a headless creature that moves and lives and in a way, cannot be destroyed. One limb moves and the others follow. Cut a limb and another grows in its place. It has no “brain” it has no “leader” – every piece of itself is self-reliant, self-initiated, yet entirely synchronized. Brafman and Beckstrom compare the starfish with the “Spider – a system of governing people in which there is a clear “head” and there are legs and a body. If the head (president, leader) is cut off the whole thing dies. The Internet has no head (unless we want to get technical here and argue that literal energy is the “head” but technicalities aside...). The Internet is all-powerful while having no single source of its power – if Google dies tomorrow, Yahoo will take its place.		Brafman and Beckstrom’s “The Starfish and the Spider” is a book about leaderless organizations and their power. They use the Internet as prime example of the omnipotent “Starfish” – a headless creature that moves and lives and in a way, cannot be destroyed. One limb moves and the others follow. Cut a limb and another grows in its place. It has no “brain” it has no “leader” – every piece of itself is self-reliant, self-initiated, yet entirely synchronized. Brafman and Beckstrom compare the starfish with the “Spider – a system of governing people in which there is a clear “head” and there are legs and a body. If the head (president, leader) is cut off the whole thing dies. The Internet has no head (unless we want to get technical here and argue that literal energy is the “head” but technicalities aside...). The Internet is all-powerful while having no single source of its power – if Google dies tomorrow, Yahoo will take its place.

	This has powerful implications in our understanding of politics. In our understanding of power. From Twitter-feeds to start a revolution (Arab Spring and Egypt) to the rise of the viral video to satirize and ridicule the previously fearful or the potentially powerful and render them powerless – literally laughing leaders off the political stage. The Internet has become the world’s newest, headless dictator. It is the first dictator without a head but with a body that is all dictator.		This has powerful implications in our understanding of politics. In our understanding of power. From Twitter-feeds to start a revolution (Arab Spring and Egypt) to the rise of the viral video to satirize and ridicule the previously fearful or the potentially powerful and render them powerless – literally laughing leaders off the political stage. The Internet has become the world’s newest, headless dictator. It is the first dictator without a head but with a body that is all dictator.

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			[[User:Chanel Rion\|Chanel Rion]] ([[User talk:Chanel Rion\|talk]]) 17:57, 2 March 2015 (EST)

Rpeisch: /* Class Discussion */

2015-02-24T19:25:31Z

Class Discussion

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	Sorry for the late comment		Sorry for the late comment but if a computer in teh U.S. violates French law does it mean that the user in the U.S. should comply with the French court order to shut it down?

	[[User:Rpeisch\|Rpeisch]] ([[User talk:Rpeisch\|talk]]) 13:47, 24 February 2015 (EST)		[[User:Rpeisch\|Rpeisch]] ([[User talk:Rpeisch\|talk]]) 13:47, 24 February 2015 (EST)

Rpeisch: /* Class Discussion */

2015-02-24T18:48:36Z

Class Discussion

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	~~test~~		Sorry for the late comment
	[[User:Rpeisch\|Rpeisch]] ([[User talk:Rpeisch\|talk]]) 13:47, 24 February 2015 (EST)		[[User:Rpeisch\|Rpeisch]] ([[User talk:Rpeisch\|talk]]) 13:47, 24 February 2015 (EST)

Rpeisch: /* Class Discussion */

2015-02-24T18:47:52Z

Class Discussion

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	We are barely scraping the surface of what the Internet has to offer, in all aspects of life. The rapid flow of data is what makes the human brain function, after all, and the Internet looks more and more like a neural network every day. The possibilities the future hold are endless. [[User:Batjarks\|Batjarks]] ([[User talk:Batjarks\|talk]]) 21:35, 4 February 2015 (EST)		We are barely scraping the surface of what the Internet has to offer, in all aspects of life. The rapid flow of data is what makes the human brain function, after all, and the Internet looks more and more like a neural network every day. The possibilities the future hold are endless. [[User:Batjarks\|Batjarks]] ([[User talk:Batjarks\|talk]]) 21:35, 4 February 2015 (EST)

