Week 5 Lecture Summary - Internet Studies & Web 2.0

This week's lecture discussed 'New Media' and 'Internet Studies'. New Media incorporates virtual community and individual identity and Internet Studies incorporates web 2.0 and social media. A virtual community is described by Rheingold (1993), as public discussions that occur long enough to form relationships. The conversations involve human emotion and feeling. Individual identity on the internet is seen as people experimenting by reconstructing their identities and re-creating self (Turkle, 1995). On the internet people don't have to be themselves, they can be whoever they want to be. This can cause danger for young kids on the internet who are targets for pedophiles. The internet can be a dangerous place, but we can't let that take away the good things it has to offer.

The early stages of the internet provided a place where people in different geographical locations could share their similar interests. There has been more of a shift, in the introduction of web 2.0, to making the individual the common thread. Web 2.0 emphasises the user experience. With the introduction of tagging and user based content, the internet has become more about the individual. It is now about community and collaboration. This is evident in the popularity of sites like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter. These social communities give internet users opportunities to collaborate with their friends via photos, discussions, IM and various posting functions.

The majority of people using Facebook, for example, would already know those they are communicating with online. On the other hand, people using Twitter tend to follow people they don't know like celebrities or politicians. Although, you can still follow people you know it may not seem as exciting or interesting.