As a follow up of this discussion, I wonder if anybody has got any sources to point to as to the organization of anti-war demonstrations via the internet? I could not find anything before David's first invitation to check out his Seattle demonstration pictures. Thanks in advance! Yvonne
Steve mentioned three factors that can arguably be viewed as different than media before it: relative instantaneity, its reach to so many people, its inherent "copy-ability." Yvonne Waern added two more: its ability to be easily saved (or archived) and its searchability.
i'll add a few more. 1) its still relatively decentralized nature allows for less gatekeepers and arguably a more diverse spectrum of voices and opinions. (no, i'm no cyberutopian but i do think the current information landscape is more diverse than before.) 2) unlike traditional news where we get what we're given (we can only subscribe or buy newspapers that are shipped to our town or city; we can only watch television channels that are bundled by our local providers), we can proactively access what we want (with a few caveats: we need the necessary equipment and training, we need to know the language used on the site or have access to really good translation software, and we often need to subscribe for a fee or register). 3) then there's the classic many-to-many, reader-writer aspect we've been talking about for years -- yes, many past communication technologies, including those mentioned by steve, have elements of this but what other medium has the whole shebang and is used by so many? david
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-- Yvonne Wærn, Professor em, PhD. Department of Communication Studies, Linköping University SE 581 83 Linköping