Sorin Adam Matei
Analysis, research, maps, and essays from Sorin Adam Matei.
Submitted by Colleen E. Brown on November 26 to the On-line Interaction and Facilitation Seminar, Fall 2007, Purdue University, Dr. Sorin A. Matei via the I Think Blog (http://www.matei.org/ithink) Introduction The need for group membership, social support, and information gathering are part…
The department of communication at Purdue has launched this presentation video which highlights some of our main strengths. Speaking of which, have you heard of the latest news from the Chronicle of Higher Education? Our department has been ranked second in terms…
In China sharing as a social statement does not really work. A strong instrumental/exchange orientation would make Homans the happiest man alive. If he was still alive… Social media’s value proposition is different for the mainland Chinese than it is for Americans…
If you have not heard of Erik Davies yet, you should read this article now. This is one of the most insightful articles on the countercultural religious impulses behind the idea of “cyberculture” and “cyberspace”. In the author’s words own words: My…
An educator’s perspective Students love Wikipedia. Convenience and deadlines remembered at the last minute conspire with immense success in making undergraduate students avid consumers of web content. Professors fight their pupils’ addiction with stern grading policies bolded, underlined or italicized in the…
How can the Third World receive internet access? This is a cool project from First Mile Solutions was forwarded to me a few months ago by a friend who specializes in extending internet access to individuals in Third world countries. Essentially they…
Front Porches and Public Spaces: Planned Communities Online Susan Huelsing Sarapin Comm. 632: Online Interaction Professor: Dr. Sorin Matei November 19, 2006 Introduction Where else today but in the cost-effective frontier of cyberspace can the average person construct a community?1 With widespread…
Saturday, November 18, 2006 I’m going to say something controversial. I know, I know. The internet is for free speech. It is the last remnant of the American sixties counterculture. It’s about self-expression and information sharing. So why do I think it’s…
Wegner’s Communities of Practice concept is rooted in seven design principles. All good online communities, which are variants of communities of practice, should keep them in mind: 1. Design for evolution Design elements should be catalysts for a community’s natural evolution. As…
Please bear with me as I try to communicate my thoughts. I’m quite ill today, so what I write might be slightly difficult to understand. I’ve been groping for a big, fat concept for our site, and maybe somebody can find some…
As I was reading more of Weinberger’s chapter 5 this a.m., I got an idea. He says: Increasingly, a useful expert is not someone with (containing) all the answers but someone who knows where to find answers. He challenges us to point…
One of the questions associated with the assigned readings was in reference to Weinberger and similarities associated with Rheingold or Seabrook. In the chapter entitled Togetherness by Weinberger differences are stated between the real world and web groups. I see thinking along…
A few 9/11 and media related thoughts. Somewhat related to the idea of communitas, I ‘ll let you find out in what way… The Exponent – Purdue’s Student Newspaper 2001 attacks still affect media coverage By Sarah Michalos Publication Date: 09/11/06 Campus…
So the crux – or at the very least a major discussion area in our offline discussions – has been the idea of the tension between the individual and the community. Specifically two major questions we’ve asked: whether the individualistic-communitarion dichotomy is…
Larry Sanger wrote a very thoughtful article about the meaning of the wiki movment… I will comment on it in a few days…. Constructing the Digital Universe » Blog Archive » The New Politics of Knowledge The New Politics of Knowledge July…
New media and emerging technologies continue to change not only our communication (Gunn, 2006; Jones, 2006), but also our relationships, our work, and our communities (Contractor, 2006; Walther, 2006). At the same time, our societies and organizations – i.e. the bodies within…
The Economist takes a stance, contrarian as usual, on the issues of “preferential service” and premium fees on the Internet. Economist.com | Articles by Subject | The internet Yet some packets are already favoured, even on today’s internet. Businesses routinely pay a…
The collection of readings regarding communication and new media provides looks forward (Carey, 1998; Neas, 2005; Fox, Anderson, & Rainie, 2005) as well as backwards (Cato, 1982; Marvin, 1998) in our adoption of new technologies and their effect on our lives. From…
I am listing here, for all to visit and for myself for future reference, a number of blogs who seem to be concerned with the same kinds of issues as the ones we will discuss on this blog… Briefhistory Discourse.net The End…
The Economist remarks on the religious dimension of the Google project and leaves us pondering about the importance of irrational ideals in moving technology ahead (a topic in dire need of studying and discussion). One visitor to the company’s “Googleplex†in Silicon…
On my way to work I listened to Menand’s (The New Yorker) review of a new and hip book, the Economy of prestige, about literary prizes. It discusses the mechanisms by which fame is created and propagated (literary awards are the negative…
John Henry makes the very persuasive point that magic thinking is at the very core of the modern experimental method. Francis Bacon, the inventor of the experimental and inductive methods was seriously committed to a research program inspired by magic. In the…