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			test
			[[User:Rpeisch\|Rpeisch]] ([[User talk:Rpeisch\|talk]]) 13:47, 24 February 2015 (EST)

Caelum: /* Class Discussion */

2015-02-16T10:02:53Z

Class Discussion

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	I think the greatest economic change (since I'm in finance) that occurred due to the internet is that things became very efficient. We're talking about transparency efficiency and the availability of information that was not previously available. We have lower spreads in stocks, and quicker executions. Trading volume went up, and it's easier for the little guy to be part of the market. This meant that economic indicators could also be reflected instantaneously. In general, the way the world seems to have developed is to make things more efficient. We went from a lack of efficiency during paleolithic humans till now. The invention of spears for hunting, or fire for cooking. Wool for warmth, shelter for protection. Efficiency has dictated whether we humans will advance as a civilization or not. The boom of the internet has increased our efficiency tremendously and sets the stage for the next step in inventions.		I think the greatest economic change (since I'm in finance) that occurred due to the internet is that things became very efficient. We're talking about transparency efficiency and the availability of information that was not previously available. We have lower spreads in stocks, and quicker executions. Trading volume went up, and it's easier for the little guy to be part of the market. This meant that economic indicators could also be reflected instantaneously. In general, the way the world seems to have developed is to make things more efficient. We went from a lack of efficiency during paleolithic humans till now. The invention of spears for hunting, or fire for cooking. Wool for warmth, shelter for protection. Efficiency has dictated whether we humans will advance as a civilization or not. The boom of the internet has increased our efficiency tremendously and sets the stage for the next step in inventions.
			[[User:Caelum\|Caelum]] ([[User talk:Caelum\|talk]]) 05:02, 16 February 2015 (EST)

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Caelum: /* Class Discussion */

2015-02-16T10:00:54Z

Class Discussion

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	[[User:Mishal R. Kennedy\|Mishal R. Kennedy]] ([[User talk:Mishal R. Kennedy\|talk]]) 12:38PM, 3 February 2015 (EST)		[[User:Mishal R. Kennedy\|Mishal R. Kennedy]] ([[User talk:Mishal R. Kennedy\|talk]]) 12:38PM, 3 February 2015 (EST)


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			I think the greatest economic change (since I'm in finance) that occurred due to the internet is that things became very efficient. We're talking about transparency efficiency and the availability of information that was not previously available. We have lower spreads in stocks, and quicker executions. Trading volume went up, and it's easier for the little guy to be part of the market. This meant that economic indicators could also be reflected instantaneously. In general, the way the world seems to have developed is to make things more efficient. We went from a lack of efficiency during paleolithic humans till now. The invention of spears for hunting, or fire for cooking. Wool for warmth, shelter for protection. Efficiency has dictated whether we humans will advance as a civilization or not. The boom of the internet has increased our efficiency tremendously and sets the stage for the next step in inventions.

Andy at 14:33, 10 February 2015

2015-02-10T14:33:31Z

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	{{ClassCalendar}}		{{ClassCalendar}}
	'''January 27'''		'''January 27'''

			'''''Class was cancelled on this day due to snow. Please see the class video for day 2 for the discussion of this material.'''''

	The Internet at its core is simply an expression of a technological protocol that allows for a particular way of sharing information. But its role has never been this understated. The Internet has great potential for “good” (e.g. innovation, economic growth, education, and access to information), and likewise is a great platform for the bawdy, tawdry and illegal. So is this platform about fundamental social, political and economic change, or about access to solipsistic blogging, pornography, cheap pharmaceuticals, free music, and poker at home? This question leads us to a host of interesting issues that weave their way through the course related to openness, access, regulatory control, free speech, anonymity, intellectual property rights, democracy, transparency, norms and values, economic and cultural change, and cyber- terrorism, as well as scamsters and thieves.		The Internet at its core is simply an expression of a technological protocol that allows for a particular way of sharing information. But its role has never been this understated. The Internet has great potential for “good” (e.g. innovation, economic growth, education, and access to information), and likewise is a great platform for the bawdy, tawdry and illegal. So is this platform about fundamental social, political and economic change, or about access to solipsistic blogging, pornography, cheap pharmaceuticals, free music, and poker at home? This question leads us to a host of interesting issues that weave their way through the course related to openness, access, regulatory control, free speech, anonymity, intellectual property rights, democracy, transparency, norms and values, economic and cultural change, and cyber- terrorism, as well as scamsters and thieves.

