Chapter 34-51 mostly comprises of the topics we have covered earlier in other book. However, I came across some striking concepts about World Wide Web and how its working and life is parallel to Charles Darwin's model of evolution. The World Wide Web, just like the humans emerge, evolve, and grow, and die or become extinct. The dying and the extinct part however, depends on the success of a particular web site. Just like the humans, the web sites which fail to evolve over time or adapt to the changes, face dearth.
FaceBook is the most apt example for this. Over the years it has kept evolving not just its page layout and the design, but also has made necessary collaborations with Instagram and more recently Occulus to retain its existing user base and attract new ones. Evolution is thus the key. I guess the websites such as Google, Yahoo mail, and YouTube are not even slightly closer to how they all started. This has also been addressed in Darwin's terms as descent, modification, and selection. The descent of the website usually comprises changing the structure, modification includes changes made based on the user feedback and the response the website has garnered. And, this is how the site that undergoes all the necessary modification is selected for longer survival.
The book discusses how BlackBerry pioneered the real time readability of e-mails on phone. Here, I would like to say, even though I was not dealing with big honchos then, I was really attracted to this device and hence got one for myself. But, it only led my bosses to think that I was available to read their work mails just any time.
'Totalitarian regimes cannot exist on the Net. The Internet, in fact, is a safe-guard of democracy because it cannot be controlled by the state or the wealthy, in contrast to the press or the broadcast media. You cannot buy the internet or censor it as you can a newspaper. If freedom of the press belongs to those who own one, freedom of the Internet belongs to those who have access to a compute and can afford an account with an access provider'. (page 242). I think internet to an extent has helped us get news that are not altered or modified. In short they are not always paid advertisements of any politician party etc unlike the broadcast or newspaper news. Certain TV news stories and newspaper reports are modified to increase the ratings of the show or generate buzz among the viewers.
Yet another interesting point made in the book is, 'McLuhan used to enjoy quipping that executives drive downtown to use the telephone. Nowadays one has a lot more communication and information processing power at home, making the drive downtown even less necessary'. This is so true considering the fact that everything we want is just a click away. Whether its viewing your near ones who are in the other side of the earth, or holding meetings or conference with people in other country, or simple things like shopping without having to waste time and gas.
FaceBook is the most apt example for this. Over the years it has kept evolving not just its page layout and the design, but also has made necessary collaborations with Instagram and more recently Occulus to retain its existing user base and attract new ones. Evolution is thus the key. I guess the websites such as Google, Yahoo mail, and YouTube are not even slightly closer to how they all started. This has also been addressed in Darwin's terms as descent, modification, and selection. The descent of the website usually comprises changing the structure, modification includes changes made based on the user feedback and the response the website has garnered. And, this is how the site that undergoes all the necessary modification is selected for longer survival.
The book discusses how BlackBerry pioneered the real time readability of e-mails on phone. Here, I would like to say, even though I was not dealing with big honchos then, I was really attracted to this device and hence got one for myself. But, it only led my bosses to think that I was available to read their work mails just any time.
'Totalitarian regimes cannot exist on the Net. The Internet, in fact, is a safe-guard of democracy because it cannot be controlled by the state or the wealthy, in contrast to the press or the broadcast media. You cannot buy the internet or censor it as you can a newspaper. If freedom of the press belongs to those who own one, freedom of the Internet belongs to those who have access to a compute and can afford an account with an access provider'. (page 242). I think internet to an extent has helped us get news that are not altered or modified. In short they are not always paid advertisements of any politician party etc unlike the broadcast or newspaper news. Certain TV news stories and newspaper reports are modified to increase the ratings of the show or generate buzz among the viewers.
Yet another interesting point made in the book is, 'McLuhan used to enjoy quipping that executives drive downtown to use the telephone. Nowadays one has a lot more communication and information processing power at home, making the drive downtown even less necessary'. This is so true considering the fact that everything we want is just a click away. Whether its viewing your near ones who are in the other side of the earth, or holding meetings or conference with people in other country, or simple things like shopping without having to waste time and gas.
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