CCT 205: Digital Innovation and Cultural Transformation Lecture 6: Network Society

Administrivia Feedback done - final concept mashup extended until Friday the 16th

Rise of networked society Postmodernist challenges to modern order caused changes (e.g., ecology, civil rights, feminism as movements) State and capital roles changed (juggling of jurisdiction but also role of transnational capitalism) Information technology and Internet as dominant medium - allows for and encourages particular social order

Information economy Switch from raw materials and their formation to information/services Changes notable - e.g., changes in blue-collar factory jobs (number, organization and skill levels required)

Globalization Just in time production on global scale (e.g., code outsourcing in programming - 24/7 development cycles) Global competition for information skills Rise of Asia in global information market - why? Who is left behind?

Change in employment Flexible work schedules and roles Multiple careers expected Multiculturalism and diversity important Contracting and outsourcing, but also more livable work schedules (e.g., those taking 4-day work weeks due to family or other reasons) Retirement as a concept?

Valued skills Employees/contractors as self-managed and self-directed - but also on their own Those without individualized knowledge and skills left without much protection in poorer jobs (e.g., Wal-mart and unionization efforts) Creativity plays a key role (Pink) Sharing of innovations collectively important (Wikinomics, and OL/KM)

Virtuality and Globalizaton We are immediately in touch with many places in the world Gatekeepers find it harder to control information (e.g., Saddam hanging video; pictures of Abu Ghraib torture) Our local environments are foreign - we can have better content in specific functional, ethnic, interest groups globally than we can with our neighbours and co-workers

Divisions at Local Level Cities are strained with centralized funding models to cope with debt issues but increased demands for local services Cities expand unevenly, creating pockets of poverty American vs. rest of world models - “inner-city” issues are suburban in many places (e.g., Toronto crime rates; Parisian riots)

Political impact Initially - politics and media are synonmized - politicians and political programs become little more than product to sell Increasingly - use of the Net to create new social movements aligned with product that can be successful (e.g., Dean 2004 campaign, current 2008 candidate and Liberal leadership campaign examples)

Time and Reality Time commodified and reduced to essential units - seconds now worth something, but decades perhaps less so Space - increased mastery, but leaving us in a precarious position to play God and do it right (e.g., genetic engineering and cracking the human genome, ecological balance)

Learning Journal #3 In this emerging network society, how do you plan to situate yourself so you become and/or remain relevant? What challenges do you expect to face?

Next Week Reading week - week following will be start of flash learning object work Labs tonight: a quick foreshadow to learning object assignment (starting in earnest after break) plus mashup assistance