> I am interested in studying sociocultural issues surrounding the
> use of information technology. Particularly, how the use of information
> technology impacts how people organize their activities and minds and vice
> versa. Presently, the use of distributed communication network are less
> successful than it should be: and in my opinion, most successes have be
> random attempts. The problem with networking is that the links in
> networks increase exponentially as the number of people involved
> increases linearly. People are then bombarded by communication and all
> these links and relationships that need to be managed. Information
> accumulates without progressive knowlegde.
>
> We must understand how our minds work in such environment, so as
> to foster the development of shared knowledge and activities and create a
> true distributed learning or working community.
I agree with your observations about information explosion but without
true community or development of shared knowledge. I feel
that it may have something to do with what people's expectations are when
they use information technology to connect with other strangers...e.g., do
they expect to build intellectual relationships, or do they just use
computers to "disseminate" facts/information? Do they enter the network
with a discussion mind set, or do they enter it as someone entering an
electronic library... I think different expectations lead to different
outcomes, and there are times we need different outcomes; so, I'm
optimistic about information tech. though what we make of it is up to us,
or up to us at different times with different needs and thus with
different mindsets and thus different outcomes! (excuse such a monstrous
sentence!)
What do you think?
Angel
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Angel M.Y. Lin
Doctoral Candidate
Modern Language Centre
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
252 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON M5S 1V6, Canada
E-Mail: MYLIN who-is-at OISE.ON.CA
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Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,
Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;
But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When ... we stand face to face in the cyber space? ...
--Adapted from: The Ballad of East and West, Rudyard Kipling
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