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ikim

edia

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The InternetMEDIA, POWER AND

CULTURE

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How the net changed the world*

* For limited definitions of “the world.”

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Internet use

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Internet use• Global: ~50%• U.S.: 88.5%• Eritrea, Timor-Leste, Burundi,

Somalia, Guinea, Niger, Sierra Leone, Myanmar, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Central African Republic: <5%

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Global communication• More connections with more people• Fewer geographical barriers to

friendship

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Global communication

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Global communication

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Global communication• 2/3 of college students used

connected devices while with others• Memes• Translation engines / death of

languages

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Silos• Filters and niche sites• Confirmation bias• Bias reinforcement

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Instant news• Fate of “curators”• Clash of expectations and reality

(speed, accuracy, resources)• Equality of platforms (it’s on Google)

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Outsourced memory• Do you know your parents’ phone

number?• Do you know your best friend’s

phone number?

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Outsourced memory• 7/10 don’t know their best friend’s

phone number• Half don’t know their parents’ phone

number• GPS replaces maps and memory

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Infinite information• Trivia at your fingertips• Medical info (72% of users, 50% of

MDs) … rise of hypochondria• Death of reference books• Reliability issues• Parental oversight

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Permanent record• Social media• News archives• Will society adjust?

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Infinite stores• Death of bookstores, record stores,

department stores• Death of serendipitous shopping• International shopping (Alibaba)• Free shipping

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Crowdsourcing• Research• Funding• Swarming

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Disintermediation• Manufacturer-to-consumer

communication• Candidate websites and social media• Citizen journalism• Public incivility

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Constant communication• Helicopter parents• Micro-conversations• Spur-of-the-moment meetings and

cancellations• Running commentary replaces “the

soundtrack of your life”

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Constant stimulation• Dopamine squirts (possibly addictive)• Distraction• 2005 Stanford study: Frequent users

spend 70 minutes/day less with family

• Multitasking and productivity declines

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Multitasking & studying• Students averaged <6 minutes on

task before switching• Facebook users & texters had lower

GPAs• Email and IM had no effect

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Constant stimulation• NYT: In 2008, people consumed 3

times as much info per day as in 1960

• FoMo• Death of downtime

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Conclusion?• The internet has had measurable

effects on human cognition• The generations growing up with the

net show adaptations• The pace of change is

unprecedented; that speed is as disruptive as the changes themselves