Blog

Copenhagen.


I've made the trip to Ballerup again for the second day of COST298 (my last - tomorrow I've got to travel back to Germany). We begin with Ike Picone, whose interest is in user motivations for participation in produsing the news. Ike begins by extending the produsage model to a two-dimensional structure (from production to usage, and from passive to active; 'old media' are therefore largely passive and comsumptive, while many Web media forms also remain consumptive, but are more active (passive and active could also be translated here into 'lean back' and 'lean forward', then).

Copenhagen.


The final speaker at COST298 is Peter Mechant, who draws our attention to the different modes of participation in social networking, and begins by showing a number of existing approaches to understanding these different participatory modes. Interactivity can also be divided in user-to-user, user-to-document, and user-to-system interaction, and each of these forms of interaction can be further subcategorised (e.g. can documents only be accessed, or can users add information; indeed, can document creators specify the range of interactions which they wish to allow).

Copenhagen.


Lene Sørensen is up next at COST298, presenting on user demands for the next generation of social networking sites. Social networking is a very widespread activity now, and takes place across a large number of sites; it is no longer the domain of young users or a space for private activities only. Social network users engage in creative activities, and in self-management in relation to activities.

A number of further developments (towards Web 3.0 and Web 4.0) have already been foreshadowed by various authors - but what is it that actual users are interested in? To establish answers to such questions is non-trivial; for the most part, user expectations are limited by their knowledge of what is possible using existing information technology. Developers, too, operate mainly on their best guess of what additional features users may want.

Copenhagen.


The next speaker at COST298 is Brian Simpson, who also focusses on social networking, in this case in the context of the family. This relates especially to children's rights in cyberspace, to new parenting ideologies stressing surveillance and safety, and to the boundaries of childhood. Concern and overconcern regarding child safety have led to the development of new approaches to regulating family life through increased official guidance for parents - this may change what families are, in fundamental and unexpected ways. A related problem here is the overemphasis on child safety in relation to the Internet - and this also fails to consider its effect on family relationships through the externalisation of fantasies.

Copenhagen.


The final session at COST298 today starts with Romina Cachia, and she shifts our attention to social networking. How do such sites differ from other applications? They are built around the presentation of oneself, though a public display of information, and around this users socialise and form communities. Active users are thus integrated into the production process and into bottom-up activities. This reorganises Internet geography - and what's more, these sites are mostly free and easy to use, contrary to conventional homepages.

Copenhagen.


Finally on to Selva Ersöz, who continues the Turkish theme at COST298. She notes the change in political discourse with the increasing use of the Internet - as some hope, Internet use may improve citizens' knowledge of political affairs, and enable them to participate in political processes more directly, while others fear misinformation, polarisation, and the continued domination of particular social classes.

Selva's study (during May/June 2007) examined the interactive features of four key political sites in Turkey, focussing on the question of whether they enabled better online political communication between citizens or whether they simply republished information available elsewhere. (Interactivity is divided here into user-to-user, user-to-document, and user-to-system interactivity.)

Copenhagen.


The third speaker in this session at COST298 is Funda Başaran Özdemir. Her interest is in the use of alternative news Websites in Turkey - in particular, of the labour movement site Sendika.org. Traditionally, monopolies of knowledge have determined what qualifies as knowledge and how it it disseminated; they derive their power from mastery of complexity, the control of raw media materials, and their performativity, speed, and the ability to afford high costs. Opposed to such strategic interests are tactical initiatives which insert themselves into the cracks and exploit temporary opportunities.

Copenhagen.

Next up at COST298 is Lelia Green, who shifts our interest to online participation by minors. The Net is often perceived as a risky place, but at the same time also as educational, fun, and communal - we must therefore consider what potential opportunities are cut off if the focus on risk comes to the fore.

A recent report from the US, for example, raises concerns about social networking sites; in February 2009, in fact, MySpace admitted the expulsion of 90,000 registered sex offenders during 2007-9 (out of a total number of 70 million members). EU Kids Online has similarly examined conduct, content, and contact online, and highlighted risks and challenges. In Australia, a 2007 Media and Communications in Australian Families report surveyed children aged 8-17 and their families.

Copenhagen.


The post-lunch session at COST298 kicks off with Lilia Raycheva, who notes that TV is still the most significant source of nformation in European households; they view an average of 3 hours per day, and by 2010 there will be some 120 HDTV channels. Analogue switchoff is supposed to be complete by 2012, but a number of European countries are lagging behind and may not meet that deadline. There is also a question whether current content regulations (diversity, local programming, etc.) will be able to be sustained in the new DTV environment.

Copenhagen.


And this pre-lunch session here at COST298 ends with Chantal de Gournay and Frank Thomas, who approach digital cities from a different perspective. Amongst the key issues for them are how to combine real, virtual, and social spaces, how to address local and global identities,communities, and neighbourhoods, and how to understand different modes of participation in the digital city.

Chantal highlights the possibility for a fifth screen (after TV, PC, videogames, and mobile phones) as urban spaces become augmented realities through the introduction of digital screens that allow both more traditional forms of broadcasting and new forms of 'egocasting', perhaps in response to people in the vicinity. This ubiquitous paradigm creates the 'seamless city', in which real and virtual life merge and different times and spaces blend into one. Potentially, in such spaces, everywhere is nowhere, and there is no sense of the here and now.