CRDM 701

Week 10--Jayna

I'll start of like Nick usually does--with a quote: ?We are entering an era of electronically extended bodies living at the intersection points of the physical and virtual worlds?? (Adams, p. 88). That one quote could perpetuate hours of conversation among us (perhaps it already has!).

And, I must include this ANALOGY?communication system: communicators :: place: inhabitants (Adams, p. 89) (yay!)

Adams ?nodes? and ?links? used to create topologies of communication can be likened to James Grunig?s public relations research on excellent communication. Grunig addresses the one-way, two-way asymmetrical, and two-way symmetrical views of communication.  Two-way symmetrical efforts are most effective and beneficial to the parties involved, according to his discoveries. (Grunig, Excellence in Public Relations and Communication Management, 1992)  I was surprised that I didn?t see Grunig in the reference list of 1998 Adams piece, and would be curious to see if there are references in the 2005 book.  Symmetrical (using research to manage conflict and improve understanding) and Asymmetrical (using research to persuade) are used ?to describe the purpose of public relations as striving for balanced rather than unbalanced communication and effects? (Grunig, p. 287)  Later, Grunig says that the asymmetrical  should not be perceived as unethical or as an ineffective means to persuasion (p, 310).  However, it may not be the most direct route to persuasion either. 

The File Search, Computer Bulletin Board, and Computer Forum as described by Adams could be both persuasive and informational (except the file search, that would focus on the informational). The notion of designating topographical models (p. 91-93) for each of the social spaces is interesting perspective to me.  The sense of place, especially from a geographer?s perspective, is one that I?d not given any thought to before the last couple of weeks.  Adams puts it pretty directly, ??nodes can, and often do, move from location to location without affecting the topology of the ?virtual place,? and often cyberspace?s ?occupants? interact with no idea of each other?s locations?? (p. 98). To me, the social space diagrams are another variety of communication models, but emphasize the advantages to the interdisciplinary nature of communication. When we can take a look at our field?s natural topics from another perspective we can gain a great deal.

Similar to last week?s discussion, we see in Adams a recognition of priority on the visual sense, and adds an interesting comment, ??in everyday life, nearly all of what is apprehended in one sensory mode is taken to be real without resorting to other modes for verification? (p. 99).  He goes on to emphasize that we are even encouraged to only focus on a single sense at a time?I think of my research topic of typography here.  What we see provides us will all sorts of connotation, feeling, and even judgment. Type becomes part of that in cyberspace, as in many interfaces, type (and the words they create) is the visual we have to build our perceptions.  I also love the notion Adams brings about that in cyberspace we can be many different personalities, if you will, at once?but in physical space we can really only ?be? one at a time (p. 100). I?ve really got to put some more thought into linking the Castells and Latours pieces to Adams?s work that we examine this week. I pulled several quotes that I found to be food for thought, and I will share those merely as quotes in case others note the same ones and we can discuss in class. 

I?ll bring my others tomorrow, but here are a couple:

Latour mentions the necessity of physical place in order to contribute to the cyber-place??As for the computer user input, the cursor might flash forever without the user being there or knowing what to do?? (p. 272). Latour also recognizes the importance of delegation in our lives with nonhuman as will as the need for each other in communication with these two gems? Walls are nice, but the door is the miracle of technology. We delegate the door?s work to the hinge. (p. 258 & 259)
??humans, nonhumans, and even angels are never sufficient in themselves and because there is no one direction going from one type of delegation to the other?..? (p. 269)
Castells stresses the importance of technology?s role in communication as well as the link between technology and power??Economies throughout the world have become globally interdependent?new relationship between economy, state, and society, in a system of variable geometry? (p. 1).  ?Environmental consciousness has permeated down to the institutions of society? won political appeal, at the price of being belied and manipulated in the daily practice of corporations and bureaucracies? (p. 3).  And of course, ??technology expresses the ability of a society to propel itself into technological mastery through the institutions of society, including the state? (p. 13).  I look forward to our discussion and teleconference, and will have a few questions prepared.

Posted at 06:12PM Oct 31, 2007 by jrjackso in General  |  Comments[0]