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Maggie Murphy

Peer governance & Wikipedia - 2 views

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    In one of the videos we watched last week, Wesch mentioned how students can look at the discussion page for any article on Wikipedia to get a sense of how information is being interactively constructed and contested. This article discusses the issue of self-governance in online communities with a focus on how Wikipedia is edited and the community politics behind it. I think this article makes a really useful contribution to a discussion about authority and knowledge production on the Internet. There is also a related article about the relationship between Wikipedia contributions and identity construction here.
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    I've always tended to cringe at the sight of Wikipedia, mainly because of the danger that community participation without expert editorial would diminish the truthfulness of posts. After reviewing some of this material, I'm now thinking that our skepticism should source from the editorial experts - or site administrators - at Wikipedia themselves. They seem like governors of a new system of direct representation who come to fear their constituents, policing their activities in a "tyranny of structurelessness." It's difficult to determine the right balance between administrators and participants.
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    First of all, I don't think entries for 500 Pokemon characters all that trivial - that's exactly the reason I would use Wikipedia, if I needed a refresher in Wiggly Puff or another character. in terms of self-governance I get the idea of a more formal or established social contract, seems to make a lot of sense and sets a standard. I can't say I'm convinced that going for inclusion vs. deletion leads to stronger self-governance. Doesn't there have to be some for of consensus/compromise to establish a system that everyone can live with?
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    The article reflects that Wikipedia relies on the "wisdom of the crowds for its quality control processes". I agree that knowing there is some sort of governance or policing occurring on the site increases confidence in the content, but I am going to agree with Wesch that our tendency to be skeptical of collaborative work in an educational setting is in part due to our comfort level with a hierarchical model that places authority at the top.
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    I read (part of) an ethnography of Wikipedia last semester that was really interesting. http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/gfc/ Good Faith Collaboration by Joseph Reagle "Wikipedia's style of collaborative production has been lauded, lambasted, and satirized. Despite unease over its implications for the character (and quality) of knowledge, Wikipedia has brought us closer than ever to a realization of the century-old pursuit of a universal encyclopedia. Good Faith Collaboration: The Culture of Wikipedia is a rich ethnographic portrayal of Wikipedia's historical roots, collaborative culture, and much debated legacy. "
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    Without accusing certain authors in the field of elitism, I think that Wikipedia works as it should, by serving the needs of people in the way they want it. If someone needs to look up the habits of Pokemon or William Shatner's favorite food, who are we to question their information needs?
Maggie Murphy

Oppressive regimes step up high-tech censorship - 0 views

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    I've been researching the "global digital divide" for my group project and one of the things that factors into a global digital divide is governments that control the flow of information and prevent access and use of technology. This is article provides a quick summary of government censorship tactics regarding social media and blogging under repressive regimes.
Rebecca Martin

ObscuraCam: Enhance Your Visual Privacy! - 0 views

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    I came across this new Droid app that enables users to obscure the faces of individuals in photos or videos they've taken on their mobile devices. The app creators are involved more generally in developing technologies and technology policies for human rights defenders, especially ones that document abuses, protests and other demonstrations and share the videos/pictures through various media channels and see a need to hide identities from repressive governments. I think it ties our discussion last week of Evgeny Morozov's research into the Internet and government oppression into the issue of privacy.
michelleamills

U.S. Underwrites Internet Detour Around Censors - 0 views

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    Is technology promoting free speech or helping dissidents in controlled countries? "We see more and more people around the globe using the Internet, mobile phones and other technologies to make their voices heard as they protest against injustice and seek to realize their aspirations," Mrs. Clinton said. "There is a historic opportunity to effect positive change, change America supports," she said. "So we're focused on helping them do that, on helping them talk to each other, to their communities, to their governments and to the world."
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