Batjarks: /* Class Discussion */

2015-02-05T02:35:09Z

Class Discussion

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	As a young person who has grown up with the internet I have witnessed first-hand how powerful and life-altering the internet and digital technologies have become. Some of my friends have built their lives around the internet. For example, one of my friends is a filmmaker and a musician and he started using the internet as an avenue to pursue his interests as a child. Before he even turned 18, he was already generating a significant income from selling his music and becoming one of the first YouTube partners. Today, one of his YouTube videos has more than 180,000,000 hits and he has 410,701 subscribers. Clearly, he is not alone in his pursuits. He is just one of a vast number of people in the world who have experienced significant economic success from the internet. More recently, it came to light in both the mainstream news and internet media that YouTube user, DisneyCollectorBR’s estimated income after YouTube’s 45% cut was $5.06 Million this year and the only thing she does is post videos of herself, without showing her face, unboxing Disney toys. Now, that’s what I call a significant economic gain.		As a young person who has grown up with the internet I have witnessed first-hand how powerful and life-altering the internet and digital technologies have become. Some of my friends have built their lives around the internet. For example, one of my friends is a filmmaker and a musician and he started using the internet as an avenue to pursue his interests as a child. Before he even turned 18, he was already generating a significant income from selling his music and becoming one of the first YouTube partners. Today, one of his YouTube videos has more than 180,000,000 hits and he has 410,701 subscribers. Clearly, he is not alone in his pursuits. He is just one of a vast number of people in the world who have experienced significant economic success from the internet. More recently, it came to light in both the mainstream news and internet media that YouTube user, DisneyCollectorBR’s estimated income after YouTube’s 45% cut was $5.06 Million this year and the only thing she does is post videos of herself, without showing her face, unboxing Disney toys. Now, that’s what I call a significant economic gain.
	[[User:EmiMac\|EmiMac]] ([[User talk:EmiMac\|talk]]) 14:21, 4 February 2015 (EST)		[[User:EmiMac\|EmiMac]] ([[User talk:EmiMac\|talk]]) 14:21, 4 February 2015 (EST)

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			The Internet has shaped our world and culture in many ways. Our social circles are closer than they have ever been thanks to tools such as Facebook and texting, yet they are strangely distant as well -- no longer do people stop by to say "hi" or see how you're doing, they can just see it on Facebook! The "Internet culture" has spread far and wide, and memes are commonplace in everyday society now. One was even featured in a super bowl commercial! Politically, it's still just as easy to be spoonfed whatever you choose to believe in, but all the arguments from everyone's side are available for easy viewing on the Internet -- if you know where to find them. Also, electronic voting machines are incredibly commonplace, and the vulnerabilities reported in them should make anyone worry. Perhaps the most significant area of interest, however, is the economic impact of the Internet. The ability to buy and sell goods from the comfort of your home should not be understated, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Two thirds of all US searches are done through Google, and their targeted advertising makes them billions of dollars. Delivering goods virtually is also a huge market right now - Netflix and Steam are booming, while Blockbuster and Gamestop are busting. There are even virtual currencies now, and Bitcoin has a wide reach. Restaurants in major cities all over the country are beginning to accept Bitcoins!

			We are barely scraping the surface of what the Internet has to offer, in all aspects of life. The rapid flow of data is what makes the human brain function, after all, and the Internet looks more and more like a neural network every day. The possibilities the future hold are endless. [[User:Batjarks\|Batjarks]] ([[User talk:Batjarks\|talk]]) 21:35, 4 February 2015 (EST)