Week 6: "Tell me more, tell me more": Information, Education & Work

In a new economy many of us are faced with the numerous questions about the information age, and the revolution of technology. One of these questions is the future access in an Australian perspective to the future evolution to the Internet and Television. “In a culture organised around electronic media, including in this communication system the computer mediated communication networks cultural expressions of all kinds and are increasingly enclosed in or shaped by this world of electronic media” (Castells 1999, 403).

In comparison to Castells, Genevieve Bell, Intel Director of the User Experience Group notions that the digital economy sees aspects of the internet in a global perspective. “The future of technologies is changing for users with a great amount of force” (Bell, 2008). Bell points out that there is a strong press for consumers to become a part of a dead zone that being a zone where users can’t be contacted or make communication from any technical device. “Desire to connected and unconnected... 60% of users lie about their whereabouts on mobile phones in the past 6 months” (Bell, 2008). This identity in devices is changing transformation in what consumers think and will happen with change. With that said the future of technologies is changing, with consumers having the desire to be connected and unconnected, one can question Bell about consumer connectivity.

If the future of the Internet is revolutionising to more interfaces will consumers ever become unconnected? The emergence of Internet and broadcast television has already been successful and shaped to see versions of the ‘iplayer’ in Great Britain (Bell, 2008). “Imagine if television becomes an important media hub in the home in a way that puts it into direct competition with a PC” (Bell, 2008). With the future prominence of television, what is its position in the new economy? I would agree with Bell that the television and PC would become competitors in the home as a more or less important media interface. Castells concept of our ‘culture’ being organised around ‘electronic media’ (1999, 403) queries the future cultural shift of television will have socio technological concerns in an Australian perspective to the equity of access to the Internet.


Reference List

Bell, G. 2008. Digital Economy forum Presentation. (accessed April 2, 2010).

Castells, M. (1999). 'An Introduction to the Information Age' in The Media Reader: Continuity & Transformation. Howard, P. N. and Massanari, A. (2007). Learning to Search and Searching to Learn: Income, Education, and Experience Online. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(3), article 5. (accessed April 2, 2010).