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Memex3 sources link

tags:: Memex3, control, censorship, agency, network, communication, power, politics, ARPANET

How does it all relate anyway?

  • The goal of these sources is to really reinforce the theme of network interconnectedness and the theme of Control and Agency within that network. This theme of control takes the form of Cyber_apartheid, Freemium models, systems with Access_control, and through Censorship. Denning's source about the emergeance of the ARPANET and its legacy gives us a good understanding of the problems that the early internet had in the 90s surrounding access controls and governmental monitoring of the information shared.

  • Knight's article about the internet topology zoo really drives home the idea and concept of nodes and a decentralized network of global communities. Within this network, a bunch of topic-centered communities bloom and flourish. However, Knight's argument about Network_engineer and the intention of a network at its creation tells us to remain critical of understanding the agency that comes with creating and implementing new networks.

  • The article about the evolution of the internet, while narrating a general timeline of the internet, also highlights the "free" label that was associated with the web. The web was meant to democratize free speach, allowing anyone to post and publish ideas online for free. However, the idea of control yet again crosses the page with the introduction of Freemium models that seeks to control who has access to digital tools and informations. This can be seen in education-based website that only offer a limited amount of knowledge to free users, hiding the rest of the knowledge behind paywalls, inciting the free user to become a paid user.

  • MacDougall argues for the social necessity during the Cold War for the development of video games and better computers. This tale tells a story of power dynamics politics_of_power between superpowers (USA and USSR), each trying to get a step ahead with war simulation during a nuclear crisis. This video is useful because it points to a shift in thinking about the computers that would later affect the interconnectedness of the internet. Computers, in the early days, was not sought by the common folks as no one really needed a super machine to do thousands of calculations per seconds for them. However, once softwards and applications started to be developed for them (i.e. during the Cold War), the mass saw the appeal of having these machines home. This would be a first step in connecting everyone to a larger, distributed network that would be the internet.

  • Finally, Mulvenon's article about Beijing's policy of internet Censorship further emphasizes the political nature of the network and its significant influence on political bodies. This relates with MacDougall's argument of how "we shape our tools, and our tools shapes us." By shaping the internet used in China, they can shape the Chinese internet users. This allows them to political monopoly and security on an economic, social, and cultural level. Of course, this Globalization_of_communication would not be possible without the ARPANET and the evolution of the internet.

All in all, these sources are meant to highlight the sheer intricacies of the internet network, but also remind us of its political power in shaping who we are.

Citational Information