TIDES OF of connectivity and social media PROGRESS charting the rise

by george goh u097818n

In attempting to find a modern parallel answering Winstons call for a more wholesome consideration of factors pushing emergent media, a paradigm case deserving analysis would be how social media platforms rose to widespread acceptance or use.

At many stages of the development of social media, a varied set of factors drove and impeded progress, beginning with internet itself. The pioneer networks preceding the internet were developed to connect the computers of different educational and/or research institutions for the purpose of speeding up research. As it became faster, cheaper, and easier to implement, enterprise users became interested, joining forces with academics and non-profits in the race to improve connectivity, accelerating development towards a common standard, eventually giving birth to the internet as we know it. Winstons law of suppression applies here, and is seen in examples such as Chinas and North Koreas suppression of connectivity.

The intense beauty of the map of the internet; graphical testament to complexity of international factors driving the spread of connectivity. Technology alone cannot explain why we strive for connectivity. Also testament to how easy it is to invade the space of another. Inset: Magnified location of Singapores networks on the map. (from: http://www2.research.att.com/~north/news/img/ATT_Labs_InternetMap_0730_10.pdf )

Left: part of an infographic showing the different services that has sprung out of different purposes from the saturation of social connectivity Above: Just from Twitter alone, numerous sub-services has sprung up from its newfound social function and prevalence (from www.theconversationprism.com)

The force of development would not stay trapped within the saturation of organisational applications. With connectivitys prevalence, many saw the potential it had in cross-application. Cox Reviews definition of innovation, set against raw technology, is the successful exploitation of new ideas1. Just as Winston has argued, inventions alone do not drive the advancement of technology, content and media, but a certain supervening social necessity2. This newfound connectivity had potential for adaptation, and companies did so with differing goals. Microsofts .NET Messenger Service was a presence-driven real-time communication tool for enterprise users before it went public as the now-ubiquitous MSN Messenger. Corporate mail servers paved the way for consumer email, as laymen bought into the convenience, until it was socially unacceptable not to have an inbox.

Dating sites developed from the concept of commercial listings allowed individuals to find others who want to be found. LinkedIn, essentially adapting the Friendster profile listing concept back to the enterprise world, listed individuals and their resumes instead of companies. You could recommend people to others and see a persons professional connections. Subsequently, Facebook was founded for institutional purposes. Other schools and businesses subsequently bought into the benefits of connecting to alumni and colleagues. Facebook eventually overtook Friendster in terms of popularity partly due to its refinement and partly due to the fact that the in crowd were all using it; if being labeled old-fashioned didnt bother you, youre soon going to find yourself missing out on news, events and gatherings without a Facebook account.

Again, with saturation comes the desire of new applications. Teachers find it easier to coordinate interaction on Facebook compared to using the schools rigid, oft-disregarded infrastructure. Businesses find social media an easy and effective platform to reach out to customers new and old. New markets for trends spotting attract companies that earn by monitoring social media and analyzing results for others, such as Twitscoop and Socialwhois. Micro blogging sites like Twitter is the fast new newspaper, even among journalists. Political groups use social media to communicate with masses, as much due to its prevalence as it is due to its acceptance by the newer generation. We see supervening social necessity driving transitions to and from specialized application and widespread adoption. Once the cycle becomes saturated it branches into a barrage of newfound specialized applications. Social media itself is one such offshoot from the internets development. Behind the drive of profit, social factors, noble intents, again lies Winstons law of suppression of radical potential. Privacy concerns alone are enough to instigate riots and hacking against social media, let alone other factors Social media, as it is, is only part of the internets Pandoras Box. The tides of saturation and diversification will continue, only held back by our own suppression of radical potential3.

clockwise from top: NUS Division of Industrial Design -Toshiba Vertical Studios Facebook group, NUS GEK1061 Class Group, NUS Architecture Digital Fabrication studio blog, NUS Division of Industrial Design Generative Design studio blog, NUS Division of Industrial Design-Werner Aisslinger studio blog background: The unimpressive IVLE student portal

DTI, 2005. DTI Economics Paper No. 15: Creativity, Design and Business Performance. Online. United Kingdom, Department for Business Innovation & Skills, Available from: http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file13654.pdf [3 Sep 2011] 2 B. WINSTON, 1990. How are Media Born? In: J. Downing, A. Mohammadi, and A. Srebemy-Mohammadi, eds Questioning the Media: A Critical Introduction.Newbury Park: Sage Publications, pp. 10 3 B. WINSTON, 1990. How are Media Born? In: J. Downing, A. Mohammadi, and A. Srebemy-Mohammadi, eds Questioning the Media: A Critical Introduction.Newbury Park: Sage Publications, pp. 11
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References: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/the-history-and-evolution-of-social-media/ http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/history/inventednetwhy.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Internet