Theory Flashcards
A group
A collection of people with the same goal/activity/connection
A network
A structure of interaction and connections between people
Characteristics of the Network society
- Platforms (and media) as context for networks
- Effects are less important than structures and systems
- The individual is explored in relation to others
How has the internet had a globalizing effect?
- National borders mean less
- English language is normalized
- Information comes from different sides
the Information Society
A society in which information is a significant economic, political and cultural activity
Characteristics of the Information Society
- Rise of the service sector
- Decline of agricultural-based economy
- Predominance of “information-based work”
- Knowledge is a key factor in the economy, more important than physical manufacturing
Webster’s Five types of Theories to look at the Information Society
Technological:
- Emphasis on ICT’s
- Society has moved from the “Industrial Revolution” to an “Information age”
Economic:
- Concerned with the economics of information –> Assesses the size and growth of the information industries
- Emphasis on the importance of knowledge to the economy
Occupational:
- Focus on occupational change (service workers now in the majority)
Spatial:
- Emphasis on the information networks which connect locations and have impact on the organisation of time and space.
Cultural:
- culture nowadays is more heavily information-laden than ever before, we are existing in a media-saturated environment.
The IS in Developing countries:
- Lack of infrastructure makes it hard for them to fully become a IS.
- The dominant discourse on IS offers a narrow vision of development focussing growth and GDP
- The digital divide still a reality in these countries
The Network Society
- Based on the foundations of the IS and focuses on networks and their organizational forms.
Characteristics of networks
- The new economy is organized around global networks of capital, management and information whose access to technological knowledge is essential
- the work process is individualized
- Real power is in networks and not in specific cities
Characteristics of the gig economy
- Work transacted through online platforms
- users work whenever they want
- A rate is paid for a specific task
- Payment is intermediated by the platform
The sharing economy
Systems that facilitate the sharing of underused assets
Similarities between the sharing - and gig economy
Things in common:
- Trust systems
- Critical mass is necessary
benefits of the gig economy
- Flexibility and Freedom
- Mobility
- Global productivity
- Minorities overrepresented (ethnical and special needs)
Downsides of the gig economy
- Almighty companies
- Who is responsible? companies tend to dodge responsibility in negative experiences
- Lack of transparency
- Incumbent’s lack of competitiveness
- Some workers are working full time on these platforms, but don’t get health benefits for example
- Wage degradation
“Humans as a service”
Technology enables companies to let people work for them for 10 minutes and then fire them again
Reception theory
- Based on the encoding/decoding model: the text is encoded by the writer, and decoded by the reader.
- Audiences play an active role in reading texts, and each person has the ability to interpret the same text differently.
- A text without a reader has no meaning.
Different ‘readings’ of a text
- Dominant reading: The reader shares the writer’s ‘code’, and fully accepts the programmers’ preferred reading.
- Negotiated reading: The reader partly shares the programmers’ code, and broadly accepts the preferred reading, but modifies it in a way that reflects their own position.
- Oppositional reading: The reader does not share the programmers’ code and rejects the preferred reading.
Advertainment
- Promotional practices that integrate brand communications within the content of entertainment products
- Brad communications are now present in the content of a broad range of entertainment vehicles.
Political correctness
Adhering to the speaker’s idea of ‘prevailing norms’
3 views on the definition of Cancel Culture
- View 1: A movement to silence ‘free thinkers’
- View 2: A wave of accountability for people who normally face none
- View 3: Disorganized harassment mixed in with valid criticism
Activism vs. Slacktivism
Activism: -Participating in the discourse contributing to communal knowledge - Adding you voice - Being an ally - Punching up / speaking truth to power
Slacktivism:
- Liking posts
- tagging others
- Changing your pfp
- “Feeding the algorithm”
Stereotypes
A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular person, place or thing.
Archetype
A very typical example of a certain person or thing. An original which has been imitated. An easily recognised type of character that can be found in many stories.
