The Peer-to-Patent program, as explored in Noveck’s Wiki Government, demonstrates how people can come together and connect to provide a government service (reviewing and approving patents). The argument is that new technology promotes the development of social networks and therefore provides new opportunities for collaborating ideas to improve efficiency and expand capabilities. Utilizing the skills of users to review the patent proposals not only increases the variety of experts but saves a lone bureaucrat from processing the proposal without the knowledge to provide a thorough evaluation. Similarly, sites like Wikipedia promote this community review process in which experts or researchers verify publicly posted information.
In many ways, the quality of information and resources available are improving with the use of technology. However, as the proponent of strong verbal communication and interpersonal skills, I question whether the quality of interaction is increasing along with the number of interactions people are having on the internet.
Many of my views are shaped by my parents, a teacher and a lawyer, who taught me at a young age how to shake hands, look people in the eye, and hold conversations with adults. I believe I was primed to network and socially interact before I could even define those concepts. Therefore, when I first read a segment of Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, I completely understood his suggestion that people are interacting with one another less and less and are becoming more distrustful of their neighbors. He asserts that while more people go bowling, fewer people are bowling together in leagues and choosing instead not to associate with organized groups. As we discussed in class, people are still organizing groups online; however, I wonder if technology has been used as a substitute for associations that require physical or verbal human interaction.
In a literature review of Rich Ling’s “New Tech, New Ties,” it becomes evident that certain social norms are being obliterated and this raises other questions on the appropriateness of some behaviors. The use of the cell phone in public, for example, can make people less approachable and therefore promotes a “keep to yourself” attitude. People begin to exist within their own spheres or rules of behavior without regard to those around them. Therefore, while technology increase the number of ways to communicate and the frequency of some communication, the fundamental rules of human interaction are being altered.
I can view the number of friends I have on Facebook or the number of connections I have on LinkedIn, and in a world where technology is being used more and more in the job search, I could be in very good shape. However, as I searched for my summer internship, I saw more and more the need to pick up a phone, make a call, and set up a time to meet with people face-to-face. Technology can begin the connection, but the interaction must deepen from there for a relationship to endure.
Tying this back to the idea of Peer-to-Patent and Wikipedia as revolutionary online tools, I always remember how my high school teachers and later college professors warned that Wikipedia was a good “starting off point.” I will not negate the functionality of these community forums and editing tools; however, I will continue to believe that technology can as a spring board for deeper connections with lasting social or political impact.
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