For the second week of the Media in the Networked Society, we looked at digital convergence, interactivity, network-ability and the digital human. We look at the different media forms and how they were recorded, stored and transmitted in multiple different networks and infrastructure.

We looked into analogue and its limitations from when it first began and when it consisted of telephone, radio and television. Progressing from that, we moved onto how the development of digitisation has helped with the limitations of analogue. From something that had capacity limitations, passives audiences and its mass media content produced only by professionals to having an increase in functionality, high speeds and encouraged people access more materials.

When referring to our first key reading ‘Social transformation in an Information Society Rethinking Access to You and the World’, Dutton states that ‘rapid innovation in ICTs has offered ever faster and more versatile access to ever more information…’. Relating back to the development of digitisation, information has become easier to transfer and share throughout multiple platforms across multiple mediums. The audience tends to be a active member in this transaction of information as they now can seek out and obtain information specific to them.

To relate back to our seminar, we then looked at whether, in this day and age, someone could ever be offline; which after a quick discussion, was hard to come to one conclusion. Although you may not be ‘actively’ online at specific time, your online profile may be active, and sharing information. This showed how the progression in digitisation may have opened up many possibilities, it has also created a lack of privacy.

Bibliography

Dutton W. (2004). Social Transformation in an Information Society Rethinking Access to You and the World. UNESCO..pdf . UNESCO. URL(pp. 29)