Monday, October 19, 2009
Imagine.....
Here’s something to think about…What if the media implications discussed in Clay Shirkey’s talk had been available during the settlement of Roanoke? What if while the settlers were associating with the Indians, teens were Facebooking about new love and the fact that their parents were moving into the surrounding Indian villages? Then, their families back in England could have maintained contact with them and even saw pictures of new Indian relatives. Women might have tweeted of how their new Indian mother-in-laws were overbearing, while men tweeted about life on the land. In the case of starvation, tweets could have been posted on Twitter or placed directly on the Monarchy’s website to send food immediately.
On the other hand, if the settlers had been massacred by the Indians, live video feeds could have been up loaded by cell phones giving ships from England the chance to maybe come to the rescue. The original Roanoke settlement might still be thriving now if today’s media had been around in the sixteenth century?
It’s scary to think of how life would be different today if immediate, global media had existed throughout history. Do you think having the advantage of today’s media will further generate a better world or will it make a difference at all?
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It is interesting you mention this, I was thinking about Roanoke in light of the lessons about Jamestown today. I think there were assimilated into the surrounding Native American tribes versus massacre.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea- if Roanoke had access to social networking technology we might at least know what happened to them.
ReplyDeleteI think today's media has already made a difference. In general, I think this difference is for the better. Our access to people, products, and ideas is reaching new heights, and the possibilities for sharing ideas and creative collaboration are endless.
If today's media allows us to be informed, to see what is going on in the world, and identify problems that need solving, then people can work to generate a better world. Unfortunately, some people use technology to the detriment of others, but I like to think that the good guys outnumber the bad guys :)
You know, it would be like us to watch and video tape everything on our phones instead of trying to help them out. But in response to your question, I agree with Angie in the fact that the media has already changed so much of what we do and how we do it. A few years ago we were waiting to get our news from the morning TV shows or newspapers. Now we get breaking news on Twitter. How did most of our generation find out about the balloon kid? I found out by a Facebook status. Soon all of our news will be officially released on Twitter and other social networking sites. I think this is a good thing because then anyone from all over the world can post breaking news and the world will know without having to go through media outlets.
ReplyDeleteI really like this idea! Since it has stumped people for centuries, exploring what would have happened at Roanoke if social technologies has existed is very interesting. I think that is is interesting that you pointed out that people would capture live feed of an Indian attack. The number of videos on the interest that showcase violence is alarming. What does it say about our society that we won't step in to stop violence from occurring, but we record it on a video phone and upload it to the internet?
ReplyDeleteI think the global media we have available today will definitely eventually result in a better world. We've already seen how social networking has allowed us to see the oppressive governments, like in Pakistan, cannot successfully filter everything that comes out through the Internet. However, I do believe it will take time because of the lack of availability of internet for certain classes and countries throughout the world.
ReplyDeleteI really do think technologies that connect the globe make a better world. Human beings are social creatures and cannot live healthy lives in isolation. Connecting the world through information is the most advanced thing we've ever done for ourselves as a species and I think its the most intelligent thing we've done yet. Widening the number of players in the great social game is the best way to minimize error and promote general welfare.
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