Technology-Based Social Change 132
vivekg writes "BBC has published an article featuring the highlights of technological social change from around the world for this year. It is amazing to find out how technology is being used in very different ways for very different communities. Victims of the Tsunami disaster, Virtual Wallets in Japan, and the Indian government, bringing technology to rural areas, all have been touched by the positive use of technology. Hope to see more good community-based collaboration in 2006."
Girl gamers? (Score:4, Interesting)
Poor guy!
Not to mention Podcasts: returning to old tech (Score:2, Interesting)
How is this news? (Score:1, Interesting)
Man is a technological animal - of course he (or she) will use new tech in a way that fits and enhances their way of life.
Where is the news here?
Necessity is such a mother... (Score:2, Interesting)
This month I've conceded, again, to having a Cell Phone.
I was an early Adopter of cell phones back when they were bag phones (it still works and has power and range a hand held only dreams of!) Then I moved to a hand held Motorola unit, which would still nearly split a pocket in my jeans.
In 2000 I had been living in California and was searching for a while and found I needed one to secure a new appartment. Being able to get in touch or be got in touch with was a necessity as I found during the late dot-com era. I picked up one of those Micro Tac jobbies and found little use for it after scoring a new domecile and dumped service.
After a crash while cycling it became apparent I should again have one in the event of another serious injury (collar bone is healed nicely, but torn muscles are still giving me fits)
This go round is pay as I go. While doing some holiday shopping, however, I could scarcely believe my eyes on how many outlets there are for cell services. This crap must be hugely profitable.
Off topic humor, ">Not quite the Mona Lisa smile.
Social change by defeating censorship (Score:4, Interesting)
The Next Social Equalizer? (Score:5, Interesting)
I am not saying that this technology makes everyone equal, but what I am saying is that this technology gives everyone the chance to start out on the exact same footing when they use these new technologies to interact. Whether you connect to the web via your own dual-processor hyper pentium uber-computer with a dedicated T1 at your house or from a free terminal at a public library, the packets are the same. At that point no one cares about your race, economic status, religion, whatever, the playing field is level for you to express yourself. Now, what happens after you post -- that falls back to the current social climate and really depends on what you the individual has to express.
A lot of hopeful thinking I know... but hey, it's that time of year.
Negative changes, anyone? (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm sure the US list is similar.
---
Please click me, it won't hurt [monstersgame.net]
Re:Too connected? (Score:5, Interesting)
In other words, the rest of the world becomes just like I've been all along. I've got Asperger's Syndrome (NOT self-diagnosed) and I always felt weird growing up. No wonder I'm far more verbal in text based communications than in real life.
Re:Women gaming clubs (Score:3, Interesting)
I have noticed this especially with regards to games that require analysis and strategy (although my examples come from the field of board games, the same trends apply to video games.) Plenty of women I know play games like Apples to Apples, Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit, and Balderdash. They're called "party games" for a reason. Their style of play lends itself to parties -- social events. Thus, they emphasize traits that women are encouraged to posess. Women are not encouraged to play analytical games, such as Risk or chess. Those are war games and "properly" belong to the domain of men. In short, women are encouraged to play games that emphasize cooperation while men are encouraged to play games that emphasize competition. Since most one-player video game modes are adversarial in nature, they will fall into a regime that women have not been encouraged to explore.
In reality, the problem is twofold. Although game manufacturers don't often emphasize traits of gameplay that hold traditional appeal to women, I think that society also establishes a standard for women that teaches them not to enjoy the sorts of games that are widely popular. This is not a new problem. Boys have always been discouraged from playing with dolls. Girls have always been discouraged from playing with toy guns. The real solution lies somewhere in the middle. Don't just make games that cater to traditional female tastes and don't just try to tell women that games really aren't for them. Instead, try to raise girls (and boys!) that are capable of appreciating a broader selection of themes and gameplay styles.
Re:Too connected? (Score:5, Interesting)
One good-looking young couple had in use, between them, two laptops, two cell phones, a Blackberry, and a graphing calculator. Plus at least one iPod. But no annoying ringtones. They're using the gear, not showing it off.
Re:Women gaming clubs (Score:2, Interesting)
facebook (Score:4, Interesting)
facebook has had an increadable impact on the social lives of college students.
Not to mention, it is an increadable well designed web app.
Re:Approaching overflow (Score:3, Interesting)
Would you rather have more valid opinions and perspectives expressed, and thus a blurier truth, or would you rather have a clearer truth, with fewer valid opinions and perspectives..?
In fact I think we will have both: We continue to find ways for our tools to help us organize our communications and information, and to help us form a clearer picture of a multiplicity of perspectives.
When I read what you wrote, I thought: "Whoah-- somebody feels that their version of the truth isn't the one that's being heard." I feel like you think that there are people who should be considering your thoughts, who should be communicating with you. But that they aren't. I would suggest that perhaps the Internet tools make that more possible, to do, and not less possible. Perhaps you just need to use the tools in front of you?
I think valid opinions and ideas are getting to be easier to find, not harder.
I'm also not clear on what you mean, when you said that the lines of truth are becoming "blury." Do you mean like: "I go to Wikipedia, and I'm not sure how much of what I see, that I can trust?"
I think that everyone's doing a lot more thinking about how our information and knowledge systems work. "Science. Okay, what is science, actually? How does that work? Why should we trust science more than other things? Is it a body of work, is it a process, what?" Perhaps it's just my company, but it does seem to me that these discussions are happening more frequently now.
I notice how much attention is paid to public opinion, and to who thinks what, and to who is advocating what and saying what is true. All of this points, to me, to greater fidelity in vision.
Before, people didn't know about these things. People literally thought that if it was printed in the paper, it was true-- and to be suspicious of anyone who thought otherwise. Wealthy people knew this, and they did purchace newspapers in order to control people.
Are the lines of truth more blury now, or in the past?
Perhaps they are blurier, but they're probably more accurate now.
Also remember, when you read that Wikipedia article: It usually has links to trustworthy sources. Let's look at Wikipedia:Common Cold, [wikipedia.org] for instance. See at the bottom, you can get links directly to websites edited by MDs, [commoncold.org] and the Common Cold Centre. [cardiff.ac.uk]
It's so easy now to investigate why you believe what you believe, to investigate sources, etc., etc.,.
I think the truth is not getting blurred. We're just developing an understanding of the complex.