Emily Jacobs
Open Source Democracy
“Those who witnessed or, better, have participated in the development of the
interactive mediaspace have a very new understanding of the way that culture
narratives are developed, monopolised and challenged” (Rushkoff, 2010). Douglas
Rushkoff, author of the essay Open Source Democracy, how online communication is
changing offline politics wrote these words in the opening of his essay. An essay that
describes the evolution of communication and the fact that technology is a member
of our society.
In the 19080’s computers where simply used to write and store data. But
today that computer is home to the Internet, which has become an integral part of
our lives because it is interactive. As Rushkoff said, this means that everyday people
are not only passive receivers of ‘old’ media, but we are now senders of information.
Changes in communication and technology are coming with every new generation,
because our society must keep up with the ideas of the people.
In this pattern of change seen by Rushkoff, not only communication is
changing, but also the technique and form of writing. Writing is no longer used to
simply tell a story, the Internet has allowed people to become part of your life. The
most obvious example of this is blogging. Anyone with access to a smart phone or a
computer can sit down and write about anything they wish. A person can open up to
the world. But the change we see is how we write. From two of the most popular
social media outlets, Facebook and Twitter, our writing has become condensed.
Communication between the best of friends or complete strangers has become a
conversation of 140 characters.
“The very survival of democracy as a functional reality may be dependent
upon our acceptance, as individuals, of adult roles in conceiving and stewarding the
shape and direction of society. And we may get our best rehearsal for these roles
online” (Rushkoff, 2010). Whether my understanding of this quote from Rushkoff is
accurate, the Internet has allowed society to find jobs and create opportunities. Not
only has writing changed, but also business has evolved to become part of the online
world. Today we see jobs being created because of someone’s ‘Internet’ ability.
Because of popular social media sites, companies can communicate and reach a
unlimited audience. The technology we see progressing online enables us to hold
interviews, conferences, and conversations all online.
After reading the essay written by Rushkoff, my mind has opened. With new
positive and exciting advancements in technology and communication, there are
negative outcomes. Often negative and disturbing ideas spread faster than the good.
Communication is so rapid online that it can often get out of hand. Because the
Internet is such a powerful tool for more than just communication we have to
remember how to handle it. It is amazing to see how far technology has come in
such a short period of time. Since we don’t even need a computer in front of us to
communicate (smartphones), the changes in electronic environments have become
a necessity for our society to survive.