This weeks blog comes from an excerpt from a reading we had in class on Wikinomics. To begin to talk about Wikinomic i think we first have to understand how we have changed as a society. In today's society we see a lot of people who are consumers become the producer through sharing their ideas with not only each other but the corporations and businesses who create the product. With ordinary people and firms linking up to drive innovation and success in new imaginative ways, we have come to a place where Businesses, Firms, and other Corporations have had to set new competitive principles also known as Wikinomics. These new principles help the organizations connect and share with their consumers like never before. (This video is one example of a company names Cener Health it shows how it uses the ideas from Wikinomics to advance their corporation)
Principles Of Wikinomics
With Billions of connected individuals actively participating in Innovation, Wealth Creation, and Social Development in ways we have never thought of, it is not uncommon to see firms incorporating these changes in their own companies. Before doing so four main principles need to be followed, and these are the same ones that give Wikinmoics an advantage in my eyes over other collaboration ideas. Being Open, Peering, Sharing, and Acting Global are all principles that in the last 5 years personally i have seen companies begin to incorporate into their businesses.
In the past businesses would use their own personal website to get information to their customers as well as any feedback that they might receive, but in today's society with the masses of people collaborating to innovate old ideas and create new ones we see these companies using web-based communities. These communities such as Twitter, Facebook, or Yelp are now being used more than ever by companies who know, that using Wikinomics is the new way to innovation. Companies now have the Facebook, and Twitter Logo's right at the end of their commercial. With companies being able to bounce ideas back and forth with consumers who collaborate with each other as-well, one question that is still left unanswered is, does Wikinomics show Promise or Peril?
Personally i think this show's more promise than ever before, with companies, and their consumer being able to interact and create the possibilities to change and advance the Arts, Culture, Science, Education, Government, and even the Economy. They say that "It Takes A Village to Raise a Child" well going on that note i think that "It takes Millions to Create Innovation".
Before i go into talking about video games, which is a topic that personally i can talk about for hours and hours, i wanted to show you guys a quick video on the "Evolution of Gaming"
In chapter 5 of our Digital Cultures book by Glen Creeber, he begins to talk about Video Games, their platforms, programmes and players. According to Creeber the "video" in "video game" refers to a "display device" using a bitmap or a digital image. Since i have been born in the late 80's video game platforms have changed from the very first Nintendo NES which had games such as Super Mario Bros., Mike Tyson's Punch Out, and The Legend of Zelda.
Super Mario Bros. 1985
Today because of all the new technology our video games platforms have some of the most advance devices out there. Nintendo's, Nintendo Wii is also at the top of these new platforms. Re-vamping older games like Super Mario Bros. into Super Mario Brothers Wii. The way kids are able to play and interact with their friends through these games have completely changed in the last 20 years, and i believe that this is mainly because of the platforms that are available. Early games platforms like the Nintendo NES only allowed two people to play on the same screen. Today 4 people can play on the Nintendo Wii at once and also connect with an online network that allows them to play with even more friends.
With all the new game platforms the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3, and X-box 360, there has to be a change in the "gamer". With older platforms only allowing a certain set of games to be played, and with "gamers" new demands on programmers to create new and exciting technology for video games I did some research on new video game platforms. One that i found was for the Battlefield 3 which is a new video game on the Playstion 3 and X-box 360. This new video game platform may be the way the video games will be going in the future.
This chapter of Alone Together by Sherry Turkle is one of the most interesting to me by far. In this chapter we are introduced to two women who went to college together Robin and Joanne. After college Joanne's dissertation research took her to Thailand were she only had email access. Joanne would send detailed email messages to Robin during her time in Thailand, her second time in Thailand on a new project she posted a biweekly journal on Facebook. In today's society many people relive life events on Social Networks, through online albums, and even video blogs. Robin said she was " jealous of all of the other readers." Robin and Joanne lost that personal connection that an detailed email gave them. The thought that even kids think the same thing was one that was new to me. I think that the name of the chapter says it all.
"The Nostalgia of the Young"
Its not uncommon to receive a funny text or email like this one from a friend, someone at work, or a sibling. Children as young as 8 and 9 receive and send text messages just as much as there parents do. So when this chapter talked about kids wanting to go back to the time "before texting". Brad a senior we were introduced to in this chapter said "digital life cheats people out of learning how to read a persons face" He says "online life inhibits authenticity." With technology today i would have to disagree with those quotes. Here is an apple ad for the iPhone 4s where a teenager goes from not knowing how to play the guitar to completely changing his personality by using Siri.
This not only goes to show how technology can change someone but also how we always are connected to technology. Another person we met in this chapter was Robin as 26 year old ad agent worker. Her job demands that she has access to her Blackberry to stay in touch all the time. She says that "If I'm not in touch, I feel dizzy, as though something is wrong, something terrible is wrong.". Is this because we have become so dependent on technology to get out of out bad situations, find out where we are, or remind us to go back to a certain place?
With all the new things that technology has to offer i think personally that it is the technology that is ultimately starting the role reversal that is being displayed in this chapter. Now kids are trying to get their parents away from the devices but it is so difficult because these devices are so apart of our everyday life. I do think that we live in a different life where technology connects us even if were right next to each other, and i think that it will be hard to go back to a time "before texting". Where we mailed each other letter and detailed emails only because it is so easier and accessible to send things online.
