7 lessons I learned from Net Communications

1. I was a thief and I wasn’t even aware of it.
CONFESSION: I do get my music off the internet. There, I’ve said it. But, in my defence, I don’t always download albums or leave my computer switched on overnight to download a movie torrent – I’m too lazy to go through the effort. I usually just download a song or two that I like; I’m not usually keen to immediately purchase the whole CD. But not everyone is as lazy as me – we all know it. Before this class, I was kinda-sorta sure that it was okay, but now I know that it’s just not right.

I grew up in Malaysia almost my whole life, and for those who don’t know, Malaysia is boasts pirated goods – from bags, to DVDs, cds, clothes, etc. My friends and I lived in a society where pirated goods = cheap = better for the future of our bank accounts. I never even thought of pirated goods being a crime. Heck, why would it be a criminal offense if everyone treated it so normally and mundane?

Australia isn’t like Malaysia in that case, but it is still far more relaxed about piracy laws in comparison to America. I’m not saying that I’d completely stop downloading music if the law was stricter – but it would certainly motivate me to do so.

The bigger question in mind is whether or not I’m willing to put in the money for the product. Am I willing to spend the money I earn from two hours of work for a single CD?

The answer: I still hesitate to do so, but at least I’m getting there. It’s not going to be an overnight miracle. But the important point is that I’m trying to change my ways. Ooh, cliché alert. ANYWAY. Yes. These artists put in more time and effort than just $33. It’s only selfish if I’m not willing to pay.

2. Geocities no longer exist (and for a good reason).
When I was in high school, we were given an assignment to create a webpage and I was pretty damn sure I used Geocities. Yeah, yeah, cringe your heart out I get it. But it was the first go-to-DIY-website back then. Sure it sometimes it was too sparkly and sometimes it was too bright for the eyes but when you’re a 15 year old girl, they can be quite awesome.

So you can imagine to my dismay, when I found out Geocities no longer existed. Didn’t anyone document them? I mean, academics write so much about everything (academia practically practises and proves the long tail theory); you would think there’d be a few Geocities websites preserved. But alas, no – it now just remains as a memory.

Can you imagine if one day people get terribly annoyed at minimalism design and boycott against it until tacky/trashy design makes a comeback? Oh wait. Hello, anti-design.

3. Blogging consistently was not easy.
There’s a section of one particular reading that I completely love (geek geek geek).

From Geert Lovink’s “Blogging, the Nihilist Impulse“

Keeping a diary provokes reflection about the activity itself. Virginia Woof’s fundamental motive is to “hold on to it all, to cheat the clock and death of all the things that she had lived.” What intrigues me here are the “time folds” that we so often find in blogs as well. Many of Virginia Woolf’s entries are provoked by her neglect of regular diary writing. “The journals are frequently interrupted by physical illness, madness, the press of work or social life. And sheer disinclination.” Sound familiar?

Hell yes. All too much.

I have a busy life, and I’m sure everyone does too. To keep a blog/diary and write in it every day was incredibly difficult. By blogging, it records my days even if I am “cheat[ing] the clock and death of all the things that [I] had lived.” But hello – I have a life too that doesn’t just stop for an hour or two, just so that I can sit down and write my yesterday out.

It’s a never ending, continuous cycle.

But this exercise has definitely taught me one thing: despite the fact I babble non-stop about how I can’t stand bloggers for all their whinging – I salute those who are dedicated, thoughtful and consistent. I’m not talking about teenagers typin lik dis talkin bout skool and boyz. I’m talking about those who actually truly understand the blogging world and contribute to it with their thoughts. And to those who blog for a living, dear god I give my hat off to you. I cannot imagine doing this everyday for a living. Talk about creativity juices on pressure!

…but on that note,

4. I now know how it feels like to be in a community of bloggers.
Occasionally I check up on the Net Communications blog to have a look at the other blogs on the blog roll. But having set up a blog roll of my own at the beginning of class (comprising a blog list of close friends who study this subject); I can now say I know how it feels to be in a community of bloggers. I now know what it’s like to leave/receive comments from someone who is in the same position as you (aka a blogger) and actually cares about your thoughts, in an online medium.

5. There really are people out there who deeply care about the existence of Comic Sans.
You should’ve seen my face when a friend said 2/3 of our Web Design readings were on Fonts.

Seriously? There are articles/readings on Fonts?
(Another point exemplifying the long tail theory!)

Despite the fact that those readings gave me a bit of a shock, they were very interesting. So I’m a bit of a reading nerd, I’ll take that. I found that a lot of the readings in this subject took me out of my comfort zone (Software Studies, IT talk, BLOGGING EEP!), but that in itself was a learning process. I’m really happy I embraced it – instead of turning away when I saw words such as “produsage” and “prosumer”.

6. There is such a thing as Creative Commons.
If there is one thought that will still be hovering in my mind post-Net Comm., it’s the idea that Creative Commons is reliant on an honesty system.

What Creative Commons, as a company, proposes is ideal and very ambitious. I’m all up for copyright licenses, provided they are respected.

Changing the mindset of most of the world is not going to be done in a day – especially if you’re relying on an honesty system. As if.

I don’t suppose I’d take it up seriously in the future, but I’m still keen to learn more about CC and the way it theoretically/realistically functions, and if it can be improved.

7. Generation Y really needs to get a hold of themselves and take ownership of their contribution on the internet.
Everyone thinks I’m a grandma when I nag them about “the severity of the putting yourself out there on the internet”. Okay, so I can’t generalize. Probably not everyone. But definitely a hell lot of people.

So the general consensus is that the majority of Generation Y is attached to the internet, like peanut butter and jelly. The internet to them is like second nature, nothing terribly new, mundane, ordinary, public, whatever. A lot of young users don’t think twice when they decide to “share” their videos/thoughts/photographs on the internet. I mean, take these kids for example.

I really like watching this video, and I don’t necessarily mean it in a mocking way. Yeah, it’s funny, but hey, they’ve got dancing skills. But not everyone’s going to think the same way I do. These kids in Thailand certainly didn’t think about the consequences of posting a video of themselves online, dancing to Wondergirls’ “Nobody”. And this is nowhere as bad as some of the examples we studied in class (i.e. Star Wars kid), in relation to cyber bullying or damaged reputations.

The younger generation need to have it drilled in their heads that the internet isn’t an ordinary innate thing. It’s like your relationship with a dog; it can bite back if you approach/prod it the wrong way. It isn’t a bad thing (the dog/internet), you just need to embrace it carefully, with respect.

That way, everybody wins.

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