Outside the Box

The computer started as a workhorse, but since has evolved into a hybrid of workhorse, entertainment, communication device, etc. The possibilities are endless and growing. None of this would be possible with the user. The user of anything always seems to find alternative methods to using something other than its original use or non-users will find alternative uses to a given product. The computer and other technologies are no different. Computers have become a product where almost everyone in the world is a stakeholder with their own needs and uses individually, but all working as collective to improve, change, and recreate its uses.

Larry Lessig has a concept of “open.” He defines this term as no effective control and it relates to computers and technologies relating to interaction design. If he can say Facebook is essentially not open, then I will talk about something even more restricted to show everything has potential for openness. Having the concept of Twitter in mind which is an incredibly controlled idea, one can realize everything is essentially open. Users of Twitter have found work-arounds to their 140 character only limit. 140 characters means pictures, videos, and compressing thoughts into 140 characters. Companies almost immediately popped up for Tweeters to host pictures and videos bypassing Twitters control over this word only means of communication. It gave Twitter users more control over Twitter and gave a means of not only worded communication, but visual communication as well. Of course, there still is control over how Twitter functions making is not open, but people find ways around control making things less closed. Twitter also has a function called hash tags. This is a way for people to communicate about a topic to make it easily searchable for others, essentially networking.

Social networks are the now big thing. There are many variations of these and all do different functions. Shirky told a story that was a little scary, but also pretty amazing and would not be possible without social networking. Shirky met a friend of a friend at a bar without ever meeting him before because of a site called dodgeball. The friend’s picture was even sent to Shirky’s phone. This relates to the ladders of social tools; sharing, cooperation, and collective action. Social tools are generally used for the greater good, but what if someone has ulterior motives for using them?

Uses for functions on a computer get locked-in according to Lanier. I’m going to have to agree mostly. He kept referring to the MIDI and creating music digitally. The use of MIDI for creation of music may not come with human expression like an instrument played by a human has, but it does definitely have expression. One can feel what the creator was feeling when they were creating the piece. It is fast or slow? It is major or minor? Expression comes through, just a bit differently.

All of this user-friendly software and open freedom of expression is shrinking the world. It is making everything more accessible and can turn anyone into a community organizer. Thinking of it that way with the very large idea of Millennium Project its Millennium Development Goals, people can tackle these goals even if it is just a concept from part of one locally. The organizer can use Facebook as a jump-off for involvement. This involvement can grow through friend of a friend networking. Along with getting involvement through networking, a blog can be started to show others what is being done and might inspire others.