Just a place to start recognizing and discussing connections.
After Spring Break, we had a significant discussion as a class about the role of the
Questions and Wiki assignments. My summary of that "debate" is linked
here (bboessen).
Information Marxism (?) -- This might be a good term to describe what Kaiti is bringing up in her comment below (it also may be the first time I've ever seen a
page respond to a
comment and not the other way around).
Marxism describes a set of theoretical and critical tools first used by Karl Marx to oppose Russian government policies in the 19th Century and encourage revolution. His work is often used today to critique practices of capitalism by a variety of scholars and critics, often drawing on the work of later Marxist theorists, including Louis Althusser and Antonio Gramsci.
Kaiti suggests that the multiplication of information brings with it a multiplication of information processing chores, often imposed on the working class by their employers. This "information oppression" as we might call it can be seen as yet another tool for keeping the working class from realizing both the extent of their oppression and their own power to bring about change (through Revolution, Marx would argue).
This is a provocative linkage between theories of new media and older theories of power, and one I invite others to comment on here.
--bboessen, 15 Feb 07
Connectivity and Interaction- plays a huge role in technology today. Probably does not relate to much of what Brett said above, but can contribute to the "connections" page. I think connections, in todays world, live better through technology. As for me personally, my best way to cnnect and interact with others are through online forums. I think things such as forums are way underestimated. They actually have a huge impact on debatable arguments. You can almost always get answers back to questions or concerns within the same day. The coolest thing is that they can be on the other side of the country. You always have the luxury of a diverse audience.
(rsororian)