Chapter 2 Who Owns the Future

The chapter begins with the author discussing how sometimes people over complicate things and ideas and that it is just better to blurt the idea out to get the creative process started. Digital technology changes the the way things are looked at or the steps taken because technology for the most part makes things easier. I enjoyed the use of Aristotle's quote and how it relates to problems going on in our society as well as the one that happened many years ago. The point I drew from this quote was that he predicted the takeover or transfer of power to technology and machines from humans because of the massive dependence we have on technology and that our lives couldn't go on without the use of different technologies.

The Social Organization Chapters 5 & 6

Bradley and McDonald bring up a few key points in these chapters on how to work smarter, not harder involving social media and mass collaboration. People are already using social media, yet it isn't successful for just everyone. Building the correct strategy when it comes to employees and others online is the key to successful community collaboration. As the motivator you need to be able to compel people or give them a cause to help contribute, otherwise most wouldn't want to exert any effort and would stay in "The No Stage". To make it to "The Go Stage" the community has to be supported by an organization to provide and allow access to social media technology. Creating a purpose roadmap to determine what the social media goals are and how to guide and refine the purpose help users narrow down their mission. After, a business justification is developed to identify the communities tangible business benefits and costs. These are all tools to help an organization expand their social media community to lead to mass collaboration.

Born in the Wrong Generation

Sometimes I honestly feel like I don't belong in this technology-filled generation and that I would live a happier life in a simpler time where peoples lives didn't revolve around the newest gadget or what is new online. Most people really don't realize how dependent they all are on technology; for example, take a walk around campus and you notice countless students with their faces buried in a screen too busy for any human interaction as they text message and tweet every detail of their life. Things become insignificant if they can't fit into 140 characters on Twitter, as we all just sit around waiting for the next popular social media platform to be released and control peoples lives. Chapter 2 of The New Digital Age reinforces this idea, telling how in the next decade, "The world's virtual population will outnumber the population of Earth". Schmidt and Cohen support this immersion through social media, stating that it will create massive amounts of data or a data revolution. My issue with this is the fact that half, if not most, of this data will be useless information created by users who don't realize they are trading away their privacy for social interactions online that could easily happen in real life. While i do enjoy using social media occasionally myself, its mostly just to keep in touch with friends and family who i don't get to see as much, yet others seem to live through social media, posting every superficial detail of their lives for all the world to see.

Central Michigan Manufacturers Association

As I learn more and more about the CMMA and their different duties and goals, I start to notice both areas in need of improvement as well as things that could be easily fixed with some thoughtful solutions. For example, the CMMA website lacks information on the Association and could use some more input from the Board Members to make the website more interesting. A blog perhaps, even done once a month, that informs the viewers what exactly is going on at these board meetings. The CMMA is really lacking in its transparency to anyone who is not currently a member, which doesn't enhance the likelihood of success at all. I believe the CMMA would benefit greatly from mass collaboration, allowing others to state their opinions on what needs to be changed as well as how to change it. Understanding how to listen and control community collaborations so that all opinions can be heard at least if they are not put in use. While I haven't really noticed too many Meshy characteristics, I do believe the CMMA has the potential to be meshy I just need more time and information as well as meeting those in charge of the CMMA before I can personally judge the characteristics of this association.

Who Does Own the Future?

Jaron Lanier's Who Owns the Future brings up some interesting points in the Prelude alone, mentioning the many different ways people now pirate or illegally download even books now. Lanier explains the factors that go into transactions and the effects even from those that don't purchase but promote through word of mouth. Lanier brings up an interesting point in which he believes everyone deserves compensation for contributions that they post online. This scenario is possible, however I don't see it as a viable option because of the amount of free information available online, companies won't want to pay users for their contributions. Another interesting point brought up by Lanier is that models and profiles are being constructed by companies based on internet history and search information and these profiles are valuable to other businesses and companies trying to reach certain customers. This invasion of privacy has become second nature to basically everyone, with those in favor of giving up more information if it means personalized ads and emails. Maybe I am the only skeptical one, but in a society that already revolves around technology, why not be skeptical?

Change in Organization- CMMA

I've decided to change the organization in which i am focusing on Social Media wise, as I would rather be able to really dive into focusing on strictly the Central Michigan Manufacturers Association.  The CMMA is interesting to me because I believe they help out a lot of struggling entrepreneurs starting their own businesses by connecting them with experienced manufacturers. Now not being a member myself, at this point I'm not sure the full benefits offered or the level of mass collaboration but i can still compare the six principles of mass collaboration. The CMMA uses both participation and collective by having a community of manufacturers and a special members section on http://www.centralmichiganmanufacturers.org/1/342/index.asp. The transparency is evident through their use of LinkedIn and Facebook. Emergence and Independence could use a bit of work in differentiating themselves from other manufacturing organizations. With a little persistence and more contributions, this organization could really take advantage of social media and mass collaboration.

Reading Responses

The New Digital Age by Schmidt and Cohen starts off with a thought provoking introduction that focuses on how technology will improve literally all aspects of life and change how things are performed due to creative technology. Also discussed is the potential for mass contributions from those all around the world due to everybody being connected through the internet. They mention the benefits of complete connectivity and how processor chips have the capability to double in speed every 18 months leading to many different possibilities. The scenarios presented by Schmidt and Cohen are fascinating yet make me feel skeptical. The fact that every aspect of society would revolve around technology is a scary thought, living completely different lives compared to those in the past where living in a technology based world wasn't possible. The next reading contrasted Schmidt and Cohen, where Jaron Lanier fully supports the technological takeover in his book You are Not a Gadget. I understand the titles meaning in that us as humans are not physically gadgets, yet I feel like people grow more and more each day to depending on technology to live. Having peoples lives revolve around electronics and other devices just doesn't seem right, yet it seems almost a guarantee which leads to my optimistic feelings on the future.

Social Media Based Organization

 Tappsi