Are we just people hooked up to machines?

After researching more into the topic of consumerism and the internet I came upon a reading by Jon Katz Birth of a Digital Nation where he discusses the redevelopment of the digital nation. Now although he discusses the involvement of the internet in America’s politics, and its great ability to teach, as an online journalist he learned that he was rarely right, and was merely able to transmit ideas to be shaped and improved by others, who possibly knew more about certain subjects and concepts than he himself.

However I could not get past one of the questions Jon Katz asks right at the start of his piece.

“Are we a powerful new kind of community or just a mass of people hooked up to machines?” (Katz, 2007).

This question has me thinking a great deal about what it means to be a virtual community. As students we are engaged in studying a subject based on the use of virtual media and in one simple thought Katz has me questioning so many of the things we have learnt about online cultures so far.
However this is not the only question Katz raises. He also brings two other insightful and challenging questions;

“Are we living in the middle of a great revolution, or are we just members of another arrogant elite talking to ourselves?” (Katz, 1997).

“Do we share goals and ideas, or are we just another hot market ready for exploitation by America’s (Australian) ravenous corporations?” (Katz, 1997).

John Katz poses three simple questions which get to the root of a problem that faces us all in this digitel age.
It has occured to me and I am sure many of you also have thought that online communities are harshly judged by critics who think online networking is making the world anti-social and creating isolated virtual communities of people who have common interests and time to spent searching online. While useful for gathering and exchanging information the internet also has the potential to be used as a took for exploiting the masses who log on daily.

However Katz appears to underestimate the intent of consumers who make use of virtual media in all of its forms. The modern consumer is highly educated in terms of exploitation online and his ability to recognise threats is highly sophisticated and supported by online software. People from all walks of life have embraced the internet. Age and attitude is no barrier. The internet revolution is here to stay and rather than being exploited by corporations as Katz suggests I believe that 'Generation C' who consume, create, and contribute to the content of online websites by adding text, images and audio are fully in control of emerging new social software and are not being exploited or seen to be a mass of unthinking vassal's.

There is some support to Katz oppinion that the internet will be highly susceptible to consumerism and with marketing people being hired to participate in communities are we merely setting our selves up to be sold new and exciting gadgets and trends like Ipod? The potential may be present for this to happen, never the less I doubt it will scare internet users away from their favourite online networks.

Like so many other things to do with virtual communities I guess this is really just another side to yet another argument but its one until now I never really thought about and its one I believe we all need to think about.


Reference:
Katz. J. 1997. The Birth of a Digital Nation, In Wired Magazine. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.04/netizen.html (accessed may 10, 2008).